Bottle Jack Press

In preparation for the relief printing section of the course I have acquire a 'bottle jack press'. 

I had been looking at resources on the internet for printmaking. I really would love to have a decent sized etching press in my studio at home but the cost of something like that is prohibitive. While I was searching online I came across the design for a relief press which uses a car jack to apply pressure. The design by Charles G. Morgan can be accessed on the website monoprints.com by clicking here

I showed the design to my husband Luigi. To my surprise he was enthusiastic about making one. I think that may have been partly motivated by the suspicion that I might decide to buy a press instead. However he does regularly like to inform me that he is a 'trained technician who doesn't need to read the instructions' (!) He also decided he could improve on the design by making the frame in steel and welding it together. Below are photographs of the work in progress:

And here is the completed press positioned in my studio:

The total cost of the materials to build this came to about £200 - however I suspect it would be even cheaper using the materials from the original design plan - steel is a more expensive material - the springs were a bargain though! Our neighbour gave them to us - they're shock absorber springs - not sure if they are from his old car or his old tractor - they work well to push the platen back up when the pressure is released.

I am feeling very fortunate to have such an indulgent and practically skilled husband - I can't wait to get started on Part 2 of the course to try it out.