Casting Gummy Bear Rollers

:-) You can’t beat printers when it comes to resourcefulness and ingenuity. ~Barbara

This is the best thing I have heard in a long time. I wonder if you could print with an edible ink and just eat the rollers off the cores when you are done? Maybe not, but I still like the thought of it.

B

I didn’t consider the edibility of the rollers later! Wow… what a concept. I will admit that I ate the off-cuts after I trimmed the rollers to length. I figured the small amount of rust from the cores wouldn’t kill me. I probably need the iron anyway!

Your serendipitous moment saw (re)discovery of a common formula used in many a country shop during the latter part of the 19th Century. Gummy Bears contain those ingredients as well although proportions likely differ (hopefully!). A reason the candy worked was the addition of gum arabic to the mix of sugar, glycerine, and water. A touch of alum - as preservative - held the mice at bay. Not often used for press rollers because of pressure and heat problems, proofing brayers were well-suited for such material. You are to be congratulated for such asute observations and turning a messy mush into a useful material.
As for your difficulties with the hide-glue formula, try adding some grain alcohol to the initial swell water; it aids greatly in amalgamating sugars.

Forme- thanks for the tip. I’ll try that. One of the problems I had was the intial hydration of the glue… so that might solve the problem. One recipe in “Moore’s” calls for 1/2 shot of Rye. After working with the formula for a few days, I was assuming that the Rye was not to be added to the Composition, but rather to ease your disposition after the goo went lumpy.

Letterpress + Gummy bears = Two of my favorite things!

You are brilliant!

I know I’d just pull them off the press and eat them like a corndog!

Daniel Morris
The Arm Letterpress
Brooklyn, NY

Daniel,

If that’s your style you’d want to melt these into rollers:

http://www.oldtimecandy.com/images/candypix-original/gummi-dog-burger.jp...

Ingeneous.
Please tell what you used for a mold/form and how you centered the core. Were you able to cast the roller to the same diameter as the trucks?
inky

Inky…. that’s the easy part. Since the trucks are simple steel wheels, I used them as the ends of the mold. For the mold itself, I rolled drafting vellum, which is a thin but strong paper, into a tube the same diameter as the trucks. The trick is to paste the leading edge of the paper so that there is no loose flap inside. Then I used a few layers of tape to keep everything together. Apparently, Gummy bears do not sitck to drafting vellum, since the paper pealed right off. I suppose you could also use thin acetate, or metal.

To pour, you slip out the top truck, pour in the goop and then slip the truck back in. The only trouble you’ll have is getting it in without crimping the edge of the paper. I botched one roller that way. You have to be careful. If I were going to make a lot of rollers, I’d make a tapered wooden “truck” to prevent this problem.

The end result did have a tiny seam line where the paper overlaps….. but that is easy to fix by rolling the roller over a warm (not hot ) pancake griddle for 1/2 a second or so. The end result is a nicely round and centered roller, the same diameter as the trucks.

Over the week-end, I also cast a brayer and a set of rollers for a K. Star 7 x 10….. and they turned out fine.

Winking Cat have you thought of gummybearr ink balls
James

James- I haven’t tried GummyBear Ink balls. I made a nice leather covered ball for my Hand-press that works very well….. so I didn’t see the need for a gummy version.

winking cat press
Thank you for the prompt reply on the mold. That too is simple and ingeneous.
inky

What does one use to wash up gummy bear rollers? The solvents don’t affect the gummy? Your simple (simply brilliant?) mold method makes me want to try my hand at casting rollers too (possibly something more traditional than gummy, though)!

Gilly- that is a very good question, and something I should have mentioned in my original posting.

Gummy Rollers are water soluble, just like any other composition roller. Therefore you cannot use any solvent that contains water. This includes many of the low VOC and “enviromentally friendly” press washes now on the market.

