Articles about Letterpress Restoration

Share your tips on getting antique letterpress equipment up and running to serve a new generation of printers.

Restoring Treadle-operated & Motorized Platens

On old platen presses, the parts that are most often missing are rollers, roller trucks, and treadles. New Rollers and Trucks The least serious are the rollers, since there are several companies that sell new composition or rubber rollers complete on the proper-sized core. The main problem here is to … Continue reading

Restoring Iron Handpresses

The parts most likely to be missing from an iron handpress are the forestay, the tympan, and the frisket. The forestay (the outside support for the rails) can be easily made from wood, using an engraving of the press from a printers’ manual or catalogue for reference. This was often … Continue reading

Rust Removal

Many presses will be found rusted from long neglect. In remediation, it’s careful to note that it’s possible the original paint and primer on old presses may contain lead. It may be worthwhile to test it with a lead paint test kit or send samples for testing and take precautions … Continue reading