That is is very cool little press. Every time you post a press video it make me happy that old tools like these aren't just weighed in for scrap valueand you give them a forever home.
Watching you wire wheel the flaky paint off the side of that thing is the most satisfying thing I have ever watched on youtube. Followed closely by the gold lettering going back on!
Once I was loved & I worked with a song in my heart & then I got old & parts of me needed renewing, but I didn't get them & I was discarded, put amidst the old & unloved & people gawped & new not what I once was. Then I was bought, cleaned, worn out bits replaced & then I sang again & I made beauty & this so caught the imagination of others that some of of my sisters & brothers who were in a bad state like me were also rescued by folk around the world & then we sang again as choirs like we did before. Thank you Jimmy!
When I was a kid, I had a Kelsey catalog and I wanted one of those Excelsior presses. They had a small one that would only print no larger than a index card. I was going to print business cards for people and make a pile. I was cool to see this old one of yours brought back to life.
People don't like when you make a video about making signs but when you make a video about things that make signs it's a hit. Genius idea and cool restoration.
Nice restore Jimmy!.... I couldn’t tell how hard it was to slide those sleeves onto the rollers. But an old bicycle mechanic trick is to spray hairspray into handlebar grips as a lubricant, twisting them on while wet. The hairspray will dry slightly sticky allowing them to not slide off. Might work the same for the rollers if needed in the future....
Thank you, Jimmy. Big fan, from London, England. I used to use these in junior school in the 1970s. The school got us kids to print the blank report cards. Seeing those rollers brought it all back.
Not sure what was more mesmerising, putting the gold pain on the lettering or the final prints. LOVE this project! Another beaut raised from the grave.
Hello from the bike mechanic world! Love your videos, I've learned so much from your channel over the years. I thought I'd give you a quick trick for putting rubber hose or tubing onto metal rod or piping if it ever gives you trouble: stick an air compressor nozzle under the tubing and blow a little air in-between the rubber and the metal. Helps that bad boy slide right on. Thanks for all that you make and do, Jimmy!
I couldn't figure out how the ink plate was going to work and finally decided it must be manual. Then the parts arrived and it all came together. I love the craftsmanship from back in day. Everything had a purpose and you could figure out how it all worked by taking it apart once. Great video!
I restored an identical press last year! Made extensive use of Evapo-rust. Amazing stuff. I asked a friend of mine who restores old player pianos if he knew where to get replacement rollers, and he turned me on to Ramco Roller Products. They take your roller rods and trucks, clean them up and install new roller material on them. They did a great job with fast turnaround. Your solution was quite clever, though. This is a great little press. Nicely done. :-)
Wow.... This is my new favorite Jimmy Diresta restoration videos.... That red flannel shirt was great contrast on the black during the reassembly... Genius
I just love your restoration videos, Jimmy. The amount of work and attention to detail you go through. It shows in the final results. Thanks for sharing.
A renovation video, one of the very few who don’t mix it up with restoration, lovely little press that you have given another 100 years life to. Did you test the paint for lead before you started to mechanically remove the paint, don’t want to loose you now that you are in the groove!
I love the "simplicity" of old tolls. Its complex where you need it to be, maintaining the design beautiful as ever. Amazing restoration and one more tool added to my want list. 😂
Great restoration Jimmy! That turned out really nice & looks like it works amazingly well. Way to go. Gotta love those old machines & I like that fact that you bring them back to life.............
Brilliant! Thanks for breathing new life into it and sharing the process. I love the spray-paint brush technique! I always learn at least one thing new watching your videos, Jimmy.
Oh thank goodness you painted the lettering ... I was really heartbroken when the coat of black went on .. and I thought.. AAGH! the lettering is so cool.. and then you came back with the gold. THANK YOU .. I don't know why, but it looked wrong without the lettering being visible. Thanks Jimmy for the inspiration.
Jimmy when I watch you working at the lathe and the printing press it takes me back to my Junior and senior high days. I went to Alva T Stanford Jr. High and Sewanhaka High school and learned to print and mostly Machine shop / Technical Drawing.. Thank you my brother
Lovely job - that KELSEY will be worth a few bucks if it ever came up for sale. Over here in the UK an Adana of similar build is worth around £600-£700 second hand. Well worth hanging on to Mr Diresta.
I never thought of a printing press as something of interest to me. They're neat just not my thing..until.. I see that cute lil thing. Just the right size to play! I didn't know there were such things. Thought they were pretty much all like your others or bigger. Something else I'll be watching for lol... thanks for sharing
You are the DUDE! I've been watching your videos on youtube since day 1 and it's been such a journey for me to watch you build all these amazing stuff. (Nothing can beat the sexiness of that little press!) It's the first time I'm dropping a comment to you, and this is a chance for me to say THANK YOU JIMMY, for everything you do, for the inspiration and your generosity to share your artistic DNA with the world! I'm a musician and a maker myself, and thanks to you, I am actually proud to have done my share of "dumpster diving" (Lol) Cheers from Athens, Greece, your "disciple" Andrew!
