Adana 8x5 Press Help

Hi,
Please excuse my newbie ignorance. I am looking at purchasing an Adana 8x5 Model No.3 and am hoping for a little help as I am new to these presses.
I believe that the rollers are missing/shot so I do know I will need to purchase new ones. I was trying to get an idea what might be involved to get the press in good working condition. Is there anything obvious that seems missing, broken, etc that I would need to repair? Any advice, insight, or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance for your help!

Wayne

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Wayne, i don’t see a chase, you need one to lock your type in. I’m not too familiar with adanas, it looks like a gripper is also missing. If the price is right i think parts are around for these presses. Good Luck Dick G.

Wayne, the gripper arm is there and grippers on Adana are quite simply strips of metal with a small holder to fix them to the arm. That shouldn’t be too difficult to sort, rollers can still be had from different suppliers in the UK and elsewhere. Check out the British Printers Society, many members there have Adanas. And, of course, there is Caslon. As DickG said, if you can get the press for a decent price, go for it. It looks like an old model machine to me.

Thank you so much for your help! Very much appreciated!

Hi Wayne,
In case you haven’t sussed it out yet, can I point out you do not have an 8 x 5.
What you have shown is the H S No 3 (High Speed Printing Press Number Three)
It is older than the 8 x 5 and in my opinion a superior machine. However, parts from the 8 x 5 will rarely fit the HS 3.
Picture number three shows the Gripper Finger (Frisket) which goes horizontally from left to right. Adanas are the only Presses with this configuration, as far as I am aware. It also means that the Roller Bearer Tracks are below the height of the Type when the forme is put into the Bed.
The chase is 9¼ 6¼ outside measurements.
Your machine was probably manufactured between 1950 and 1954 rather than the few that were made pre-war.
I have seen these change hands at £250 an I consider the buyer got a real bargain.

Mike

Hi Mike,
I didn’t know that. Thanks for pointing that out!
Do you happen to know if rollers and/or other parts are readily available for the HS No.3 if parts from the 8x5 don’t fit?
Does it appear that the press is in reasonably good condition?
I was just curious, why do you feel this is a better press than the 8x5?
Sorry for the questions. Thank you very much for your help!
Wayne

Hi,
Depends on the part. Mostly I would say that they are not easily available but can be manufactured.
Rollers can be obtained at a cost of about £60 to £70 a set. You will also need the Roller Runners (trucks) and I doubt if these are still with your machine.

The HS 3 is very robust. It is stronger than the 8 x 5 with greater printing power, has a slightly large chase and great adjustment over the pressure because of the unique screw on the front.
If you are in the UK then Sarah Hales is your besst bet for rollers in the US I think Tarheel could help.

The pictures show a press that is in need of TLC and a good clean-up. It will repay you 100 fold if you give it a good clean and oil. You have a great little press; take good care of it (her)
Mike

I think there is a chase for 1 of these on ebay uk at the moment

Thanks so much for everyone’s help!

Did you buy this press?

I see it’s up for sale again:
http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-hobbies-crafts-Adana-No-3-Printi...

But now it has a chase. Still no rollers though.