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Like I mentioned, buying this printing press has really inspired me to get back into making comics again, especially simple minicomics. I got my start with these small 8-page comics, and have always loved the format. It’s a great, inexpensive way to experiment with comics as a storytelling format, and I want to encourage more people to play with it, from aspiring cartoonists to industry veterans. And so, the next comic I’m making is a collection of tips and instructions on how to write, print, and assemble your own minicomics!
↓ Read the rest of this entry…So it’s been over a month since my last update, and here’s where I’m at. Paper is still not feeding through the press smoothly (thankfully I bought a few boxes full of ‘test paper’ for this exact purpose). So far the only part I’ve replaced is the 20-year-old blanket. I couldn’t get the upper feed rollers off, so I didn’t bother ordering new ones yet. I’ll keep trying, although I don’t think that is actually part of the problem.
This weekend I looked at the registration board on the press, and have tried adjusting all the alignment guides that are supposed to straighten the paper out, line it up with the plate master, before feeding it into the image rollers. I think I’ve got that set properly for the moment, at least as far as I can tell. But for some reason paper still isn’t getting pulled into the cylinders properly on each cycle, and so I end up with multi-sheet pile-ups in a matter of seconds.
At first I thought the vacuum was feeding sheets onto the registration board too quickly, faster than the jogger and imaging rollers could handle. I made sure to watch some more videos to see if my press’s timing was off. Near as I can tell, though, the vacuum is working at the right pace – it pulls a new sheet onto the registration board just as the previous sheet is supposed to get pulled into the press. But watching my press in action I can see that the issue is the paper not being picked up by the rollers properly. So that’s the next thing to figure out. My hope in replacing the blanket was just that the old one was so smooth from who knows how many years of use and neglect, that it was just not capable of grabbing the paper. So far the new one hasn’t helped in that regard.
Worst case, from the looks of it, is that the roller that’s supposed to pull the paper toward the imaging rollers needs to be replaced, or re-rubbered. Gotta figure out the name for that roller so I can look them up and see how much it might run me. Of course first I need to see how hard it’s going to be to pull it out, it’s not as accessible as most of the ink and water rollers on top of the press. Update: Looks like it’s the Lower Feed Roller, available new or refurbished from Printers Parts for a little over $200.
Also, I swear I’m smelling rubber burning when I run the press. Not sure if that’s a direct result of the paper jams, or if there’s a belt failing somewhere that’s causing the jams, so I’m going to look at all of those and start replacing them as well. Again, they’re old, and could stand to be replaced either way.
It feels like I’ve been dragging my feet on getting this press up and running, and yeah, I kind of have. It’s really discouraging to find something else going wrong with it every time I turn it on and try to fix something. One thing that gets in my way is that I haven’t yet found an online forum for people who are familiar with these particular machines, so there really isn’t any place to find answers to the problems I’m having. I am learning more about how to set it up and maintain it, though, and that’s not a bad thing.
Onward!
This week I got out to The Garage to get the Multilith ready for some printing this month, and my first step was leveling the press. This was more challenging than I expected, since it’s hard to get a good reading on this machine using a standard level. The instructions in the manual I have recommended putting dampener fluid into the water system and using that to level it, but I was having a hard time checking that system on top of the press while making adjustments to the feet. I think I got it figured out eventually.
After that my goal was to run some test paper through to make sure it’s feeding through the press properly and smoothly, and BOY was that a mess. The vacuum hoses were pulling in multiple sheets at a time, they kept getting caught on something right away and getting fed in sideways, and then not getting caught by the blanket roller and fed through. The pages that DID go through ended up coming out the receiving end also got caught on something and piled up, very quickly backing up the whole machine. SO. There’s work to be done there as far as adjusting all the rollers that move the paper, and the locations of the guides that keep the paper in line from end to end.
One thing I definitely noticed is that while all of the upper print rollers are all fine, the knit covers that go on the water form rollers are very loose and worn. Also, the rollers that pull the new paper in from the magazine ARE worn out – the rubber has gone soft and tacky, and needs to be replaced immediately. These feed rollers are definitely contributing to the paper being pulled onto the paper conveyor at bad angles. So, that’s my next step, replacing all those bits. And then running some more test paper to make further adjustments.
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This week I decided on a name for my little home-based hobby print shop, and yeah, it’s basic but appropriate!
I’m looking forward to beginning to actually print out there sometime in the next couple weeks. I’ve got clean-up sheets on the way this week, and I think that’s the last thing I need before I feel comfortable actually putting any ink in the fountain. I know I still need to level the press and run some test sheets through to make sure the paper feed is smooth and doesn’t jam up. And after I do that I’ll want to run through the whole process step-by-step at least a couple times without ink, to make sure I don’t make a big mess of it while learning the ropes. But there are a couple of adjustments that require there be ink on the rollers, so I know it’s going to get at least a little messy. I’ll try to document that process.
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