Awesome restoration Jimmy! That South bend lathe is begging for a motor upgrade! A 1 HP, 3 Phase unit with a VFD would transform that little machine into a very capable workhorse. I've done quite a few of them, and would be happy to come help you out.
I have a deep seated love/hate relationship with wire cup brushes. I genuinely LOVE how they strip off rust, paint, and general gunk like a banshee with morning breath but I HATE how they throw off bristles like a sadistic Borrower with a blowpipe (and try to eat your delicate bits if you take your eye off them). Lovely to see that little old printing press brought back to life though.
painting the gold paint with the back of the brush,, do you know how many raised lettering ive messed up trying to use the brush side, what a great tip, and the press came out great too,
Nice job jimmy! I've always wondered why you didn't bead blast your metal parts? I worked in a powder coat shop and that's what we did to all metal parts. Cleaned them up brand new!
I know it is not exactly your style but if you are ever offered an ABdick 360 grab it. This will be the collectible of tomorrow. I was trained on one in HS and they are a modern version of this thing. Best machine I ever used.
Interesting choice to use cartoon dynamite for the rollers.
Now if he could only find a way to work in a plunger detonator thing somewhere...
it's a diresta video, i'd sue...LOL
Copying your lovely videos!!!! Not even close, lol
I thought he was cutting a carrot at first glance
He should have just sent it to you
That wire wheel revealing the lettering was so satisfying! Well done.
Right?
That is is very cool little press. Every time you post a press video it make me happy that old tools like these aren't just weighed in for scrap valueand you give them a forever home.
Watching you wire wheel the flaky paint off the side of that thing is the most satisfying thing I have ever watched on youtube. Followed closely by the gold lettering going back on!
Once I was loved & I worked with a song in my heart & then I got old & parts of me needed renewing, but I didn't get them & I was discarded, put amidst the old & unloved & people gawped & new not what I once was. Then I was bought, cleaned, worn out bits replaced & then I sang again & I made beauty & this so caught the imagination of others that some of of my sisters & brothers who were in a bad state like me were also rescued by folk around the world & then we sang again as choirs like we did before. Thank you Jimmy!
I will never get tired of letterpress videos. Great job on the press and the video. Bonus points for the gold lettering "chef kiss"
When I was a kid, I had a Kelsey catalog and I wanted one of those Excelsior presses. They had a small one that would only print no larger than a index card. I was going to print business cards for people and make a pile. I was cool to see this old one of yours brought back to life.
People don't like when you make a video about making signs but when you make a video about things that make signs it's a hit. Genius idea and cool restoration.
Nice restore Jimmy!.... I couldn’t tell how hard it was to slide those sleeves onto the rollers. But an old bicycle mechanic trick is to spray hairspray into handlebar grips as a lubricant, twisting them on while wet. The hairspray will dry slightly sticky allowing them to not slide off. Might work the same for the rollers if needed in the future....
I use the same technique, also taught by an old timer.
Trick I was taught was a little dishwashing soap + water Works a charm, at least on my bike; and it's aready in the shop to find tube leaks...
I use isopropyl alcohol.
Thank you, Jimmy. Big fan, from London, England. I used to use these in junior school in the 1970s. The school got us kids to print the blank report cards. Seeing those rollers brought it all back.
Not sure what was more mesmerising, putting the gold pain on the lettering or the final prints. LOVE this project! Another beaut raised from the grave.
Built when we weren’t a throwaway society. Love these old machines.
excellent observation sir
Hello from the bike mechanic world! Love your videos, I've learned so much from your channel over the years. I thought I'd give you a quick trick for putting rubber hose or tubing onto metal rod or piping if it ever gives you trouble: stick an air compressor nozzle under the tubing and blow a little air in-between the rubber and the metal. Helps that bad boy slide right on. Thanks for all that you make and do, Jimmy!
That gold spray painting technique was great. Spray then dab where you need it with a small dowel. Brilliant! As always nice work my man!
I couldn't figure out how the ink plate was going to work and finally decided it must be manual. Then the parts arrived and it all came together. I love the craftsmanship from back in day. Everything had a purpose and you could figure out how it all worked by taking it apart once. Great video!
