Chandler and Price for $4000???

I need help, I am brand new to letterpress but am dying to get starting!! I am thinking of purchasing this C&P located only 30 minutes from me, however the list price is $4000 AUD. I have only ever seen C&P Machines for $2000-$2500.

The description says “Letterpress Enthusiasts….
This is a SHOWROOM condition Chandler & Price 12 x 8 Letterpress Machine.
All in perfect working condition ready to print or great for an antique showroom piece.
I hate to see it go, but I need the space. Does not include delivery but we have an onsite forklift to assist.” I’m in Melbourne Australia where letterpress machines are very hard to find this one is just 30 minutes from my home. There are parts on the C&P that have been chromed, I don’t know if thats good or bad.

Would you pay $4000AUD for this C&P. My fear is that a Heidelberg with foiling and a motor can cost about the same depending on quality… I would love to get my hands on a Heidelberg but their are none to be found in my over 1 year of searching… I don’t want to regret my purchase soon after.

Many thanks in advance

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Log in to reply   13 replies so far

Nope. Bad deal. It looks like this press was given a good tarting up, but not a good once-over. I see rust on the rails, and the saddle rods, and most of the bolt heads have been simply painted over. While I’m sure the press is usable, it’s not worth $4000 ($4074.62 here in Canada, it would seem).

Also, You’re new to this — resist the urge to buy the first press that you see. Do some research, figure out what you really want, and put the word out there that you’re looking for a press. You’d be surprised at what will come out of the woodwork, but you’ll need to be patient. I waited about a year to find the press that I wanted, and during that year I passed up a few that were much closer, but not exactly the press I had in mind. When I finally found ‘my’ press, it cost less (even including having it shipped from the US to Canada) than any of the presses that had cropped up closer to home.

This press looks like it’s been restore for show purposes. Meaning chances are whoever restore this want this to sell as antique more than a press. Not to mention this price is too much. Just my opinion! good luck.

If you are interested in this press then I would suggest that you make an offer at a price point that you think is realistic, have some comparable prices to show that your offer is not an insult, and complain that the press has been altered from it’s original state and is therefor worth much less, not more, as a result of the chroming and painting. Have in mind a price you won’t go above during any negotiation, and if you can’t get it at that price be prepared to walk away. Also, if you can find someone who is knowledgable about presses to go with you and check it out that might give you a few more points to argue your case.
Good luck.
Bruce

Pretty paint.

A very quick way to tell the condition of the Gordon style platen is to walk up to the flywheel and try to lift the wheel. No you will not move the press, but the amount of movement of the flywheel will belie the condition of the main flywheel bearings, and by extension, the condition of the rest of the press.

Another test (owner permitting) is to run the rollers to their top position with no form in the press and note the measurement from the top of the ink disk. Now throw in a significant form (a line or large wood type or perhaps a large solid block(s). Run the press on impression and stop when the press in the middle of impression (you’ll probably have to hand wheel the flywheel to do this. Again, note the distance from the rollers to the top of the flywheel.

If the press doesn’t have rollers, you can lay a yard stick between the roller saddles to derive the same measurement reference. The greater the difference in distances between a form and no form is the amount of wear taken up by the press on impression. Less is more here.

I’d certainly demand a “like new” machine for $4000, and I strongly suspect this press, despite the owners’ pains, isn’t “like new”.

The price is high. There are many good press listed on this site, from $500 to $2,000.

Find a press around $1,000 and put the other $3,000 in to supplies and other item you will need. The press or line casting machine is the small price in the entire picture.

You need packing for the press, pins, lock up items, good supply of ink all of that will add up to $1,500 to $2,000 real fast.

I have put $10,000 into my shop and I still need another $5,000 worth of item just to print.

Thanks you all very much!

After reading all of your comments and recommendations I’ll pass on this one.

Keelan, just out of curiosity how much did it cost you to move your machine from the US to Canada? And what type of letterpress did you move, i.e. weight?

I have seen a number of letterpress machines in the US that I would have loved to get my hands on but I hesitate due to the assumption that shipping from US to Australia would be well over an additional $3000… but again this is an ignorant assumption no research behind it.

Thanks again everyone!

Very good point Aaron David!

$900 for shipping via a freight carrier, $150 for customs brokerage, $700 for the press. It’s a C&P 10x15 Craftsman, 2700 lbs is what it weighed when being shipped the 780 kilometers from Portland, OR to me.

It would be worth contacting a broker to at least understand what the costs might be.

well actually I’d like to congratulate the press restorer on what looks like a fab job-assuming the mechanics are up to the same standard-but- a treadle basics can be learnt in a few days and will need some further time to become experienced, whereas learning the H you will need a tutor and more time to learn and run up to be able to offer services sufficiently competitive with other local printers which you should check out, but would give you a much greater repetoire of offered services in the long run…..try to find someone who will teach/mentor using an H….or even plan to start with a treadle and later move up to an H….if you stay with a treadle , this is where other newbies will always be entering the market too so you will be in competition with them….best of luck!

I don’t know, it looks okay to me, but then it’s hard to tell less you are on pyshically touching it.
I got a C&P 8x12 101 showroom in Australia for $3500, i thought it was expensive, but it’s in great condition, even though i have her sitting in a box doing nothing for over 8 months, she in my minds is still a beauty and I can’t wait to crank her up ( a few more months and finally she will be in use). Look i fell in love with my press the minute I saw her, and the price of others going at the time and the condition they were in I thought she was a great buy, and it’s not like they are on the market every other week here in Australia, and the fact its only 30 mins down the road, go look at the press, check for the rust and the joins and the rollers, if you love her, buy her. she will be yours and no matter what the money if you like her, it doesn’t matter.

plus if you are in Vic i want to see her myself!

I wouldn’t pay that. You have to be patient. I looked for over a year too and got my 7x11 for $300. This was only two years ago and it’s well paid for itself by now. There are so many other things to buy that you shouldn’t over-invest in a showroom C&P. It would be better to part that out and get a good set of ink, a kutrimmer paper cutter, a few reams of good papers to try, some metal type, and all the tools to adjust and maintain the machine.

Ultimately though, if you have a lot of disposable income and some left over to get paper and supplies it’s up to you! If you have people waiting to pay you for commercial work, you may make up the money quickly and thus profit by getting the machine sooner and putting it to work.

I wouldn’t pay that. You have to be patient. I looked for over a year too and got my 7x11 for $300. This was only two years ago and it’s well paid for itself by now. There are so many other things to buy that you shouldn’t over-invest in a showroom C&P. It would be better to part that out and get a good set of ink, a kutrimmer paper cutter, a few reams of good papers to try, some metal type, and all the tools to adjust and maintain the machine.

Ultimately though, if you have a lot of disposable income and some left over to get paper and supplies it’s up to you! If you have people waiting to pay you for commercial work, you may make up the money quickly and thus profit by getting the machine sooner and putting it to work.