Search for news on this letterpress

I’m looking for any news about this letterpress
if you have photos, drawings, news of any kind please contact me
I did not understand if it worked with the pedal or the engine
I am a fan of the press but not much expert in printing machines
I saw that missing piece and I would return it to function perfectly
thank in advance all the people who help me to return it in perfect function

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This looks an awful lot like my Samson, save for the throw-off which mine doesn’t have. If so, you’re missing the foot treadle and part of the feedboard.

I’ve attached a not-so-good photo of mine to help with some comparison.

Also, you should contact Rich @ One Manger Press on the board here. He’s got the same press with a throw-off. He’s also got better photos!

Here’s a recent discussion about the press: http://www.briarpress.org/20604

If this is a Samson, then you’re only the 2rd other person aside from Rich that I’ve found with the same press.

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thanks jonsel
your samson is very similar except for the pedal
My press has two springs that help to pull up the weight (there is only one in the photos).
The springs are hooked by the two irons down that in your press are on either side of the pedal
I also have a broken foot that appears to be outside to lock the wheel
thanks
giorgio

If you’d like, I can try to get some more detailed pictures. Any areas you’d like to see?

It’s hard to tell from the photos but do you have the roller assembly?

giorgio,

Email me off list if you’d like. It looks like both your press & mine have had the arms marked “Samson” replaced—it does make it hard to identify the press.

I’m not actually sure how those springs function; I’ve got them, unattached, but they don’t *seem* that critical to the operation—although, as of now, I have to hand push the wheel to make the press rotate through—my treadle isn’t missing, just broken!

I’m not sure, with regard to the “I also have a broken foot that appears to be outside to lock the wheel,” what you’re talking about?

Either Jon or I could send you roller & truck dimensions, which would make your press operable.

I’m just so amazed at how gangly that feedboard is…

rh

I have one that looks quite a bit like this one, only I believe is was called The Favorite. Mine has one of those gangly feed brackets - plus a cobbled-together replacement.

But it also has that damnable spring that almost cost me some fingers when I reinstalled it. Mine has a 6x10 chase and only one spring - on the left side, whereas yours has two.

Sorry, no photos yet. Mine’s in a dark area of the shop, stored between my Lino and the Intertype…

Do any of you know of any relation between the Favorite and the Samson?

Neat dollies, btw. Where can I get some of them?

- Al

thanks for the answers
Short’ll put online more detailed photos to make better comparisons

jonsel for:
would be good to see some pictures of the hooks on the bottom left and right legs (where the springs are attached and the brake pedal)

onemangerpress for:
My rollers are all ruined so I’m interested in having new: let me know if you can rebuild mine and / or how much they cost new

for Alan Runfeldt:
if you can make some photos to your printing press would be very useful for me to understand how it was originally assembled

I would put it back in operation making me redo the parts that are missing.

soon I’ll put here pictures of the points that seem most interesting to understand the functioning perfectly. (the printing press is in a magazine where I keep my small collection of printing presses!)

Meanwhile thank you all and wish you a good day

would be very useful for me to see photos of where the pedal is stuck down and where to hook up (on the feet and moving part of the press)

I realize you’re not in the US, but you could try to contact Fritz Klinke at NA Graphics in Colorado. He supplied me with new rubber rollers and trucks, albeit on my cores. If you need cores too, let me know what measurements you need and I could get them. Fritz may also have that information in his files.

I’ll try to get some more pictures today if possible. The press is buried in a corner of the garage right now which makes decent photos somewhat difficult.

in the photos you can clearly see where the springs are fixed and the side pedal (brake for the wheel)
I did not understand where the pedal should be attacked
I like to have some pictures and measurements to reconstruct

image: spring

spring

image: brake wheel

brake wheel

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brake wheel

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giorgio,

Unfortunately, I don’t have a brake—maybe Jon does & can get a picture for you.

I’ve never seen the brake before either. Looks like an awesome idea! Another thing I wish my press had…

Without seeing the side of the leg, I wonder if there are marks where the brake assembly had broken off or was bolted on. Maybe it’s a case of welding it back on?

you know where I can buy a pedal to operate the press?
or if there is someone who reconstructs the pieces?
otherwise I do rebuild them, but I’d need pictures of the pedal and maybe some dimension. I can put more pictures online of the pedal which stops the wheel. I also put online a drawing with all dimensions of the pedal that stop wheel if served to someone

Sorry but I do not understand where the pedal is attached at the top of the press ….. how can move the plane! please if you can put some pictures! (all points where the pedal is fixed)

thanks in advance for your help
Baires

Here are some more photos of my treadle assembly that might be helpful for you. I don’t have that spring feature that you show in one of your first photos. I wonder if I’m supposed to!”

