HELP- press stopped running!

What model of press is it?

Brad.

What make and model of press? What was the job? As much detail as possible will help folks here possibly make useful suggestions.
—
Michael Hurley
Titivilus Press
Memphis, TN

C&P OS - 10x15, if I recall.
http://www.kismetletterpress.com/#!about-us/c1tra

Is it stiff even with impression off?

do you have any main oil points (ie: main shaft, side arms, back shaft, bed shaft, cam roller) that when you oil, still have oil in those points? if the oil is still there, it is not going into the bearing.
side arms are easy to remove and clean out. main shaft not so much. if finding a plugged oil point that is not easily to dis-assemble and clean such as the main shaft, use “Marvel Mystery” oil and run the press backwards. if it totally locked up, start with WD-40. then move up to Marvel, then on to a good 50W full synthetic oil. you have a bad bearing/bushing someplace

Thanks for all of your suggestions. It took 4 hours of pulling my press- 10x15 Chandler and Price apart but we finally solved the mystery. The previous owner loved grease - I scrapped a foot pile of thick dried grease off the machine. However, the grease had worked its way into 3 oil holes and clogged them. Unclogging was the easy part. But did not resolve the issue. We pulled the smaller gear - the pinion off and it had a hardened lump of old grease in there. After cleaning it out it fixed the problem. Whew what a relief.

And I did have to clean everything with WD-40. I will switch to a lighter oil. I will try the 50W synthetic. Thanks ericm

Good to hear. :)

Cleaning the ports and all the teeth of the gears is a chore, but the press should run like butter thereafter. It will be quieter and faster, so don’t let it catch you off guard.

An old mechanic’s thumb rule was oil for bearings and grease for gears.
However, keep in mind that there is no grease in the gears in a transmission.
Chandler & Price listed oil, but not grease. Only oil for the gears.

Personally, I wouldn’t use anything as thick as a 50w, and especially not a synthetic. 50w will be quite viscous and will drag on the moving parts unnecessarily. Heavier weights of oil are mostly for high-temperature, high-speed uses where the environment will lower the oil’s viscosity. The bearings in a C&P are neither. Most anything you buy that’s synthetic will also include detergents and other additives that are specifically designed for automotive engine and gearbox use. They’re unnecessary for the kind of lubrication needed in a C&P. You can buy 30w non-detergent traditional oil at most automotive supply places. I buy mine at Advance. Works great as a press lubricant.
—
Michael Hurley
Titivilus Press
Memphis, TN

Depending on the wear, a heavier oil may hang in the journals a bit better than straight-thirty… and most of these presses have seen a lifetime of duty already.

For years I have used Petroleum Jelly to lubricate gears. I brush it on to the gear surface, being careful not to overload or slop-over. It is lightweight, clings well (rather than running down the side of the press), and cleans up easily. Commercial shops I have worked in kept several weights of oil for use seasonally. In the summer they would use a heavier weight oil, and in the winter a lighter weight. I prefer the synthetic oils, because they have a better clinging quality, leaving a coating on the metal at all times.

Paul

i run 2) 14x22 & 1) 12x18 kluge(s), all manually oiled. sometimes up to 30,000 sheets a day. i oil all points once a week and the “Heavy use points” twice a day… The 50w synthetic works great. Any oil is better than none. so,,, i won’t argue what is better. C&P’s Kluges are simple machines. They just want some sort of oil in there. These presses utilize many “bushings” not many “Roller/ball Bearings” synthetic oil is far superior for these applications. it is my choice and my wallet that puts 50w synthetic in them. i can hear the difference in the sound of the machine. and yes,,, at times,,, with the right job,,,i do run at 3,100 imp/hr

Went to your website, you run the press outside?

? I don’t have a web site…