Part 10

When the ejector blade advances to the ejecting position the front end should come flush with the bracket on the chase or galley. If it advanced beyond, the slug would be pushed out of the galley to the floor. If it does not advance flush, the slug not being pushed all the way out, would be turned to the right by the slug lever. The adjustment is made with the screw that passes through the ejector lever pawl.

If the blade advances beyond the bracket, turn in the pawl screw and raise the pawl. The higher the pawl is raised, the less distance the slug advances.

On machines that have the inclined galley, adjust blade to come flush with the bevel on the knife block liner.

EJECTOR GUIDE BLOCK

The outer end of the ejector blade is held in place and guided by the ejector guide block which sets directly back of the flange of the mold disk, and is held by two machine screws passing through each end of the block into the mold slide. This guide holds the blade in position so it will pass squarely through the mold. It also helps the buffer spring to steady the forward motion of the ejector. The point of contact of the ejector block with the ejector blade is made of brass and is held against the blade by spring tension.

The ejector blade guide should be kept free from oil, dirt, and metal shavings, as these impair the free working of the guide. The brass strip should be replaced when worn. Loose screws or a worn brass strip will cause slugs to be thrown out on the floor.

TO CHANGE AN EJECTOR BLADE

Push in on the starting and stopping lever; let the vise down to first position; back the machine by pushing back on cam No. 1 until the second elevator falls on the safety hook; turn the mold disk until the slot is in front of the blade; push the ejector lever forward; remove the blade by reaching the right-hand in alongside the mold slide and grasp the releasing lever and draw it towards the front. Change the blade for the size wanted, and then let machine come to normal position. Be careful not to get a blade wider than the slug to be cast or there is danger of damaging the liners, or the mold will be damaged. A good plan is always to check up on the ejector blade after changing the liners.

UNIVERSAL EJECTOR

The universal ejector consists of a series of blades, 5-points in thickness, in 2-em units; as a rule the first, or lower blade is a 4-em, and then in 2-em units up to 30-ems pica. These unit blades move between plates, which brace them firmly on both sides, making them rigid and preventing the blade from bending.

The back end of the unit blades are fastened to ejector blade links that move in grooves cut lengthwise of the slide. There is a link for each unit blade and they terminate at the back end of the mold slide in front of a groove milled across the slide. A movable controller bar works in a groove in the ejector slide, moving up or down in the groove, back of a lug on each of the blade links. When the ejector lever forces the ejector slide forward, the controller bar in the groove of the slide comes against the lugs of the ejector links forcing the blades forward through the mold.

The blades are withdrawn by a lug on the ejector slide coming in contact with the lugs on the links.

When desiring to change the length of the blade to be used, move the ejector blade controlling lever handle up or down. This handle is situated below the starting and stopping lever and is connected to the controller bar by a screw link. Also connected to this handle is a pica gauge which operates in a groove in the delivery channel.

Moving the handle up or down engages less or more blades, the length being indicated on the pica gauge in the delivery channel.

To remove the mold slide on machines which have a universal ejector, lower the vise to second position, set the ejector at 10 or 12 ems, take out the ejector blade controller link which screws into the controller link lift. This will permit the controller bar to drop out. Disconnect the mold slide and take out the ejector lever link. If the machine is connected up with the water for cooling the molds, it will be necessary to disconnect the hose before taking out the slide.

REMOVING A STUCK SLUG

When there is a slug stuck in the mold, allow the machine to come to normal by backing the machine sufficiently to allow the ejector lever pawl to be raised, draw back on the ejector lever until the pawl clears the ejector cam. Pull out the starting lever allowing the machine to come to normal. Open the vise and remove the slug from the mold by loosening the mold cap screws. Do not drive a stuck slug out with the ejector blade.

MOLD KNIFE

The mold or back knife trims the base of the slug and is fastened to the mold slide arm, back of the mold disk. It is placed at an angle of about 45 degrees and is held by two washers and two round-head screws which pass through the slotted holes of the knife. It is also held by two adjusting screws that set against the base so that the knife will set squarely and press lightly against the mold as the disk is turned from casting to the ejecting position. As the mold passes in front of the knife, the slug should be trimmed type-high, which is .918 of an inch.

The front of the mold disk, when turning, must be bearing against the mold disk guide so as to keep the mold against the knife while the slug is being trimmed. If the mold disk guide does not set snugly against the disk, the disk will spring away from the knife and the slug will be higher on one end than the other. The guide is adjusted by loosening the screw which holds it to the mold slide and moving it snugly against the mold disk. Do not set the guide tight enough to bind and prevent the free turning of the disk.

It sometimes happens that a disk will bind at one or more places as it is being turned. This is due to the disk becoming warped from heat or some other cause. If it is only a slight bind it will not interfere with the adjustment.

