How to Make a Book Printing Press
The invention of the printing press sparked the first age of information. Prior to the invention of the press books were laboriously copied by hand, could take months to complete and were considered an expensive luxury item. But when goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg needed bibles quickly, he looked at both Chinese paper and block printing, and a wine press. You can get a feel for what Gutenberg did by creating your own paper press.
Things You'll Need
- Plastic threaded knob
- One 1/4-inch by 20-inch by 6-inch threaded rod
- Threaded bushing
- Two wing nuts
- Two 1/4-inch by 20-inch by 9-inch threaded rods
- Six nuts
- 4 rubber feet
- 5-inch by 7-inch plywood base
- Polyethylene follower
- 1-inch by 7-inch plywood screw support arm
- Drill
- Poly-bonder glue
- Tape measure
Instructions
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1
Attach threaded knob to threaded rod by screwing the knob in place.
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2
Drill a hole in the center of screw support arm. Drill two more holes in the end of arm.
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3
Screw threaded bushing through the center drill hole of the support arm.
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4
Screw threaded rod through the threaded bushing.
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5
Attach follower plate to the threaded rod by gluing it using poly-bonder.
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6
Measure the distance between the drilled holes at the ends of the support arm. Drill two holes in the plywood base spaced at the same length as the holes in the support arm.
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7
Insert the 9-inch threaded rods into the holes that have been drilled into the base. Hold the rods in place with nuts on the top and bottom of the holes.
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8
Screw a nut onto each of the other ends of the 9-inch threaded rods. Slide the support arm on top of this and screw the wing nuts onto the rods over the support arm to hold it in place.
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9
Glue rubber feet to the base at the four corners.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You can design your artwork or letter type and then have it printed onto a photopolymer plate, or have a foundry cast a set of letterpress type or Linotype for you to use with your new press.
