Kelsey 5 x 8

George Roberts
on 4 Dec 13 (10:10)

I was recently given a Kelsy 5 x 8 press. I cleaned it up, oiled it, got it running smoothly. When I set some type and inked the press, loaded the rollers, &c. I got a very poor impression.

I have tinkered with makeready, with the amount of ink on the platen, &c. Nothing seems to help.

Any suggestions for what I have missed?

Thank you.

LetterpressDad
on 4 Dec 13 (12:05)

you might check the impression settings on the platen: those are the screws on the backside of the platen. To set mine, I “close” the press, that is, press down on the handle so that the platen touches the type, back of the set nuts and then turn the screws so that each is “just tight” but not putting a lot of pressure on the platen. Then I relock the set nuts. If additional pressure is needed, I add to the packing. It helps if the type you set fills up a significant portion of the chase (that is, some type near the top/bottom/both sides) as what you are trying to achieve is even pressure from all parts of the platen.

good luck.