Letterpress Repair & Restoration

This project was a lot of fun repairing a broken, incomplete letterpress back to its glory and giving it more life. This is a rare Kelsey 4x6 Letterpress. It was only made in the early 1900s and then again for one year in 1938. There is hardly any information on this press other than what is shown as an extract of a 1938 Catalog.
I know little about printing and letterpresses, but this project excited me to learn and restore it back to a smooth operating machine. Several key parts were missing or broken. The repair parts had to be fabricated from scratch. This was a challenge for me and pushed the limits of my skills.
I had to bring it all together and it tapped into all my hobbies as an amateur. WD-40 was there with me all the was from beginning to the completion. I exclusively use WD-40 on my repair projects as it has always performed exceptionally.
My goal was to bring this machine back to life and maybe use it for my Christmas Cards this year to add a unique handmade gift.

Once I got this home, I wanted to learn about what I had. Also, was there any information or parts available that would help. What I found was neither parts or information, everything would have to be made.
I saturated the connecting points with WD-40 to break loose the rust and corrosion. Once apart, I inspected the existing parts to see what needed to be repaired. Fortunately, there were no cracks or damage to the frame and only a few of the springs needed replaced.

This is where all the parts are cleaned and the surface is prepared for paint. I often use WD-40 to soften the rust and grime before scrubbing or wire brushing the parts clean.
All the rust and grime is removed and cleaned before painting. After cleaning, I usually use WD-40 to displace any water and prevent flash rust.

Painting is a methodical process that is dependent on good preparation. Making sure moving parts are taped and care is taken for good adhesion is important to the final outcome.

This letterpress was missing trucks, rollers, gripper bar, grippers, platten back bolt, platten back spring, hook spring, and platten holders. These were projects within the project and huge learning opportunities. Working with spring wire was new to me and challenging. I had to make a few extra trucks too to get it right. Finding the right rubber composite was also a challenge. This is where the bulk of the time went as this was a lot of trial and error with no manual or specs were available for this rare model(I even looked for the patent).

Putting all back together was a journey. I used WD-40 lithium grease on the metal to metal connections and that helped with things fitting smoothly.
I also added a walnut base for stability.

Cooper inspected all aspects of this project.

Making sure everything works is an important step for a successful project. I made a stamp using the WD-40 branding image and gave it a try. I have some work to dial it in with the settings and I was really happy with the results. I also learned to go a bit lighter with the amount of ink.

I wanted to make sure this machine was protected and well cared for. This letterpress is heavy and not something I wanted collecting dust. It’s an awkward shape and I wanted enough room to keep accessories with it. So I made a storage box that is strong enough to keep it all together. Hopefully this also extends its life for many decades by keeping things all together too.

I like to ‘post-game’ my work to make sure I did the best work I could do under the situation. I ask myself, what I would have wanted to do differently? Did I rush it? What did I learn and what will I do differently next time?
This retrospective process has been a game changer for me.

I really appreciate and enjoyed this event. Thank you