What I use is plain old mineral spirits. The rollers seem to be totally unaffected by it…. and they wash up well. Crisco also works, as does corn oil, soy oil, lamp oil, and/or kerosene.

winking:

What a great experiment! I have been (successfully but somewhat expensivley) casting rollers into under-the-sink drainpipes for my 6x10 Kelsey for a few months, but getting real hide glue and even glycerine has been a problem. I will be running out to Target tomorrow to get my supply of gummy bears. If my multi-coloured rollers hold up in this northern climate (Minnesota) , I’ll be happier than lark! I’ll let you know! Cheers!

- Denis

OK….. after using Gummy Rollers for a while, I’ve discovered a drawback to them: Mice like ‘em!

I’ve seen a field mouse or two outside my shop for years but didn’t think they ever got inside, and I’ve always left them alone. They are kind of cute with big ears, unlike rats who are mean and ugly. BUT this “live and let live” mouse policy might have to come to an end since they’ve crossed the fine line that is the threshhold of “annoying”.

I’ve only had one mouse attack so far, and it was apparently by a little guy, but he did some serious damage to one of my 3x5 rollers, gnawing a large hole right in the middle of it. It’ll have to be recast.

Right now, I’m debating the possible cures to this problem. I could either A- add something like alum to the mix to make it unpalatible for Mr. Mouse… or B- I can go after Mr Mouse and let him be an example to the rest of the rodent community. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

You might try just storing your rollers inside of a mouse cage. Keep them out instead of in! Add a humane trap along one outside edge and you then have the option of “relocating” the little pests to a less urban setting.

One final note about Gummy rollers- they work best on small presses like a 3x 5 or a 5x8. I’ve made numerous sets for all size presses in the last few months, and found that I like the smaller ones best. My 6 x 10 (1.25 dia) rollers did not turn out so well. Once you get larger than about 3/4” in diameter, the composition is too soft to stay round… they tend to go lumpy after a few hundred impressions. With smaller ones, this does not seem to happen.

winking cat — amazing! can you please (please) post a photo? I’m so curious to see what they look like.

Oh my!!!!

Costco sells a really big bag of Gummy Bears I think for around $5.00.

Has anyone tried the stuff dentists/orthodontists use to make an impression of your teeth? I think its a powder they add water or something to, then it turns rubbery very quickly.

Thank you for posting about the gummi bear rollers. I will probably try this.

I bought a really clean Kelsey 3x5 to have some fun with and make myself some unique business cards. Well, I didn’t realize that rollers would cost me another 150-200 bucks, and my plans have stopped in their tracks.

I still need type and ink but this could get me started.

P.S.
Just want to add that I appreciate that NA & Tarheel are around and offer their support, I just can’t afford much right now.

WOW! Amazing. While I had heard stories of printers casting their own rollers a hundred years ago and had a great conversation with my friend Lou this week about how he makes his own rubber rollers, this gummi-bear solution is certainly one for the books!

Keep us posted on how these rollers hold up. And keep creating out-of-the-box solutions… No wonder that cat keeps winking… ;)

-Alan

Hi.

I tried your gummy bear suggestion today (only with Iceland Wine Gums) and I can’t seem to get them liquid enough to pour. I’ve melted them in a double boiler and they’ve turned into a delightful composition type goo, but not pourable into the mould.

Should I add a little glycerine do you think?

Matt

Matt, I don’t know about Iceland Wine Gums…. but they do sound tasty.

If they are too thick to pour, then one of three things is happening: A. they are not hot enough Or B…. they don’t have enough water in them. (or both) Or C…. you cooked them too long. The longer you cook ‘em, the thicker they get. Thick is not bad though, since it will make a stiffer roller…. as long as you can pour the mix. I’d try adding a teaspoon or two of water into the mix before you melt them…. and see if that helps.

I don’t think I’d use glycerine since that will result in a softer roller.

Alternatively, just go to your local store and buy gummy bears or worms. The worms seem to work best for me.

