While traveling in Japan I ran across two of these little vander-like presses. This one was at one of Tokyo’s 6 still-functioning typefoundries, the other was at the Toppan Museum [I can't post pictures of it because they said so]. Anyways, here’s some pictures for your amusement & edification. Let me know if you have any questions
-Alex
press817
Paul-
I have no idea how many of these there were, or are still. I don’t know if they came hand operated or not. In Japan I visited a traditional ukiyo-e printshop, a letterpress printshop, a typefoundry, and a letterpress museum. Space is very limited in japan, so no one has an excess of equipment. This press was at the typefoundry. The letterpress museum had the other SMZ, which was a larger auto model. The letterpress shop had a windmill and a japanese made windmill-like press, and ten or twelve adanas stuffed into corners. The ukiyo-e printer used a baren.
I have a lot more interesting pictures about other facets of each location, but just teased out this one thread that might interest vandercook otaku.
-alex
Such a short bed for a power carriage and auto sheet delivery. Can you find out how many of these are still out there? Did they make a hand cranked model? Maybe Japan has SHiMiZu fanatics like us.