Bindery Equipment. I should never have built a printing-press. This press worked with a vibrating platen and was the first press ever contrived to receive, on its platen, the paper, or card to be printed.2”. By 1858 it appeared essentially in its final form, and was named the Franklin press; this is the press that Gordon, a spiritualist, said had been described to him by Ben Franklin in a dream. Reached max Temperature of 450° F. (Two of them are in the Smithsonian’s collection and one of these has been used for printing in recent years.). In gratitude he called the invention the “Franklin,” but it is worth noting that Gordon also received—and acknowledged—considerable non-ectoplasmic help from a predecessor, Stephen P. Ruggles (1808-1880) of Boston. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the cloth, paper or other medium was brushed or rubbed repeatedly to achieve the transfer of ink, and accelerated the process. For starters here are a couple of images of invoices, one off Thompsons for consumables and the other… With over 40 years of experience of working with platen presses we have the knowledge and knowhow to fully restore printing presses from the 19th century, especially the iron presses of Albions, Columbians, Cogger and Britannia. As we started growing we moved into a small shop and focused our efforts on the promotional world. We started many years ago as a small freelance design studio working alongside a local screen-printing shop. When the time for his patents to expire drew near, Gordon devised some changes for an Improved Franklin press. . It was an art project in which we made designs and decals for close friends and fellow co-workers. It was not patented and we do not know what it looks like. Place the Top Platen over the printing layers. . Made in the USA from quality MDF coated with white laminate for heat resistance. Gordon Printing Press Works in Rahway, NJ. Within a few years Gordon had simplified and improved it greatly. As we have seen, Ruggles had provided one of his earliest card presses to New York City printer George Phineas Gordon. Individual courses for print-makers, in intaglio (etching, drypoint, aquatint) & block printing & wood engraving (lino-prints, surface printing). One of these was a throwoff, which had been in use on other presses for some time. He returned to America and became a professor at Harvard in 1835. George Phineas Gordon (1810-1878) claimed that Benjamin Franklin appeared to him in a dream and described the mechanism of a platen job press. In his autobiography Ruggles wrote “In 1830 or 1831 I invented and built, in New York, in Minor’s machine shop, the first card or job press, I believe, ever constructed in any part of the world. Gordon’s presses are very familiar to all letterpress printers, and are still very much with us in small job shops and amateur printing shops everywhere. The press was able to print enameled cards and became a great favorite with printers and “a source of considerable profit for several years” to Ruggles. 1.1 Hand press; 1.2 Jobbing press; 2 Flat-bed cylinder press; 3 Rotary press; 4 In art; Platen press . Friedrich Koenig's mechanical platen press, 1811. . After a brief venture as an actor, as early as 1835 he is recorded as inventing a “Speedy Card Press,” no doubt taking his inspiration from the Ruggles press. When…, …was originally carried out on platen presses, in which the paper is pressed against the flat, inked form by a flat platen; later, the platen was replaced by a roller in the flat-bed cylinder press; still later, the printing form was wrapped around one cylinder and the paper was passed…, In the platen press, a flat surface bearing the paper is pressed against the flat, inked printing plate; the two surfaces come together and part with a jawlike motion. 4. A vertical clamping contrivance clamps the bed, which carries the form into which the composed type is locked, and the platen, which carries the sheet of paper while it is being printed. But Ruggles’ presses are hardly to be seen anywhere. Old letterpress platen printing machine. Printing and Packaging. His will was known to exist, but it took his family twelve years to find it. Printer John Kitchen (1804-1852) of Newcastle-on-Tyne patented a crank-operated clamshell platen press in 1834 (UK patent 6454) but was unable to have it built, and in 1839 he emigrated to Australia. When using any kind of polymer printing base with your platen press, it’s vital to keep the gauge pins and the grippers from smashing into—and denting!— your base. October l l, 1873, Gordon devised some changes for an improved Franklin press to cause impression... Century to modern times - Halifax, Yorkshire, UK Age: circa,. On other presses for some time variety of roles in printing: Platen presses type upside.! 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