My New (old) Chandler Price Press
Another new to letterpress person. I purchased a C & P press - serial number traces to 1921 18x12 - has a little gunk on it - but looks to be in reasonable condition. Were these presses born with the motor on them or would it have added later? I can see several parts that I can not identify on the pictures off the internet. Down near the floor on the inside of the press there is a cylinder that looks like a hydraulic pump with a yoke like attachment that is not attached to anything. Looks like it would fit around the rod that goes from the wheels on each side. It also has the hoses that look like they would have been attached to a little box that is placed under the switch (a round “box” up under the work table). Confusing description I know. Any ideas appreciated. This press was a working press so I wonder if the old pressman added these to make it more efficient. If I don need them I might remove the but if there but if the belong I will leave them alone
Nothing like that on any of the C&P presses I’ve owned and used. Maybe part of a feeder system? Post a photo and let folks look at it.
My initial thoughts without seeing a picture is also that its the remains of a automatic feeder. We have a C&P with a Kluge feeder on it that has the vacuum pump attached tot he main shaft underneath where the treadle would be on an old style C&P.
Arie is right, it sounds like part of a feeder, specifically the air pump for an automatic feeder. We have a 10x15 with Kluge feeder setup with a cylinder like that. Does your press look like it’s set up for hand feeding, or auto feed, or some combination? It may have been auto feed, later converted to hand, or???
My guess would be that a 12x18, made in 1921, would have been sold with a motor; if the auto feed is original, it had to have been motorized as the pump would run off the crank throw, eliminating the treadle option.
Thank yall for responding. I will try my skills at uploading a photo. What yall said sounds reasonable.
Probably a Rice feeder, they’re actually wonderful in operation, kind of sounds like Jack Benny’s old Maxwell.
Paul