In this restoration video, I restore an antique press made in Germany in the 19th century by Alexanderwerk.
I bought this forgotten heavy cast iron press from a Flea Market and worked on it with great pleasure for about 200 hours. The restoration process was challenging but rewarding. The book press was in a state of disrepair when I got it. The extremely rusty and old finish was almost gone; the ornament's decals were also. I learned much about decal restoration. If you want to learn more about antique bookbinding, book press, or decal restoration, I encourage you to watch this video. More about the restoration/transformation process: As mentioned above, I bought this press from a vast flea market for about $200. The method of restoring the industrial press went well without any complications. I used a lot of sandpaper to clean the scratches and the rust pits as much as possible to make them shine again like in the old good days. The book press had two different screws; perhaps someone replaced them in those days, so I decided to make a twin one to look as it was when it came out from the factory gates. The decal restoration process took the most time; the digital part took almost a day, and the decoupage and application took nearly two working days.
It was satisfactory, and everything went smoothly. After removing the rust, the parts were painted and nickel-plated. I hope I have caught everything, but if you have any questions, you can comment, and I'll get back to you!
Cheers! Johnny
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