The Albatross Press is a 'Figure Four'  Washington iron hand printing press that is at least a century old.  It was forged in Middetown, NY and has a large press bed, so it may have been originally created for newspaper or some other industrial use.

My father found the press in the sub basement of the Donaldson Art Sign Company in the late 60s, where it had been used as a proofing press for enabled tin signs.  (It can deboss a serious amount of pressure.)  He bought it from the foreman for about $5 and took it home to fix it up.

When I was growing up, my father used it to print Christmas cards or invitations to the annual 'Burgoo parties' we held, by hand cutting linoleum blocks and doing block prints.
A couple of years ago my dad decided he was tired of moving the press, (about a ton of pig iron) and so the press was handed down.

After searching around Brooklyn, I found a studio space that seemed perfect, and in one rather laborious weekend we moved it up Brooklyn into the new space.

I am learning all the press' quirks, as I go, and I have been working with illustrators and digital artists to come up with interesting projects for the press.  It’s an adventure and a hoot, and keep checking back with this space to see what comes out of it next.

The press's credo is this ~ Every project should be interesting.