You can file this under gross. It’s years and years worth of ink and grime on our newly acquired Pearl press. After doing a bit of cleaning, we’ve discovered there’s much more work to do than we initially thought. Our first plans of just using a degreaser fell apart once we realized the gunk wasn’t budging. Now, we’re using a paint stripper.
The picture above is layers of ink + grime on the backside of the platen, and the picture below is the buildup on the chase holder.
I love that you’re sharing the process of getting your second press set up!
What a pain! Best of luck