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giorgini's tile press

updated sat 31 may 97

 

Sherry mcDonald Stewart on fri 9 may 97

Has anyone made this press. I'd like to know if anyone has experience
with it. Sher

JDC on sat 10 may 97

I just finished making this tile press for the workshop Giorgini is
giving here in Portland this weekend. I have never built anything from
a plan in my life and I have no tools but the press went together pretty
smoothly. I guess we'll see if it meets his approval. (it is slightly
funky) I haven't had a chance to use it yet ( I get it when he's done
with it at the workshop) but it seems straightforward to me. I think it
needs to be bolted to a table or counterweighted to keep it from tipping
forward. BTW it costs @ $80 to make. You can get two from a sheet of
plywood. The metal parts cost $55 from a plumbing store.

jpyle@hs.gettysburg.edu on tue 13 may 97

Yes, our shop dept made one for my classes, and it works. It needs to be
bolted down to the table, as it needs the counterweight for good pressing,
but it works fine.
Judy Pyle
Gettysburg High School
Gettysburg, PA

Sherry mcDonald Stewart on tue 13 may 97

I was assuming there would be other less permanent ways of securing it,
do you think that is possible? Say with clamps? And if your mould is in
relief, (neg.) is that a problem? Thanks for the reply. Sher (originally
from PA.)

JDC on mon 19 may 97

Carol, Sherry, and Terry,
I got the plans for the press from Goirgini s book "Handmade Tiles"
(Lark Books, $25) He gives step by step instructions for the press, a
tile-pug slicer and several other handy tile type things. I'd suggest
you read the book before starting the press. It is much easier to build
if you understand how it works. Not to mention the fact that there is a
lot of cool history (and tile) sprinkled between the pug-cutters and
plaster ratios. If you don't already have a drill and a jigsaw you
should make haste to a pawn shop and get one of each. I bought both of
mine for a total of $15 at a yard sale. Unfortunately they are both
bottom of the line department store models that are not much better than
useless. I wish that I'd spent $30 each on decent ones at a pawn shop.
You are going to build the press using 3/4 inch plywood and 2x4's. In
the book he says you can use plywood or press board (particle board).
He said that since the book was written he has come to feel that plywood
is more durable. If you can't find the book I can e-mail you the
dimensions. Good luck.

Jon
PS Sherry at the workshop he clamped the press to a rolling cart.

jpyle@hs.gettysburg.edu on thu 22 may 97

I think it needs to be either heavier on the bottom which it might have
been in the original plans (my Giorgioni book was in my basement studio,
which was flooded last summer, so I don't have the plans available) or
attached to the work table in some way., C-clamps would probably work. I
don't think the way the mould is set up -- positive or negative- would make
a problem. Good luck. I still do a lot of tile pressing by hand,
especially if the mould has an outside edge and the depth of the tile is
predetermined by that mould. I used a similar press at the Moravian Tile
Works (Henry Mercer's place in Doylestown, PA) for tiles I made during a
course they offered. It worked well. I think it was bolted down.

Good luck.
Judy Pyle

Sherry mcDonald Stewart on fri 23 may 97

I am also concerned about the press because of the size of my tiles.
They are usually sized about 1/2" x maybe 3", and 1and1/4 x1", so far
the largest I have designed was about2x3". I have done some floor
sculptures that are tiles that are at least twice that size, but I
really prefer my small tiles. I am really curious to see how I will
solve the problem of size using the press. Anyone? Sher