Budget Heated Foil Press

[BearClawLeather]

Hello ladies and gentlemen!

I am in the market for a heated foil press but I am weary of buying antiques or presses from companies that are no longer around which will make getting replacement parts and customer service practically impossible.

My budget is pretty limited (max $500) so nicer presses like kwikpress are out of my budget for now. I looked on eBay and found a lot of cheap budget presses but wasnt sure if they were worth their salt. I am a big believer of "Buy Nice and Buy Once" but if these budget presses are just as good as the more expensive presses, I won't mind buying one especially since I won't be foil pressing everything I make.

If any of you have any experience with the budget foil presses, please let me know! Thank you

 

-Bear

[Trox]

Hi Bear,

 I know this is an old topic. But there is an article here you should take a look at http://www.ebay.com/gds/BUYING-A-HOT-STAMP-MACHINE-/10000000000751965/g.html if you still haven't bought any machine. I guess this article is meant for the US public, because there where not much there about European machines. The British made some of the best machines out there and I'm sure there are some nice machines around elsewhere in Europe too. I'm new to hotfoil stamping my self and there is a lot of new terms/tricks of the trade to get familiar with. I just bought two machines, a small Italian press with out regulator and a bigger John T Marshall with regulator and 52 point  type holder slot 3/4 x 3/4 x 2,5 inch. The first one worked just fine but have limited space under the stamping head, perfect for logo stamping on reins and watch straps. The Marshall press have space enough but heated very slowly. I found out that the insulation on the cables for the heating element was smelted, cables got to be changed. Not a big deal, but heat resitant cables has to be found. I still do not know if this will help or if I have to change heating element and regulator.  However, I paid 25 $ for the Italian press and 120 for the Marshall. So I can afford to use something in refurbishing. I have alredy bought a type holder (kingsley) with a small modification it can use several different brand of types. the small press I will set up with a thin 16G magnesium logo and the Marshall will be used with fonts. that's my plan anyway. I can remove the bottom plate on the first Italian press to get more space. And I'm planning to remove the bottom block on the Marshall and replace it with a aluminum plate/bed with rulers. On the Marshall you can tilt the type holder head forwards to easier change types/stamps, very cleverly disigned. let me know what you have bought or what your plans are. Good luck with it. Tor

[arz]

@trox Thanks for the info. I hope to be looking for a hot foil press soon. Years ago I bought a large flat bed model (from China) when I did printing, wish I still had it!

These machines can be picky, the key is the heat, amount of pressure and dwell time.  What I did not like about mine was aligning the magnesium logo/type with the work on the bed. The machine just had a flat head and metal table. I used large magnet bars to align the covers I was stamping. It was a pain! When I buy one for leather work I want one with a way of aligning the work on the bed. Also a much easier way of attaching the dies.

-Adam

[Trox]

Hi Adam, I think I've seen these types of printers foil presses you talking about.  All I need out of a hotfoil press is small logos and the possibility of putting some letters/names on leather work. What do you think about using a little laser led for aligning up the work. You can use a square or round lens with zoom to display the printing area, or just a small point where the first letter starts etc. Soon you gets these small lasers attached to most power tool you buy, they aren't expensive anymore.  When it comes to attaching dies/plates they use a double sided tape nowadays. Tor

[arz]

@Trox Hmm the lasers might work. I used the double sided tape when I had mine. It was still a mess  Changing out dies was not something I looked forward to! You are right, for what most leather worker's need the large flat presses are not needed.

I only need one for my logo and then maybe for people's names etc. If money was not object then a Kwikprint, Kingsley, or Metallic Elephant from the UK would be my choice.  If I could find a good deal on one in Romania I would but it! They seem to be rare here. 

-Adam

[LumpenDoodle2]

I have a 2nd hand Chinese hot foil press, which is quite a dinky little thing, but I use it for promotional leather key fobs.

Basic, but it does the job.   The workspace is pretty small, but ok.   I also have an old DUT hot foil printer, but sadly, at the moment I just don't have the space to do anything with it, so it's lingering in my storage hut.

