Step back in time and watch a 19th-century printing press in action.

Meet Willy Coenradi, an award-winning printing press expert and avid collector living in Helensville. In this video, he explains how to manoeuvre an 1880 Columbian Press. According to Willy, the Columbian is one of the most glamorous presses of all time. Weighing 900kg, it is a beautiful but hefty piece of machinery.

The Columbian, the rarest in Willy’s  collection, was certainly not easy to import from Canada. When the press first arrived at his door, it wasn’t even in a shape to be used. A long process of restoration had to be undertaken to get it to this ability in the video. The Columbian is one of 12 printing presses in Willy’s collection.

Read about Willy’s collection in the Sept/Oct 2021 issue of NZ Life & Leisure.

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