Starter inks & mounting Kelsey press
Hi all - I am in the midst of restoring a Kelsey 5x8 Model-O and am looking to purchase some inks. I’m planning on purchasing from the Ink in Tubes man but having a hard time deciding the best inks to start with. Do you think it’s important to purchase Pantone’s basic 14? Or can I get away with Yellow, Red, Blue, Black, White and Mixing White?
Also, I’m trying to decide what to mount the press on. I’m considering an Ikea kitchen cart (like I saw previously discussed on the boards), but wondering if that’s the best option. Or if I should mount to a board that I place on a work bench?
Thanks! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
If you’re reasonably good with color and you don’t need to match specific Pantone colors, you should be able to get away with just the yellow, red, blue, black, and mixing (transparent) white. If you’re printing on white or light paper, you don’t even really need the more expensive Opaque White you referred to, the transparent white and the show-through from the white paper will do it to lighten colors.
If you want or need to match Pantone colors, it may well be easier to get the basic Pantone colors and follow their recipe, but there’s a good chance, for many colors, that you’ll only need the “traditional” 10 Pantone basics rather than all 14. The 012, 021, 032 & 072 basics were added mostly to provide fade-resistant basics to mix from. If mixing PMS colors keep in mind that letterpress puts down a thicker ink layer, so you’ll often have to mix an ink shade or two lighter than you think you want, and/or possibly adjust with white.
My recommendation on your Kelsey would be to bolt the press securely to a board (or plywood), and put that on the cart or workbench. If you ever want to move the press it will be a lot more stable mounted on a board.
Thanks Dave! I will mull this over and send in my order tomorrow!