Whenever it is necessary to put on a new or resharpened mold knife, or to adjust it, be sure the mold disk guide is bearing against the rim of the mold disk. It is always better to remove the guide and clean it as it must be perfectly clean when it seats against the disk. Always have the knife away from the mold when seating the guide. Tighten the hexagon head screw slightly and then tap the guide until a slight pressure against the disk is secured. Turn the disk by hand until an even pressure has been secured and then tighten the hexagon head nut tight.

Place the mold knife on the knife seat; be sure the seat is clean, for the least particle of dirt or metal will make it more difficult to make the adjustment. Also the bottom of the mold must be perfectly clean and free from all metal. Set the knife square with, but not quite touching the mold. Tighten down on the two round-head screws, then adjust with the two screws under the bottom of knife so that mold will turn without binding. The left-hand end of the knife trims the ends of the slugs; the center of the knife trims the center of the slugs. Avoid excessive pressure on either side as the knife is so shaped that the sharp edge should just touch the mold.

After making sure that the guide block and the knife are properly set, cover the back of the mold with a thin coating of red lead; turn the disk and mold until the mold passes the knife. If the knife is adjusted properly, it should scrape the lead from the mold. It is not always an easy matter to set a mold knife, taking considerable patience and care because the knife must be set to thousandths of an inch. Cast a slug and measure with the micrometers to make sure the slug is trimmed to the proper height. When measuring the slug for height with micrometers, use a slug 15 picas in length, or one that fills half of the capacity of the mold. Have the regular letter characters cast on the slug.

Metal will adhere to the bottom of the mold if the mold knife is not sharp or properly adjusted. To keep a perfect lockup the bottom of the mold must be kept clean. Mold knives can be resharpened, but as they are shaped to set just so the edge of the knife touches the mold and must not vary, for even .001 of an inch will spoil the adjustment, they should be shipped to the nearest agency to be resharpened.

Be sure the knife is at fault before starting to adjust it.

MOLD BANKING STRIPS

The mold banking strips are fastened on the vise, one above the parallel knives and the other one below the bottom end of the knives. These strips prevent the mold from coming in contact with the knives and holds the disk rigid when ejecting the slug, assisting the knives in trimming the slug parallel. The mold slide should advance the proper distance so the mold will just bank against the banking strips when forward for ejecting the slug.

KNIFE BLOCK

At the present time there are two styles of knife blocks in common use, namely: The wedge adjustment block, which allows for a range from 5 to 12 points, inclusive; and the universal knife block which allows for a range from 5 to 36 points, inclusive. These blocks are fastened to the vise frame by two hexagon head machine screws and held rigid by four dowel pins. To remove the block it is only necessary to take out the two machine screws and work the block out of the dowel pin holes. A certain amount of care is necessary not to drop the block or bend the pins.

TRIMMING KNIVES

The purpose of the trimming knives is to trim the slugs to the proper size and the sides parallel.

The measurement of a type-founders point is .0138-⅓ of an inch. The measurement of a linotype point is .014 of an inch.

The point unit now used on the matrices is the one used by the type-founders. The linotype point is still being used when adjusting the trimming knives. A 10-point slug, when trimmed correctly, should measure .140 of an inch, or 10 times .014 of an inch.

The left-hand knife trims the overhang from the smooth side of the slug and is held to the vise by two square head screws that pass through the front, and is adjusted by two screws, at the top and bottom of the knife block and bearing against the knife. This knife should be adjusted to be in line with the left side of the mold; it is only intended to remove the fins which form at the top of the slug. It is not intended to remove metal from the smooth side of the slug.

If the left-hand knife does not trim the overhang off the slug, it will cause the slugs to be thicker at the top than at the bottom, and be off their feet. This will cause trouble in the lockup of the form, the columns having a tendency to raise up in the center.

Always loosen the two screws which hold the knife to the vise when making any adjustment of the left-hand knife. Turning in on the adjusting screws without loosening the two lock screws may cause the knife to spring and trim the slugs more in the center than on the ends.

The right-hand knife trims the slug to thickness and is held to the slide bracket on the universal knife block, by two round head screws. It is forced to the right against the adjusting screws by two springs. The screws that hold the knife to the bracket should be loose when moving the adjusting screws outward, as the spring should force the knife against the adjusting screws in this movement. It is not necessary to release the screws that hold the knife to the bracket when turning the screws inward as the screws are forced against the knife in this adjustment.

The screws in the sector are set to step from one point size to another and should not be changed except when necessary to trim any body size to a special thickness.

