Strong Arm Bindery

Portland Flower Show 2010

 

Yes, we did it!  Four days at the Portland Flower Show, 14,000 people through the front door and we're still standing.

 This time around we took on a woodland theme.  Screen printed some wood grains and letterpress printed some title work over it (with wood type, naturally).  My heartfelt thanks to Reuben J. Little of 43rd Parallel Press for his advice and assistance with the screen printing of all things woodsy.  

 

And a big thank you to my sister Ann, Will, Desneiges, Diane of Ferdinand, and Rich and Kathy--all for spelling me long enough to take time out for breaks and do some fudge gazing upstairs.  Thank you very much!

   It was a very easy commute, as the Portland Company is located just across the alley from my studio, with ample opportunity to go feed the cat and breathe a little bit.
And check it, right there in the background is our very own Vandercook 223.  Best 3,600 lb trade show prop ever!!  It really pays to do your business where fork lifts are abundant.

Behemoth Rising

It's been over a year since we hauled the big Vandercook into Portland and dropped it unceremoniously onto Reuben's floor.  The logistics of how to put it all together didn't exactly elude us, but they took a back seat to everything else the three of us were preoccupied with---or maybe it's just that giant heavy things take giant heavy time to come to fruition.

Once again, my hat is off to the mechanical genius that resides in both my amazing brother Rich and my fine friend Reuben.  Between long spans on Thursday night and Friday night last week, we managed to elevate the bed with a pallet jack, a couple pallets and much blocking. We introduced the cylinder through similar means, and got the legs under it, too, and then made adjustments to fit the long rods in place between them with the help of this thing my brother uses when he's got a flat tire.

It took alot less time to assemble than any of us expected, and Reuben tells me last Sunday he managed to mount the motor onto the side of the beast.  Much fine tuning will no doubt ensue; the rollers are probably shot and the cylinder needs to be adjusted, but all else seems to be in huge, beautiful working order.

It's a Vandercook Model 223, purchased from Dan Kelleher at Wild Carrot Press last April.  It has the capacity to print on a sheet measuring 22 x 30" and we are all giddy with anticipation.

Moving Day

Monday was moving day for our Vandercook press.  It's been about a year in the works, but finally all the stars lined up.  We drove down to Wild Carrot Press in Hadley, MA, and with the able assistance of proprietor Dan Keleher and his fork lift we managed to get all parts loaded on and strapped down.

The press (a Vandercook 223) will undergo a complete cleaning and rebuild in the coming months, and make it's Portland home at 43rd Parallel Press. For folks who want to follow all the action on that front, we'll be posting our progress on a separate blog.  More on that soon.

I think what I found most bewildering on Monday is how much truck you can rent with a regular license and a cred it card.  It's really pretty shocking.

Many thanks to Dan Keleher for his deft work with the fork lift in Hadley.  And many thanks to Rich, Reuben and Leif for their brains and brawn throughout the move.