Devil's Tail Press / Roller Rack
I finally got the large old two handed Hamilton proofing roller recovered and ready to use. I had it covered with rubber, because composition would never survive the variations of temperature and humidity that I experience in my shop space. The core of the roller is 14 inches and made of wood, which helps with the weight, but I doubt that it would survive another re-coating. The missing handles were replaced with handles from T. N. Lawrence, and it weighs in at five pounds. The three green rollers are also from Lawrence, and have held up very well considering they are about 15 years old. The poster composing stick hanging on the right was sold by R. Hoe & Company, and is easily 100 years old. The brackets used to hold the rollers are curtain-rod brackets; for the smaller rollers they had to be significantly altered to hang the rollers closer to the backing board. My father always cautioned that I didn't have to re-invent the wheel, but I have discovered in the letterpress field, and especially the hand-press part of it, that re-invention is almost a daily necessity.
Devil's Tail Press / Roller Rack
I finally got the large old two handed Hamilton proofing roller recovered and ready to use. I had it covered with rubber, because composition would never survive the variations of temperature and humidity that I experience in my shop space. The core of the roller is 14 inches and made of wood, which helps with the weight, but I doubt that it would survive another re-coating. The missing handles were replaced with handles from T. N. Lawrence, and it weighs in at five pounds. The three green rollers are also from Lawrence, and have held up very well considering they are about 15 years old. The poster composing stick hanging on the right was sold by R. Hoe & Company, and is easily 100 years old. The brackets used to hold the rollers are curtain-rod brackets; for the smaller rollers they had to be significantly altered to hang the rollers closer to the backing board. My father always cautioned that I didn't have to re-invent the wheel, but I have discovered in the letterpress field, and especially the hand-press part of it, that re-invention is almost a daily necessity.