Beneath the bracket to which the knife is fastened are two spiral springs that force the bracket and knob button against the sector screws. Moving the lever operates the sector, and the screw coming in contact with the button on the slide causes the knife to move in or out one point or as many as the lever is moved. When casting a 10-point slug, have the pointer on figure 10.

After having the knives adjusted to trim one size slug, the knife block is constructed so as to trim all others, by merely moving the handle on the knife block. When changing the universal knife block, be sure that one of the lever detent pins has entered the hole in the sector.

To adjust the trimming knives, first set the right-hand knife by turning the two adjusting screws that are in the knife block slide bracket and touching the side of the knife, so it will trim the ribs of a slug; then adjust the knife that trims the overhang from the smooth side of the slug; then re-adjust the right-hand knife to thickness and parallel. Do not attempt to adjust the knife that trims the overhang from the smooth side of the slug unless the right-hand knife is trimming the ribs.

WEDGE STYLE KNIFE BLOCK

The wedge style knife block is the old style quick-change block and is held to the vise in the same manner as the universal block. The left-hand knife is mounted and adjusted the same as with the universal block. The right-hand knife is held to the block by two shoulder screws which pass through the two friction springs and washers from the front of the block. This assembly holds the knife tight against the block, but permits the two strong springs to force the knife against the wedge.

The wedge is operated by a small hand lever and is graduated from 5 to 12 points, inclusive. By pulling the lever up or down the wedge moves and the knife follows the wedge.

KNIFE, RIGHT HAND, SPRING PLATE

There is a steel plate assembled in the right side of the knife block which keeps the slugs upright as they travel through the knife block into the chase. This plate is called the knife spring plate and is held in place by two lugs at the back of the plate extending into the base of the right-hand knife. It is forced toward the left by a flat bronze spring, called the spring plate spring. There should be just enough tension on this spring to force the plate up against the outgoing slug with an even pressure so the slug will be held upright as it is being pushed into the chase by the ejector blade. The flat spring is so shaped that the ends fit behind rivet heads, to hold the plate in place. If the spring becomes bent so it will not stay behind the rivets, the lugs will work out of their seat and the gate will obstruct the passageway of the slug. This will oftentimes smash the face of the slugs.

FACTS AND SUGGESTIONS ABOUT TRIMMING KNIVES

The right-hand knife must be adjusted so that its edge is exactly parallel with the left-hand knife in order to make the slug of equal thickness throughout its entire length. The faces of the two knives separate slightly toward the front of the machine, which allows the slug to pass freely forward from the cutting edges. The right-hand knife must be shaped so there is a cutting edge of about 1/64 of an inch on the side that stands next to the slug. By having this edge the “gouging” of the knife into the slug is prevented, and slugs are trimmed to equal thickness at the top and bottom. This cutting edge must never be more than 1/64 of an inch.

Always remember that the knives can be set to trim the slugs perfectly from one point-size to another with accuracy, but it requires patience, as the knives must be adjusted to a thousandth part of an inch.

Keep the knife block and the knives clean. The seat of the knives should also be clean. It will be impossible to get an accurate adjustment if dirt or gum interferes with the movement of the knives.

The trimming knives should have exceedingly sharp or thin edges to work satisfactorily. If the knives become very dull or the cutting edge rounded or nicked, they should be taken off the machine and reground. Send them to the nearest agency as they are equipped with grinders and other fixtures to do this regrinding and maintain the correct angles and shape of the knives. Always send both the right-hand and left-hand knives, as they should be reground in pairs, and the cutting edges should exactly match each other in order to obtain good results.

Use a full measure slug when adjusting the trimming knives. Cast a full line of capital letters on the slug and hold the matrices for recast. Measure the slug on the ribs at the top and near the bottom. The slug should measure the same at the top edge and near the bottom if the knife which trims the smooth side is correctly set. The slug should measure the same at the top edge of both ends if the knife which trims the rib side of the slug is correctly set.

Before setting the trimming knives, make sure that the mold is properly seated in the mold disk and that there is no metal between the liners and the mold.

When the trimming knives become dull it is practically impossible to set them to trim accurately. Even when they are set nearly accurate, they will hold the adjustment only a short time.

Dull knives also cause trouble by making it difficult to eject the slug. This will often cause the clutch to slip.

When a long slug measures thicker or thinner at the ends than in the center, it is usually due to dull knives, but may be caused by the knives being forced in a twist or strain by the adjusting screws or some foreign substance behind the knives.

KNIFE WIPER

The knife wiper is a very important part of the Linotype. Its function is to wipe the burrs or slug trimmings from the face of the parallel knives after a slug is ejected. If the knife wiper is not working, the face of the line of type will have an accumulation of shavings from the previous line on it.

