Making my own base and plates in Australia
Hi all!
Am hoping I can get some help with this. I have purchased a Chandler & Price 10 x 15 old-style press. I am now looking for a suitable base. While it is very easy to go for the standard or deep relief boxcar base, I, unfortunately, can’t afford it at this point, I’m located in Melbourne, so delivery time it s a killer and I don’t want to be confined to using the boxcar plates.
Can anyone recommend anywhere in Melbourne where I’m able to find someone to manufacture this for me? I know that the thickness of the base will be determined by the plates that I end up using, so I’m also after some information of where I can find plastic-based flexible plates in Melbourne. I have currently been shopping at MES and purchasing the Toray plate, but I’m finding this is a pain as it’s not easy to cut to size.
How thick is a standard boxcar base?
Angela.
As you seem to be well blessed with several beautiful hardwoods (down under)!! . . perhaps, just visit your local cabinet maker and ask for/purchase, for example, seasoned Maple, Oak, Boxwood, etc, etc, (or Oz equivalent) and have put through a Planer/Thicknesser to .854 (point, eight five four) the maths, only dependant on the thickness of your chosen image medium, i.e. base.+ plate + D.S.A. (double side adhesive) Plus/Minus the amount of packing that will have to be used according to the stock you are printing… Planned to thickness, to your spec. cut to your chase size/requirement even 2 halves.!! no disadvantage??
A few, old enough or far enough back, are trying to work out, who to blame for the rise in the ridiculous syndrome, I. E. *You HAVE to use ***CAR base or it wont work, or *We have to be seen to use ***CAR base or it wont work*
LOAD OF C**P???
40/50/60, years or more ago, Posters of massive size were printed on Huge Wharfedales, or equally huge American Meihles, (Not tiny V/M,s) involving monochrome half tones, (plates) mounted on Super caster 3 em x 3 em, high quads, positioned with D.S.A. on the quads which could be moved/registered as required (not fixed in time and space, as with modern fixed base,!!)
1957 We printed 250,000 Posters, with Halftones for *Bill Hayley & The Comets* British tour,!!! On a Big Wharfedale, the company did NOT have to go chasing half across the Northern hemisphere for mounting base, it was automatically *in house* completely universal/completely reusable.!!
Against the back ground of using beautiful Retro machines, why are so many, pushed/led, into attempting to marry Ancient with Modern.?? .Brainwashed perhaps.!! Good Luck, anyway.