Delrin rollers or morgan?
I am getting my hands on a press soon I just have to buy rollers and trucks for it. I have seen that people recomend delrin if you plan on working with photopolymer and morgan expansion for working with metal type. I am curious what would be best if you planned on working with both wood, metal and photopolymer?
Personally, this is speaking from experience; I’d take the delrin (because it’s sure to be true until you dent it), and use strapping tape or some other non-compressable tape on the rails to change the height of the inking rollers.
MERTS are okay and I have a set, but I just prefer the delrin. Nothing to fiddle with and the tape on the rails gives predictable, repeatable results. what I mean by that is- if you have a roll of tape, and three strips worked for polymer, you write in your notebook- “november 7th- 3 strips strapping tape brand X on left rail brought rollers to correct inking height to contact polymer on boxcar base.”
Then, if the next week you are working with some oddly planed wood type, and you need to add 3 more strips, print the type, and then switch back to polymer, you write, “6 strips of strapping tape brand X for wood type, november 12th, 2012”.
If you print polymer right after, you refer to your notebook, and say: “oh yeah, 3 strips worked last week.”
No screwing around with MERTS and eccentrics and roller pressure that is unpredicable. Maybe it’s me, but I just didn’t particularly like those things.
(I have a model N with adjustable ink rails, and I still prefer to leave the rails where they are and add strips of tape where needed, using the methods I described above, if I choose to run metal backed plates, for example, and they make the form a little too thick because they’re not deigned to run with adhesive behind them IIRC, I can revert to normal plastic backed pretty easily).
Is this your first press?
Ya first press. It is an 8x12 Oldstyle C&P. I also have read about the tape on rails you seem to not had a problem but some people put the tape on the actual trucks which just seems like a hassle so i you have done with no problem ill probably just tape the rails. I have never heard of straping tape do you just get that at a hardwarr store? What brand?
i always tape my trucks, especially the metal ones, but i mostly use morgan trucks, you can adjust them easily. taping the rails can be a pain, i know lots of people that do, i have tried it and will only tape rails if i’m in a rush.you can use electricians tape, the reinforced tape Haven talks about should be at a hardware store. the 8x12 is a nice press, be careful feeding it cause these guys can bite very hard.
I think the key to the answer to this is whether there is a difference in diameter between rollers and trucks. If so, and the rollers are larger, tape the trucks. If rollers are smaller, you’re stuck. If they are the same diameter, and the rails are below type high, tape the rails. Having any significant difference in diameter between rollers and trucks will lead to ink slurring on the printing surface, and if it’s polymer it will be very difficult to get a satisfactory print unless you’re VERY easily satisfied!
Bob
Re roller TRUCKS, as I have been seeing these in depth discussions about same items, as a self appointed challenge and for fun at 3 a.m. ish in the morning I made 5 trucks one of each from, aluminium, (in 2 sizes) brass, and copper and out of my head one compound example i.e. aluminium base to slide onto your existing stock with an adaptor ring on top, like sliding a wedding ring on etc with a series of 1, 2, 3, or more increments to suit whatever height required, CHANGED in SECONDS to suit the roller height to the job. (marked on the job bag, docket, order no etc, adaptor ring A, B, C, on the run in seconds).. I could have used nylon, which we use as gears on some litho machines, but nylon doesnt turn so well on a conventional lathe. Perhaps one of YOUR learned friends could review my post and offer some constructive comments. At least 2 members of our British Printing Society want to avail themselves of my efforts and I am awaiting there instructions and measurements, probably for Adanas? with worn bearers!!!