Nolan Press information
I just located and purchased a Nolan Standard proof press and was curious about it’s age, history, and if necessary, are parts still available. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Nolan Standard Proof Press.jpg
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Parts aren’t available from any “normal” sources, but I’m sure parts presses exist. Less so with the Nolan, as very few things will break on it :) It has few moving parts. Four bearings and a roller (with another two bearings).
I have one of these and it looks to be an older No. 2, I think the ones with the more ornate sides are older, mine has square sides. The ads I’ve found show the square sided presses and are from the early to mid 50s.
These small proof-presses are very easy to restore if that is your plan (I’m guessing it is, since you have disassembled it), I put my bed and rails in Evaporust and they were nice and shiny again. I sprayed my bearings down with WD40 and oil frequently over a couple of days and it took the crud out of them, then lubed them up nicely before putting it back together.
Chances are you have a galley-height bed, so you may want to buy a bed-plate for it. I use a 18 gauge, cold-roll steel sheet. It brings my bed from .968 to .920, which is more than good enough. :)
If you look on Flickr you will find other Nolan owners who may be able to answer questions.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=nolan+press&m=text