UK - Card chases

Have one for a 10x15 c&p, looks just like the one pictured.

There was another system for reducing the large chases area to a small one and it came up in a conversation at the museum we none of us can remember its name my mate said he calls them “space savers ” they are steel or aluminium depending who made them ,they look like solid furniture but have a set of steps in the ends that interlock to form oblongs or squares and are locked in the position you require using quoins ,this forms an area of whatever given size to do your mini changes some small lengths are two em thick ,the larger dimensions are about four ems .

There is 2/3 more options/possibilities, The Thompson (British) Auto Platen could be supplied with three variations of chases, i.e.>>>One full Out for max imposition area,>>>One 1/2 to 2/3 rds capacity,>>>contoured as pictured above, but of course only with one delivery grip edge!!!>>>(governed by the Thompson feed and delivery system, i.e. sucker bar IN and GRIPPER BAR out) and a third option, was an intermediate cross bar, fitted in top to bottom,>>>to make it possible to utilise only 50% of the right hand side of the chase, for business cards etc.>>>This idea was possibly “borrowed”!!from BIG American 2 rev Meihle,s, Big Kelly,s Big JoBergs, Big Tirfings, etc, etc.>>> In those cases, it was not for minimising the lock up area, but to give strength to the chase, top to bottom and side to side, so that 8/16/32 pages and more!!! could be lifted or transported from the stone.>>>Of course the imposition scheme had to involve calculations for the thickness(s) of the bars, which were usually 4 or 6 ems wide.>>>A long time ago this system was also employed (possibly as aftermarket) by Cropper, Charlton etc,>>>and in one case, at least on a machine that I shifted (well rewarded),>>>> the chase(s) were equipped with 2 vertical replaceable bars at 1/3 and 2/3 rds position,>>> consequently, (for example) business cards could be imposed and/or re-imposed in MINIMUM 6 positions,>>> registered on the tympan/packing and not disturbed until next time,>>>Peter will probably verify that Heidleberg at least for the 10/15 produced the same system!!!>>>>>

There is 2/3 more options/possibilities, The Thompson (British) Auto Platen could be supplied with three variations of chases, i.e.>>>One full Out for max imposition area,>>>One 1/2 to 2/3 rds capacity,>>>contoured as pictured above, but of course only with one delivery grip edge!!!>>>(governed by the Thompson feed and delivery system, i.e. sucker bar IN and GRIPPER BAR out) and a third option, was an intermediate cross bar, fitted in top to bottom,>>>to make it possible to utilise only 50% of the right hand side of the chase, for business cards etc.>>>This idea was possibly “borrowed”!!from BIG American 2 rev Meihle,s, Big Kelly,s Big JoBergs, Big Tirfings, etc, etc.>>> In those cases, it was not for minimising the lock up area, but to give strength to the chase, top to bottom and side to side, so that 8/16/32 pages and more!!! could be lifted or transported from the stone.>>>Of course the imposition scheme had to involve calculations for the thickness(s) of the bars, which were usually 4 or 6 ems wide.>>>A long time ago this system was also employed (possibly as aftermarket) by Cropper, Charlton etc,>>>and in one case, at least on a machine that I shifted (well rewarded),>>>> the chase(s) were equipped with 2 vertical replaceable bars at 1/3 and 2/3 rds position,>>> consequently, (for example) business cards could be imposed and/or re-imposed in MINIMUM 6 positions,>>> registered on the tympan/packing and not disturbed until next time,>>>Peter will probably verify that Heidleberg at least for the 10/15 produced the same system!!!>>>>>

On this side of the pond they are known as spider chases. I assume that the lock-up area is in the middle if the platen because that is where the pressure would be even. I have two different ones and mine, as well as all others I have ever seen, have the reduced chases in the middle.

Rick

I would be interested in seeing the variations in these “spider/card” chases.” Can people post pictures? Which manufacturers produced them? And, I suspect, the business part would be in the center where the impression is optimum.

-DC

Is there anybody in the UK who’s got any card chases for an Arab for sale? I’m interested…

Peter,

I have a rack of the “stepped” furniture you mention above. On this side of the pond that is called Interlocking Steel Furniture and is NOT intended to be made into frames you can set a form inside. It is used instead to create a large hollow shape to fill-in blank areas within your form. You use less furniture and the form weighs less.

Rick

Foolproof ..
a letterpress machine was not intended to ram the type through the paper but it is done !!
theres no harm in locking a job within stepped furniture ,as you mention it was intended to reduce the weight of the form where possible ,but need is the mother of all invention .
Ive used it this way , i have also used dowel mount to make up the support frame for die cutting on cylinders ,mainly because they lock up in nice perfect parallell rows and you can get a nice tight lock up for box perfs etc . As i said needs will find your inventive streak and make us look outside the box!!