1885 German Book Press Restoration - From Ruin to Masterpiece
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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Hi folks! Here is my newest restoration video. I spend a lot of time bringing this antique piece to life. I hope you will enjoy the video! Thank you for all your likes and comments and for your time! Cheers! Johnny
@oneshotme
14 күн бұрын
Acetone and transmission fluid makes a great penetrator!!!!!!!!! Great for nuts like the one you had problems getting off
Love the sound of rain especially on a tin roof 😊😊😊
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Me too! 😁
My favourite things are restored book presses! I used to do printmaking and would love to take it up again but am probably too old now. I only ever used one in college as they were too expensive to buy! Superb job but too beautiful to actually use. I would keep it as a treasured piece!
Gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS!!!!
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Jako knihař podobný litinový lis používám téměř denně. Krásná obnova. Pavel 🇨🇿
You went above and beyond. Absolutely beautiful. Cheers!
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Cheers 🍻
Мастеру спасибо что возвращаете к жизни раритеты. Конечно работа трудоёмкая, но зато результат превосходный. Лайкаю.
@ 16:51 I'm mesmerised;... just outstanding;... along with such patients...
@rustyshadesrestoration
17 күн бұрын
I'm glad you like it! :)
I'm so happy to see a book press restored 🥰
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
I'm glad I made you happy! ❤️
Excellent to see this lovely device be brought back to life, awesome restoration!
@rustyshadesrestoration
16 күн бұрын
Many thanks!
Особливо цікаво і корисно покровкове відтворення орнаментів і зображень.Щиро дякую.
Until you bought it, it was a big $200 paperweight. Now it can have a life again. Kudos to you!
@rustyshadesrestoration
16 күн бұрын
Thank you! 🙂
I was hoping that it wasn't an antique mammogram machine.
Superb! Congratulations! 👍👍👍👍👍
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you! 👌
Absolutely beautiful!!!!
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
Thank you! 🙂
@judyrosey
18 күн бұрын
@@rustyshadesrestoration ❥
Hello mister beautiful restoration beautifully restored good job well done
@rustyshadesrestoration
17 күн бұрын
Thank you! 😀
♥️♥️♥️ It turned out beautiful!!
Amazing!
I'm a bookbinder and I would use that every day if I could afford it. ❤ Loved this restoration! 👏 😊
@rustyshadesrestoration
14 күн бұрын
Thank you! 😊
Beautifully done!
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
I'm glad you liked the result. Thank you!
Those decals blew me away. Incredible work!
Great work! The time and effort you spent shows well in the press.
@rustyshadesrestoration
15 күн бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it
So relaxing to watch; and satisfying to see you make it look brand new again, when most would scrap it! Thanks for keeping memories alive, with EVERY restoration! Great job at videoing and editing too! I know it takes a lot of time and patience for both!
@rustyshadesrestoration
12 күн бұрын
Thank you! That's right, editing takes a lot of time and patience.
Fabulous. Just getting it prepped for sandblasting was a process in itself. The end result was amazing. Bravo, sir. 👍
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
I'm happy you liked the transformation. Thank you for watching! 🙂
nice...hope you reach 100K ASAP
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you! 🙏
Wow what a restoration ❤
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
I'm glad you like it! 🙂
Amazing 😮
Oh my goodness! Love this. This type of antique is on my wish list! The decal work was wonderful.
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
I'm happy to know that you love this kind of antiques and that you liked the decal restoration process. Thanks!