I restored an identical press last year! Made extensive use of Evapo-rust. Amazing stuff. I asked a friend of mine who restores old player pianos if he knew where to get replacement rollers, and he turned me on to Ramco Roller Products. They take your roller rods and trucks, clean them up and install new roller material on them. They did a great job with fast turnaround. Your solution was quite clever, though. This is a great little press. Nicely done. :-)
By far my favourite Diresta videos are restoring old printing presses.
Wow.... This is my new favorite Jimmy Diresta restoration videos.... That red flannel shirt was great contrast on the black during the reassembly... Genius
Like adopting kittens or puppies from the SPCA, restoring old letterpresses is sooooo rewarding. Nice job Jimmy!
Not only do you inspire people to make, but you also inspire people to restore. Thanks Jimmy! Now I have to get after a similar press in my basement.
This is wholly remarkable. In every way. Hats off to you, Jimmy. What a fine result and the knowledge to restore it.
So very awesome. The most amazing part to me is being able to look past the rust to see the diamond. Nicely done.
I went to Bergen Tech in Hackensack for Printing graduated in 1968 letterpress was still a part of our shop at the time. Bloody Well Done.
Derusting parts in a mesh pencil bag was heckin' clever.
I like how the top plate rotates slightly with each press. Genius.
Beautiful to see something originally made in my home state brought back to life!
That is, without doubt, the weirdest ink jet printer I've ever seen. There's real joy in keeping old machines alive. Thanks Jimmy.
Great job, Jimmy. I love bringing old tools back to life, you certainly did that little press justice.
I heard you talking about this press on the podcast and knew it would be cool. The gold lettering was a nice touch. Very cool restoration.
I just love your restoration videos, Jimmy. The amount of work and attention to detail you go through. It shows in the final results.
Thanks for sharing.
A renovation video, one of the very few who don’t mix it up with restoration, lovely little press that you have given another 100 years life to. Did you test the paint for lead before you started to mechanically remove the paint, don’t want to loose you now that you are in the groove!
I love the "simplicity" of old tolls. Its complex where you need it to be, maintaining the design beautiful as ever. Amazing restoration and one more tool added to my want list. 😂
Thank you for these videos. You are truly an inspiration to the little guys out there just tinkering around.
I'm absolutly falling in love with this press, black and golden letters = extraordinary ;-)
Great press-renovation 👍 Thanx for the video :-)
I could watch your restoration videos all day! Great tip on using the pencil bag in the Evaporust! Thanks for sharing!
Great restoration Jimmy! That turned out really nice & looks like it works amazingly well. Way to go. Gotta love those old machines & I like that fact that you bring them back to life.............
Brilliant! Thanks for breathing new life into it and sharing the process. I love the spray-paint brush technique! I always learn at least one thing new watching your videos, Jimmy.
Wonderful job at preserving our GREAT PAST. I too have a “think” for printing. Loved it Sir.
I love that you give these old presses new life! Looks great!
Until the rollers went on, I had no idea what that round plate was for. Cool seeing that back in action. Looked like new.
Wow that was so satisfying to watch ! All that old scale removed came up a treat ! Thanks Jimmy :)
Oh thank goodness you painted the lettering ... I was really heartbroken when the coat of black went on .. and I thought.. AAGH! the lettering is so cool.. and then you came back with the gold. THANK YOU .. I don't know why, but it looked wrong without the lettering being visible. Thanks Jimmy for the inspiration.
I've got a Kelsey 9x13 I'm doing a resto to right now. Love what your doing.
Excellent work, I did print work years ago, fun to see a very old little press back in action.
Jimmy when I watch you working at the lathe and the printing press it takes me back to my Junior and senior high days. I went to Alva T Stanford Jr. High and Sewanhaka High school and learned to print and mostly Machine shop / Technical Drawing.. Thank you my brother
you need a picture of a female maker! I don't know why I love these renovation videos but I do. It's so much fun to see something old new again.
Lovely job - that KELSEY will be worth a few bucks if it ever came up for sale. Over here in the UK an Adana of similar build is worth around £600-£700 second hand. Well worth hanging on to Mr Diresta.
love watching you restore old machinery and use them.
this is just awsome, great restoration! I can not find the right words to say how awsome this is.
I never thought of a printing press as something of interest to me. They're neat just not my thing..until.. I see that cute lil thing. Just the right size to play! I didn't know there were such things. Thought they were pretty much all like your others or bigger. Something else I'll be watching for lol... thanks for sharing
It is a real pleasure to watch you bring these amazing machines back to life. I love it.
It’s a machine of liberty. I can’t imaging how many pamphlets pure of freedom of speech were pressed from tools like that. That thing is amazing.
For a moment, I panicked when the raised letters were painted black....and then came the gold!! Awesome Job! DD
You make these old machines look like art. Such a cool looking piece. Very nice, Jimmy
I never knew something like this ever existed!! This is really cool
Some history lessons and amazing restoration!
