A bit of manual labour

After much searching and some lost opportunities, we've been lucky enough to lay our hands on an Arab Crown Folio platen press. Woohoo!

For those whom that conjures no immediate mental image, it should something like this (this pic from letterpresser.co.uk):

Here's an 1890 advert for it, a beauty I think you'll agree:

Here's what ours looks like:

So, bit of work to be done! Well, I tell a lie. The above is what it looked like a few weeks before we went to collect it. Since then, a lovely fellow called Christopher (in who's barn it was being stored), was kind enough to give most of the components a paraffin bath and now they're looking considerably less greasy. Still plenty to be done, but a bucket load of progress made, certainly.

Phase one of our work with the Arab involved moving it from Christopher's barn, north of Colchester, to my parent's garage, south of Colchester. A surprisingly smooth process, involving 5 people, 3 cars (van plans fell through), tarps, blankets, gardening gloves, and a good bit of elbow grease. In good news, neither the press nor any personnel were injured.

Here are some of the components during the move, I cannot WAIT to get this baby up and running.

And here it is, all neatly stacked up and covered with sheets like a spooky ghost, in its temporary home:

Phase 2 will be rather protracted, as it involves clearing the greenhouse and gigantic hedges from our garden, pouring a concrete base, and building a shed studio to house the press. I'm medium-confident of achieving this over the summer. If anyone has a burning desire to come and help out...?

More posts to follow on our progress. Or lack of, as the case may be.