Printing Press

[Brig]

I'm trying to gather information on period printing presses/methods, etc. So far I'm having a difficult time finding solid info specifically for the GAoP time frame. Any input or suggestions on where to look would be greatly appreciated!

Blessings,

Brig :)

[Black Hearted Pearl]

http://www.theoldprintingshop.com/history/

Try this. As the GAoP would be after the invention of the Gutenburg Press, I suspect that this method would still be accurate.

(Talking off the top of my head).

[Matusalem]

Slightly off-topic, but if anyone needs to replicate colonial or 18th centry typeface from a computer, I have always used TrueType "Caslon Antique", see here on Wikipedia or 'pyrate' it yourself and download here for free

[blackjohn]

I'm trying to gather information on period printing presses/methods, etc. So far I'm having a difficult time finding solid info specifically for the GAoP time frame. Any input or suggestions on where to look would be greatly appreciated!

Blessings,

Brig :)

You mean something like... the fact that when William Nuthead, the printer in Saint Mary's City died, his wife Dinah took over the printshop?

Do a search on Dinah Nuthead. You should find plenty about her. And from there you can expand outward.

http://books.google.com/books?q=dinah+nuth...nG=Search+Books

[Brig]

Awesome...I'll get right on those!

Found a few books on Amazon that look promising...will find out when they get here, I suppose. I'd like to eventually find/engineer a portable, functional, replica press to have at events...ambitious, but it's a goal.

Thank you all for the input!

[Littleneckhalfshell]

This site has a picture of Benjamin Franklin Printing Press,

http://pressproject.mtsu.edu/journal/journ...al01/index.html

""FRANKLIN'S PRESS--pictured here in a nineteenth-century photograph--was probably built in the late 1600s or early 1700s. But its basic design and mechanical principles reflect a technology that had changed very little in the 250 years since Johannes Gutenberg had first constructed a wooden press to print from movable type.""

[Matusalem]

LNHS

This site has a picture of Benjamin Franklin Printing Press,

http://pressproject.mtsu.edu/journal/journ...al01/index.html

....Resembles a Guillotine if you ask me

[1stMate Matt]

Awesome...I'll get right on those!

Found a few books on Amazon that look promising...will find out when they get here, I suppose. I'd like to eventually find/engineer a portable, functional, replica press to have at events...ambitious, but it's a goal.

Thank you all for the input!

I too have been looking into a period press. I will share my findings as I go. I might end up making one myself. I am look enough to have a full metal shop. I just think it would rock to have a press at shows and be able to print something in front of crowd and give it to them.

[Brig]

LNHS

This site has a picture of Benjamin Franklin Printing Press,

http://pressproject.mtsu.edu/journal/journ...al01/index.html

....Resembles a Guillotine if you ask me

Haha! You know journalists...it's usually pretty close

Those drawings are fantastic, Littleneck...thank you for sharing! And that's what I was going for, Matt. How cool would it be to be able to print up warrants/various props on demand?

Something that caught my eye was the Victorian parlour press...small enough to carry around if need be. Just not sure if there's anything comparable for GAoP.

[blackjohn]

One of the guys in my group has a press. Or at least he had one. I'm not sure if he still does or not. He printed up some stuff for an event once... I think it was the King's Pardon. Pretty cool. A guy I used to do RevWar with many years ago had, I think it was two presses. Once or twice while doing RevWar I saw guys bring them to the big events, so it can and has been done. If you'd like, I can contact the guy in my group to see if he still has his press. Maybe he can give you some pointers.

[Red Maria]

You might get this on an ILL (Inter-Lrary Loan)

Notes on the seventeenth century printing press of the English College at Saint Omers

Library. Quarterly review of bibliography.London 24 cm. 3rd ser., v. 10 (1919) p. 223-242

[Littleneckhalfshell]

Some more press related stuff I found, namely two books that tell how to make a wooden printing press, The information was originaly found on Stefan’s Florilegium an SCA site and then for the second book I found more information by googleing the title

http://www.florilegium.org/files/SCRIBAL-A...inting-msg.html

"There is one other book that meets the criteria: Elizabeth Harris

and Clinton Sisson, _The Common Press_, Boston; David R.

Godine Pubisher. 1978. ISBN 0-87923-211-0. Wonderful book; it

includes a cutting list, plans, instructions, and even occasional

illustrations on how to make things like the spindle....The

book's centered around a Common Press of the type Ben Franklin"

AND

The McClure Press: plans for reconstructing the 15th century printing press of Johann Gutenberg

Here is a List of copies available in librarys

http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/top3...b4da09e526.html

[Brig]

One of the guys in my group has a press. Or at least he had one. I'm not sure if he still does or not. He printed up some stuff for an event once... I think it was the King's Pardon. Pretty cool. A guy I used to do RevWar with many years ago had, I think it was two presses. Once or twice while doing RevWar I saw guys bring them to the big events, so it can and has been done. If you'd like, I can contact the guy in my group to see if he still has his press. Maybe he can give you some pointers.

That would be great, blackjohn! Thank you :)

Red Maria, Littleneck, I've been under the weather but will check those sources very soon. Thank you again, you've all been a tremendous help!

