DiResta: Printing Press, Part 1

In each bi-monthly episode of DiResta (every other Wednesday at 2pm PT), artist and master builder Jimmy DiResta (Dirty Money, Hammered, Against the Grain, Trash for Cash) lets us into his workshop, to look over his shoulder while he builds whatever strikes his fancy. On this episode of DiResta, Jimmy begins his rescue and restoration of a classic Chandler and Price letterpress that has been rusting away outside of an upstate NY antique shop. – Gareth Branwyn

Materials, Tools, and Supplies:

• Truck
• Backing board (made by me)
• Ratchet straps
• “Come Along”
• Pipes (for rolling)
• Help (from a passerby)

Jimmy’s Notes:

When I first got my place in the Catskills, I saw this machine sitting out in the weather in front of an antique shop in Cairo, NY. I thought it was a shame that this piece of history would be melting away. Eight years went by and my interest was peaked by a friend. He asked if I ever see any old letter presses in my travels. I remembered the one on Main Street in Cairo. By now, the place was closed, but all of the contents of the shop were still there. I called the number, left a message. I finally got a call from the owner’s son. He was handling his late father’s affairs. We made a deal over the phone… and now I had to move it! It’s a Chandler and Price 8×12 “Old Style,” which you can tell by the “S” shaped spokes on the flywheel. Patented in 1898, this one was made in 1911 (you determine this by the serial number on the plate).