Homeprint Tool Shed Repair

The shed where I assemble the A4 printing presses has had a makeover by David White. My help was limited but I do need to complete the batons to secure the plywood skin.

Relief Print Press from Homeprint

The A4 lever press is sold with 2 felt blankets and an instruction booklet. The order of operation is to open up the press, place the inked up lino carving in the middle of the bed. Lay a piece of paper on top of the carving. Lay the best number of blankets on top of the paper. Swing the platen over with the lever at about 30 to 35 degrees, and push down on the black cap of the lever. Swing the platen open, peel off the blankets, peel off the lino print!

Relief Print Press from Homeprint

The A4 lever press has been a most popular product for the 11th year now. I made a simple prototype that I used with Primary School children and discovered they liked using it to print their little carvings, ALOT! This was followed by 10 x A4 relief presses with a welded aluminium frame. This was also successful. There was a demand so I created my final design with a cast aluminium frame , plywood bed and platen and steel lever and heavy duty hinges. I have sold over 500 of this press through out New Zealand.

Frame fitter Tim.

The engineers bolts need screwing down into the threaded aluminium frame. The frame has been cast in black sand at the Abcast Foundry, Feilding from the original hand carved wooden prototype made by John Brebner.

Drilling A4 press bed

The lever brings down the drill bit through the stainless steel jig for the fitting of the cast aluminium frame of the A4 Relief press.

Ade Beech using the A4 relief press.

Ade Beech spends one hour from John tutored on how to use the A4 relief press from Homeprint. We drew onto polyplate with pencil, 'pencil carving', printed 4 copies in yellow waterbased ink, drew more detail, and overprinted in red. This produced a handsome 2 colour textured print ready to frame. Ade is now on her way back to the Massey University Preschool Centre to convince the buying panel to buy a press!

Emily and Chris working on new set of A4 Presses

Emily and Chris from Canada are our latest WWOOFers. Their first job was to sandpaper the edges of the boards and now paint the printing surfaces with varnish. Then the task will be to undercoat the outside of the boards and topcoat with yellow enamel paint. If there is time, we will work together to drill, screw and bolt the hardware to complete the press manufacture.

John leads printing workshop at a country school.

The first colour set of relief printmaking. Waterbased ink is easy to use and easy to clean up at the end of the day.

John leading a two day printmaking workshop for talented students at a country school.
The students drew their ideas onto polystyrene plate and used the Homeprint A4 relief printing press to print a set of 5 clear images. Using the same plate with some extra drawing the students overprinted with different colours and created beautiful art works on their theme of sports and games.