Help with C&P

Hi Everybody,

I just got my first letterpress, a New Style C&P 12x8, delivered yesterday. I can’t wait to use it!! I live in RI now and learned letterpress on a Vandercook Cylinder Press at a community print shop (AS220). I understand the fundamentals of letterpress, but the platen press is a whole other ball of wax!

I know that these larger presses did not come with a manual, unlike the smaller tabletop presses. Does anybody know of a manual/instructions that someone has later made?? I will be moving to the Houston area in 3 weeks, so if anybody knows of a place to take classes on a C&P there, that would be even better! It seems every place that has classes teach on a cylinder press…

Thanks!
Elecia

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Go on Boxcar’s website and look in their manual section. www.boxcarpress.com

Thank you Dennis, I had done that before, the only thing I found was a parts list.

The museum of printing history in Houston offers classes, on Vandercooks and tabletop presses. No windmills as of yet, but may be a good place to start asking. I’m going to a class there tomorrow, I’ll see what I can find out for you.

There are a number of useful books such as the ones listed on the Five Roses Press web site. Mills, Cleeton and Polk. See: http://www.fiveroses.org/intro.htm#Manuals

The Cleeton book is back in print and available from NA Graphics, I believe.

An invaluable book for the C&P is Elementary Platen Presswork by Ralph Polk, reissued by Letterary Press.

Thanks so much - I will check out those books. I think they will be of great help to me :)

There is a printers’ guild in Houston that meets on the first Saturday of every month. You might be able to find some help there whenever you get settled here in Houston.

http://www.houstonprintersguild.org/index.html

Thank you thank you for the reference to the printers guild! I will for sure join that and check it out! Oh, and I bought that Polk book on amazon. Thanks all!