It looks excellent and you did a wonderful job restoring it as well!!!! I enjoyed your video so I gave it a Thumbs Up
@rustyshadesrestoration
14 күн бұрын
Thank you very much! Nice to see you here! Cheers
Beautiful restoration of the old press🎉🎉🎉
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
Thank you, Tom! 🙂 I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
An absolutely remarkable job of restoring this old piece. I thought that the sandblasting and powder coating were my favorite parts but I've changed my mind. I now love to watch you milling new screws and parts needed to make it just perfect. The gold details and decals are the perfect finishing touches needed for a perfect project. Well done... again! 👍
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you so much, Annie. Your comments are so positive, and they motivate me so much. All the best! Johnny
@anniewardlow9297
19 күн бұрын
@@rustyshadesrestoration You are so very welcome and deserving of any compliments you receive. You do excellent work and have an attention to detail that few people do. I'm just glad to hear that my positive comments make a difference because mean people suck! Lol 😅😆!!! Have a GREAT weekend ahead!
Beautiful ❤️🎉
@rustyshadesrestoration
16 күн бұрын
Thank you! 😀
YES !!!
Bravissimo come sempre! 🙏👏👏👏
@rustyshadesrestoration
2 күн бұрын
Grazie!
Awesome!
@rustyshadesrestoration
15 күн бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
When I first saw the title, I thought "there's no way a simple thing like that can take 200 hrs to restore!" But after watching the attention to detail (especially recreating the decals from grainy images), I can see where all the time went. And to good use, I should add. great work!
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
Yes, it is hard to realise how much work I did off-camera. I had projects that I worked on even more than a month, every day for 6 to 10 hours. For example, sandblasting took me two days, cleaning the columns and polishing them so that even one rust pit or scratch wasn't visible anymore, two days and so on. 😀 This work requires a lot of patience and perseverance. And let's not forget the editing and the use of video/audio equipment to capture the best shots while working on the item. 😃
Great restoration, looks really nice.
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
Thank you! 🙂
❤ This is simply fantastic. I was hypnotised throughout the whole video. Thank you so much for restoring and saving this lovely piece of history! Blessings. ❤
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
Thank you! Blessings 🙌
Awesome ❤
@rustyshadesrestoration
16 күн бұрын
Thank you for watching! 🙂
That was really well done. Thank you for showing it to us. Can I suggest that your next restoration should be to restore an antiquarian book using this press as part of the process.
That’s impressive…..beautiful restoration!
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you very much!
Very happy! Thank you for making this video, I really like your video, your work is very good. Very beautiful, become beautiful. Keep doing what you do best and keep going. Great video.
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you for your kind words! 🙂
Very nice work !!! It looks fantastic ....I love that you replaced the gold designs on it !!! And it shines so bright !! Wonderful job !! 👍👍👍
@rustyshadesrestoration
17 күн бұрын
I'm so glad you like it. 🙂
Very nice,turned out beautiful,will be a great conversation piece.just keep doing what you do best and carry on.great video.😎😎😎👍👍👍
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you so much, Tom! All the best! Johnny
Very nice!
@rustyshadesrestoration
7 күн бұрын
Thanks! 🙂
So amazing work ❤
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you 😊 🙏
Beautiful job, but I hope you were careful when removing that old lead paint!!! ❤️❤️❤️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
@rustyshadesrestoration
17 күн бұрын
Absolutely. That's why I made a test. 🙂
Whats a masterpiece! Beutiful object ❤ your work is amazing 👏
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you so much! 🙂
Absolutely flawless work as usual mate
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
Thanks! 😀
Beautiful, mate. 👍👍🇦🇺🇦🇺
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you! 🙂
great job 👍🏿👍🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you! 👌
Very good! I'm from Americana SP Brasil.
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you! Greetings from Poland.
That was beautiful to watch 👍 As always, the attention to detail and your patience are very well rewarded
@rustyshadesrestoration
16 күн бұрын
I'm happy to know that you enjoyed this video, too. Thank you so much for being here all the time!
😮😮 it' beautiful!
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thanks!
Great,as usual 👍👍 i like,well done 👍🙌
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Happy to know that! Thanks! 🥰
Restaurada maciça de uma prensa 😉
"How much lead is in this paint?" Lead indicator swab: YES.
