Category: Letterpress for beginners
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Best Tips for Kelsey 5x8

Hello,
I am new, very new, in fact I am still getting my stuff together (rollers, type, gripper replace etc.) for my 5x8. I have been reading some of the topics here and a comment to another post I made that stated a Kelsey 5x8 is hard to to use to begin with, but they also said makes good prints. Well, having no clue, I am writing to ask you all about

1. Best Tips for getting good prints from a Kelsey 5x8 including printable area of the chase

2. What are the difficulties in using the press besides its smaller chase?

Thanks in advance for your wisdom and help!

Log in to reply   3 replies so far

pilgrimpress,

I have a 5x8 myself and absolutely love it! I started on an Adana 5x3 and moved up to the Kelsey 5x8! I am currently looking to move up to a much larger C&P 10x15 but that’s neither here nor there.

The Kelsey in my mind is the perfect press to learn on! Very easy to use and simple in design! What I have found to be the most important part of getting a good print is making sure your press is level! The 5 screws on the back of the platen are used to adjust the platen and make it level. Putting 5 large letters or blocks in your chase (one in each corner and one in the middle) and printing/adjusting the screws until everything is printing evenly is the best way to level this press.

Also getting all oil off of the ink plate will help with ink coverage. On that note the amount of ink you apply to the ink plate is important!! ( I have found it is something you really just have to experiment with and eventually figure it out)

Making sure that when you press down the handle it can lock into place is nice. It will depend on how much surface you are printing but adjusting your platen so it isn’t too difficult to lock into place will help prevent smashing a lot of type (I have smashed some and was not happy this pretty much stopped the smashing of type).

as for difficulties, I really haven’t found many. It obviously prints slower than a motorized press but isn’t very difficult. The hardest part is getting your platen level. Make sure your grippers and gauge pins are out of the way so you don’t smash anything with them!!!

Also make sure your press is well oiled/greased up so it runs smother! That will take away some of the stress that comes from pushing down the lever over and over!!! (plus its just good for your press). I oil mine about twice a week. A drop or two at any spot where metal is touching/rubbing metal.

I was in the same boat about a year or so ago and had so many questions! I found that just jumping in and printing answers many of them! you can make impressions with the press on paper with out any ink so if you don’t have rollers right now you can still set type and level the press. When all the impressions are even then your press is level! (for this if you have any junk type or something you can use that because you run the risk of smashing type your first go)

Hope this helps!!! Good Luck!

  • dickg
  • on 10 Aug 11 (18:53)

I started with a 3x5 kelsey, moved up to a 5x8 kelsey, both i still have and use now and then, my 5x8 i bought a foil stamping unit for and have done some fairly large forms on it. When starting out you should do small things, don’t try to fill the chase and expect to get good prints. Jerpchap post has all good advice, leveling the platen is important, also make sure you have 2 or 3 sheets of copy paper and a piece of press board under your top sheet. Dick G.

Thanks to you both! I will give the platen leveling a try!