Well, I finally got a chance to try this out. I went to Target and found several candies with gummy in the name. Haribu said it was the original and there were gummy worms in a store brand. When I heated the store brand it was very thick and hard to manage. Then I tried the “original” one and it worked much better. I decided to make a monoprint plate first (like the gelatin monoprint plate but more lasting). The cheapo gummy plate did work pretty well. If I press my finger on the surface it stays indented for a while. Is that ok? The “original” plate is still cooling but seems to have the same consistency. My composition rollers have more spring to them. What I want is to make a large brayer to ink on my Poco. The brayer I paid a fortune for turned out to be about an inch to narrow. I wonder if it would be possible to cast over a wooden rolling pin?

Winking, stop this crap, what are you thinking, folks are expending money and energy on this.

Gerald

What’s wrong with experimenting a little, if the chinese didn’t experiment we probably wouldn’t have moveable type, or maybe poly plates would have been invented hundreds of years ago. carry on Winking Cat, i’m behind you, just don’t ask me to send you my gummie bears. Dick G.

Gerald…. quit being a mean old curmudgeon. Gummy Bear rollers work quite well in the smaller sizes (especially for 3x5 or 5x8 presses) … and all of your mean-spirited “do it my way or it’s wrong” attitude doesn’t change that fact. Just because you wrote a marginal book on PP plates does not mean you can dictate what others in this movement do, or what they post in public forums.

I’m going to continue to experiment with Gummy Bear Rollers, Lazer-Engraved Blocks, Hand-Made Wooden Presses, Wooden Bases, Hand-inking and Solar Exposed PP Plates….. and I’m going to continue posting my results, and discuss them openly on this forum.

If you don’t like it, tough turkey!

Boys, boys
You are at it again. Please behave yourselves. You both have good stuff to contribute to this forum.
Please keep your personal exchanges of unpleasant comments to yourselves. Private messages for your personal exchanges, please.

well he started it! (hehehehe)

Are the rollers permanently sticky from the sugary stuff in them? And bravo for experimentation!!

n/a

forgot that part about composition rollers, Devil Tail brings up a good point, i am the proud owner of a 10x15 comp. roller feasted upon by mice, with gummy rollers mice will be the least of your problems, my wife and kids love gummie bears, they have never tried comp. rollers. still i want to try these gummie rollers myself. Dick G.

Does treacle taste good?

Portraitpainter- yes they do get sticky if they get wet. However, if you clean them with mineral spirits and keep them sprayed with PAM when you aren’t working they stay sticky-free.

Paul and Dick….. scroll up a few dozen posts. Mice love ‘em! When I first started with the Gummy Roller thing, I lost two sets to our furry little cousins! There is an easy solution to the problem: a cat. Ever since my first incidents, I let Spooky into the shop…… and viola! Problem solved.

mmckenzie, you can’t use gum drops. THey don’t work. I’ve made gummy bear rollers a few times and only the translucent, gummy kind work. The harder gum drops aren’t quite the right combination. I tried it with DOTS gum drops, thinking I’d get a harder roller, but I had the same problem as you: they don’t melt right, they just turn to glue.

Also, I made my molds by wrapping drafting velum around the trucks and core of an old roller. The first set failed because it stuck terribly to the vellum. Take care to dust your vellum with some cornstarch and this problem is eliminated.

Try again! I’ll see if I can’t find the photos I took of my rollers. It was quite some time ago, when I was trying to cross Batman and Betty Crocker by making ice cream with dry ice, and rollers out of candy. :)

My first attempt at casting gummy rollers resulted in an incredibly sticky, gooey substance that wouldn’t separate from the wax paper mold (not that it would’ve been much use if it did)

I was trying to cast a roller for my new Sigwalt Chicago #9.

