Studio Notes: Smaller Hydraulic Press

based on the design by Charles Morgan http://www.mossworks.com

Hydraulic Jack Mini-Press (click on pictures to see large)

I had been meaning to build a hydraulic-jack press for smaller prints and to take with me backpacking (just kidding). As soon as I upgraded my etching press to a monster Whelan Pro, it became much more necessary for smaller works and "quickies".

But one thing that bothered me about the standard hydraulic presses was their bulk and weight. So I Googled "mini-hydraulic-jack" and came up with some interesting choices, although a whole bit pricier than standard auto-store jacks. These are used by mechanics and such folk to squeeze into small spaces for initial jacking, as soon as whatever needs to be lifted is up a bit, a larger jack is placed in the gap. Mini jacks such as this one will also work "sideways", ergo the side-to-side pumping when vertical.

The jack I ended up buying was one of the smallest, literally fits in the palm of my hand, although it packs a 5-ton lifting power. Perfect! The footprint is about 3 inches square, 2 and 1/2 inches tall, and the "lift" about 1 and 1/3 inches, which is plenty of clearance for any of my work.

Lil-jack "pumps" side to side, rather than up and down, so I had to build the press to accommodate that. I placed a couple of modified metal brackets under the footprint and a 1/8" flat metal plank above to protect the wood braces.

Specs on Lil-jack: Zinco ZMJ-5C - 5 ton mini hydraulic jack

With Lil-jack on hand, I could build me a hydraulic-jack press according to Charles' directions but much smaller. You can download the instructions on how to make the press from Charles' web site http://www.mossworks.com

Bang bang, cut cut, here it is, doesn't really take all that long to build:

I just had to modify the design a bit. Just had to.

The metal that protects the top brace runs the length of the glued-together 2x4s or "tubas" as they are commonly known around my house. The tubas, screwed and glued together, are 17 inches side to side. I built a double platen, the part that comes down onto the bed.

The bungees hook on the top platen, cross and stay out of the way of the side-arm pump. I had to place the jack at an angle so the side-arm pump would pump freely. After a few tries, I placed another set of bungees hooked on L-brackets on the sides of the bed, which keep it amazingly steady and the extra bungee-power makes it retract quicker. The L-brackets also act as guides against the metal risers.

The bed is 12.5 x 12.5 inches and accommodates a "store-bought" grid of 12 x 12 inches.

The total rise of the metal risers is only 14 inches, making Lil-jack compact but mighty!

More pictures:

 

Notice the printing bench, fully retractable and built so that I could ink the block and slide it right in. Inking bench is about 15 x 15 inches and it is not attached to the press.

 

Placement of the block on the inking bench. Registration jig made of foam-board fits neatly on the inking bench.

Since this particular block is thin, I place it on top of a piece of the extra particle board used to build the platen and press-bed. This brings this thin block up to the proper height to print. Thicker blocks don't need the "booster seat" and if I use something very thick, the top brace can always be moved up.

Next pictures below, I place the paper on the registration jig, then slide the block into the press bed under the platen for printing. Works nifty!

The registration jig is a corner built of foam-board with black mat board for the paper placement. It can be squashed through the press without harm but I prefer to remove it once the paper is in place, this way it will not deform with repeated printings and the registration will be true for the entire edition.

You might also notice the screwed plates on the sides of the inking plate; these act as "guides" for the block support to slide in and out of the bed without teetering all over the place.

The ruled guide is great for small blocks and quick registration. I purchased a ready-made ruled plexi-guide from a craft supply store. I'm told the nice ladies use it for quilting projects mainly. There are vinyl ones too.

 

 

Lastly, the inking bench provides under bed storage for replacement bungee cords, a pair of pliers to tighten the bolts on occasion, extra bolts just in case lil-jack gets carried away and such things. The fancy storage box is cardboard, probably gotten through the mail when I ordered something; how was I to know it would fit perfectly in my new press arrangement.

Go mighty lil-jack!

---

BACK TO METHOD INDEX