It’s possible that if your press were motorized at some point, maybe the treadle was removed and the spring added to keep tension to a certain level. Just guessing here, though.

Edited to note: The photos are appearing in the reverse order I intended.

image: Beneath the treadle itself you can see where the hook bar connects to the pedal.

Beneath the treadle itself you can see where the hook bar connects to the pedal.

image: The view looking up and back at the hook that connects the platen assembly to the treadle. This is looking from the rear of the press forward (you can see the rollers).

The view looking up and back at the hook that connects the platen assembly to the treadle. This is looking from the rear of the press forward (you can see the rollers).

image: And here is the right side.

And here is the right side.

image: This is how the treadle connects to that rear bar that runs between the left and right lefts. This is the left one.

This is how the treadle connects to that rear bar that runs between the left and right lefts. This is the left one.

image: Front view of the treadle.

Front view of the treadle.

Baires (dunno why I called you giorgio before),

It doesn’t look like your Samson has an eccentric shaft (you’ll notice in J’s pics that the main shaft under the press has an odd notch in it, for the treadle hook).

I’d echo J., in that it was probably motorized, and would need to be motorized again in order to run. You could always hand turn it, I suppose—but that’s quite a bit of work.

I could be wrong here, but I’m pretty sure. I’m really sorry…

rich

many thanks for the photo and for the help you are giving me
(I’m Baires. My father Giorgio is the owner of the press) but we are both interested in printing machines.
I also soon be uploading more photos of the press

that leaves me dubious of “onemangerpress” hypothesis is that the brake should push on the belt that would turn the wheel …. the belt should be attached to the engine! However inside is straight and has no connection to the pedal that’s for sure!

thanks!

I don’t really know anything specific about these particular presses but why let that stop me from a few comments?

The foot pedal for the brake seems to be designed to move the pad on the other end of the assembly so it presses against the flywheel which is not unusual at all for press bakes. Pressing against the belt would be useless and in any case, this press is designed to be treadled and there is no belt.

As far as the spring on the one side goes, I don’t know why a spring would be needed to help cycle the press. It may have something to do with the grippers. C&P presses have a rather strong spring operating the gripper bar though it is mechanically differernt and in a different location. Since the one press has two spring brackets and the other one, perhaps one is broken off or the size or model press is different, even though they are in the same family. The gripper bar assembly seems to be laying on the delivery table in the first few photos and looks large enough to need a good sized spring, or two.

Rich

Front Room Press
Milford, NJ
http://frontroompress.blogspot.com
http://thebittenline.blogspot.com

The springs encircle two metal rods that fit into spaces on the bottom of the platen-half of the clamshell; they sort of help the clamshell snap back up into place; I tried them & it almost cracked my press in half, because I put too much spring around the metal rod—and the clamshell couldn’t open all the way, but really really wanted to.

I suspect they really aren’t necessary for operation. Maybe I’ll try them w/ less springs sometime. It think it would just snap that platen closed way too fast.

Re: the brake; I don’t recall saying that it should press against a belt—if I did, I’m sorry. It would have to press against the wheel, or something like it (as a C&P brake does).

Rich,

Here’s a photo of the gripper spring, on the right side of the press. Maybe Baires’ model is of a different vintage and design.

image: Gripper spring assembly.

Gripper spring assembly.

Thanks for this pic; I’m missing the gripper assembly spring. I was going to try & by a screen door spring to replace it…

In my post I was actually referring to the pair of springs+rods (baires only has one) that fit inside those two studs with holes (w/c) that are near the treadle on the front of the press (your picture “front view of the treadle” shows them perfectly.

I’ll try to get a pic up sooner or later…

rich

On my Kelsey Union press, there are two springs and rods similar to the one in the picture labelled “spring” above. I think they are intended to give a bit of upward thrust when the platen is at the bottom position and assists the flywheel with getting the motion started up after opening.

I can give my treadle a kick or two and the press will continue on for several revolutions, so the springs must provide ample extra power. You can get a glimpse of the Kelsy arrangement (although from the side) in the Briar Press Museum site under platen presses.

Jhenry,

That’s what I think these springs do; I ran the press w/ them once—and had too much “spring” on each rod—nearly cracked the base of the press in half as the platen tried to lower. whoops.

I can see how, w/ a treadle, these would be a great help…
rh

my printing press has the right side spring like photo’s press.
I I disassembled it to clean the machine but is the same system
holes that hold the two long springs (left and right) are the same where is fixed the wheel brake pedal
the only different that i saw is the axis where should be attached the pedal

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