My press broke mid-press on a 500 page book yesterday

I was cranking down a big stack of signatures in my old book press yesterday afternoon and the threads on the top screw just gave out, stripped clean. The whole shaft went crooked and I had to scramble to get the book out before it ruined the spine. I ended up using cinder blocks and a wooden board to finish the job, which is not ideal. Has anyone else had their hardware fail like that, or am I the only one pressing books with a paperweight now?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.jordan6h ago

Cinder blocks are actually pretty consistent pressure wise though.

william8166h ago

Wait wait wait, cinder blocks and a board?? Bro that is some serious MacGyver stuff right there lol. I've had my press act up before but nothing that dramatic, like the handle started getting stiff once but I just oiled it and moved on. Honestly though you're lucky you caught it before it messed up the whole book, stripped threads are a nightmare. I bet your forearms were screaming after that cinder block setup haha.