Adana TP 48

I would think twice doing any embossing on this machine:

the stand was made from tubular steel, the main frame from a light alloy. This kept the weight to around 2 3/4 cwt. Cast iron was used where needed for strength: the platen and side arms.

Hi Thomas,

Thank you for your comment. Do you mean that the machine is not strong enough to deboss and that I would be putting strain on the machine if I tried to?

Rebecca

I don’t know if you’ve ever printed on an Adana, a 3x5 or an 8x5, but I have and own still a few of those presses. All Adana machines were manufactured to print ‘light to medium jobbing work’ and the body parts were often cast in light alloys. Embossing demands quite a bit of pressure (and accuracy), I would therefore not take the risk and damage my press. It’s a personal opinion and I reckon some other people here with Adanas would have something to say on this subject as well.

That’s a fair point. I used to own an Adana 3x5 and then an 8x5 but sold them because they were not strong enough to emboss wedding invitations with a surface print area of 7”x5”.

I now have a Reddish Jobber and the Adana T/P48 and I’m focusing on the Adana because the Reddish Jobber needs a lot of work.

I feel there’s a huge difference strength wise between this Adana and the 8x5 and 3x5 but we’ll just have to see.

Thank you for your insight. I’ll keep what you’ve said in mind because I definitely don’t want to damage my press.

The right tool for the job.
Rebecca your instruction manual did not say much about debossing as that is a relatively new term derived from emboss. I would have expected it to say nothing at all as the press, and all similar small hand operated presses, were not intended for that. They were intended to print on the paper, not into it. Do not fault the machine for not being able to do as you wish. Understand the limits of the tool.
With care, you can do a bit of smash printing with a Pilot or Craftsmen 6 1/2 x 10. You really need a floor model press that can provide adequate pressure for die cutting, embossing with proper dies, and smash printing.

I am relatively new to letterpress so please excuse my limited knowledge. I did not mean to fault the press, I do not have a great understanding of it but would like to learn more.

Could you please recommend a press for debossing cotton paper? Do you think I should turn my attention to my Reddish Jobber to achieve that look?

Thank you for your help.

Good rule of thumb , to print in the traditional fashion you need a press that has an area 30% larger than your print area for a page of type , same style printing if its a solid you need a print area 100% larger or a platen twice the size.
With the fashionable modern take on letterpress i would estimate that you need have a platen area of at least twice that of the print area for type and double that again for a solid in order not to damage the machine . As inky says above, right tool for the job , doesnt say you cant do it ,only that you may damage the press , we had greater concerns with coverage than pressure when letterpress was printed , now it seems to be reversed and the pressure is the concern because the press needs to be so big to get the pressure that coverage is more than adequate.
I am sure someone will poo this but at the same time someone else will also be nodding like the thing on the parcel shelf of some sad car driver!!
The popularity of the heidelberg is its shear collar means you really have to go some to kill it , the collar bursts long before the press will ,the majority of treadles and such dont have this safety net and the age of them often makes a break in the frame terminal .

That is about the coolest little press I’ve seen. I know nothing about it but might have to try and find one for myself.

Hey everyone,

Thank you for all of your comments. It’s been eye opening.
I’m going to experiment with the press and look for a local printer.

Peter what you’ve said seems to be synonymous with everyone else so they’re probably all nodding their heads :)

I’ve learned a lot more about my press now but still have lots more to learn.

Thanks Lammy!

Rebecca

Hi.
i’ve just started restoring the same machine, and wondered how you’ve got on over the last couple of years with yours ?