[Dutchman]

there is a press in st georges bermuda at one of the museums. unfortunately it was so long ago i don't remember which one. i do remember the curator, finding out we lived close to williamsburg, made a point to say their press was an earlier type. sorry for the vagueness, but might point you somewhere usefull.

[Capt. Sterling]

Awesome...I'll get right on those!

Found a few books on Amazon that look promising...will find out when they get here, I suppose. I'd like to eventually find/engineer a portable, functional, replica press to have at events...ambitious, but it's a goal.

Thank you all for the input!

Damnation Woman... you are ambitious...glad yer in my crewe... let us know if the rest of us can lend you a hand with any "building" requirements. Such a device would be brilliant at any event, but with PiP it would be exceptional.

[Mary Diamond]

Indeed, Brig is a treasure!

The one difficulty I see with building a press is the screw ~ which I believe is wood, with a less frequent thread per inch count than what I believe may be available in todays tap and die sets.

Nonetheless, here is a link which illustrates how to make a wooden vise utilizing the same screw concept.

http://www.jeffgreefwoodworking.com/pnc/Sh...vice/index.html

This may work tolerably well if the press will be a smaller scale portable unit.

[Cheeky Actress]

Brig,

Sorry so late on logging in on this, but I just saw this post.

MadMary suggestion on making the press as a smaller scale portable unit. I am assuming that the size of what you would be printing would be a standard 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of parchment - am I correct?

I have a friend who works as a docent in Virginia City, NV at the 3rd Ward School there. His job is to demo their 19th century printing press.

Granted, it is obvious that the time lines are different, but the mechanics are pretty much the same. PM me if you have any questions regarding inks, types, and the like.

I am sure I can get you some answers.

[Jack Roberts]

I don't think it would be too hard to make one. Just trying to find a complete set of type face would be the hardest I think.

Does anyone have any period pictures of a press they could post?

[Cascabel]

The one difficulty I see with building a press is the screw ~ which I believe is wood, with a less frequent thread per inch count than what I believe may be available in todays tap and die sets.

I remember seeing a reproduction printing press many years ago, and the guy had used the screw shaft and threaded block to match from an old piano stool.

>>>> Cascabel

[Red Maria]

The was an exhibit & demonstration at the International California Antiquarian Book Faire this last weekend from the International Printing Museum (located in Carson, CA)

http://www.printmuseum.org/

I asked about period presses and the man demonstrating siad that they wooden be like the one he was using (haven't found a picture of it on the website yet) would be appropiate. He said there was no real change in the printing press fron Guetenberg's time till the Indutrial Revolution around 1800.

You could contact them for more information.

[Mary Diamond]

The one difficulty I see with building a press is the screw ~ which I believe is wood, with a less frequent thread per inch count than what I believe may be available in todays tap and die sets.

I remember seeing a reproduction printing press many years ago, and the guy had used the screw shaft and threaded block to match from an old piano stool.

>>>> Cascabel

Now that is a Fantastic idea!

Hmmm, Brig ~ Lilly does bring up an interesting question. If you are going through all this trouble, will you be using standard letter size paper? Or will you take the extra step to utilize laid paper, octavo (8vo)size (8-10" tall, approx. 9" wide), to further reinforce the impression?

Laid paper is commonly available, and can be cut down in bulk at most print service facilities, for a nominal fee.

But, yes, as Amanjira points out ~ getting a full set of type may well be the hang-up for this entire project.

[Capt. Sterling]

I am thinking Fayma Callahan could find ye some beautiful paper...

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Kinda-sorta on topic...

Kenneth Roberts, author of the Arundel Chronicles and one you may be more farmiliar with, Northwest Passage,(made into a movie with Spencer Tracy about Robert Rogers and his Rangers from the F&I war), also wrote one called Oliver Wiswell. In this book set during the Am. Revolution as seen through the eyes of a Loyalist, one of the secondary characters carries with him a portable press like you are talking about. This charachter is constantly using his press to forge documents and print currency to get them out of bad situations and such.

All of these are fiction but based on actual events and people and chronicled in order with great attention to details. Mr. Roberts spent several years researching for his books, all of which are based on New England maritime heritage, lots of sea battles etc. Anyhow, if you like to read, this one may appeal to you for the details of the press in the story.

Bo

[Littleneckhalfshell]

Paper size, so difficult to nail down for GAOP, I have gotten dizzy from trying to figure it out.

Octavo = ??? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavo_(book)

""The modern general use of the term refers to books which are between 8" and 10" (20-25 cm) tall, the most common size for modern hardbound books. More specific sizes can be denoted by:

Foolscap octavo (6¾" by 4¼")

Crown octavo (7½" by 5")

Demy octavo (8¾" by 5?")

Royal octavo (10" by 6¼")""

Foolscap = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foolscap_folio

""Foolscap was named after the fool's cap and bells watermark commonly used from the fifteenth century onwards on paper measuring 17 × 13½ inches (432 × 343 mm) or a subdivision of this into halves, quarters and so on. The earliest example of such paper that is firmly dated was made in Germany in 1479.""

Rag Paper was expensive, so I would guess that 'smaller' would be more common than the relatively large papers we are familiar with in these days of cheap wood pulp paper.