Steps taken:

1. Wrapped the wax paper around the trucks and secured with tape.

2. Melted the gummy bears in a double boiler

3. Removed the top truck and poured the substance through a funnel (the paper mold got a bit cringed at that point)

4. Returned the top truck and held the mold vertically for a few minutes until the contents solidified a bit then left it to cool off in the freezer (standing vertically)

5. Attempted to remove the wax paper, only to discover that the contents were soft (though cold), and glue-like.

Oh well, back to the stove.

4766292359_0b3c9f6640_b[1].jpg

Oprion….. Looking at your finished roller, I’d say you are 99% there. For your first try, it’s not too bad. With a few tweaks, you’ll be up and running.

First the mold part: Wax paper doesn’t work. It sticks to the gummies. (I see you learned that the hard way!) I use drafting vellum, sprayed with PAM…. and others use drafting vellum dusted with cornstarch. Acetate also works pretty good.

Second, the pouring: make a little stand by drilling a core-sized hole in a piece of wood. It’ll make your life easier. Also….. the crinkling part while trying to re-insert the truck is indeed a pain. I made a little tapered “truck”…. but the regular trucks can be used…. you just have to be careful.

Third… and most important….. the softness of the roller: Gummy rollers are soft by their nature. This is why I’ve limited my use of them to 5x8 size presses. BUT they should not be gooey or too soft to use even in the summer. If they are too soft, then their moisture content is too high….. either from humidity, the particular gummies you are using, or undercooking the mixture. To fix this, you need to cook the mixture longer in the double boiler.

Finally…. after you’ve cast your rollers, let them rest for a few days to cure. Gummy rollers tend to firm up after a week or so in a low humidity environment. I’m not sure why, unless the surface is drying out. If you live in a humid place give them a spray with PAM. It prevents them from soaking up humidity.

Thanks! I’ll keep trying.

oprion (& winking)…

Yes, indeed, some kind of oil or grease is the trick, both as a releasing agent for the paper mold and - especially - as a preservative for the rollers when not in use. Back in the olden days we ALWAYS oiled the rollers with 3 in 1 oil before putting them to bed.

As for sticky gummi bears, you might try this, especially if you are casting a larger roller. Add one package of unflavoured gelatin to the batch for every ten ounces or so of gummi bears. Follow the package directions: soften the gelatin in about a teaspoon of water for three or four minutes, then melt it further in another two teaspoons of very hot water. Don’t add more than a tablespoon of water total or you will have too much moisture again. When all of the gummis are melted in the double boiler, gently stir in the melted gelatin and cook until thick, but not so thick that the mixture is hard to pour. Be patient with the setting time after casting, letting the roller rest upright at room temperature in as dry a place as you can find. 24 to 36 hours works up here in the northland. As soon as you remove the mold and flatten the little ridge (see above) oil up the roller with some Pam or light machine oil and let them cure for two days, as winking suggests.

I have run quite a few impressions with two gummi bear rollers on my Kelsey 6x10 model X, including 3-colour coasters, and have been pleased with them. If you keep your rollers oiled with light machine oil in a tightly lidded box you have a good chance of repelling vermin, too.

Let us know how the next batch turns out.

Best,
Denis

I wonder how swedish fish would do…

Onemangerpress…. the bigger question is how do they taste when fried up?

onemangerpress…. I haven’t tried swedish fish, but I have tried lutefisk… don’t bother….

: )

I can’t afford new comp (or rubber) rollers, so I’ve been eyeing this as soon as mine degrade away completely.

So in about six months I’ll chime in…

rh

I guess I’m not the only one who finds the idea of this more than a little strange, (bielerpr) and while I wouldn’t go with anything like this, to each his own…

Tim….. you are right, on one’s first casual glance casting rollers out of gummy bears does seem to be a bit wierd….. and might could be viewed as a “fringe element” of letterpress printing.

BUT if you consider the facts, it’s not strange at all. As Mr Forme has pointed out, a Gummy Bear Roller is nothing more than an old-style composition roller created using an easily available raw material. Chemically, they are very similar to the old formulas listed in “Moore’s” and other reference works….. and they handle and print just like more traditional compo rollers.

