Letterpress Restoration: To Restore or Not to Restore?

Answers were found for the images from the last post... Ben, from Hammer Press, informed me that the type is, in fact, for a showcard press; however, as I have learned before they can be used on this press, no problem. As for the rest of the items in the pictures, such as the "long rails with teeth", they are the grid system to a showcard press. So glad to know what they go to; however, we don't have a showcard press! After asking Ben what his thoughts were on where this equipment may have come from and how it was used, he strongly believes that it was all donated without the showcard press and that the Vandercook was most likely used with the showcard type and type high lino blocks. With these answers, I was unsure of my next move with the press so I decided talk with my professor about whether or not the restoration will actually happen as well as <finally> meet with the professor in our technology department that works with letterpress's.

It looks as though the deciding factor on whether or not I will complete the restoration will depend on a report that I will create and submit to my department chair. The report will consist of a description of what I have done in the way of researching and learning about the press, my plans for fixing it, and of course how much money is required for supplies to do so. On the other hand, the tech center professor has offered to help out with a few samples of red, yellow, and black inks, some paper, and a bit of oil to get me started. Also, I have been given access to the polymer plate processing machine, if and when the time comes!

I feel like the majority of the cost of the restoration would go towards the rust and paint removal, then getting (or making) furniture, tympan paper, and either buy or make the lock up bars for either end of the press. We don't necessarily have to buy type as we can use the showcard type, nor do we HAVE to have a frame or quoins (in the long run, they would be very handy to have).

I will be sure to post my summary/report of the restoration!

Letterpress Restoration: Press and Type Inspection

I have completed the quick inspection of the press and type just to see if anything is broken, missing, etc. The press looks pretty good, no missing teeth on the track or on the cylinder. There aren't any cracks from what I can see in its rusty stage. On either end of the bed there are bits of metal sticking up that holds a lock-up bar onto the press rather than there being holes on either end for the lock-up bar to fit into (shown below).

As far as the type and everything that goes with it; no wooden or metal furniture to be found, there is a pretty good selection of leading, no lock-up bar, no quoins or quoin keys, no frame, no grippers, and all of the type is either metal or wooden "show case" which has the slots in the back side.

The puzzling part is all of the extra pieces I found that are shown in the images below, I'll have to do some research on what they are and if they are even to be used on the letter press. I'm not certain on how this press was used in the past at PSU...