These 4 column, large-pin presses have been iconic to me long before i joined the pressing plant who uses them.
Back in mid-late 90s, i was into chicago-house / detroit techno - Transmat, Axis, UR etc or the Maurizio / Basic Channel stuff and they all were pressed with the 70mm pin presses.
the presses we use at wmfono are ones that belonged to the Arston plant during the 80s.
Do you know anyone (SMT?) who might be able to check the first owner of a given Hamilton press relying on the serial number?
It's really bugging me how the US presses got to communist poland, there's got to be some story behind it..
_ _ _ _
i remember the former ceo did a little investigation on his own, but he didnt share the results.
-
Aussie0zborn
- Posts: 1825
- Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:23 am
- Location: Australia
- Contact:
Re: Lened / Hamilton presses - history reconstruction
Firstly, some correct terminology so everybody can be on the same page. I think you mean the centre bush in the mould when you say "large pin presses". The centre bush is a function of the mould and has nothing to do with the press. Any press can take moulds with any diameter centre bush so there is no such thing as a "large pin press" or even a "small pin press". There are, however, different size centre bushes.
There is nothing unusual about American presses being sold to Eastern Europe during the Soviet era. A Google search will show Lened announcing the sale of a large number of automatic presses to Melodiya and they no doubt supplied others. A search of this forum will show that Toolex sold their last automatic presses to Melodiya, again during the Soviet era. The other Polish plant used some type of German presses as well as Toolex automatic and semi-automatic presses. Note: There was a German clone of the Finebilt semi-auto press during the Soviet era and one of these machines is operating today in the USA.
As for tracking serial numbers, I would say that each press has its own history but to those who owned and operated them, they were just a means to make money and pay the wages so I doubt anybody actually kept a track of where any presses went.
Your former CEO is an Australian guy, right?
There is nothing unusual about American presses being sold to Eastern Europe during the Soviet era. A Google search will show Lened announcing the sale of a large number of automatic presses to Melodiya and they no doubt supplied others. A search of this forum will show that Toolex sold their last automatic presses to Melodiya, again during the Soviet era. The other Polish plant used some type of German presses as well as Toolex automatic and semi-automatic presses. Note: There was a German clone of the Finebilt semi-auto press during the Soviet era and one of these machines is operating today in the USA.
As for tracking serial numbers, I would say that each press has its own history but to those who owned and operated them, they were just a means to make money and pay the wages so I doubt anybody actually kept a track of where any presses went.
Your former CEO is an Australian guy, right?
Re: Lened / Hamilton presses - history reconstruction
all of our molds use these, so they leave a 70mm single ring on the label.
our former ceo is Polish, im not sure if we ever had Australian HQ, but i'll ask around.
where can I find the accurate terminology used for press parts? Seems our local terminology will be of no use, so i better avoid it in the future.
-
Aussie0zborn
- Posts: 1825
- Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:23 am
- Location: Australia
- Contact:
Re: Lened / Hamilton presses - history reconstruction
Your terminology is OK, I understand it. As long as you don't call records "vinyls" you're doing well.
Yes, this is a centre bush. Typical early American size. You're probably only one of two plants using it today. Another plant has it as an option for so-called "deep groove" records. The deep groove is the groove under the label, 70mm diameter, that is made by using a cup on the bush to hold the stamper. That is, the bush has parallel sides (no lip to hold the stamper) and uses a cup with a lip to secure the stamper. This cup leaves two rings impressed in the record forming a groove between the two rings.
The photo below from https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/record-labels-guide/labelography-2/blue-note-deep-groove/ compares a "deep groove" record (with a cup on the centre bush) to a non deep groove record (with cupless centre bush). It's a good read about so-called "deep groove" records.
When it was discovered you could eliminate the cup which often cuts through the label to expose an unsightly ring of black vinyl by making a bush with an angle or a lip on it to hold the stamper, the "cupless centre bush" was born and the stamper's centre hole needed to be formed to a suitable shape.
The use of the cupless centre bush would date your presses to the 1960s. I note that Discogs says that Arston was established in 1984 so these presses probably came from somewhere else.
The large cupless centre bush was still in use in the USA in the 70s and maybe longer and in Australia, until 1991. Another method was to use the original bush with parallel sides, remove the cup and form the stamper's centre hole in a manner that eliminates the cup but does the same job as seen in the photos below. A centre bush with a cup used a stamper with a centre hole that was not formed in any way.
Yes, this is a centre bush. Typical early American size. You're probably only one of two plants using it today. Another plant has it as an option for so-called "deep groove" records. The deep groove is the groove under the label, 70mm diameter, that is made by using a cup on the bush to hold the stamper. That is, the bush has parallel sides (no lip to hold the stamper) and uses a cup with a lip to secure the stamper. This cup leaves two rings impressed in the record forming a groove between the two rings.
The photo below from https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/record-labels-guide/labelography-2/blue-note-deep-groove/ compares a "deep groove" record (with a cup on the centre bush) to a non deep groove record (with cupless centre bush). It's a good read about so-called "deep groove" records.
When it was discovered you could eliminate the cup which often cuts through the label to expose an unsightly ring of black vinyl by making a bush with an angle or a lip on it to hold the stamper, the "cupless centre bush" was born and the stamper's centre hole needed to be formed to a suitable shape.
The use of the cupless centre bush would date your presses to the 1960s. I note that Discogs says that Arston was established in 1984 so these presses probably came from somewhere else.
The large cupless centre bush was still in use in the USA in the 70s and maybe longer and in Australia, until 1991. Another method was to use the original bush with parallel sides, remove the cup and form the stamper's centre hole in a manner that eliminates the cup but does the same job as seen in the photos below. A centre bush with a cup used a stamper with a centre hole that was not formed in any way.
Re: Lened / Hamilton presses - history reconstruction
quite a read indeed.
i found that our presses were originally used by Apexton:
https://www.discogs.com/label/43190-Apexton-Records
i tried to contact Frank "Bones" Mitchell, but got no answer, we used to have a few arguements in the discogs forums and he may have remembered those
i found that our presses were originally used by Apexton:
https://www.discogs.com/label/43190-Apexton-Records
i tried to contact Frank "Bones" Mitchell, but got no answer, we used to have a few arguements in the discogs forums and he may have remembered those