Heidelberg Windmill Platen Press

This is a black ball T Platen (windmill). Looks like it was used for diecutting recently. Contact the seller and ask for the serial number. Ideally it would be over 100 000.

Hope this helps,
Brad.

Looks to be in good shape, it does have a die cutting jacket on the platen, die cutting won’t hurt the press if done right and not overload the press with a lot of cutting at once. This is a big jump from an adna, these presses can produce some beautiful work. Good Luck Dick G.

If I had the money I would buy it. I had one back in the 70’s. Easy to learn, just read up on thecorrect packing and setting and you will be very happy.

thank you so much! Very much appreciated.

It is a huge jump from an Adana but… The deep end isn’t always bad?

^^ Especially when you jump in with both feet and know how to swim, or are willing to take lessons.

Hi Citronpresse,
That Windmill is in SA, are you there as well? Because one thing to think about is the cost of transport to move it into where you are. I had mine delivered from Brisbane to Sydney but it cost almost $1400 to do. So first look at the cost of transport for a final figure. Although Windmill’s might be a little rare, they aren’t impossible to find and this one cost a lot more than what I paid although it does come with a few more extras like multiple chases I can’t see any rollers in the other photos.
Another thing to factor in is the power. I can’t tell from the photos but most of the Windmills in Australia are 3-phase power, and nowadays most of the properties (unless they are commerical) are not. So another cost to account for is converting it to single phase power. This cost me a little over $800.
Then there is the cost of a boxcar base as well. Hope that helps, in case they were things you hadn’t accounted for.

I’ve seen plenty on ebay - prices vary a lot. One in good nick can often go around that price - sometimes you can be lucky and get one for less (Seen a couple of okay ones go for $1200 a while ago), but either way you’re in for a dollar when buying one of these (don’t think that the press and the freight will be your only costs as quidditycreative has alluded to above.)

Another local perspective on freight in Australia, I moved a Windmill from Perth to Hobart and it cost $850 inc gst. (I used Tasfreight who have another forwarder that works with them, and that was pickup on a palette and delivery to depot (not to the final site).

If you’re jumping from an Adana tabletop to the Windmill, definitely find yourself a mentor who can teach you not just how to print on the thing (which can be taught pretty quickly) but also how to troubleshoot and maintain it.

I’m learning on another Windmill while mine waits for me to repair it (it’s in line behind my other biggish press).

If you can afford it, (and perhaps can track down another letterpresser closer to it to check it out for you) go for it I reckon. You only live once ;)

Well, i’m negotiating! Will see what he comes back with! Hopefully it won’t cost me so much.

Luckily i have a great friend with an enormous storage shed to put it in with a forklift at this end, so somewhere to keep it until i’m ‘ready’. Works out to be about 600$ in freight costs (i think because of the forklifts at both ends i save a little bit).

He emailed me a load of better quality images which i’ve had people ‘look’ at - and only had good feedback - except for the rewiring. HOPEFULLY my engineer brother will know what he’s looking at here to sort it out.

The biggest issue in Perth is finding everything else to go with it. Getting things ordered in is expensive. Everything that is here is twice the price of anywhere else to start with. Will have to get things made from scratch to make do because spare parts aren’t so easily available. And finding a teacher: so far i can only fly myself around to other people’s courses to get some training, happy to travel, but fast becoming an expensive exercise.

Never been so excited though!

How exciting! Good luck with the purchase!

Your best bet is a local tafe many had printing courses which may still run, or a retired press operator might be the go too in the mentor stakes.

WA is a bit.. ok very behind, if you do anything outside of mining. Which is great, mining is great.. sort of.

Anyway.. my windmill will be here in a couple of weeks!

On the lookout for a local mentor. If anyone knows any retired printers familiar with the windmill, or anyone willing to teach… Please let me know!

Hey fellow Australian pressers!

I’m after some advice with purchasing a Heidelberg. Me and my girlfriend are planning to start up a letterpress studio, and we were planning to start with an Adana and eventually work up to something bigger, but seeing as the Adana’s we’ve found seem to go for close to a grand, we thought we might as well jump on something bigger!

I’ve sourced this windmill press pictured below, and just waiting on some more information on it’s condition/workability. For some reason it seems to have tape on the top plate thing which is weird, and ink on the rollers (not sure if thats a good thing!?). It’s residing in a printery, tho i havent heard if it’s been used recently. They are asking for $1300.

I would have to get it from Tamworth to Wollongong (6hours), so i was wondering what courier/freighting companies fellow australians have used with their windmills?

also any issues i should look out for with this press? i plan on trying to get some work experience on a windmill in Sydney to learn the machine.

any info would be much appreciated!
cheers
Bodie

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