How much pressure from a Golding Pearl
I’m wondering if anyone can point me to information on the pressure that different presses typically exert? We’ve been doing some experiments creating cuts using 3D printers and laser engravers. Our work study student wants to do some stress testing simulations, but to do so he needs to know how many pounds of pressure to simulate. Our primary press is a treadle-operated Golding Pearl, so a late-nineteenth-century platen press. We don’t need an absolutely precise number, but I have no idea how many pounds of pressure at all! Any help appreciated.
http://www.briarpress.org/9067
I don’t know why the above doesn’t come up as a live link, but if you copy and paste it into a search engine like Google, it comes right up.
This is where your question was discussed previously, with a pretty good answer.
One comment by me: remember, a platen press has to exert enough pressure to print the entire form at once, whereas a cylinder press only has to exert enough pressure to print the narrow strip of the form which is under the cylinder.
Geoffery, I recall that discussion well, and still have the data from my own tests. It was that conversation that led me to switch from platens to cylinders for my home-made presses.
Ryan…. printing pressure can only be meaningful if you work with pounds per square inch of printed area. Over a small area, even a Kelsey put down a large amount of pressure.
There is another thread where we discussed it, too…. but I can’t locate it.
Its amazing how much pressure an Albion press can provide. Considering how basic its mechanism is - ”Earl Stanhopes Improvement” etc. It might still be possible to access records of Len Boxalls work at the UK’s Printing Industry Research Association at Leatherhead , now I beleive defunct, But where the records? - I know not. He certainly knew a great deal about press pressures and impression dynamics.