the Scarlet Letters

gl,

The clam shell press is supposed to bring the two planes together parallel to each other at the point of impression. One being the plane that is the surface of the type and the other the surface where the paper sits. This should be self evident. The challenge is to find out where this is not happening or if it is an inking problem.

The trick will be to eliminate or isolate each variable that may effect the printing quality, then try to solve that particular problem.

First I have to ask how are you locking up your form? Are you using a chase with wood furniture? Most printing shops will use a surface plate to lock up on (also called a stone) It is just a very flat piece of granite or steel. The point being that when the type is loose you can lightly tamp it down with a wood block to get the base of all the type resting firmly on the same plane. If all the type is type high .918" then the impression surface (top of the type) should also be planar. It is important to lockup on a very flat surface. A kitchen table is probably not that great. A a granite counter top is probably better, but still no guarantee of flatness.

You can probably pick up a small 9" x12" granite surface plate for under $20.00 at a machinist supply store. Enco has them on sale quite often.

If you over tighten the quoins you can sometimes raise the form. They should be tight enough to hold the form when you lift one side of the chase, but not over-tight to the point that the chase is bowing real bad. It may bow a little that's ok.

Then install the chase in the press.

You can remove the ink rollers and hand ink the form with a brayer rolled on a sheet of glass with your ink. That way you will be sure to get even inking, roll across the form a couple times from different directions (up and down, then left to right) You should be able to do this with a small hand brayer. This will eliminate the ink rollers as a potential part of the problem.

Pull your impression and take a look. Is one side of the form lighter or are letters throughout the form light and dark?

If you have one side light, then remove the form and flip it 180 degrees. Re-lockup and pull another impression after inking in the same way. If the opposite side is now printing light then you know that one side of the platten is not parallel to the other.

If you have a situation that the letters are light and dark and mixed throughout the form, then take out the chase, loosen the quoins, tamp down the type lightly with a wood plane block. (don't hammer on the type with the wood, instead rest the wood block on the type and gently tap on the wood block with the quoin key or something else to plane the type. Try printing again. See if the same pattern of light and dark is evident.

If you have a mixed group of light and dark letters then you probably have some type that is not type high.

The other thing to remember about these table top presses is they can be sensitive to where the form is locked up. Most work best when the form is centered in the middle of the platten. Not too high or low.

Give these things a try and let me know what happens, we can take it from there.

mf

thanks, mark! the light letters are all on the right side (as a verticle composition, i think that's the mid or top of the form). the chase has an indentation to lock into the press on just one side; i don't know if i can flip it around yet, but i'll see what i can do.

i suspect creating the form is my weakest skill. yep, the furniture is wood (are there other types?). i'm composing on the glass-topped stove in the studio. i have a piece of heavy marble i can use next time (i think that's what the iprc uses).

this particular size of kelsey doesn't have quoins, it just has screws, but they don't look overtightened; in fact, some letters in the middle or a little loose. (but those letters aren't the ones giving me grief.)

It's hard to explain but simple to do. When I said flip the form around 180 degrees, I meant when the chase is on your glass tabletop, loosen the chase and rotate the type 180 degrees. So the left side becomes the right, you may be printing upside down, but of course the printing end of the type must still face the tympan paper.

The purpose is to see if it is a problem with the type or the press.

You will most likely see the same side of the press printing light. But now it's the opposite side of your form. If this is the case you probably have a mechanical problem with the press. (Not parallel.) You have You can solve this by fixing the press or by building up with paper under the type or under the tympan. I think under the tympan is the preferred method.

Am I making any sense?

Yes you can get plastic furniture, but I wouldn’t bother. If your furniture is in good shape (nice flat edges) you should be fine.

i am very keen in aquiring plastic furniture use in making up a forme in a letterpress flat bed if you can tell me where my firm would certainly be appreciative tthanking you kent l bradley

sorry, kent, i don't know where to get plastic furniture; i'm just using what i was given. :)