Kelsey 5x8 Model 'P' with Custom Feedboard, Oak Base, and Leather Wrapped Handle

Here's a nice Kelsey 5x8 Model 'P' finishing up restoration. This press has been in progress for the last few months and is just finishing up. It received all the standard processes like media blasting, new hardware, new pins, adjustment and alignment, repainting, etc.

But this model also sports the leather wrapped handle which is becoming pretty popular. I cut and sew these by hand using the same method they use for steering wheels in cars. I really like the feel a lot. More details and photos after the jump

A C&P Pilot in its new home.

Check out the cool view that one of my Pilot restores has.

Purchased by a teacher in Ohio, this Pilot is finished in a hammered gloss black and sports the laser engraved custom feed board, as well as a custom made roller cart. The new owner says that the press is performing very nicely and she's enjoying hand printing. Good stuff.

Sometimes you have to improvise...

What do you do when the company that made a machine (and it's parts) that you're working on went out of business many many years ago - and, you're missing said parts?

The answer is, you improvise son.

If you want something crated right...

...you have to crate it yourself. As the paraphrase goes.

In looking for a better crating option for shipping presses around, I finally gave up and designed my own crate.

Kelsey Model X 6x10 Fully Restored and Upgraded Letterpress

Kelsey Excelsior Model 'X' 6x10 Letterpress, fully restored with new rollers and trucks, custom made leather handle cover, polymer plate bed, and custom cart.

Lots of new stuff on this Kelsey... 

• A hand sewn black leather handle cover gives a nice feel and grip as opposed to the cast iron.
• Some of the higher-wear parts are powder coated as opposed to painted for a tougher finish.
• Aluminum polymer plate bed comes with this press. Use this to order polymer plates as opposed to full print height blocks.
• A customized butcher block top with cast iron pipe handle for mobility.
• Cart is hand painted with the top finished in Waterlox for long lasting protection.
• New compression rings for securing all pivot pins.

Shiny C&P Pilot adjustment bolts

Nicely cleaned up and ready to be reinstalled on a Pilot. I find a quick media blasting then wire wheel job does the trick very nicely.

New Feature - Hand-Stitched Leather Handle Covers.

Along with letterpress restorations, one of the other things I like to dabble with is leather work.
So as a recent restoration started to finish up, and I start looking for little things to improve the finished product, this idea came very naturally.

A nice soft leather handle cover will probably make long print runs a little bit nicer, and maybe even a little less fatiguing. So, I cut a bit of nice black 2 or 3 ounce leather and stitched it into place. I like the feel a lot as you're not just gripping cast iron, and the cover has a little bit of slide to it so you can just press down versus having to turn your hand as the press actuates.

We'll see how this goes over when this press ships in the next couple of weeks and the owner gives me a little feedback. Worst case scenario, he can cut it off and go on normally.

The Miracle of Powder Coating

Here's a good example of powder coated metal. I've switched to this method for some of the smaller pieces and ones that see a lot of wear. Generally, I spray paint all of my pieces with a special metal spray paint that on its own is pretty tough, but powder coating is like armor.

It's a pretty amazing process whereby paint powder is deposited onto metal by static electricity and then baked onto the surface in an oven. The final product is very very tough and chip resistant. A wonderful thing about powder coating is that the total time from cleaned metal to a finished and coated part, ready to be reinstalled, is about three hours or so. There's no time spent waiting for paint to cure on the surface of a part...when it's cool, it's done. Powder coat also doesn't stink like spray painting does...and when trying to work inside during the winter, this is a huge benefit.

In the top left corner you can see the piece media blasted and clean before heading to powder coating. Then you can see the final product, with a nice even set finish.