Help shipping an etching press
Hello. I just purchased a used etching press and I was hoping for some advice about how the rollers and the gauges need to be set for proper shipping. I read some on one the etching press manufacturers website that when they ship, the bolt the press to a pallet and ship the table separately. They also mentioned putting masonite between the bed and the roller to protect them from damage during shipping. I would appreciate any advice and input. Thanks so much in advance!
Hey Tsunami Dreamer,
yes, some blocks or a sheet of masonite between the impression roller and the bed are a good idea. Snug pressure not printing tight is all that is needed.
Also, it’s a good idea to secure the bed with a pair of ratchet strap tie downs that are rated for more than the bed weighs. If the press has a rigid frame, tie these off around the frame and loop over the corners of the bed at all four and then ratchet down until you can’t move the bed.
I also suggest coating anything that is exposed metal with a bit of oil, transit is not always so nice to machines like this and it’s easier to wipe a bit of oil off than scrub some rust. So the impression cylinders and the bed and anything else that is exposed steel.
Lastly, depending upon your make of press and how it rests/what kind of ‘feet’ it has, you should really look into having a skid or pallet made with a solid top surface and some blocks mounted into it to secure the corners of the press from bouncing around. You’ll really want to bold it down through any holes available to do so, as top-heavy equipment like this that is in transit can lean a bit when being moved around (especially if the bed is left in place and is substantially heavy). It is (hopefully) less likely to tip over if bolted to the skid or palllet!!
What make and model press is it?
For the Labour Day parade in my hometown, we decided to parade the printers’ union, so we borrowed a treadle press which was not being used, to treadle it with no impression and fling leaflets into the crowd.
We did not fasten the press to the table-top of the table-top truck, just put cleats around the base of the press.
Unfortunately, we drove the truck over some wavy road, so had to pick up many pieces of press. Wish we had had Briar Press then.
Alan.
Thank you so much for the replies. I really appreciate it.
Thanks
You’re welcome, now what make and model press is it?