*It can't get better than that*
You are the DUDE! I've been watching your videos on youtube since day 1 and it's been such a journey for me to watch you build all these amazing stuff. (Nothing can beat the sexiness of that little press!) It's the first time I'm dropping a comment to you, and this is a chance for me to say THANK YOU JIMMY, for everything you do, for the inspiration and your generosity to share your artistic DNA with the world! I'm a musician and a maker myself, and thanks to you, I am actually proud to have done my share of "dumpster diving" (Lol)
Cheers from Athens, Greece, your "disciple" Andrew!
Amazing work Jimmy! As always. I also love the Making It and Fitzall podcasts! Keep up the amazing work!
Totally old school, love it. Thanks for sharing Jimmy, great work.
Awesome restoration Jimmy! That South bend lathe is begging for a motor upgrade! A 1 HP, 3 Phase unit with a VFD would transform that little machine into a very capable workhorse. I've done quite a few of them, and would be happy to come help you out.
Love this type of restoration video. It looks like so much work. Excellent job!
Fantastic as ever to see the squeaky wheel get the Jimmy kick. Amazing tool salvage!
Damn I love everything about this video! Jimmy you’ve changed, becoming one of the great artist of our time. You’re da Vinci in my book
Awesome restoration Jimmy! Very cool to see the printing press working again!
I think this deserves a Stan Lee print in the near future. I would definitely pay money for one of those! 🤩
WOW! :-) Great restoration video. That small press is an interesting size. Great antique shop find. Would love to find one. Cheers!
The sound of the mechanism. Awesome resto.
One benefit of working overtime on my day off is seeing when Jimmy Posts new content
Beautiful work Jimmy. I think I want to go find one to rescue! Thanks.
amazing work.
Long live to the printmaking!!! Long live to mr. William M. Ivin Jr.
Restoring old tool is always fascinating to me.
Amigo lo veo desde Cuba, Usted a recuperado una máquina que es una obra de Arte de las Artes Gráficas.
great resto . nice lettering technik . thank you Jimmy
jimmy very useful machine turned out, you have golden hands. you're just great
I have a deep seated love/hate relationship with wire cup brushes. I genuinely LOVE how they strip off rust, paint, and general gunk like a banshee with morning breath but I HATE how they throw off bristles like a sadistic Borrower with a blowpipe (and try to eat your delicate bits if you take your eye off them).
Lovely to see that little old printing press brought back to life though.
Yup can see hand tool rescue's influence, you and he are my favorite!
Must have felt good printing money at the end there, hard earned and well deserved, long term and short, thanks for the video and inspiration Jimmy.
I liked the intro with the AvE-esque classical music. Nice touch.
Been waiting for this little guy. Beautiful work as always.
Wow that came out so awesome!!!!! I am going to keep my eyes open for one!! Very cool and small!! Looks amazing! 🤙
It's amazing how well that old iron cleans up. Nice done Jimmy!
Very nice. Great job. Saved another press. Impressive!
Love the black press and painted lettering. Clean and simple yet sexy. Another great video, Jimmy!
Sweet little machine! Perfect home shop size. Must find one! Nice lettering trick Jimmy.
Hell yeah dinner will have to wait. Thanks Jimmy you are an inspiration to myself and everyone here. Jim from Texas
Another Great Video JD! Thanks for Sharing the journey Brother! Have A Super Week!.....Gus
painting the gold paint with the back of the brush,, do you know how many raised lettering ive messed up trying to use the brush side, what a great tip, and the press came out great too,
EXCELSIOR! RIP for Stan Lee and thanks to Diresta for another dope resto!
Beautiful restoration Jimmy
Very nice Restoration i love when People take the time to do it.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Damn Jimmy....that was great.....literally sat on the edge of my seat like a kid watching the latest episode......really cool press...
They payoff for me is when the gold goes on the letters. Well done!
Great to see back in action. Added to the link up of the other presses for sure.
Great restoration! I like the dowel technique for paining letters. i’ll have to try that. i’ve just used paint pens so far to paint lettering.
Another beautiful tool saved.
Thank you.
Nice job jimmy! I've always wondered why you didn't bead blast your metal parts? I worked in a powder coat shop and that's what we did to all metal parts. Cleaned them up brand new!
I like the trick of using a dowel to paint the raised lettering.
Beautiful machine and beautiful restoration!👏🏻
I know it is not exactly your style but if you are ever offered an ABdick 360 grab it. This will be the collectible of tomorrow. I was trained on one in HS and they are a modern version of this thing. Best machine I ever used.
Loved that lettering technique, it came out perfect
Awesome! What a fabulous machine! :)