 

[Trox]

Metallic Elephant rebuilds John T Marshall presses just like mine. One of the guys there have worked at the Marshall  company for many years. I have been searching for such presses here in Norway for years without finding anything, I was about to build my own of a drill press. Then I stumbled over an add in a Norwegian auction site Finn.no called (translated) photo signing press. I bought that for 25 $, repeated the search the next day and found the Marshall. Typical Norwegian to have their own names on stuff or more likely, both seller where photographers and bought them new in a stores that sells photo equipment. Lesson learned, when you do not find what you looking for, search for alternative names. It might work in Romania too  Anyway, building one yourself is not that difficult. I've seen many different types of home built presses that works just fine. I saw one drill press (the ones that you use with a handheld drill) with a die block of aluminum attached where the drill should be. It had a hole on one side with a soldiering iron and a meat thermometer on the other side for controll the temperature. Foil was just placed over the work manually. I bought a couple of small cheap Chinese heating elements on Ebay, each on 200 watt. and they was not expensive. Then it was just the matter of finding a suitable piece of aluminium for the stamping head, drill a hole for the heating element and thread a hole on top for attaching it to the press. The method depends of what kind of press you use of course, Arbor, drillpress or something else. Then making some sort of rack for the foil, side wise like on the Marshall is the easiest way. Such a press would work fine for logo stamping. You could also take it a step further making a stamp head like on my Marshall to acomidiate fonts/type holders. The stamping head can be glued together of brass or aluminium pieces or fixed with screws. No Cnc or welding is necessary to make such head. Is all matter of how much spare time you are willing to invest, calculate that against buying a finished one. The machine type that LumpenDoodle2 uses was once sold on Ebay pretty cheap but are now expensive. They was designed for printing on credit cards but have space enough for straps and small thing. The other cheap Chinese presses they sell on Ebay are just such drill presses. I just could not get myself to pay several hundred $ for one, I started searching for the parts instead for building my own. The only thing that slowed me down, I could not find a decent drillpress online; just crapy ones. I think the Chinese makers have protected them self by not selling these, I know they cannot be expensive since they are using them   I'll think they are for sale on the Chinese Ebay, Taobao is it not. Well, my Chinese is not good enough, I heard there should be a app that translate this site and there are a lot of cheap "leather" related cheap stuff there.  Example, special needle plates for 441 machines as low as 7 USD. Same stuff (or similar) to the ones sold by US "clone" dealer for 150 to 200 USD. Could be an investment to use some time on that site, I know at least one of our US members that shop there regulary.   Here is a YouTube video from Danguman how he made such simple solution out of a rivet press, I don't understand a word that he is saying by the way. His video's speak for them self, check them out; he have lots of great ideas this guy. 

Tor  

[LumpenDoodle2]

I like Danguman, his vids are always worth a squint at.    

Another way to get the elements, plates, etc, if you want a larger press (and I'm sure I said this in another thread), is to check out the old hot foil presses, like the DUT 21, and strip them for parts.   These machines are pretty cheap nowadays.    Mine cost £10, and about 140 mile round trip, but we did have a good blether, coffee, and biccies, before I headed home.    From what I can see, the machines you are after, hold their value a bit better.

That would leave you with just finding a more suitable press mechanism for the leather, and adding the donor parts.   Certainly, old drill presses with goosed motors do turn up here, so maybe haunting the odd car boot sale, or a request on your equivelent of freecycle, could get you what you need.

[LumpenDoodle2]

Just had a google.   Taobao is available in english, if you go through toaboafocus.com.

[arz]

These are all very good ideas, that is what I like about this forum! Unfortunately at the moment I am already trying to do 10 things at once   I'll save these ideas for a later day.

I have searched all the online sites here in Romania for every term possible. Other than new Chinese machines, and a few expensive used ones, that is all I can find. I'll keep an eye open though, maybe I'll find something! Sometimes I wish I was living back in the US where these machines show up used all the time  But I can get better leather here!

-Adam

[Trox]

Thanks, LumpenDoodle2

I will check it out

Adam

I know all about having to many projects at once  Yes the Americans have it all. 

[Chayse]

Here is an idea, if you have an arbor press...very reasonably priced as well. Food for thought....

 

I checked tonight and the whole sha-bang was under $50(on Amazon)...minus the arbor press and heating elements. 

[LumpenDoodle2]

Funnily enough, I had just finished watching this, and was about to upload it.   You beat me to it.

Nicely put together bit of kit.