My SP 15 seemed difficult to get into Trip/Print so, after researching similar posts on this site I drew the conclusion that I was missing the flat spring (x23790) and upon inspection, this seemed to be the case. However, now that I have the springs, I am looking at the trip arm assembly and it seems that perhaps I was incorrect. The illustration on sheet no 287-A of the manual shows part x22998 Roller Stud (x3490?) which according to sheet 302 is positioned under the spring, thus providing the tension. My press however is identical to the mechanism shown on sheet No. 248 in which the roller stud is absent and a spring is built into the trip assembly (BRS-2 Spring). So my questions are:
1. Are there 2 variations for the trip assembly? Did they change the design for later presses in order to overcome the broken spring problem?
2. Did I buy springs that I don’t need?
3. Once they are snapped on, can they be removed intact or do you have to chisel them off?
4. Why is it still difficult to get it to switch from Trip/Print?
Many thanks to the smarter brains out there.
Greg
That makes sense. Mine then would be the older coil spring version. I did pretty heavily lubricate the entire mechanism in an attempt to get the cylinder covers off (a plan which I abandoned in favor of just hosing it all down with WD 40)
“it felt like the carriage had to get over a hump (about 4 inches from the feedboard, just at the point where the carriage shifts into print)–but it was more exaggerated when I wanted to print. In Trip mode, it just felt sticky.”
That is exactly the same issue on mine. I will give it another going over with WD40 and see if that helps.
Thanks to all for your responses.
The first version of the SP-15 had the coil spring. This is shown in the manual along with the serial number cut off for the change to the flat spring.
Only the earlier version of the x27390 spring needed to be chiselled off. The later version could be removed with the right tool. I have used a Linotype mat hook to pull them off, and a long chisel could be used to push them off the stud rather than cut.
Agreed… there is a lot inside that assembly that has to turn smoothly for that trip/print exchange.
I recently disassembled most of an SP20 to put a washup-tray back into use (mostly just to clean it – it needed it). Our trip/print change became noticeably more difficult following that.
LUBRICATE – especially all around the center shaft of the print cylinder. I doubt you have the wrong springs installed.
I’m not sure about the spring variations, but I do know that when my carriage was stuck, an (almost) obscene amount of oil helped ease the transition.
Where exactly is the difficulty? In mine, for example, it felt like the carriage had to get over a hump (about 4 inches from the feedboard, just at the point where the carriage shifts into print)–but it was more exaggerated when I wanted to print. In Trip mode, it just felt sticky.
I blasted the inside side panels with WD-40, and liberally oiled the cam (the two oil holes on the outside of the side panels). Remember to leave a drip pan, and a few hours later go back and do the same thing again.
I hope that helps.
Kelly