New to the vacuum press..

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Mid MO
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My little start-up frame shop
So, the time has come for me to figure out my vacuum press and use it for something other than flat/protected storage. The press is a TWT Precision Vacuum Press with a usuable area of about 42"x60" and appears to be at least 40 years old. It came with my acquisition of a small shop, and was put on my "to figure out someday" list. It is heavy and a PITA to move, not to mention the space it eats up, so it's time I actually do something with it.

I am new to a vacuum press. I vaguely grasp how it works, but could use some pointers on technique, application, and materials to use with it. I can see where it would work great on oversized objects such as posters, maps, blueprints, etc. But I don't know what use or where to start. Can ya point a rookie in the right direction and help me teach myself a new skill?
 
Was the old shop a woodworking shop? I ask because the primary use for your press appears to be for wood veneering. I'm not sure if it applicable for picture framing. Others can add/subtract to this but I don't believe it has ever been a part of a thread here. The limitations with short names (TWT) is search here makes that difficult.
 
No, it was an old frame shop. I believe the old gal I got everything from received her stuff second-hand from a brother-in-law in the framing supplies and equipment industry. At least this is what I pieced together from her husband, as she suffers from alzheimers disease, and has been out of the business for a number of years. From what I found for TWT is that they are out of Brownwood, Texas, and are now called (or were bought out by) Ledsome Machine & Welding Co., (ledsome.com). I've also got a double mitre saw branded from them. Their site looks a little archaic, so not sure they are still in business, and there is no info on a vacuum press.
 

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Ledsome Saw is still in business, and you are fortunate to have gotten the Ledsome double miter saw. Gearold Ledsome is still manufacturing as far as I know, and he is very approachable for advice about his products. And yes, his website is a bit old-school.

Cold frame vacuum presses have limited application because they use either liquid adhesives, or pressure sensitive adhesives, neither of which is particularly good with fine art, but may have some value in commercial or strictly decorative art.

Here's a product from D&K that was designed to work with Cold vacuum presses:
 
Awesome, thank you, that is good to know about Ledsome. I love the saw, it is quite the stout item. Again, VERY heavy and a chore to move, and that is when disassembled. If my building ever got hit by a tornado, the walls might disappear but the saw will hold the floor down!

As for the press, I had a suspicion about what adhesives could be used. Thanks for the tip on the VacuGlue, but, do you know where some could be found? UMS shows it out of stock. Also, what would be a good pressure sensitive adhesive for this application? Is there any board beyond KoolTak's InstaMount?
 
TWT was an old time TX based regional full line distributor (are any of them left) owned by the Wall Bros. We were in a co-op together early 80's. Good people. I'll bet that press is at least 40 yrs old
Back in those days, it was used to mount posters with spray mount; really messy. You need a super well ventilated, isolated area to use spray
the framers had to get razor blades to scrape off spray residue frequently. they would take paper interleaf from boxed glass and lay over front of posters to keep surface clean
when we converted to heat presses, the framers were ecstatic
personally, wouldn't use it and it takes up a ton of space
broke the glass once-nightmare
 
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I think you can buy it directly from D&K.
Their CS/tech rep, Wendy, is the last word in vacuum press knowledge.
My first Vacuum press was a cold one, and I too used spray adhesives as well as the Vacu-Glue 300.
Sprays are bad on three counts: They are bad for the environment, they are bad for your health, and they don't do the job particularly well. Spray adhesives will normally fail sooner or later.

Like Bob's experience, the conversion to a heat vacuum press was a huge relief, and, as it turns out a pretty good investment. Best I can tell I've owned the Seal press somewhere between 36 and 38 years. Other than some issues when I first got it (warranty) I've only had to replace parts that wear out: Foam seals, and struts to help lift the lid.
 
Bob Carter said:
Back in those days, it was used to mount posters with spray mount; really messy. You need a super well ventilated, isolated area to use spray
the framers had to get razor blades to scrape off spray residue frequently. they would take paper interleaf from boxed glass and lay over front of posters to keep surface clean
when we converted to heat presses, the framers were ecstatic
Click to expand...
Sounds like "the Image Perfect glass of framing equipment". Anyone remember that stuff? It would fingerprint or smudge just by looking at it, and was impossible to clean effectively. Even though it was expensive, I hated it and threw away a few cartons of it. It made what a former employee used to call "a satisfying crash in the dumpster".
:popc: Rick
 
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