Moving Tips/Recommendations
Greetings!
I just acquired a 10X15 C&P letterpress, which has my very excited. However, I’m at a loss as to which is the best way to move the press from it’s current home to it’s new home.
I’m looking to move it from Garfield, NJ to Millville, NJ which is approximately 130 miles apart.
The building that the press is in, is one floor and has a loading dock which we could easily back a truck up to. The press is not currently on a pallet.
I would certainly appreciate thoughts from folks that have moved a press themselves: what worked, what didn’t, any specific tips, etc.
Or if folks have experience with hired movers, especially in the NJ area, that would be appreciated too.
Lynda
Hi Lynda,
Greetings from the UK. I am a press mover and we move a lot of treadle platens. We tend to remove anything obviously brittle or protruding. We usually remove the treadle, feedboards and flywheel. We have a small sized pallet truck (jack?) that fits under the press so it doesn’t need to go on a pallet. We have nylon ratchet straps to strap the press to our vehicle, usually making an ‘X’ shape with the straps to keep the press solid on the van floor. You can use rollers etc to move too. My one piece of advice is, if you’re not sure what you’re doing get the professionals in. Remember you pay for their experience, insurance and liability. They damage anything - they put it right, check with other press users who they recommend. I would say that 90% of our business is word of mouth.
If you decide to do it yourself make sure that any helpers know what they’re in for. Wear gloves and protective footwear. Take your time, label and photograph anything you remove. Factor in your time, vehicle hire, gas costs etc. against using a professional. Sometimes the two figures match, and using a professional team takes the hassle and worry away from you.
Above all good luck with your move and happy printing!
Jeremy.
Antique Machinery Removal, Cumbria UK.
Lynda, you should check out the Excelsior Press in Frenchtown, NJ, Alan has moved more presses than i’ve seen, and i’ve seen lots of them, he has a web site with interesting stuff on it, he also sells supplies for letterpress and gives lessons in his shop/museum, his contact info is in the yellow pages on this site, Good Luck Dick G.