10X15 C&P Letterpress

Up for sale is an original 10X15” Chandler & Price platen letterpress, manufactured in 1912! It’s in amazing condition, and has been my primary workhorse for the past few years. However, I’m moving east soon to be with family, and I don’t have the ability to store it, so I’m hoping to find a good home for it here in Portland. Press comes with a ton of extra gear, as listed below. I’m asking $3,000 OBO, which is the same price I paid for it four years ago, but I am open to hear other offers.

About the press:
- Everything is in perfect working condition, and has been maintained by professional printmakers for over one-hundred years. Press still has original wooden in-feed and out-feed boards.
- Comes with 110-volt variable speed electric motor (single-phase, so it can be plugged into any common household outlet), powered by a leathered belt attached to the primary flywheel. I had the motor inspected by a mechanic and he told me it’s in great shape.
- Includes five 10X15” chases.
- Includes three primary ink rollers in perfect condition, expertly maintained.
- Six secondary ink rollers, in need of refurbishment. The cores are still good; they just need to be sent to NA Graphics or a similar print supply company for reconditioning.
- One custom carriage for holding the ink rollers.
- Twelve adjustable trucks for the ink rollers, and accompanying adjustment wrench.
- Original C&P heavy weight wrench for adjusting platen depth.
- One detachable ink fountain, for longer print runs.
- One custom-built carriage with 4,000-pound-test casters. (When the casters are unlocked, you can move the press around with one hand; this was a big selling point for me originally, as it made moving the press into my shop a lot easier.)
- One bottle jack and set of custom shims. (Once the press is in place, I shim the carriage to keep the press in place.)
- One wooden platform with tread, to stand on while you work. (The press sits a little high on its carriage, so using the platform allows you to work without any awkward reaching.)
- One oil can.
- One custom die-cutting jacket with scoring rule and scoring channel.
- Complete list of owner history, use, and features, as well as a number of other printer’s resources.

Other notes:
Both the inner and outer ink discs move freely. No knocks, no creaks, no pitting on the platen. The variable speed motor is perfect for beginners, as it allows you to set your own pace. Moving and maintaining the press is easy.
The press did have one repair made to it, in the early 1980s. Someone put a small crack in the operator-side of the frame, behind the platen. I had a professional welder look at it before I bought it, and he told me it was a perfect weld and that it had clearly never been RE-welded. He estimated that the weld was actually stronger than the original composite alloy of the press, and that the repair would easily stand the press’s entire life. I’ve had a number of mechanics and professionals inspect every inch of this machine over the years, and I can assure you everything is in perfect working order.
I’ve used this machine to produce posters, book covers, business cards, coasters, and just about everything else you could print on a letterpress.

Feel free to write me with any questions you might have, and feel free to schedule a viewing anytime after 5PM. Thanks for looking!

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