dry mounting press in europe

Hi guys,
here in europe find a seal dry mount press it's very hard and in the US nobody ships overseas this kind of item.
So i want ask you how i can do to replace this press? Please don't say " Use your iron ...."
I still have a Hermes / ecomat press ( from maco direct ) but it isn't the same of the seal press and that makes me a lot of problem when i try to dry mount my photographs.


Can I buy something in europe similar ?


Thank you

Firstly, as they are expensive items to ship/post where are you based?

Bests,

David.
www.dsallen.de

I'm based from Italy and I don't find that : (

There is this Seal press that has been on eBay for a while but you would have to negotiate about delivery:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Commercial-2...562194?hash=item36072c1012:g:M5sAAOSwdV1XOICH

or you can buy new from Monochrom:

https://monochrom.com/praesentation/montieren-und-aufziehen/masterpiece-250-heissaufziehpresse

or there is this one in Italy that a friend of mine was considering before we found him one here in Berlin when a lab shut down. The listing in Italy is:

http://www.ebay.it/itm/Commercial-2...690737?hash=item58e0cd9231:g:RyMAAOSwYqxXi14z

Bests,

David.
www.dsallen.de

I've been wondering if it's possible to build one. Aluminum plate, heat source, etc...

A thick aluminium plate, two flat-irons. A temperatur controller. And some mechanics.

First, it does not make sense to have this press shipped from the US, we have a different voltage here. For Europe you need this press to be factory-modified to 220 - 240.

It is possible to find a dry mounting press for 300 / 500 euros, or even get lucky with a better price. Italy is not the place to look for one. Germany, France, Belgium, Holland are places where you find them more often and at better prices. Just drive over, check if it works and collect it, cheaper than shipping. But you have to do some work. Find out the local auction sites, find out the name for dry mounting press in each language and look regularly (like weekly). In the past 5 - 10 years I have bought 5 or 6 of them, for me and for friends (also in Italy) and I never paid more than €400. Other than Seal look for Büscher, Kindermann and Ademco too!

But before anything consider this: I use these presses (a Seal 210 and a Büscher 50X60) only to flatten fiber prints. Like any b/w printer on fiber does. These machines are perfect for that. To dry mount prints is something else and you better think about 10 - 20 or more years from now. Where will you keep those dry mounted prints that are at least four times thicker than a fiber print? It is ok if you will do little. But if you have any thoughts to be part of the prints selling situation you better realise that galleries, collectors and museums will always prefer unmounted prints. Probably many people here will disagree with me, but this is what I think after almost 40 years in this business.

Hilo said:

Other than Seal look for Büscher, Kindermann and Ademco too!

Click to expand...

But those others are drying/glazing presses, with a curved plane.

You are very right to point at this confusion, people always mix up dry mounting presses with the more common glossing machines.

However, Büscher, Ademco and Kindermann also made very good dry mounting presses. Ademco presses are very alike or the same as Seal presses, Büscher presses are very good, just take a little longer to heat up. Kindermann presses are lighter as far as build is concerned, but they function well.

Attached a photo of my Büscher 50X60 press. I just brought it up to a new workspace, it weighs a ton . . .

I did not know that (to be sure I even locked at the Büscher site, to no avail).

That lock alone of your Büscher dry-mount press is amazing!

I know off at least three sizes for which Büscher made these presses: 30X40, 40X50 and 50X60cm. The press platen is always slightly larger than that. For years I had the 40X50cm version in which you can also do 50X60cm prints by pressing them in parts. The Seal 210 does that too.

I got the Seal 210 for the smaller sizes to take the workload away from the Büscher. The Seal is the more easy machine to work with, as it regulates the heating: turning itself off when the set temperature is reached (in my case 90 degrees). The Büscher has a switch for the upper part with three positions, you start heating by setting it on nr 3, and you go back to nr 2 when you reach the right temperature. I do not use the switch to heat the bottom part. When you find a press like this, just check by setting the switch to nr 3 - it should reach 90 degrees after about 20 minutes.

For all dry-mount presses it is important to set it to the right tension. Seal and Büscher are quite easy in that. Sometimes you put a piece of hardboard under the sponge pad. I prefer less than more tension, it is better for the machine and it allows me to press a print for 2 - 5 minutes. That's a more relaxed way to work than pressing flat with high tension in half a minute.