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Exactly 😅
@antigonesurefire888
17 күн бұрын
This comment took me out! I had no right to laugh as hard as I did. Thanks for the laugh, internet stranger!
@user-rw2mm5np2u
16 күн бұрын
А зачем определять наличие свинца в краске?
@mrimmortal1579
6 күн бұрын
@@user-rw2mm5np2u lead is hazardous to one’s health. If you are restoring an item that is covered in lead paint, you must be careful in how you remove it. Sanding the paint dry, or putting it into the sandblast cabinet, can create microscopic airborne lead particles which can then wind up anywhere and everywhere. On surfaces in your shop, on your skin, in your lungs… none of these things are good for your health.
now you need to team up with one of the cool book binding channels like Four Keys Book Arts so y'all can collaborate on using this press
@rustyshadesrestoration
14 күн бұрын
Nice! I didn't know about them. I'll check it now. Thank you! 😀
Impressive, the restoration was beautiful and perfect. Congratulations!😀💜💜💜
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
I'm happy to know that you enjoyed the video! Thank you! 🙂
@marciagarcezmanzella7132
19 күн бұрын
@@rustyshadesrestoration Yes😀💜👍
Better than new! Subscribed.
@rustyshadesrestoration
2 күн бұрын
Thank you! 😀
Pretty cool restoration. I have a book press from Zocher out of Dresden, Germany. Probably from the 1920 or thereabouts. Thankfully i got a very good deal on it, and it was not rusted as bad as yours. I partially restored it to be usable again, but i wanted to recreate the pinstriping on the press plate at some point and was not sure how, as i'm not skilled enough to do the pinstripes by hand. Might give your decal technique a try. And if it does not look good, i can always remove it again and try some masking and paint or give it to someone that can do fine linework by hand. Thanks for the inspiration.
@rustyshadesrestoration
17 күн бұрын
Thank you. It should work. Please check first some waterslide decal application tutorials, and you will know what to purchase and do. Good luck, and let me know how it went.
Wow! This restoration was Fantastic. 😊 You ALWAYS do Incredible work. And your attention to details are Amazing 😊 Thanks for sharing this video with us. The end product was FABULOUS 😊 Have a Blessed and Beautiful weekend.
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
I'm so glad that you enjoy my work and that you have been watching my videos for quite some time now. Thank you for doing that, Lisa! Have a lovely weekend, too! Johnny
Sakes alive, I love nickel plating. Great job!!! Those decals gave me the heebie jeebies. I would have ruined those. 😂😢
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
Thanks! The decal process is complicated but not impossible. If the surface is wet enough, you can take it out and try again. Just to don't get dry...
que belleza!!! tengo una de esas y esta bien cuidada. menos mal cayo en tus manos amigo mil bendiciones por tu saber.
@rustyshadesrestoration
11 күн бұрын
Me alegro de que te haya gustado el vídeo. Gracias por tus amables palabras 🙂 .
C'est magnifique !
@rustyshadesrestoration
2 күн бұрын
Merci!
Good ! Very good !!! ( Brazil )
@rustyshadesrestoration
4 күн бұрын
Obrigado! 😀
@ 15:36 Man that's looks tricky... 🧐
Dang, that's gorgeous. What are the lead-testing swabs you use? I have never found ones that are easy to use and reliable.
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thanks! They're no name; I found them on Amazon. Just type Lead test swabs, and you may find them.
Wow 😮!! I am blown away at the level of expertise you have!! Beautiful work!!! Did you go to school to learn this? Or are you self taught? Your work is Amazing!! I really enjoyed the video. I am a subscriber to your channel. I left my “like” and I will share this video with my brother in law.
@rustyshadesrestoration
17 күн бұрын
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I learned alone to do everything. All because I love antiques and to make/do things with my hands. Thank you for Subscribing! Have a great day!