The knife wiper in use on all machines of very recent manufacture is operated by a small roller, fastened to a bracket on the first elevator slide, which comes in contact with a lever connected to the knife wiper bar. When the elevator goes from normal to the lower, or casting, position, the knife wiper bar is forced upward. On the upper end of the knife wiper bar is a small brass wiper which is forced upward with the bar. This wiper rubs against the trimming knives, cleaning them of the metal shavings which may have lodged from the previous slug trimmed.

There are no adjustments on this type of wiper, except to have the brass lightly touching the knives.

OLD STYLE KNIFE WIPER

There are quite a number of the old style knife wipers still in use. This knife wiper is operated by a latch rod on the first elevator lever. This rod comes in contact with a latch on the knife wiper bar, on its downward stroke, and pushes the bar upward by coming in contact with the bottom of wiper bar on the upward stroke of the first elevator lever. The wiper bar should be free to move up and down in the guides, moving the brass wiper lightly over the face of the trimming knives. On the upper part of the wiper bar are two pins which prevent the bar from going too far below the knives and too high above them. A flat spring riding over the top of the bar holds it to the bottom of the guide so the brass wiper can operate properly.

The brass wiper is held to the bar with two flat head screws, and the constant passing of the wiper over the face of the sharp knives soon wears the wiper so it will break off. A new wiper must be applied or the shavings will hang to the slugs.

Never have the wiper bearing too hard on the face of the knife as the constant rubbing up and down will dull the trimming edge of the knives and wear the wiper in a short time.

Keep the knife wiper in good working condition all the time and save proofreader’s marks.

Do not forget that the knife wiper is operated by the first elevator slide. Therefore anything that prevents the free action of the wiper will interfere with the movement of the first elevator.

MOLD TURNING CAM, SQUARE BLOCK, AND PINION

The mold turning cam, known as cam No. 3, has attached to its side the long and short gear segments which impart rotation to the mold turning pinion and square block as the cam revolves. The square block and pinion are found on the inside of the mold gear arm. The gear segments on the mold turning cam turns the pinion, the pinion turns the mold turning shaft, and the mold turning shaft turns the mold disk, through the mold disk pinion which meshes with the mold disk. The short segment turns the mold disk one-quarter of a revolution so as to bring the mold disk into casting position. The long segment turns the disk three-quarters of a revolution, bringing the mold and disk in ejecting position. The mold disk makes one complete revolution in one revolution of the cams.

When the disk makes one-quarter revolution, it is advanced so as to lock the stud block on the vise with the studs on the mold disk, and the slug is cast; the mold then is withdrawn and makes a three-quarter revolution, advancing again and locking to eject the slug. When the mold disk makes the quarter and three-quarter revolutions, all lost motion must be taken up by the square block on the pinion. If there is any lost motion, the studs on the mold disk would not be parallel with the stud blocks on the vise so that they could not enter them without coming in contact with the rim of the stud block.

ADJUSTING SHOES

On the mold turning cam are two adjustable steel shoes for the purpose of taking up the play between the shoes and the square block when in the casting and ejecting position. These shoes are adjusted by screwing in on the bushing screws that extend through the cam and bank against the shoes. Each shoe is held in place by two machine screws that extend through the bushing screw into the shoe. When adjusting the shoes care must be taken to make them parallel. The distance from the front end of each shoe to the outside of the cam must be the same as it is from the back end of the shoe to the outside of the cam. If these shoes are adjusted wider at the back than at the front they act as wedges as they go down by the square pinion, and may break the cam at the weakest point. If a shoe is set too tight against the square pinion it will break the cam. All that is necessary is to adjust them so as to take up the lost motion between the shoes and the square pinion. It is better to use a micrometer to measure the shoes to make sure they are parallel. Allow a trifle lost motion between the square block and the shoes, because it is better for them to have a little play than to be too tight and perhaps break the cam.

The square block and pinion are held in position on the shaft by a set screw, and there is no adjustment except to have this screw on the top when the machine is in normal position. The screw passes through the square block to the shaft and must enter the spot drilled on the shaft for the point of the screw so as to hold the pinion tight. On the two sides of the square block are two steel shoes, which are held to it by screws. These shoes can be renewed when they become worn.

MOLD DRIVING SHAFT FRICTION CLAMP

The object of the friction clamp is to prevent the mold disk from vibrating when advancing to the casting or ejecting position, and is found attached to the mold driving shaft and held by a pin in the mold gear arm. The lost motion in several pinions from which the mold disk gets its action, will cause the disk to vibrate when stopping ready to advance on the vise stud blocks, unless it is held by the clamp which acts as a brake.

When the mold disk has made the one-quarter and three-quarter revolutions it must remain in that position, or the locking studs, coming in contact with the rims of the stud block, would wear.