12x 18 c&p
Hello all,
A few months back i had the chance to acquire a c&p new style press before it went to the scrapper. The press has a considerable amount of grime on it, not too much rust tho. It needs a complete overhaul in my opinion. In beginning to dismantle this press I have had one major issue, the pin at the bottom of the press that holds the two halves together is stuck. It moved only a few inches and then nothing either way. I have noticed that the pin itself has several wear marks on it and has started to form grooves… possibly due to improper oiling. I may end up having to cut the pin and then hitting each leftover piece back out the way it did move. The Bigger question I have is now im faced with having to disassemble the whole thing for major cleaning and repainting of all moving parts, does anyone know or have a good diagram of which parts do/can come off and a better idea of how to do it? Or is it mostly a game of keep everything photographed and piece it back together later?
Thanks
What do you mean by the “pin” that holds the two halves together? You really need to post a couple photos. Until you get a couple of definitive answers, don’t do anything further or you may end up ruining the press or destroying a part that can’t easily be replaced. Do not cut anything. Post some photos and be a bit more descriptive, please.
Rich
Front Room Press
Milford, NJ
http://frontroompress.com
http://frontroompress.blogspot.com
There is a step by step proccess to tearing down a press on the greendolphinpress.com.
http://www.greendolphinpress.com/letterpress-faq.html#3.06
If you mean the bed shaft which holds the bed to the rest of the press at the bottom “hinge”, my experience has been that it does not come out easily. Probably has to be driven out with a rod and hammer or another tool. See diagram on the site at address below.
http://www.boxcarpress.com/community/manuals/cp-newseries-parts-list.pdf
The advice to look at the Green Dolphin site is also very smart.
Good luck
Yes, if that is the “pin” you mean, you must lower the bed to the ground to take the weight off it before removing it. There is a description of how to do this safely in the LETPRESS Frequently Asked Questions. Also, there are two locking collars on this shaft on the inside of each side of the press. They are secured with bolts that can dimple the shaft and make it difficult to remove since they prevent it from going through the journals, i.e. the holes bored in the bed and side castings in which the shaft sits. Move the collars out of the way and file the dimples off.
There should also be a bolt that goes through the lower right side of the bed casting at the bed’s pivot shaft hole. This is often missing but is designed to lock the shaft to the motion of the bed. The bearings for this shaft are in the side castings and if the shaft is not secured to the bed casting in this manner the bed casting will move on the shaft where there are no oil holes and wear the shaft out. If the bolt is not there, replace it.
Again, a couple photos would be helpful.
Rich
Front Room Press
Milford, NJ
http://frontroompress.com
http://frontroompress.blogspot.com