Adana Eight Five

A week after my letterpress workshop in New York, I’ve managed to acquire the lend of a press to get me started on my own letterpress adventures. I put the call out for help only four days ago, and the Island, incredibly interconnected as it is, responded in spades: I’ve got two offers of metal type, pointers to a couple of small presses, and offers of tours of a few printing shops both here and away.

Best of all, though, was the kind lend of an Adana Eight Five, pictured below, from my friend Joan, who salvaged it from the old Prince County Hospital before it was torn down. Along with the press there’s a good collection of type and accessories, and the press itself seems to be in fairly good shape (although it could use some new rollers, which are still available from several sources).

The last job, evident from the ink on the tympan, was an appointment card for a Summerside doctor. Seems that the last time it might have been used was in the mid-1990s (if you know more about the press, please get in touch; would be nice to know its backstory).

Next steps: get the press cleaned up and oiled, make sure all the parts are present, find the right sized key to operate the quoins, and set some type. Stay tuned.