Roller Dimensions for C&P 8x12
Hello Briarpressers,
I have recently acquired a C&P 8x12 and am now in the process of cleaning it and ordering rollers etc.
I have found a place locally here in Australia (thanks Arthur! :) that will re-cover the old rollers for me - they are covered in little bumps, almost like pimples (lovely!) and unusable it would seem.
The guy I spoke to said to bring in the rollers and he will re-cover the shaft with new rubber - sounds good so far.
His question - and what I need help with - is, what are the required dimensions for the rollers? i.e. if he makes the new rollers going by the measurements of the OLD rollers, which may very well be worn down due to years of use/rotting, then he’s not sure if they will be the right size.
My question is, if I take him both the old rollers and the trucks, would it be safe enough to ask him to make the new rollers to be the same dimension as the trucks, having heard this is what they should be - OR - is there a specific roller dimension that the C&P 8x12 should have?
If anyone has a C&P manual or knows the answer to this question, I would be very grateful! They are quite expensive so I want to make sure I am getting the right size straight off.
Thanks so much.
Ideally you will want rollers the same size as, or only slightly bigger than, your trucks. How do the rails of your press look? Are the worn down significantly or still type high? This may play a role in the roller size that will best suit your needs.
Thanks so much dicharry, I will check the rails and see what condition they’re in first.
The 8x12 C&P is a very common press and you shouldn’t have any problems ordering new rollers. Both NA Graphics and Tarheel Rollers know the proper sizes. Buy from them or another recommended dealer and buy some new delrin trucks at the same time. Then you’ll know that part is good to go.
If the rails are worn, or just low, you can either tape them up or use type high roller bearers to get rid of that problem. I found taping them to be a real royal pain. It seldom lasted for very long and evening out unevenly worn rails is tedious. I’d rather be printing, so angle aluminum or steel roller bearers are always in my chase. I don’t have inking problems, except the ones I cause by over or under inking. Or using ink I probably should have thrown out.
With roller bearers the condition of the rails is irrelevant, since the trucks (at least on my press, which has rails about 3 points under type high) aren’t even touching them while going over the type.
I am a little curious about theses roller bearers. From what I could find online, it looks like they lock into the chase and the rollers run over them, and actually ink them. Is this right?
It seems like this would solve the problem of uneven rails, but would it not print tons of ink on your typan, take tons of ink off your plate, making the run trail off quickly, etc…???
If they are so wonderful, where do I buy some so I can try them firsthand?
Right: They lock into the chase and overhang the edges of the chase and so only take up about 1/16 inch or so on either side of the chase.
I trim my tympan and packing to make sure that the bearers do not print. Even then I get a small amount of ink transfer to the platen occasionally, but that’s easily cleaned up and is not, in any case, in the area I’m using to print, so none gets on the paper.
Roller bearers do take some ink off the table, but after that is adjusted for they actually act a bit like an extra, if small, ink reservoir. Most of my runs are quite short so I don’t really notice. As most beginners tend to over ink anyway, taking a bit of ink off the table might not be a bad idea.
The largest problem I’ve had with them is that they can interfere with gauge pins, and being harder than type, tend to smash them thoroughly.
I don’t know of any source for purchasing new ones. Used ones come up for sale every so often and I’ll buy any I find for the 8x12 in swap meets and auctions for a reasonable price. I have three sets just now.
They wouldn’t be that hard to make if you have access to a sheet metal brake and something that could grind the one edge that gets locked up into the chase accurately down to type height.
very interesting.
I can tell you that typan on a platen press is useless anyways, so cutting it would not be a problem. I just tape chipboard on the base on the bottom and sides and leave the closest to me open so I can quickly add packing without messing up my registration from opening up the ends and resetting the typan. I have been using this process for years with amazing results. Funny, I stumbled upon it because I was really rushed, and this just came out. Try it and thank me later.
I will have to make some of these roller bearers, I have been troubleshooting them in my mind and think that some adjustments should be made. I will let you know what I find. Who knows, maybe I will start selling them once I get it figured out? They seem like a great way to print on a press with uneven rails, which I previously thought were only useful for diecutting. That alone makes me very happy that presses in this condition can have a new life without altering them.