Identifying Liberty Presses

Press Models

The earliest advertisements for Liberty presses list three models: 2, 3, and 4. By 1886, two additional sizes (2A and 3A) had been added. An 1889 ad listed model number 5.

Model numbers 3X and 4X are the same size as 3 and 4, but are built for extra heavy work such as printing boxes.

The sizes are the inside dimensions of the standard chase.

 Model 
 Number  		Chase size
inches cm
2  7 x 11 18 x 28
2A 9 x 13 23 x 33
3, 3X  10 x 15 25 x 38
3A 11 x 17 28 x 43
4, 4X   13 x 19   33 x 48 
5   15.5 x 22   39 x 56 

Serial Number

It's easy to find a serial number on a Liberty press. The number is centered on the crank shaft, which is located just below the closed platen.

On the earliest Liberty presses, only the serial number is present. Later, it was surrounded by a shield with the word "LIBERTY" at the top. The cities of manufacture (New York and, after 1881, Berlin) are inside or beside the shield.

Liberty Serial Number on Crank Shaft Liberty Serial Number on Crank Shaft Liberty Serial Number on Crank Shaft Liberty Serial Number on Crank Shaft

The examples above are from the Liberty presses in Darmstadt, San Jose, Brussels, and Belgium.

Manufacturer Name and City

Many Liberty presses have the name of the manufacturer and the cities of manufacture stamped somewhere on the press.

One of the oldest surviving Liberty presses lists only the inventor, Frederick Otto Degener.

Degener took on a partner, F. M. Weiler, and manufactured the press under the name Degener & Weiler in New York City.

Degener died in 1873, and in 1877 Weiler bought the business and ran it under the name "F. M. Weiler's Liberty Machine Works."

Around May 1886 the business name changed to "Liberty Machine Works".

About 1881 a manufacturing plan was opened in Berlin.

Manufacturing in New York was discontinued in 1890, but continued in Berlin for more than 20 years longer.

Patent Dates

United States patents grant exclusive rights to an invention for a period of time. In 1861, a new law set the period to 17 years; previously it ran for 14 years with the possibility of a 7 year extension. When you see a patent date on a piece of machinery, you know that it was manufactured between the patent and expiration dates.

The three patents related to the Liberty platen press are available on-line.

Patent dates for the Liberty presses at Mystic Seaport Museum, History San Jose, First Congregational Church, and Tempo Srl are:

These dates tell us this press was manufactured between 1874 (the latest date) and 1881 (7 years after the extension).

Note: The Mystic press lists "Degener & Weiler" as the manufacturer, so it must have been built by 1877. The other presses list "F. M. Weiler," so their manufacture date is 1877 or later.

Throw-Off Lever

A platen press's throw-off lever, when shifted, causes the press to miss an impression while the press is running...there will be a gap between the platen and the form, and the type will not print. When the lever is in the "normal" position, the platen strikes the form on each revolution.

The earliest Liberty presses did not have a throw-off, but it was a featured as an option on the "improved" Liberty in 1886. Note: the First Congregational Church press, manufactured sometime between 1877 and 1881, is the earliest example of a Liberty that has a throw-off.

The lever is centered on a shaft immediately behind the platen. When in the upper position, the press makes an impression, but pulling the lever down into the lower position keeps the press from printing.

Liberty presses without a throw-off lever usually have a delivery board that fits closely behind the tympan when the press is open. In order to make room for the lever, the delivery board on a Liberty press with a throw-off had to change. On early presses, the segment behind the platen was removed. Later (perhaps around 1888), the delivery board is not rectangular but has a roundish cutout on the side toward the press.

No throw-off on History San Jose's Liberty press Split delivery board at Boston church Throw-off visible on Herwig Kempenaers' Liberty press

The Liberty at History San Jose (left) does not have a throw-off, while the throw-off lever can be seen on a press in Boston (center) and Herwig Kempenaers' Liberty (right).

Main Liberty press page.

Page created by Dave Tribby
Last modified January 17, 2005