Challenge proof press with photopolymer

Hi everyone, I know to most of you this is going to sound like a “not so smart” question… but I figure its cheaper to ask than to waste more paper..

The press has great little hair line adjustments for going back and forward and back as well as side to side. Maybe I need to work on my “sticking” skills but I can never get the plate on the base at a perfect right angle.. so how do those of you with experience on this press make angled adjustments?

I am sure I have offended some people by using incorrect terminology, that was not intentional.

Log in to reply   11 replies so far

Paul, the adjustments you mentioned that go “back and forward” if they are on the gripper bar like on my 15MP, then you just need to push one of the guides forward in the correct direction and maybe recede the other one a bit. Unless you have an extreme angle to achieve this should take care of the minor adjustments.

You could also take a look at some of the photos of lockups that the Tour de Lead Grafiti folks made for their posters - very creative use of furniture and quoins to achieve all sorts of angles. Their technique would allow you to plop the plate anywhere on the base and then square it up however you want it.

Bob

wow.. those are fantastic Bob, beautiful posters. I think I am going to re invent the wheel as I did with my CP - I have my own way of lining up things up that way. I think I will try and duplicate it on this press. I will post pics of my attempts.

Daniel, I did think of that however I was using cut sheets, smaller than the two adjustments on the gripper bar. I had considered using a full letter sized sheet and flipping it back and forth, might be the best way to do it.

I believe I use your method, Paul, on my C&P Craftsman, I’d be very interested in knowing if you come up with something for a proof press.
I do have however 4 adjust knobs on my no.4 and on my SP15, do you only have two in total? I’m sure something can be furnished.

Erniquew, could you show a pic of your adjustment knobs. i have 3 on my challenge, which is supposed to be the same as the SP 15. I had been thinking making an additional one should not be that hard.

Sure thing. Never mind the packing though, I was just testing something..

image: sp15.jpg

sp15.jpg

Hi Paul,

When you said “perfect right angle” and “waste more paper” I couldn’t help but recall one of my own alignment challenges that ultimately was overcome with leading shims. I was not trying to align the entire form, but two elements of it — some wood-mounted copper cuts that were not quite square. After going through quite a bit of paper, I finally achieved satisfaction. (In this last photo, there are borders printed on both sides of the paper.)

Barbara

Barb.. that looks like some of my nightmares :)

Erni.. is that an SP 15? They must have been added on. I have not seen one with that many.

Hi Paul, mmm.. yeah I think actually my SP15 was customized at the factory according to Fritz’s data sheet on my press.
But my No. 4 also has 4 knobs and 5 grippers, so I guess both were customized?

well that would certainly solve my problem.. now all I need is a time machine..

:)

Do you know the proper name for the adjustment knobs - would like to see what I can find

Let’s see a photo of your gripper bar. I know that I need one end guide made by my machinist, not missing the nut but the end guide on my no. 4.
He was very willing to make the brass nut with knurling as well, and he’s also making one new stud since it was broken. So he’s basically making a new adjust nut (correct term), stud (post), and end guide, only thing that’s already there is the space for it.
Here’s from the manual the correct terminology:

image: gripperbarno4.gif

gripperbarno4.gif