Restoring an old bookbinding press

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well during these insane times. If you’re in Illinois and the general vicinity, I hope you’re warm.

I have a very exciting announcement! Thank you to a very kind person I met: I officially have a book press! It’s an old cast iron one too. I’m feeling very blessed right now, these cast iron presses are hard to come by, not to mention a fully functioning one too. Anyways, I used mostly apple cider vinegar, dish soap, and sandpaper to get this beauty all nice and cleaned up. All I need are pressing boards and I’ll be good to go. It was quite a meditative process, exactly what I needed after some chaotic days.

I started out with coating the entire press with apple cider vinegar and waiting for it to dry. Then I sanded off the rust (I repeated both these steps a couple of times). Once the rust was off, I started to clean it with dish soap, vinegar, and a sponge. The last thing I did was coat the press with an oil that prevents rust and also lubricates it.

I’m planning to get back to my regular bookbinding projects real soon! I have two custom books I’m planning out as well as brand new mixed media sketchbooks. I can’t wait to use my new press. I really think my process will be streamlined, since multiple books can be pressed at once.

Also, off topic – I’m really enjoying blogging! I feel like this is going to be my main way of communicating about art and bookbinding related stuff from now on. I hope to make a post on here at least once a week.