This dude made his own “letterpress” out of sundry hardware store supplies:
I don’t often read comments on YouTube, because they are frequently offensive and/or incomprehensible. But it’s my duty as a print-blogger to share this comment with you:
“why do we human have this passion and love for printing?”
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I like that. If only i can find the time. Even slower would be just to use a similar process in my book press. http://papercurious.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-home-made-press.html
In many ways, I really like the DIY movement. It’s pretty interesting that we’re starting to return to the idea that “I can figure that out” after allowing others to make things for us for so long, assuming that mass production can outdo you, etc.
But in this case, as cool as his ‘idea’ is, it doesn’t seem like it was particularly well done. Maybe it’s a prototype or something, but it’s pretty non-ergo, and being that it’s on the garage floor (as opposed to a table), it sorta makes me wince.
However, ‘how little can i do and still make it work’ might be where he was coming from too. The first common-press was made of wood- he could have probably had some 2X8’s cut down and then sanded it to a nice, smooth finish for the platen- I think personally that it’d work better and be more even as well.
His fulcrum seems to be at the wrong point too- I think he’d get more leverage if it actually were overtop of the ‘form’, but that doesn’t allow for inking- which is why the ‘bed’ of the first iron hand presses and wooden ‘common’ presses slid out (and he definately has the space in front of the press).
It honestly looks like a cross between a ‘one arm squeegee’ screen printing press and an old iron book press.
But for like 60-90 dollars at home depot, not bad.
This is so cool! Thanks for posting. I really respect him for putting in the effort and making the press himself.