@ 14:50 ... I'm interested just how U go about making these Artworks... Would it B a polite ? 2 ask 4 a video tutorial;... or links;... if not... Titles to do research... Even any FREE Software U use;... paper;... printer involved... After all U R a STAR Restorer... ... GR8... Awesome videos U put out...
@rustyshadesrestoration
17 күн бұрын
Search on KZread waterslide decals application. There are a lot of tutorials.
@ElTelBaby
16 күн бұрын
@@rustyshadesrestoration ... Water Slide Decals... I'm on it... Many Thanks... 👍
@rustyshadesrestoration
16 күн бұрын
You're welcome! 🙂
красота👍
Sehr schöne Arbeit! Verkaufst du die restaurierten Stücke oder sammelst du?
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Danke! Ich sammle, aber ich bin sicher, dass sie mich eines Tages von zu Hause vertreiben werden. 😂
@renes2245
19 күн бұрын
@@rustyshadesrestoration 😲😂
Amazing work❤❤❤
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Thank you 🙏
Precizní práce. 👍
meraviglia
🙌
Пальцы хорошо зажимать, этой штукой.
Я ненавижу дождь. Он навевает тоску и создаёт большие неудобства.
beau travail quel est votre métier de formation?
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Je suis titulaire d'un master en sciences. Géologie/géochimie, mais je ne suis pas actif dans ce domaine. J'ai travaillé pendant 7 ans dans le domaine du marketing et je dirige maintenant ma propre agence. Qu'en est-il de vous ?
@westernerserge1676
19 күн бұрын
@@rustyshadesrestoration je suis infirmier hospitalier en psychiatrie votre savoir faire est impressionnant pour moi
@westernerserge1676
19 күн бұрын
@@rustyshadesrestoration jesuis infirmier en psychiatrie dans lesud de la france votre savoir faire est impressionant je vous souhaite le meilleur
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Ce n'est pas un travail facile, mais je pense qu'il peut être gratifiant.
@westernerserge1676
19 күн бұрын
@@rustyshadesrestoration oui surtout que je travaille dans un service ou les medecins font des recherches sur l effet des cannabioides sur le systeme nerveux central pour le traitement des psychoses et de la douleur
What will happens when the contain lead?
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
If paint contains lead, I'm not allowed to use sandblaster because I can contaminate it, even the working space. Lead is poison if inhaled or if it gets through your skin. So, I need to remove the paint chemically, as in the video and then use the blaster.
@enestaskn7472
18 күн бұрын
@@rustyshadesrestoration I see. Thank you for your answer.
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
You're welcome! 🙂
👍🙏🏻🤗🇻🇪
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Gracias por ver mis vídeos 🙂
😰➡️🥰👍✨✨✨
The new screw isn’t identical 😢
@rustyshadesrestoration
15 күн бұрын
😅 did you measure it trough your screen?
There are hardly any threads on the screw you re-made.
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
It works perfectly so I didn't had to insist👌
Maybe it was used back when Joseph smith and the Mormons were around
А нафига уксус то? Царскую водку уж сразу!
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
🤣🤣🤣
That's an over kill; but came out fine.
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Why overkill? 😀
Horrível.
@rustyshadesrestoration
8 күн бұрын
🥰
Should have been 10 minutes please edit
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
Not sure I understand you
Is that the same one used on the Three Stooges?
@rustyshadesrestoration
19 күн бұрын
I don't know the Three Stooges, but it sounds funny to me.
Other than the misuse of the word massive, ya did good.
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
I'm glad you like it. English is not my first language, and in my language, Massive makes sense here. I also checked in the dictionary, and I saw that massive can mean large, heavy or solid, and this is precisely how I will describe this press: large, heavy or solid. Now, I want to know what you think as a native and why I misused the word. I would appreciate an answer. 🙂
👍 + My subscribe 😅
@rustyshadesrestoration
8 күн бұрын
Thanks! 😀
Beautifull. 💝🙏🕯
@rustyshadesrestoration
18 күн бұрын
Thank you! 🙂