So… why would one cast their own rollers in the first place? Well…. for starters they are very cheap. They cost perhaps 1/10th of what a vendor supplied roller will cost. That in itself is a BIG inducement to try them. Also, by making your own rollers, you can learn a lot about how things were done back in the 1880’s.

And face it, it’s fun to experiment and learn how to do things for one’s self! Who wants to just print with the same old store-bought rollers, PP plates, and Lettra paper all the time? That get rather boring after the first few weeks.

Tim,

“Winking” is right… the molasses/glycerin/glue formula of the 19th century is not that far off from the food grade ingredients in the gummi candy. That’s why the gelatin seems to work, being not that different from bone glue. Whle I use gummi bear rollers with success, I still prefer the look, feel and performance of the traditional compo rollers. For the short runs and not too demanding formes I deal with on my small tabletop presses, the gummi bear solution works fine. If I were still printing on my old C&P, I don’t think I’d attempt it.

And, of course, there’s the fun of making things by yourself that actually work. My own home-made roller cores work well on the Kelsey, but a bigger press would probably be too much for them.

Best,
Denis

I get it…it’s neat to do things by hand with traditional methods from the 1800’s… all I’m saying is it’s not for me.
I didn’t come into letterpress through graphic design or as a hobby, it not just something to have fun with in my garage, not that there is anything wrong with that. I have several clients that I have trained and helped set up garage/hobby set ups.
But I was an apprentice for 2 years and it took me lot of learning to even get on press. Now I have a shop with 7 presses and I run them all…I run a production shop and as Denis said above..a Gummi Bear roller is good for something….just not for me.
I think there is always room to improve, after 25 years I still try and learn something new everyday.

Like I said…to each his own….

Yes. With my Model No 3 actually came a brass roller-mould, so I had to try it out (especially as I had no working rollers).

In my search for the right recipe I’ve put four extracts from 19c texts on my website: http/www.paekakarikipress.com for your entertainment and, as you say, gummie bears contain the active ingredients!

Eventually I bottled out and got them covered in rubber, although funnily enough, even Bottcher had to have three goes at getting the right consistency.

Just tried gummy bear rollers for my 1881pearl ended up sticky. followed instructions melted bears, made mold stired bears till melted then poured into mold.
mixtured appeared a bit thin, should I have heater a bit more.
looked at all suggestions but nothing about when to take off heat.Can some one help

Good Morning Kid,

Were your rollers too soft? or too sticky?

To make them firmer, you need to keep them heated for a little longer to drive out some of the moisture in the gelatin. I’d love to tell you how long, but I can’t since all Gummie Bears are not created equal. I cook mine for 15 minutes beyond when they melt, and stir them to keep them from going clumpy.

STICKY Gummies are a different problem. Stickiness is caused by surface moisture on the roller. With that, it all depends upon the humidity inside your shop. IF you have an air conditioned shop, it’s easy to cure: just let your rollers cure for a few days to let the surface moisture evaporate. After about a week, the surface will go leathery….. then they are ready to use.

If you have a very humid shop, then you’ll have to do a little more work. I run into this problem all the time, since I live on the Gulf Coast. I’d recommend curing them somewhere dry and warm….. your closet maybe… for a few days until the surface is leathery, and then applying an oil coating to keep the moisture from attacking them.

If you have rollers that are both soft and sticky….. then you either need to cook them longer, OR find another brand of Gummie Bears. When you are looking at them in the store, select the ones that are harder, rather than softer…. and buy the cheap ones. I’ve heard that fancy ones don’t do as well.

Dave
AKA Winking Cat Press

Dave Thanks for the help will let you knkw how I go

Bob

Dave one more question
use vellum paper for mold have been leaving paper on rollers for 24 hours should it be longer or shorter
Bob