Open Studio Tour Saturday 10-4 as part of Mo’Print, the Month of print. Come see our presses, with many in action!
Here are just some of the presses you will see - more will be shared other days this week!
Gordon Franklin press - note the brass side arms!
Gordon Franklin platen, new style 10x15 ~1871
The Gordon Franklin, called “the single most famous and influential jobbing press of the nineteenth century” was invented by George Phineas Gordon, who is celebrated as having developed the basic design of the most popular printing press ever. He named this model the Franklin because Gordon, a spiritualist, said that Ben Franklin had described it to him in a dream. Our model is a Gordon’s brass side-arm “new style”, that started to be manufactured in 1871 when the patent on the older version was expiring.
Jones Gordon Press ~1890
Manufactured by John M. Jones. Jones, who first built presses for George Phineas Gordon, started building them on his own when Gordon’s patents expired.
C&P 10x15 at the start of a print run
by Chandler & Price -All these built on the model designed by George Phineas Gordon
7x11, old style 1898-910x15 old style 1902
8x12 new style ~1930
Bryan Dahlberg, Doug Sorenson and Tom Parson huddle around the Colt’s Armory Press
Colts Armory platen (on loan from Doug Sorenson) ~1887
The name given after 1887 to Merrit Gally’s Universal press, which he’d introduced in 1869. The former minister held more than 500 patents. John Thomson, who hated Gally from the first time he heard him preach as a child, ended up taking over manufacture of the press in a high noon standoff worthy of the Colt’s name. For more details of this history see https://bit.ly/3D4BXIy
Old Reliable platen press 8x12 1888
The Old Reliable was manufactured for just one year by H.H. Thorpe (Cleveland Type Foundry). James Thorpe held many other platen press patents, which he later sold to Chandler and Price. Used by hobby printer Jim Grisenti, it was donated to the Depot by Jim Fitzgerald in memory of printer Wimpy Miller.
Schniedewend & Lee Old Style platen Manufactured between 1884-93
This press also was built on the foundations laid by George Phineas Gordon. The Schniedewend company also built the Reliance A iron hand press on our east wall.
Damon-Peets platen, new style 9x12 (on loan from Doug Sorenson) ~1893
Calling itself the “latest improved Gordon,”whose “style supersedes all other presses” and which can print 2,000 sheets an hour, it was made by Damon & Peets of New York.
Next up: the Depot’s smaller presses…stay tuned! Come see them all March 26, Open Studio 10-4
