Inking Problem C&P 10x15

I’ve been having a lot of inconsistent inking on my press for the last few runs and cannot figure out how to fix it, please help!

I’m running a C&P 10x15 with a variable motor and have been getting very uneven inking. It will run perfect for a few times and then all of the sudden have a lot of the ink on the photopolymer plate disappear. The other strange thing is that it doesn’t always happen in the same place and seems to migrate to different areas.

I can bandaid solve the problem by spinning the rollers and it will ink evenly for a few rotations then the problem pops back up. I’ve cleaned the oil off of the rails and trucks because I figured it might be skipping but that hasn’t helped. Do I need to get new trucks? I believe I can rule out inking problems and indention so I’m thinking this has to do with the rollers and/or trucks.

Thanks for any help! Image attached.

image: inking.jpg

inking.jpg

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It sounds to me like either non-concentric roller trucks or uneven rollers. What kind of rollers are you running and how old are they, and what kind of trucks? You are right to check and clean oil from the trucks and rails as that can be a source of trouble, but usually more like slurring of ink, not light or no coverage. The fact that spinning the rollers helps indicates rollers or trucks uneven. When the rollers are on the ink disc is there any indication of uneveness?

Bob

How many rollers do you have on your press, 3? What kind of ink are you using oil or rubber base? What kind of trucks are you using Morgans, metal? Did you try flipping the image 90 degrees? Did you try flipping the rollers and changing the order of them? Does it only happen with your PP plates?

Your rollers may be set too high.

Rollers seem too high. Do you have a roller gauge. Just try a piece of manilla behind the forme to pack towards the rollers. Take some packing out to compensate. Take a test print and see if thats better.