Will a C&P 10x15 be okay in a non-heated room?

As long as you warm the room (and the press) before use it should be fine. I’d be more concerned about the sun porch floor being able to support the weight. Many sun porch floors are not up to such a task.

Brad.

Also… I’d keep the ink stored somewhere inside. Ice cold ink will give you a major headache.

Brad.

While heat may be a concern, it can be overcome possibly with a space heater in an enclosed area. However, the main concern here is the weight of the machine. A porch will not support that machine. It weighs about 1,400 pounds. And running exerts even more pressure on the floor. You will definitely need support underneath.

The wieght of the press could definitely pose serious problems unless you have a slab floor or floor joists that are substantial enough to hold the beast.

Also the room temperature should be above freezing and generally people working in colder rooms (even in the 50 degree area) also put a light bulb (candles in the old days) under the inking disk to keep the ink warm.

The cold could also effect your rollers.

Rick

Thank you everyone for your input!
The weight issue had not even occurred to me - so thank goodness it was brought up. I think it is a slab floor (it is an extension on the front of the house and the base seems to be entirely concrete), but I will definitely be checking this before buying the press!

You’ve all been a great help!

like rick says the cold will effect your rollers, ink and rollers should be stored inside in a heated room.

My shop is in an unheated warehouse with 18’ ceilings. I cannot afford to heat the whole space. In the winter I build a simple wooden framework around the press and cover it with plastic. I put an electric heater inside. The ink, press and printer stay warm and happy.

I had my shop in a garage for four years. I had a space heater I used when I wanted to print, but otherwise the shop was unheated. When I put on the heat the press would sweat (moisture condensation) for hours until the cast iron finally warmed up, and while it was in that state I could not ink up because the ink wouldn’t stick to the damp ink disc (I was using Van Son rubber base). Also, the sweating would cause a minor amount of surface rust sometimes. Just something else to worry about ;-).

Bob

I had a shop in an un-insulated garage for two winters in northern Indiana where it gets very cold. I would start a jet Kerosine heater in the morning, and by about 1 p.m. the shop would be warm enough to work for about three or four hours. Not only did my press sweat, but the inside of my type cabinets did as well. By mid-December I had to shut it down because the damage to equipment was a problem, and couldn’t open it again until mid-April. I now live in a place that doesn’t have such extremes, but have discovered that a little constant heat in a small area solves a lot of those problems. I use a small electrically heated oil-filled heated on a low setting at night, raising the temp when I work in the shop. If you could figure out a way to insulate (if it is not) the space it shouldn’t take too much to heat it.

Paul

I’ve been wondering the same thing Courtney.

I’m getting a press but I temporarily need to move it into and unheated warehouse. I live in the south though, so in costal virginia it sometimes snows but rarely dips below 30 in the winter. I don’t plan to print on it there, but I do need to store it. Im wondering if leaving the grime(oil,grease etc) on the press will protect it from rust. I don’t hope to keep it there for more than a year at the absolute most. I hope to set up a place for it by spring.

I bought a job press many years ago in Ohio that had been stored out in the guy’s back yard in a crate he had built around it. He had carefully greased the ink disc, platen, and bed, and oiled all the oil points, before crating it ten years earlier. The press was in excellent condition, and after the greased surfaces were cleaned there was no rust and the press ran smoothly. That would be my suggested treatment.

Bob

One more useful hint for storing presses/etc. in cold places such as warehouses and sunporches.

If you cover this equipment DO NOT use plastic tarps. When the temperature heats up and cools off all the condensation will be traped under the plastic and become the perfect breeding ground for rust. Instead use old bed sheets or other materials that can breathe. They will keep the dust and dirt off and keep the condensation away (unless of course your ceiling in dripping onto it from condensation.

Rick

Before my awesome husband built a room for me inside my house for printing, I had it out in the garage. I had that “sweating” issue on my ink plate as well. A very simple thing to avoid that, is to keep the following inside your home:

ink (of course)
the rollers (to avoid any warping that could occur)
and the ink disc (having that already warmed up helps you to start printing much faster)

Hope that helps!

I too have a C&P 10x15 that is currently in storage in our backyard shed. The plan is to one day put it back into operation, but only once I’ve built a custom workshop with slab floor that can handle the weight of the press.

In the meantime, I have the press covered with machine oil, and have it stored under a heavy blanket, secured under a tarp with a gap underneath to allow air to move around and keep any moisture from setting in.

I re-oil the surfaces every three to four months to keep the rust at bay.

So far, it looks like it’s weathering the hibernation quite well…

My shop is in an unheated, insulated garage with a woodstove. As DancingPen said, I keep my ink, rollers and ink disc inside when I’m not printing. I start up the woodstove a half hour before I want to print and bring out the ink, rollers and ink disc when the space has warmed to over 50 degrees - I don’t even bother printing when the temp is below 50. I also have an oil-filled heater that I put directly below the ink disc to help keep the disc and rollers warm until the woodstove heats the space up, I’m usually down to my t-shirt within an hour and the stove keeps everything toasty. I don’t usually see much sweat on the press, but the bed of my knife definitely needs a good wipe down before each use. Good luck!
Steve