Home made presses

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Dancinbaer

Dancinbaer

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Apr 26, 2002
Posts
1,267
Loc
De Pere, WI
I searched on the "Home Made" section and only found one thread on this subject, and that seemed a dead end. So I hope nobody minds if I ask it here. I'm looking for plans for building either a drymount press or a vacuum press. From the one thread I gathered these are possible. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Also, does anyone know when the new addition of "The Mounting and Laminating Handbook" by Chris A. Paschke is due out? I read someplace it was in the process of being updated. It's not available on Amazon.com or Buy.com (old or new edition).

Thanks,
Denny
 
Denny,

Before I bought my Vacuseal press, I built a Corona 40x60 cold vacuum press from a kit. If I recall, I purchased the glass locally (which weighed about a ton,) and built the support frame from the heaviest Nielsen moulding they made. The kit included the gas lifts for the cover, the Neoprene "bladder," the vacuum pump (which was made by GE,) the vacuum gauge and explicit directions. I think I paid about $400 for the kit in about 1979.

Unfortunately, the company that made that kit was Regal Crown Industries who also made the Mat Maestro CMCs and went belly-up about two years ago. It was partly because of the very good experience I had with the $400 mounting press kit that I bought a $16,000 CMC from them sight-unseen.

If you can get your hands on the appropriate vacuum pump, I believe you could construct a decent cold press using my Vacuseal press or other similar ones as guides.
 
I thought that Lance had posted a thread about a press that he built back when. :confused:

Or maybe not.

FGII
 
Framerguy,
That's the deadend thread I refered to in my post. I emailed Lance direct, for whatever reason got no reply. Someone else on that thread also wanted the plans.

Ron,
Thanks for the idea. If you don't mind I'll come down with my sketch pad and tape measure some saturday soon.

Denny
 
The original instructions were reprinted in Decor in 1997, I think. I have the issue at the shop and can get the exact issue tomorrow if you can't find it at their web site. As I remember the article, they called for regular 1/4 inch glass; I'd recommend tempered for safety reasons. The froame shop around the corner built one and it works. He made his to handle 32 x 40 board but didn't allow 2" all around so he can't fit a full sheet in the press. Unless you simply don't have the room, why build the smaller size?
 
Vacumn pumps can be had from GRAINGER or any printing company supplier. The pumps are used to grab the paper from a stack and take it to the press head for printing.
 
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