Antique Cast Iron Etching Press - 28x45" - c.1880s - Nice

Description

Return Policy: eBay has recently instituted a minimum return policy of 30 Days (to be considered a "Top Seller") which for used and very often vintage equipment is, in my opinion, too long. And all I sell is used and vintage equipment. I've checked the "No Returns Accepted" box for every item I am offering for sale but that doesn't mean I won't stand behind what I'm selling.
Unless otherwise stated every item will come with a 7 day return privilege from the day you receive it. This is something that I did way back when,
well before
eBay got around to instituting a return policy. And if I've made a mistake (I do on rare occasions) and it is not as described I will also pay for the return shipping. The buyer shouldn't have to pay for my mistakes. However, if you've purchased an item in error (e.g. an FD Canon manual focus lens to use on your EF mount autofocus digital body) or had a change of heart and no longer want the item within the first 7 Days then you're going to pay the return shipping as I shouldn't have to pay for your mistakes or post-purchase decisions. That seems fair to me.
I will also offer warranties of 30 Days or more on certain items. Expect to see that with more user oriented items than with collector oriented items.
Antique Etching Press
Hello, and thanks for looking. Here we have an antique etching press with a 28x45” (7/8” thick steel plate) bed. Unknown maker. No marks or designations that I could find. What I did find online is a similar press, with the exact same leg design though smaller, that was owned by J. Alden Weir and is still housed in the Weir Farm National Historic Park in CT. Weir occupied the farm beginning around 1880 so I’m estimating the manufacture date of this press to be around then as well. He could have owned it prior to moving in. He could have purchased it well after moving in. I don’t know for certain and would welcome any knowledgeable comments but it’s the only thing I could find. To see the Weir owned press do a google image search of “wefa 00000187” and you’ll see the National Parks Service file photo with links etc. This press was found by me here in Easton, PA. I had to complete disassembly (it was already partially taken down) to remove it from the location where it was stored so decided to give it a little clean up and paint since it was already in parts, and put some grease on the gears as well. The last picture is how I found it. The second to last picture is one of the tension screws that has been replaced with a new one (I had a friend turn on a metal lathe to match) the existing. It and the handle on the wheel are the only parts not original. Neither could be found when I came across the press. The top roll is the geared roll. It is 6 1/2” diameter. Not sure if it’s solid steel or hollow but it is very heavy. Bottom roll is 11” diameter and hollow but with very thick walls and it is also very heavy. The entire press I would guess is somewhere north of 1000 lbs and maybe closer to 1500. Hard to say. Dimensions are 58” high, 48” long and 45” wide (without the handle attached to the wheel, that adds another 13”). As to operation: it works fine. It takes some effort to get it started turning then moves smoothly. Part of the reason for the effort is that the big wheel is leaning slightly. I think you can tell in the pictures. And this leaning causes a little extra pressure because the gears aren’t perfectly parallel. This can be corrected any number of ways; a new sleeve on the shaft for the wheel or a new shaft, a bushing where it mounts to the legs, a support that lifts it slightly to make it parallel and so on. Considering the press is somewhere around 140 years old and that big wheel is very heavy, that it’s leaning ever so slightly should come as no surprise to anyone. And again it works fine but just requires a little muscle to get it started turning. The bed has some pitting etc but seems serviceable and flat. There is one old blanket (on the pallet below the press) that will go with it. And speaking of the pallet, I have a forklift on site to make loading onto your truck or trailer easy but bring plenty of straps to securely anchor it for transport as it is top heavy. I have not printed with the press. I planned to but I have too much going on plus not enough room to keep everything and it would be nice to see this beauty get some use. I hope to do some etching in the future and will have access to other presses when the time comes so it’s time for a new home for this one. And I’m sure whoever winds up with it will be very pleased. You don’t see these every day.