Cranston owned by John Major Jenkins

Thought I would post a note that the late John Major Jenkins’ estate has his Cranston flatbed cylinder press available.

I tipped off John about the availability of this press. I also was directly involved with its research to get specifics on what, exactly, is missing in order to get the press running again. It is missing a drive gear and supporting rack assembly.

After considerable consultation with a foundry owner, some mechanical engineers and printers, it appears that the drive gear either was a standard size or could be replicated with another gear. There are other Cranston owners around the country and a few are known to have the gear in need of duplication.

In an effort to find the original gear, I made a few efforts to talk with people who may have had the Jenkins Cranston at one time or another. All attempts ran into dead ends. The gear is believed to be lost to the pages of time. At one time, we considered running an ad in the pages of the newspaper which used to own the press, to see who in that Kansas town might have the gear in a barn or somewhere else.

I hope someone may save this press. There are several mechanical similarities to my Cottrell. I enjoyed many hours of trading notes with Jenkins in part because we both acquired presses which were incomplete at the time of purchase. They are fascinating machines and I can promise my interest in advice and directional support for whomever may want to revive the Cranston.

As a final note, I’m not receiving any kind of remuneration for my post here - just wanting to see another piece of our American printing heritage live to see another day. At the price of the opening bid, it would be a shame to see this one slip away.

Here is a link to the auction in case anyone is interested: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Cranston-Drum-Cylinder-Single-Revolution...

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