We have been mad busy at the Art Hospital, some of us applying to grad schools, some of us working on stuff for the Bloomington Handmade Market and others just being plain busy! But we haven’t forgotten about our dear little press …

Last time we spoke, the press was still located in Nicole‘s storage unit. Happily, we lugged it over to Art Hospital where it is now sitting in our temporary print shop, ready to roll. We need one little part for the press, some gripper bars, which we can procure in Indianapolis, and then the press is ready to go.

Luke purchased 5 linoleum blocks and after keeping one for himself gave one to Nicole, Sally, Dani and Jamie. Right now we’re all busy designing our images for the prints we will soon distribute all over Bloomington!

We’ll return with some pictures from our trip to the letterpress warehouse and blocks in progress very soon!

Not only are days getting longer and daffodils peeping above the ground, but the Art Hospital is getting ready to take the printing press to the streets!

So, here is the 6″ x 10″ Kelsey tabletop printing press.

Just out of sight is a chase (a metal frame used to hold the type or printing blocks in place) and some brand new rollers.

Kelseys were initially made to be a “portable press,” allowing people for the first time to economically print their own publications. This was waaaayyy before zines, kids. Clocking in at about 100 pounds, it might not sound very convenient now, but we think it’ll still be pretty handy once it’s safely installed in the van.

What we need now is ink, paper, some linoleum blocks to cut, and gasoline!