workhorse manual

[Gabe]

Howdy does anyone prints on a manual screen printing machine 6c 4s made by workhorse products
I`am curious about how good reggies are
is it able to hold butt to butt registration
Thanks in advance 

[Homer]

I have an 8 color. . .yes and yes. . .but there are better presses. I want that M&R something or other with the air locks. . .that sh!t is bananas. . .although, screw manuals, that is hard work!

[Denis Kolar]

I heard good hings about it, but in my opinion (any many others too) Antec Legend and Vastex 2000HD are the best machines in manual world (if you have to sick with manual).
Printhouse has 8 color Workhorse manual too.

[Evo]

Howdy does anyone prints on a manual screen printing machine 6c 4s made by workhorse products
I`am curious about how good reggies are
is it able to hold butt to butt registration
Thanks in advance 

With "manual" sized screens, provided the press is in good condition an well maintained, yes it will hold registration quite well. As with any back-clamp press, proper setup and adjustment is crucial. The Workhorse's use nylon registration bolts, a la Hopkins. As long as these are checked on a regular basis, and the off-contact landing pads are setup correctly in the first place, it will hold reg on most any job.

That said, after owning an 8 color Chameleon with air locks, I am ruined for any other press. It holds 23x31 Newman M3's with the flick of a switch. I haven't had to use traps in artwork since I bought it. (in fact I remove trapping from customer separated artwork all the time)

[Shawn (EIP)]

Might be picking up a 6/6 workhorse myself on the cheap. Seems sturdy , no arm flex , just as well built as my RJennings press (don"t tell Roger I said that...)

I have seen a used workhorse press in another shop that had 2 of its casting heads snapped from over torqing the reggies.

[screenxpress]

I've got a 6/4 Workhorse.  But mine is the lighter version of the one you have pictured.  Mine keeps pretty good registration for back clamps.  Just don't 'horse' the screens when rotating or you will change the registration.  That's probably true on any of the ones with back clamps. 

I've seen the Workhorse model close up that is in your picture at the local supply house.  It's a much heavier, more solid press than my model.  Heavy steel wheel carousel and beefier arms....and yes, I could tell the difference when pulling the heads down.  But what I've got is what I've got, lol.

[Screened Gear]

I have a 6/6 Workhorse manual. They are great. I do butt reg with no issues. I print 4 color process on it also.  It is a great press. Having 6 boards is needed for cool down if you print fast .  The nylon the bolts have never been a issue. I have read that people are afraid of them breaking or not being strong enough to hold registration. They are only used when you are adjusting the reg and you tighten it they cannot break.  When you tighten the registration lock down bolts nothing moves. You can use auto frames on them, I have been for a while no different results than manuals.. Keep in mind that this press has been made for many years. There is very old ones that may be not as good as mine. I bought mine 2.5 years ago. The newer ones have a black spring guard on them you can see it in the pictures. (those have been built in the last 5 years. If you find one get the serial number or even a picture and workhorse can tell you how old it is.

[Frog]

As others have noted, a good, commercial quality basic machine. I have a Mach VI and though I'd love the precision and predictability of true XY type micro reg and bearing type registration gates, it is perfectly capable of making as good a print as any manual, and in the right hands (nobrainsd comes to mind) results can be stunning!

[tonypep]

All above presses are very good machines. The Chameleon 14 colors were developed as strike off machines for large automated shops hence some of the "overkill" however I have an 8 and it is awesome if not a little weighty on the spin. The side clamps and air locks are a real nice touch. That said I'm looking at rebuilding some Rototex manuals that have been laying around. Not a lot of "goodie features" but one sturdy SOB.
Might be putting them up for sale.

[Printhouse]

I have an 8/8 that I absolutely love.  I do butt registration for all my artwork and as others have mentioned as long as it is set up and maintained properly it holds registration perfectly.  Last week I did 390 4 color fronts and never touched a single knob throughout the entire run.  I would of course love to have an M&R manual but this one popped up locally at an incredible price.  I don't regret picking it up at all and I am always on the lookout for other good deals on them.  Another great thing is that there are a ton of them out there and spare parts, pallet brackets, etc. are easy to come by.  I run 16 X 22 boards for regular days and then have a set of 4 boards in youth, sleeve, oversized and some specialty cuts that I can throw on quickly.  I keep about 10 spares of each of the nylon reg bolts on hand but have never replaced any as of yet.  Another selling point is the people at workhorse...  They are awesome to deal with.  Every time I make a call to them I am amazed at at how knowledgeable yet down to earth they are.

[Gabe]

wow it sounds like a serious piece of machine
Does this machine 8\8 has the room capacity to load screens for all over prints like 25 by 36
with side clamps for maximum stability
thanks team mates

[Frog]

I don't know if Workhorse offers side clamps, but to fit huge screens and huge boards like you mention would require skipping every other head at the least.

Side clamps have their place, especially with loose framed and, or warped wood screens, or to aid in moving screens for name drops, but are not indispensable.

[Shawn (EIP)]

All this positive talk gave me the final push to act on one that's being sold locally...  6/6

[Printhouse]

I run 23 X 31 screens on my standard back clamps without any issues at all.  Like Frog mentioned you have to skip every other head to go larger.  I also have a Brown Master Printer that has side clamps that I use for oddball stuff.  I thought I would not be able to print without the side clamps but each actually has their place.  Hopefully you can move on that one.  I have been looking for another workhorse myself.

[Screened Gear]

WorkHorse does sell side clamps for their presses. I have back clamps and have never had a problem. There is a few things that I have done just to make the press work better, not that you need it. I broke a few boards off the clamps in the beginning. (they are wood boards) the boards are just screwed into the boards so over time the get loose. I went and got some epoxy and glued the screws and the clamp to the boards. It makes them very strong. I also put some grip tape (the stuff you put on stairs or skate boards) on the bottom part of the clamps. They are smooth metal and if you are swinging the screens around hard they can slip a little. (it only happened on maybe 2 jobs before in 2 years)