ATF LITTLE GIANT 12 X 18 FLATBED LETTERPRESS
Thinking about purchasing this press. It has been many years since I ran this type of press. What any pro’s and con’s about this type of press.
Just want to do short press runs, imprinting, and any other letterpress jobs with basic ink coverage and die cut work.
I do not think this press is a heavy ink coverage press.
Any feedback would be help full.
In the early 60’s I ran this type of press printed 11x17 letterpress forms for school district.
Aaron:
I have run a Little Giant of one Model or another for over 30 years. My curent model is a Model 6, and I like it very much. It’s no Heidelberg and the feeder can be somewhat tempermental, but I have had much success with it and have produced a lot of work with it.
It does have a couple things which make it a good press for various types of work: It has three form rollers and a full set of vibrators as well as a pretty decent fountain and ink fountain controls. It also has a double-roll control which allows the press to skip-feed. That is it will feed one sheet and go through a full cycle without feeding to replenish the ink to the rollers for printing heavy forms. This is a very good feature for heavy coverage or full forms.
It also is a quite compact press in comparison with others of similar sheet size, and the chase is easily accessible for corrections to be made right on the bed of the press (unlike a vertical press).
If you decide to make the move, let me know if you need any parts as I have some extras to share of certain parts. Or if you have operational questions, post them here and one of us will answer as best we can.
John Henry
Cedar Creek Press
I remember running one in high school but don’t know what size it was. The teacher told us to make sure our hands were clear of the press before starting. He asked me to check something and started it before being sure I was clear. One of the grippers shoved my hand into the cylinder. I still have the scar! Ron
The press doesn’t have rollers, and that might be a big problems. It was used for die cutting.
Also it is 900 miles away and the cost moving might be more than the press.
The man wants $1,700 for it, from the picture it looks like a model 6,
I’m not very current on prices (and have been shocked at recent prices for presses I had to scrap in the past as I couldn’t find buyers), but I think the $1700 might be a bit high, particularly if it has been used for a lot of diecutting and will not have rollers or cores for recovering. Most of these presses and Miehle Verts go for peanuts for the most part.
If it is well maintained and cared for, it may be worth the price. If you decide to purchase, I do have extra rollers I could part with (would need new rubber).
JHenry
where can I buy a #6 Little Giant?
salempress, there is a little giant on ebay and
appears to be in good condition.best james