There's Lovely

An interesting foray into Wales yesterday, 6am start, best part of an hour battling through Birmingham on the M6. Met Wyn Rogers the owner of Rogers and Co printers. Wyn's father started the press after being demobbed out of the RAF at the end of WW2. Wyn entered the business in the early 60s and finally closed down about 8 years ago. All is still there as Wyn was renting out the property and had no need to move out!

I managed to buy some nice wood type and a small proof press which will all be available after a good cleaning and sort out.

Long time no talk

Been exceptionally busy as usual, we have collected several new projects and have completed a star wheel etching press which went via Ebay.

Collected an 1849 Columbian from Tatlers Printers in Derby which went to a new home near Cirencester. Joe, the new owner was very pleased with his new acquisition.

Today brought a start to tidying up the state I have let the workshop get into, including a trip to the tip.

I went back to Abbot Hall and was pleased to get good prints from their Harrild Columbian press which I reinstated a few weeks ago.

The press felt nice and tight and provided good blacks from the line-block I used to test with.

Off back on the road tomorrow gathering more goodies to sell I hope!

Cheltenham and then Belgium

The University of Gloucestershire at Cheltenham took delivery of a nice A2 sized Farley self-inking proof press. Giles and I then went to Antwerp for 4 days to deliver an Albion and then help Patrick sort out his recently acquired extension to house his huge collection of presses and typecasting equipment. We achieved a lot and cycled to and from the warehouse every day which is a great form of unwinding after a long hard day. Patrick asked us to accompany him to Voorburg near the Hague on the Saturday to collect a load of equipment from the Die Hague Press which is closing down after being run since 1927. There was much equipment there which Henk the owner donated to Patrick's not inconsiderable collection. We shifted two imposing surfaces, a large pallet of Monotype spares, a pallet of Monotype keybanks, a very large nipping press on a stand, an intertype magazine rack, a swedish reciprocating proof press and many small items. We also removed two Monotype keyboards, palletised and got the Monotype composition caster ready for a return trip. Henk was finding it hard to part with things but I am sure more will find its way to Antwerp! There was also a magnificent large M A N stop cylinder with feeder, a Nebiolo cylinder and a Mercedes cylinder. Sadly they are all destined for the hammer as getting them out is going to be tricky!

More moving larks

We spent all day removing a large 32" Littlejohn press down a set of stairs at TyneMet College in Newcastle. We had to reassemble and deliver it to a different site where we discovered missing parts and sheared bolts, the press couldn't be reassembled without surgery. It was delivered where we were assured there were double doors. The press was 32" wide at the feet and widest point. The double doors were in fact single and only 30" wide. It always happens to us! People make assurances that the access is easy and flat then forget narrow doors and stairs! Where possible we do a recce mission but time and money do not always allow. Sods law we call it.

Anyway that achieved we delivered a table saw (up a set of steps) to Chris Daunt, engraver and supplier of wood engravers' blocks.

The following day we went to Yorkshire to pick up a Vandercook and deliver it to Jo Phillips who is just starting out his small letterpress shop. Jo has moved into an old mill building and hurrah first floor but a massive old goods lift (elevator) with a nice maximum weight of 20 hundred weight. Excellent!

The day after that...

Squeezing the quart into the pint pot. Retired teacher Martin Phillipson asked us to remove this Albion from his former school to his home address in Essex. Stage one was very quick and Giles and I were soon at the home address to install this press.

The first picture shows the narrow gap the press needed to go through. We had to make a sled to go on the pallet truck and lower the press longways onto it. The press had to travel through the house over carpets and floorboards then down the garden into the shed. It was one of the narrowest yet and there was just enought space to re-erect it once in the final location. This was the day after we did the large Columbian. We were both shattered after all this work! The following day we had to remove a large proof press from a basement and got a parking ticket again in central London. How do people get anything done?

Another Big Unit...

A very large Columbian belonging to the artist and author Charlotte Cory was delivered from storage in Manchester to London. The press had to be lowered down into the basement area and then set up ready for print.

We started very early on the Sunday morning to enable us to park in the West End and get the lorry near.

Stuart Harwood brought the press down from Manchester and helped us install it.

We were unaware that you are not permitted to move anything before 9am on Sunday. Several agitated neighbours appeared about 845am accusing us of all sorts and some threatening legal action. The dilemma being that you cannot park anywhere during the working week or indeed on a Sunday so what do you do?

After being lambasted on more than one occasion by the same guy all I could do was raise my hands in the air and apologise. However, there is only so much you can take and we hadn't set out to upset anybody. Needless to say the man mentioned ran to teacher but as we were removing not doing building works we hadn't committed an offence. Also you are living in one of the busiest cities in the world, it isn't the quiet countryside! I totally accept that you need to vend your spleen but not 3 times on the same rant. Get over yourselves or move somewhere quieter like a monastery. We only experience this in the Capital, anywhere else weekend work is not necessary and neighbours are much more accepting.

The client was extremely happy and we were very pleased to accomplish this job satisfactorily for her. That is all that matters. Rant over.

More Albions.....

Setting off on Monday morning we had been commissioned by Janet Watson to move her Albion. We encountered a terrible accident on the M62 which left us stationary for over 2 hours. Subsequent hold-ups meant we arrived in the early evening instead of the afternoon and stripped and removed her press in a trice! We then were to install it the following morning but Janet decided to let us take the press back to the workshop for the repairs we found it needed. We then headed to the picturesque town of Lavenham in Suffolk to collect the late Yvonne Skargon's Albion press and deliver it to Sue Scullard in Kent. We also uplifted some furniture and installed the press in Sue's new studio at the bottom of her garden. The press went back together superbly and printed perfectly from the first pull. Her son Daniel described the press as "Awesome" and enjoyed being allowed to print on it. We then returned to London to strip a derelict press from the cellar of Conway Hall just near Holborn. After endless money in the meter we also were delighted to received a parking ticket from Camden Council for parking too long in the bay even though the ticket was valid! Working in Central London is almost impossible. Parking is restrictive and you have to constantly drop off your work to feed meters or elude the multitude of traffic wardens. Come on Boris, help us poor self-employed workers to get on with our day.!!!!