Chase base for 8x12

Hello Everybody!
Im looking for a chase base for an Old Style Gordon i just purchased, the chase size is 8x12, i would like to know if there is someone that know where to buy one and how is the maximun size for that chase….

Im also have a 6x10 Kelsey and looking for buy or trade a chase and a chase base for that one too, or trade a chase 6.5x10 from a Pilot to the 6x10 for the Kelsey.

I just bought this two presses and the chase bases are missing….

i will awaiting the response anxiously.
Thanks in advance…
Raul

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I have a similar Gordon. I don’t have extra chases but if you remind me i can get you a photograph and measurements. I haven’t set it up yet, but the guy that i bought it from told me that it was a 9 x 13. Steve Barry

Hi Steve:
Thanks for your response.
Do you have any suggestions, where can i purchase from?
I dont want to use the base from Boxcar because is really way toooexpensive and also i need 2 of them, one for the Gordon at least 8x11 and one for the Kelsey 6x10
Thanks!
Raul.

send me an email, [email protected], and i will give you the cell phone number of a man who has a bunch of small chases and might even have one for a Gordon.

Raul,

Are you looking for a chase, or a base?

As I understand it, you have a chase for the Gordon, you’re looking for a base to fit the Gordon, a chase for the Kelsey, and a Base to fit the Kelsey.

Boxcar’s bases really aren’t over-priced. You’d pay more than what they charge to get a machine shop to make one for you, and unless you own a shaper, planer, or surface grinder, you’re not going to be making one yourself. What were you expecting to pay for a base?

Hi Keelan:

Im looking for:

1 chase and a base for the Kelsey, and
1 base for the Gordon.

Actually i dont expect to pay more than what older printers pay for theirs. I dont think a chase should cost $300, at least the one they use is more like a hard piece of wood….as i saw in others people shops….

Since im building my shop im trying to keep prices as low and as real as possible, i will be glad if i can find other way to get the materials i need. Im new to this country, but im sure that the hitech bases like the boxcar has were not here by then…

I would like to get all the originals, im not saying theirs is not ok, i assume that, but i just cant pay a big amount for every single item i need, also needs rollers, inks, paper, etc…

Im just asking for suggestions, dont know exactly how much it will cost anything yet :)

Please advice.
Thanks.
Raul.

Yes, Boxcars bases aren’t the old-timey traditional equipment, but neither are polymer plates. You can spend your money on a real base or spend your time fussing with anything else.

So, there is nothing else than the “real bases”? no more options than the fussing ones?

Thanks for your help :)

I mount my plates on slugs, have done this for years with pretty good results.

Raulthdesign look at these links for information on chase bases:
http://www.briarpress.org/18655
http://excelsiorpress.org/reference/Excelsior_Chase_Base/index.html

Raul,

Something else to consider is that buying from Boxcar Press supports the letterpress community. Boxcar has done a lot to keep letterpress alive, and to help make photopolymer as accessible as possible to the community. They also run the fantastic Letterpress Commons, which (in addition to a bunch of other things) has a very helpful archive of documentation and manuals for letterpress equipment.

That said, I understand your reservations about the startup costs. Spread your costs out over a bit of time. It’ll hurt less!

I appreciate all the feedback. This Forum has been such a fantastic resource.
Thank you all, see you in the next challenge to come!
Raulh