Chandler & Price 12x18 New Style

Hello everyone, I’m about to undertake several firsts in my career: my first press, my first press move, and my first restoration (yikes!). The lucky lady is a 12x18 C&P and has been through several Philly homes. It’s completely disassembled currently, due to reasons outside of my control, and I will be moving it this Sunday. I’m working with several heavy lifting friends, a freight elevator, and a flatbed truck/trailer. If anyone has suggestions for the move, I’d love to hear them!

I’m also going to try and update this thread as I clean and assemble the press over the next couple months. I know that I’ll be sending the rollers to NA Graphics for new rubber, and I might pick up a treadle in Myerstown (http://www.binderytools.com/content/8-12-c-p-treadle) or hook up a new motor once I’ve gotten most of it together. For those of you who are interested, this is what it’s looking like now:

image: presscomp1-large.jpg

presscomp1-large.jpg

image: presscomp2-large.jpg

presscomp2-large.jpg

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Interesting project.
I hope you have a good diagram to work from in assembly of the press. This reminds me of the instructions on some boxes.
Some assembly required.
That is a big piece of iron to operate with a treadle. You should have a very good reason to do so if you choose. Perhaps exercise of your legs.
It is good that you will restore this pile of parts to printing.
Please do keep us posted with pictures and words.

A treadle for this press will be quite difficult to find as few would have been run in that manner. The treadle at Binderytools seems to be for an 8”x12” C&P, and would be too small to work with this press.

There have been some folks who have manufactured their own treadles from wood or welded metal, but I think a variable speed motor would be your best choice. With the proper drive, you could make this press crawl, and not have the distraction of trying to pump a treadle.

John Henry

The simple fact that you think you can treadle this press suggests to me you may have gotten in deeper than you should.

One blessing is parts are easier to move. However reassembly is a big project. A difficult task will be pressing/pulling the small lock cam wheel back on the main shaft. DO NOT try to pound, beat, bump it back on.
Contact me for info on how we did this in the field… ‘back in the day’
Best of luck
James McGraw

This is all good advice, thanks! It’s been run on a motor before, and the treadle was a thought influenced by speed more than anything, but hearing that it shouldn’t be an issue I will probably just grease up the old motor and see how well it runs. There is a man in the studio building that I’m moving the press out of who over the past year put together the same model press, and I’m going to see if he wouldn’t mind me sending some pictures/questions along the way, but I wouldn’t mind hearing you tips, James! I don’t have any assembly diagrams, but I have the parts manual, good intuition (thanks to a tinkering soul), and a few people who I can call up along the way. I’ll update again on Sunday when we get all of the parts out of the city and into a quieter suburban home!

-Bonnie