Fiber board under Heidelberg
Hello, my partner and I have recently purchased a second Heidelberg press, and when we moved it we threw out some heavily oil-soaked fibrous material that was under the corners of the press, about 1/2” thick. The same material appears to underlay our other Heidelberg. It looks like a low-density wood fiber material and I’m thinking it might be an anti-vibration cushion for the press. Does anyone know what the closest available product is? We are dropping our new press to the floor tomorrow and would like to put a similar material underneath if possible.
In the uk it is common to find dutch greyboard under the machine it serves the purpose of levelling the machine and helps reduce rumble through the floor at the same time.
what you use that the machine sits on has to remain stable and allow the machine to sit down and stay put so a hard plastic for instance would be useless ,twenty sheets of cereal box under each corner or other fibrous board will do .
A long long time ago, platens, Heidelberg, Thompson, etc, and big cylinders were usually sat on, (in order) primarily, galvanised, purpose made drip trays, with a quarter moon return at every edge to contain, every liquid, that inevitably made it to the base, with the obligatory absorbant granules, sawdust, cat litter etc, the base was high impacted to the floor, and screwed at four corners, if deemed a requirement, especially with cylinders producing HEAVY reciprocating action, hence drip tray bonded, then purpose made pads of solvent resistant material i.e. hard rubber encased in metal surrounds, and once again bonded between the drip tray and the machine base, X 4 or 6 or 8 etc including levelling fillets all bonded!!! to save the machine walking??? (see footnote*) Exactly the same format could well be applied to 4 point mounted Platen (even minus drip tray, which is always an asset) but substituting the purpose made pads with M. D. F. medium density fibreboard, it withstands massive direct pressure, even in small format, and as the method of manufacture is minutely thin laminates, under 1 and 1/2 tons pressure will prohibit ingress of any thing likely to be absorbed for, a millenium at least, and (fairly obviously) mounted at three corners direct and then fourth corner lifted into 4 point contact with even a small pinch bar, and as I have done on many occasions a small fillet of wood X 4 introduced on every side between the mounting pads to stop all your little desireables nipping under the base, it must have happened already!!!!and you have had to go fishing.??? >>>>>>>> * In the late sixties to mid seventies when letterpress was on its knees last ditch efforts were being made to keep, up by installing BIG BIG letterpress machines, Johannisbergs Supplied by Miller Printing Machinery in U.K. which when running a 32 page forme, at full tilt ,as specified, no problem, except the machine tried to walk, this apparently because the bed and the conrod that drove it, had to be arrested at the end of each stroke with hydraulic/pneumatic buffers, action and reaction, began to walk the machine, even at 10 tons or more, so pretty serious anchors had to be employed!!!
I watched heidelberg engineers stick a 1979 built chain delivery cylinder down using hardboard and pva padding adhesive , it didnt move in the five years i spent around it ,yet a kord 64 fitted in the same fashion shifted about like a duck on a frozen pond , i think success is based upon the dead weight of the machine as much as the cylinders stop and start bed travel , the speed indicators on these bigger machines were marked with a red warning line machines we ran beyond that mark were bolted to the floor .
“Elementery My Dear Watson” aka P. L. the speed, weight, and length of travel, of bed, on a new machine (J,berg) with 32 pages of solid type up, at full tilt at makers recommended speed, against a Heidelberg cylinder with the ink train removed, perspex guard substituted, running a feather weight forme only loaded with cutting, creasing or perfing rule, at a fraction of original speed (because you cannot CUT big formes any way, so I have been told!!!) and rebuilt machines from another era cant stand it in any case. Smashed up racks from the fallen out cuts etc etc, so, no comparison no pro rata contest. >>>> Perhaps a post, Teach-In, short Seminar etc, Re TWO REV as opposed To single rev, might provoke a few questions and a little retro info may be dragged forward, as regards overall speed etc. I for one only comprehend the basic concept and would love Chapter, Verse and Paragraph. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Some of our esteemed friends far west of the Greenwich Meridian, may be tempted to offer some more G*********K as memories rather than facts, some imaginations are quite funny, boring but funny!!!!!