platen press parts

A few years ago, I talked with guy named Jack Frank about platen press parts. I think he is in Detroit (?) Does anyone have contact info for him?

Thank you,

Craig Malmrose

Log in to reply   7 replies so far

I could not find a clear ruling on this on the OSHA website: Does anyone know if large platen presses can still be used in a commercial or university studio setting? I’ve seen some in operation with guards on them, but wasn’t sure if these were somehow “grandfathered” into the commercial sector. Thank you for any help you can offer!

Craig Malmrose

Jack Frank was in Chicago. If he’s still in the business, it’s on a limited scale.
I have a couple of platen presses that I’m parting out. What parts are you looking for?
Running platens in commerical or university situations is dicey; talk to the institution’s lawyers.

John H:

Thank you. I’m not seeking any specific parts at the moment, but might be in the future depending on what we acquire. I received an email from an OSHA rep who indicated that C&P and Kluges can be used, but must have guards over the flywheel, etc. I appreciate your help with this matter.

Craig

I THINK that OSHA had outlawed platen presses at one time. Seems to me that I heard that Chandler & Price sent letters to all schools telling them to destroy all their C & Ps as they were unsafe. Shortly thereafter, Chandler and Price diappeared. No records, no nothing. How does a company that was that old and that big (at one time) just disappear?
It’s been my experience that one OSHA representative will tell you one thing and another rep tell you something completely different. Talk to a lawyer.

I don’t think OSHA can “outlaw” any piece of equipment. I’m no expert though. I’d think the most they can do is tell you where you need guards and lockouts. Typically it’s any rotational part needs to be fully guarded and any crush hazard needs a lock out/ safety.

OSHA walked into a little “mom & pop” shop where I worked several years ago. They were looking for another business but decided to inspect our shop anyway “Since they were there.” They “outlawed” two machines by requiring guards over the machines that made the machines impossible to operate. By the time they got around to inspecting the Linotype my boss was catching on and told the inspector that that machine was no longer in use. The inspector had no idea what the machine did so he believed my boss. If he had seen it operate, he would have had us put a cover over the entire machine! How the platen escaped being completely covered, I’ll never understand. OSHA shut our shop down until we made the changes. The little shop was struggling as it was but with the two week shut down and the fines, it was too much and the company went bankrupt and put me out of a job.

Jack Frank’s block long multi-storied “pigeon roost warehouse” in Chicago closed a while back. Was a great experience to go through it. Had its own slug cutter room, miterer room, etc. A room full of press manuals, printing literature, etc, all heaped in one huge pile. For some reason, perhaps through artistic bent, in the ink room there was a similar pile, about a four or five foot doom of ink they had poured out of cans. One whole floor with C&Ps and a big hole in the floor where one let go and dropped through a couple more floors ending up in the basement. They kept the Vandercooks on the top floor, not much left to the roof or the Vandercooks. Even had a collection of old cars and for some odd reason, a massive amount of snowmobiles. And watch dogs that would track you (within an inner wall) as you made your way around. I used to travel down there every few months or so. Always worth the trip.

I have the OSHA regulations for cleaning the inking system of a Vandercook. Must have been quite the undertaking for some OSHA clerk I imagine. If you had to follow it (and I suppose you might in some situations), you would quit using the machine.

Gerald