click photo to enlarge

The clevis style end takes the plunger drive pin and will usually remove
the most stubborn plunger with just a few "raps" of the slide. I've never
tried it without the machine being "hot" - that seems futile.

I've loaned it to other machinists with "rave reviews".

click photo to enlarge

BLOWER LINE OIL TRAP FOR KLUGE FEEDERS

This oil trap was made from a 1 quart canning jar with the ring and disk lid. I actually turned a somewhat thicker disk on my lathe, but you could probably make it with a standard disk. It simply amounts to two 1/2 inch
copper pipe tubes soldered to the lid and descending into the jar - one (inlet) about 2/3 down, the other (outlet) tube only about 1/3 down. Two copper elbows on the inlet tube hook to the hose coming up from the pump The shorter outlet tube hooks to the hose going to the blower assembly on the feeder. A few layers (about an inch thick) of paper towel, rag, etc. in the bottom along with something to help hold them down (I used a short piece of square tubing) so the air doesn't try to lift it at first. I made a bracket which screws to the lid and also drilled and tapped a couple of holes to bolt the whole thing to the gear guard. Since installing this trap 9 or 10 years ago I have not had to clean out the blower lines even once, nor have I had spoiled stock from oil blowing through the lines. Before, the oil from the pump would work it's way up the line and eventually would splatter on the bottom of the feeder pile. Then it would take about an hour or more to disassemble the whole mess, blow solvent through it to clean out the oil and gunk, and reassemble it, usually a couple of times per year.

click here for most but not exclusive past discussions about this topic from "letterpress discussion list"

Photo and text by: Leonard W Molberg, aka MO

click photos to enlarge

This roller was designed to have adjustable segments which would ink only the numbering wheels, but not the plunger. Originally I made it because I was having trouble getting the wheel nearest the plunger inked. I cut sections from an old 2 inch diameter Kelly roller which had a 7/8 inch diameter shaft through the center, which was enough to drill and ream to 9/16 inch bore and hold a couple of 10-32 set screws on each hub. One photo is of the whole assembly, another is a closeup of a couple of the segments, and the third is a closeup of one of the Kluge steel hub roller trucks which was also drilled and tapped for set screws. The whole thing is assembled on a piece of 9/16 inch diameter drill rod. I have run hundreds of jobs where this roller, in conjunction with standard rollers, kept the numbering heads inked properly. If you made a pair of these roller assemblies, you could work around vertical perfs as well. There is enough support with the four rollers to also allow it to run on the 12 x 18 C&P which has no roller tracks next to the ink disk.

click here for most but not exclusive past discussions about this topic from "letterpress discussion list"

Photos and text by: Leonard W Molberg, aka MO

click photo to enlarge

PYRAMID OR RIDER ROLLERS

This is the "pyramid" or "Rider" roller I added to my 8 x 12 C&P OS press
which was discussed at length some time ago on Letpress.

This was an extra harder rubber roller that was just like the regular rollers except in my case I had been given a couple of them which measured 1-5/8 inch in diameter. Any offset roller or another standard press roller would work if the length and diameter were able to be worked around. The roller is mounted between to home made "pillow block" type plain bearings I simply sawed out of a piece of a Linotype pig and drilled to take the 7/16 inch shaft. To mount it on the double roller saddle, I tapped the existing oil holes to take 10/24 machine screws. I made it purposely a bit short and put shims underneath to adjust how tightly it runs against the two form rollers. Some day I may even replace the two screws with matching heads!

click here for most but not exclusive past discussions about this topic from "letterpress discussion list"

Photo and text by: Leonard W Molberg, aka MO

click photos to enlarge

LIGHTWEIGHT PLYWOOD CHASES FOR C&P's & KLUGES

The first chase I made was for "landscape" forms I regularly crash imprint. There is a small area which takes up to six 12 point Linotype slugs with one 4-1/2 inch Hi-Speed Challenge quoin. Just above it is a slot for a 10 pica wide #6 Wetter numbering head with a separate 3 inch quoin. Some of the forms had a line under the numbering head, and some needed the numbering head lower on the form to accomodate a special plunger letter slide, so I made the slot somewhat longer than appears necessary. The old steel chase for this form, with furniture and lockup, weighed 26-1/2 pounds, this one weighs just over 5 pounds!

There are two photos, one of just the chase, and one in the press.

I sawed out the blanks from 5/8 inch Baltic Birch plywood, which is very strong, dense and stable plywood. I squared them up and cut the 30 degree angles on a table saw, then I roughed out the holes with a "saber saw" and finished them with a straightedge and router for straightness and squareness. The larger cutout area can be used to lock up a special line imprinted in the body of the form, however if I remake this chase at some point I will try to make that cutout closer to the type area, as there is the occasional form that needs the "AE" for American Express "X'd out"
which I cannot reach with this version.

The second chase shown is one I just finished for a series of "Portrait" style forms which will hold the Linotype slugs and the numbering head with one six inch quoin. There are three forms that fit this chase - some I slide the 20 pica slugs to the right, some to the left, and I can adjust the numbering head up or down easily. This chase weighs even less than the first one shown. The larger cutout area can also be used to lock up a line outside the normal imprint area on the forms, and the rectangular cutouts on either side are simply for lightness and easier handling.

All of these chases appear to be incredibly strong for their weight, however I don't know if they would be strong enough to hold up if you made them the full 12 x 18 inch inside dimensions. I've run hundreds of short (up to 5 or 6 M) order with the first one with no appreciable signs of deterioration. I've put some varnish on them to allow cleaning of ink from bumping on the rollers.

click here for most but not exclusive past discussions about this topic from "letterpress discussion list"

Photos and text by: Leonard W Molberg, aka MO