Action

Here is a short video on how my Chandler & Price works. I would like to thank my dad and husband for helping me with the technical difficulty of my press.

Birth of a Monster

Letterpresses for sale are picked up as fast as a Marc Jacobs bag at TJ Max! Whenever I would find a press up for grabs, I had to think about how much it would cost to freight one to my house if it came from out of state/country. This can be double what the press is worth. Luck was on my side in a weird way. I saw an ad on Craigslist for a table top press right in San Pedro ( about 20 or so miles from where I live). I contacted the seller and made the effort, cash in hand, to drive out and buy the reserved press. Halfway, the seller calls me and tells me the press was sold to someone who sent his payment via paypal. This was such a disappointment! Not only did I get my hopes up, but the seller advised the first one with cash will get the press. 

A couple of days later, an ad pops up on Briarpress.org- a Chandler & Price 8x12 for sale, right here in Pasadena! Jim Salazar Company, Inc. is a heavy machinery hauling company that finds machinery (such as letterpresses) and equipment from huge print shops. Jim is very professional and knows his machinery. I highly recommend his company if you ever need heavy machinery moved. He is very precarious and meticulous in his work.

While I was sealing the deal with Jim, he had received about 15 calls in regards to the press. I was able to inspect the press myself, left a deposit and had it delivered 2 days later.

Lessoned learned: Patience is a virtue. If it's meant for you, it will be there, ready for you to inspect have delivered!

The press was in good condition. Considering it's about 50 years old (I need to find out the exact year). What is important when looking for a press, is the functionality of the press. Everything else you can find replacements for. In my case, there was an existence of rust, squishy rollers, and tons of grease. Restoring my press took about 3 months. Scrubbing, sanding, and more scrubbing. Here are pictures of the process: