My chase moves up throughout the print run, Help please!

What kind of C&P? Is the chase hook not latching or is it moving up, too? Maybe a photo or two would help. Also where are you…maybe someone is nearby and can come over for a look-see.

Sounds like your chase clamp spring is “sprung”! Look at the back where the latch is, “the lever you pull up on to clamp the chase.” There is, or should be a spring hook to it. It may have broken or come loose. Remove it, study it, find a replacement and put it back on. I’ve seen different configurations on these presses, but basically they all do the same thing. Keeps tension on the latch so your chase won’t be working up & down. You could go to a hardware store and find a spring with hooks on both ends. If it isn’t long enough when you put it on tie a coat hanger or something similar, (that won’t break or give) and attach permanently -Hope this helps. Good luck

Winfred Reed
Black Diamond Press (Kentucky).

I believe there is a wire loop that runs through some holes in the webs of the bed, from the the chase hook down to a compression spring under the webs at the bottom of the bed… a bit like the springs on the safety chain for a storm door. The spring may be sprung or the wire may have fatigued/stretched.

Thanks so much! As soon as I get to our studio tomorrow I’ll take a look at the spring.

The Thompson British Auto Platen out of Manchester U.K. solved this problem many many, years ago by incorporating a *Knurled* thumb screw onto/into the back edge of the chase lock lever, (pictured many times on *video*) surely not rocket science to incorporate, even now!! as well as the spring,!!! one threaded hole, hand tapped, with just an Allen bolt as thumb screw, Allen bolts always have knurled shoulders, or even a *T* handle Allen key.

The thumbscrew is worthy notion, but the area is narrow between the ink disk and the bed, plus the chase hook pivot is at the end of the hook… not much of a rocker.

What is not shown is the hole in the part under the hook, where the wire attaches to pull the hook down.

ChaseHook.jpg

Oops. Not a hole, a hook.

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This seems very odd to me.
Something is providing a ‘lift’ to the chase. Is there a workup in the form, some high furniture that the rollers are striking?
Hope you find the problem then let us know.

Is it just possible that the problem is caused by the positioning/chase registering lugs at the bottom of the chase? In /on the bed.? being loose or misaligned, with only a business card image area involved, there surely must be another factor influencing upward thrust, on the chase & defying the laws of gravity??? Just a shot in the dark!!!

you need to watch this press Very carefully as it runs on impression. i have seen this on foil presses with no ink rollers.
if you are hitting high on the platen with uneven pressure,(platen is rocking back, even slightly,determine gatelock is not trying to “jump out”) this will force any chase/ honeycomb up. get a good sturdy lever and check for slop in the lower “bed shaft” it is the one that the bed pivots on.

maybe it could be a piece of 6 pica furniture locked up the wrong way, this would make it get hit by the rollers and might be causing the problem.

I agree with dickg, check your lock up, something is hitting the rollers as they travel up and down the chase cause it to move or jump.

There is no reason for the spring to be the problem, as it just holding the chase. The weight of the chase and lockup is holding the chase down. The moving rollers hitting something in your lock up t moving the chase.

would there not be:
A) the same hitting on the way down? I realize that the second/last hit would be the rollers on the way up…
B) ink on whatever is being hit?
C) a noise if the hitting were off the inking part of the roller span?