Büscher has abandoned this story, just like Leitz did with the Focomat enlargers. They simply got rid of their remaining parts. The amazing quality made sure you have a machine for a life time. These were expensive machines to buy new, I always found them second hand and don't know until when they were made. I guess until the early eighties. With the Seal presses there's a better situation (in the US for sure) as they're still made and many parts are still available, now from D&K.

Hi,
I'm looking for something cheap like 4/500 euros absolutely without curved surface.

How about t-shirt press??

Thank you guys

I also thought about a T-shirt press. Basically it is the same thing. Some seem to have a fine temperature setting.

AgX said:

I also thought about a T-shirt press. Basically it is the same thing. Some seem to have a fine temperature setting.

Click to expand...

I thought the same too. But no one seller reply me from eBay :/

On Facebook group "35mm photography" Stephen Scott (UK, I think) offers:
Kennett Dry Mount Press.. Excellent working order. Reaches temperature like it should, It's in excellent condition no marks or scratches anywhere on the machine.. £75 ono
On the pictures it looks like it is in good condition. I don't know what size it is, though.

I'm still waiting a reply from Stephen Scott

If someone see something cheap I'm still looking for...

Thanks

I'm still searching : (

M Carter said:

I've been wondering if it's possible to build one. Aluminum plate, heat source, etc...

Click to expand...

There was a set of plans published years ago in a Peterson Photographic's book (by Parry Yob if I recall correctly) that had drymount press plans. Yup, found it https://www.amazon.com/Petersens-Guide-Photo-Equipment-Photographic/dp/0822700204

darkroommike said:

There was a set of plans published years ago in a Peterson Photographic's book (by Parry Yob if I recall correctly) that had drymount press plans. Yup, found it https://www.amazon.com/Petersens-Guide-Photo-Equipment-Photographic/dp/0822700204

Click to expand...

Aww, man, I remember seeing that cover years ago... the plywood softbox! The plywood camera stand! Still, I'd like to see the drymount plans...

M Carter said:

Aww, man, I remember seeing that cover years ago... the plywood softbox! The plywood camera stand! Still, I'd like to see the drymount plans...

Click to expand...

The full plans are in the book, the book is not very expensive, maybe your library can get a copy for you to read through inter library loan if you don't want to buy a copy.

M Carter said:

I've been wondering if it's possible to build one. Aluminum plate, heat source, etc...

Click to expand...

Yes. That is possible. I have one that a family member built for me..

darkroommike said:

There was a set of plans published years ago in a Peterson Photographic's book (by Parry Yob if I recall correctly) that had drymount press plans. Yup, found it https://www.amazon.com/Petersens-Guide-Photo-Equipment-Photographic/dp/0822700204

Click to expand...

Thanks! I just bought the book. Looks like a fun project.

Founded a masterpiece 500 T. Thank you to all. Now i must clean it and regulate the thermostat. Any suggest?

https://www.google.nl/search?q=seal...t=firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&ei=LyAeWKa-CszFaIHJh7gI

If you run into any problems, be specific about what they are !

Hilo said:

First, it does not make sense to have this press shipped from the US, we have a different voltage here. For Europe you need this press to be factory-modified to 220 - 240.

It is possible to find a dry mounting press for 300 / 500 euros, or even get lucky with a better price. Italy is not the place to look for one. Germany, France, Belgium, Holland are places where you find them more often and at better prices. Just drive over, check if it works and collect it, cheaper than shipping. But you have to do some work. Find out the local auction sites, find out the name for dry mounting press in each language and look regularly (like weekly). In the past 5 - 10 years I have bought 5 or 6 of them, for me and for friends (also in Italy) and I never paid more than €400. Other than Seal look for Büscher, Kindermann and Ademco too!

But before anything consider this: I use these presses (a Seal 210 and a Büscher 50X60) only to flatten fiber prints. Like any b/w printer on fiber does. These machines are perfect for that. To dry mount prints is something else and you better think about 10 - 20 or more years from now. Where will you keep those dry mounted prints that are at least four times thicker than a fiber print? It is ok if you will do little. But if you have any thoughts to be part of the prints selling situation you better realise that galleries, collectors and museums will always prefer unmounted prints. Probably many people here will disagree with me, but this is what I think after almost 40 years in this business.

Click to expand...

Hi Hilo, I am currently looking for a mounting press. You have a spare one? I can drive to Germany.

thanks, teun