new press arrived today

[ssp]

Decided to buy a cheap A2 press the other day just for some larger presses onto tee's until i get the bed press. It didnt cost much and the build is good at first glance. It weighed a ton and its a big bloody thing but so far it looks like its upto the job. The main press handle is 1" thick solid bar so no worries about it bending there and if anything did happen its an easy job to get a replacement made.

The weld seams look good on the link arms and the build looks sound, Before i power it up i will take the main enclosure off and check all the internal connections and link cables to make sure they are sound.

The platen is good with no marks or damage at first glance, its a cast platen with a cnc milled edge and face.

For a low price unit it appears to be very well built and laid out well.

The temp and timer units are manual push button types with led readouts, they also have plastic covers that fit over the buttons to prevent interference which i thought was a good touch.

With this larger press i will be able to do larger prints onto tees and also now do the 3/4 beach shorts and also the muai thai shorts for local clubs.

I will upload some pictures later on of the press and also of the first tee press.

[Paul]

Whats the price of this size press please?

[ssp]

Whats the price of this size press please?

Hi paul the price is £234.49

you can find it here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370629260350

this thing is a monster though! much bigger than i thought, i have it heating at the moment, i will put pics up later of the unit and also if i can find my tape measure confirm the actual size of the heat plate. also some refence measurements of the unit.

when the arm is released the springs on the unit kick it up nicely, some small hydraulic arms , same as a car boot lid would be nice to slow it down, i might look into adding them.

[ssp]

I fired the press up and it took about 4-5 mins to reach temp, setting the timer was easy and rather than count down it counts up. There is a buzzer in there but i can barely hear it, so i will take it out and check it with a meter and replace if i need to.

Setting temp and time was easy, i dont have my digi thermometer here to check the temp is accurate but i will tomorrow.

I decided to do a straight "god forgives I don't" front print in black with a rear wing embellishment and I.K branding.

The press went fine, but i did not put enough pressure on so the next print will be more resolute.

The image is sharp and clear, the press came down evenly onto the teflon paper and it remained constant through the press cycle.

One thing it does need are some really heavy duty rubber feet which i will drill , tap and fit onto the lower steel box sections tomorrow, this is because the unit slides on the surface i have it.

It is a joy to use and not have to worry about print borders any more, however i still need the bigger press yet!.

here are the pictures of the initial press and the machine.





The machine





I will be putting it through it paces over the next few days making sure its upto the task and I will let you know of any issues, but for now this is a really good addition to the setup.

[purpledragon]

Nice press even nicer design wish i could draw like that are your fonts custom fonts?

[ssp]

Nice press even nicer design wish i could draw like that are your fonts custom fonts?

take an old english or gothic font and print it out a good size in the text you want, then take a light pencil and add the scrolls where you think they naturally would go, embellish the individual font how you like.

I think i could do some good tutorials over the next few weeks if the guys would like them? I have to get some more vinyl next week so i am going to try multi layer vinyl application as well.

[purpledragon]

take an old english or gothic font and print it out a good size in the text you want, then take a light pencil and add the scrolls where you think they naturally would go, embellish the individual font how you like.

I think i could do some good tutorials over the next few weeks if the guys would like them? I have to get some more vinyl next week so i am going to try multi layer vinyl application as well.

tutorials are always a good thing though to be honest i struggle to draw a stick man

[ssp]

tutorials are always a good thing though to be honest i struggle to draw a stick man

this is why i say to get an old gothic or old english style font, size it up, print it out and just sketch the scrollwork onto the paper, if you get something good, re-scan it back into illustrator and trace it, bingo you have a custom letter.

I have font tools here so i then drag the modified letter into the font software and make my own font set. I have a font sketch book here where i just sketch in letter ideas all the time and refer to them when i need to. It is always handy to have a small pocket drawing book and a pen.

[dazzul]

@ssp is this the one you recommened to me?

[ssp]

the press is very good dazzul, so far so good for me and at the price its a steal.