Please help. What is the value of this press?

It looks like the ink disk may have broken off in the mounting. Would take some welding to repair. The press is in decent condition and, from what I can see, is complete. I’d say $200 is a fair offer. You may get a little more if you hold out, but short of cleaning it up and making it functional I think you’re in the ballpark of what to expect.

Hope this helps.
Brad.

It is a Sigwalt Ideal; looks like a 6x9. The ink disc is the issue — they are not readily available if at all and repair is iffy. You’ll have to get the stub out of the bracket without damaging either. Your best bet in my opinion would be to see if a machine shop can clean up the rust on the break and carefully fit the two pieces together so the disc would rotate true, then clamp them like that and carefully drill through the center of the disc into the shaft for a flat head screw (I’d use at least a #12 hardened allen screw nearly as long as the shaft) and tap the hole for the screw and countersink so the head is flush. Once screwed together and tightened well the disc should rotate true, an absolutely essential necessity. With that repair and cleaned up the press might be worth more than the $200.

Bob

Thanks guys for the advice and help. After reading your suggestions I went out and assembled the disk and all seems fine now. It wasn’t broken, it was just disassembled and the bolt to hold the disk on was just set in the hole backwards. I have updated the picture of the press. So now that I actually have made the disk rotate this press is starting to really interest me. I can see why people are so amazed by and enjoy restoring these things. So, a question for anyone to answer now, does this new discovery of mine increase the resale value substantially, how much? Should I post it for sale on this site’s classifieds and possible make more on the sale than on my Craigslist’s posting? By the way I measured the chase and it is a 6x9.Thanks.

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$200 seems to be on the really low side for a press like this. I would have thought, in today’s market, that it could go for doubkle or triple that amount of money. I look at what Kelseys and Pilots, etc. are going for and am astounded. This could be a really sweet press when cleaned up.

Rick

Yep, if it’s cleaned up (wipe off the dust and use some fine steel wool to knock back some of the surface rust) I’d bet you could get $500 or more. I wouldn’t recommend shipping this press unless you’re willing to spend some time and effort building a nice little solid crate for it.

My guess at the value was based on the (assumed by me) condition of the ink disc, which looked broken (is the shaft free in the support?). I did not know that the shaft is threaded onto the disc. My apologies — I agree with Rick, a cleaned up 6x9 Sigwalt Ideal with the accessories you show should be easily worth $600 or more. It looks like there are at least some roller trucks on the rollers — hopefully all four are there.

Bob

Hello, I commented on your original post on Craigslist. Having the ink disk, chase, and rollers makes a big difference. If you search the archives here for cleaning tips, especially the vinegar/ lime juice rust remover, you could get a lot more for the press. Good luck with your sale! I’m excited to know that there is another future printer in southern Wisconsin.

I just wanted to post a thank you to all of you “press” people that have commented on helping me with this press!! It is obvious that the world of the letterpress is a love for all of you and not just a hobby. Thank you for all the helpful hints and suggestions on getting this thing looking even better. I am starting to see this press as more as a press now and less as a money maker. A special thanks to Lisa Davis that was kind to inform me of this site and tried to help me get the most for it, when she could had swindled me into selling for only 100 bucks!! Thanks and please feel free to continued offer suggestions, it’s a small treat to login and see that people have taken the time to offer their help. (Bob, if the “shaft” is the bolt that connects the disk to the press then, yes it is free. It is held in place by two nuts and the disk gets threaded to that to hold it in place.)

I have one of these 6 x 9 Sigwalts and the shaft is not a bolt. It is part of the disc itself and just slides in the bracket and rotates freely. No bolts involved. I have never seen one that is held on with bolts. If this is a repair hopefully it was done so the disc rotates true or that could be a problem for a buyer.

Be sure the piece in the curved bracket, to which the plate is bolted, turns freely in the bracket. If it’s rusted in you’ll have to free it to get the ink disc to turn — it can’t spin on the bolt or it will unscrew from it if I understand the arrangement right. This looks to me also like a repair and if done right the press should be OK but the ink disc has to rotate truely in the same plane — no wobble — for the press to operate well. This was my concern about the value — a repaired ink disc, unless done well, lowers the value.

Bob