Frisket for Poco Proof #0

Hello all - in researching the Poco Proof press I ran across a printer using something called a frisket which I cant tell if it is mounted to a galley tray or a chase to print on the Poco.

Here is the link:

http://vandercookpress.info/vanderblog/2007/10/01/poco-0-with-tympan-and...

I am wondering what the frisket is attached to and where to get one plus whatever it hooks to and roller bearers?

This looks like a cool system so I would not have to put the paper on the roller which makes me nervous that the paper would be curled.

What do you think of this? I am new to letterpress but even more green to cylinder presses.

Thanks,
Brandi

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Brandi, notice that Neil used a chase with the tympan hinged to it and the frisket hinged to the tympan. The type is locked in the chase and the chase is wedged into the bed of the press. You would have to make this rig — nobody sells such a set-up. The roller bearers are simply 2 18 point full-face rules placed outside the area of the paper to be printed and locked up with the type between them.

I plan to make a tympan and frisket for my Poco #0 but I will make it so it opens to the side rather than end of the press, so it is as easy to work with on either side of the cylinder. I will probably use a 10x15 C&P chase since they are the most readily available.

Regards, Bob

AdLib - thanks so much for the information - I think I get it now. Where would you get 2 18 point full-face rules? It seems like roller bearers would be very helpful!

Thanks,
Brandi

Brandi,

Since you live so close, you should be sure to go to the Great Northern Printer’s Flea Market in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa on September 19, 2009 at Printer’s Hall, Midwest Old Threshers, McMillan Park. You can talk to Neil about this and get a lot of you newbie questions answered at the workshops on cylinder presses and hand presses, etc. The flea market will certainly have tympan paper available and lots of other good things. Bring a big vehicle. See you there! Here’s a link:

http://www.oldthreshers.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.printersHall

Press - I have already booked my hotel! I cant wait - it just seems like FOREVER! I will see you there!

Brandi

Brandi:

I also have a Poco #0, a recent fortunate acquisition, and have been contemplating putting a tympan & frisket on it as well as on my Vandercook #1.

Lately I’ve been rethinking. When I had to use the Vandercook #1 recently (for a Vandercook Centenary poster for Paul Moxon’s exchange) I needed to register multiple colors and didn’t have time to make a full tympan and frisket. For a while I tried taping guides on a chase I’d used to lock up the type on the bed (I’d used a 8x12 C&P chase) That worked somewhat. About halfway through the run I got the idea to fold over a thin strip of heavy paper and taped it onto the tympan paper on the cylinder, with the open edge facing up when the press was ready to print. I tried to get the folded edge parallel to the cylinder’s axis and the tape held the folded strip closed along the edge of the cylinder where there wouldn’t be any printing.

To print I then simply slipped the sheet to be printed into the folded strip. A pencil mark on the strip aligned to the edge of the sheet. Then if necessary I moved the type around (by adding or removing furniture, reglets, leads and slugs) until I had the printing in the right spot. Registration quoins would have been a good idea here, but I forgot I had some.

This worked really well. The folded strip held the paper in place without slipping through out the impression. I had a problem with the tail end of the sheet slapping the form and picking up random bits of ink but that could be controlled with a tab in the right spot of the tympan paper to hold the tail in place.

Because this press, like the Poco, has no trip for the return to the printing start position, I simply placed a large sheet of scrap paper over the form and rolled the cylinder back.

I’ll also likely be in Mt. Pleasant for the APA Convention and Great Northern. Hope to see you there.

You are all so creative here! Great idea! I did visit a wonderful printer here in Iowa who has a poco and he gave me a run-down on the Poco so that was great!

I just ran across this picture of this guy and thought that looked like a good idea but I think you might be right to rethink it.

I cleaned my Poco last night and cant wait to get some packing so I can start printing on it! I will give your idea a try as well!

Thanks so much,
Brandi

You might want to take a look at this

http://hermeticpress.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00%3A00%...

Philip Gallo did some amazing work with this press. He now has a Vandercook Universal III but… it’s not the press that makes it all work, it’s the pressperson.

Gerald

Gerald - that is so AWESOME! I totally wish I was smart enough to understand how to do something like that!

I LOVE my poco and wish I could use it better!

Fantastic link - thanks for the great image and read!

Brandi

Brandi

I just talked to Phil the other day. He called because he wanted the HTML code for putting his email address on the blog. Ha!

So write to him and ask him about how to set up your press! Nothing like learning from the best.

Gerald