The Etching Press Story

Many years ago while teaching I was gifted an old Etching Press. This had lain neglected in storage at Strathnairn for the last ten years. It was old and rusted. As a consequence of my professional development printmaking skills workshop I had been intending to purchase a new portable press but after working with the professional heavy press in the studio with Jo Hollier, I decided that I would bring the old press home to restore and use. The press was made by the Shin Nihon Zokei Company in Japan. It has a 40 cm bed and stainless steel rollers. It was very heavy and was very hard to move. I could not find anything about when the press was made or the company who made it. It seems to be buried in ‘the before internet ages'.

The first step was to dismantle it. This proved quite easy. The top roller was covered in solid, thick lino ink and this had to be scraped off. In fact this seemed to have assisted in preserving the surface of the roller as it was in better condition than the bottom roller, which was very rusty.

All the chrome parts were also rusted. So the process of de rusting, sanding and polishing began. This was a satisfying task as before long ‘the bones’ of this wonderful machine could be seen. The rollers were slightly pitted but still smooth. The body of the press received a new coat of mat black paint. The four spoke handles were also de-rusted and polished. A new bedplate and blankets finished off the project and this beautiful classic etching press now sits on a table in my studio.