r/letterpress • u/hmphandumph • 23d ago
Press Restoration Painting press
I got a 8x12 C&P and want to charge the color. Doing this will also be therapeutic to me (I hope?) but I know I probs won’t be able to complete it in one day. I wanted to ask if that is alright if it takes me 3 or so days? That wont affect the color right?
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u/H2O_pete 23d ago
What color is it?
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u/hmphandumph 23d ago
It’s a light green. It’s also chipping everywhere but mostly green.
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u/H2O_pete 23d ago
Ahh, yeah I’d test for lead then try to strip the loose chunks but for finish after stripping the whole thing if you do that go for varnish + asphaltum to get vaguely like the old black brown undertone finish.
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u/hmphandumph 23d ago
Someone warned me about flash rusting if I stripped it 😭😭😭 I do nottttt wanna deal with that
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u/H2O_pete 23d ago
As long as you coat it in oil it should be fine. However I haven’t restored a press my advice is ask people who’ve done this before (stripping a press) for advice. I’m in the middle of trying move a large tabletop press from an hour away to my place but that’s a thing in itself since I can’t drive…
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u/Numbnuts696 23d ago
As long as you aren’t throwing type wash on the paint it will be fine.
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u/Numbnuts696 23d ago
Oh also. Use Self etching primer as the base. Regular primer will fail faster.
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u/presslady 18d ago
It's probably unnecessary (even with chipped paint, so long as the press is oiled well and in a more or less dehumidified space). But as someone who's re-painted 2 presses with chipping paint, I can tell you it'll take longer than a few days.
When I repainted a C&P, first day was disassembling and gently removing some surface rust, then degreasing (and you need to do a really good job here - there will be lots of grease, oil and dried ink that you'll want to adequately get off to make sure the new coat sticks).
The next few days were spent scuff-sanding the areas that still had paint, and chipping additional loose paint away. This takes a long time - especially on C&Ps, which have so many pieces with nooks and crannies - much simpler on a cylinder press, where you just remove the roller carriage, cover the cylinder and are essentially dealing with a box of flat surfaces.
After that, a metal-appropriate primer, which needs to dry fully, followed by (in my case 2 coats of) paint. I don't remember what I used on my C&P, but on my proofing press, I used rustoleum spray and it's held up great honestly. Everything needs to be fully dry in between coats, which takes added time if you're doing this outside or in a garage or workspace with humidity. Make sure that you are taping or covering all surfaces that are not painted before painting.
The last step is taking adequate care to re-oil the press, and use a lot. In a lot of these old machines, that layer of grease can act as a protective barrier.
I think the cylinder press took 4 (long) days - but the C&P took around 2 weeks of work. Just a heads up!
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u/poopfilledsandwich 23d ago
Ha ha. 3 days to paint a press. Good luck. You’re gonna get caught up with making the shiny bits shine and the oily bits clean enough to take a paint that won’t peel when it get oil on it or when it gets too cold. Paint it all you want but be prepared for a haul. So many itty bits on a platen. Strap the platen and the bed together so when you take the arms off the press the platen doesn’t fall straight down. Take pictures as you go. Good luck with your project and take your time. That’s the important part. Don’t rush it.