Abandoned Intertype C4

[Mechanic]

A number of years ago I reported on an abandoned C4 Intertype. I had placed some details of the machine on Metal Type (See web site below).  I managed to clean up the machine and get it to run through a casting cycle. Unfortunately the machine was missing some vital parts which made it unsafe to run and cast lines. I was unable to get the parts required so I made up an information sheet detailing  the machine and the history of the Linotype invention and Intertype's roll and gave it to the publicity officer and suggest that he put it on  the machine for display purposes. Then I more or less forgot about the machine.

Recently the Printomatic High Speed Automatic Stop Cylinder Press in the background in the photo included with the Metal Type item caught eye of of an ex New Zealand printer living on the Gold Coast. He decided to get the press ruining but wasn't sure what to do about the C4. Another ex Linotype mechanic saw an item on the internet about the two machines and contacted the printer and asked if he would like help with the C4. The Lino mechanic managed to track me down and asked if I would like to help. I agreed that if we could get the parts it would be worth the effort. Now we have a lot of hours ahead of us just cleaning away years of rust hardened grease and dirt just to get the machine to a point where it is worth replacing the parts. Sounds like fun.

[Dave Hughes]

Sounds like fun, and also sounds like a big job George, I hope you'll keep us informed of your progress.

Makes getting the Adana 8X5 hot foil conversion working, which I recently managed to do, seem like small beer!

[Mechanic]

C4 UPDATE

Years of dirt, dried up oil and rust are gradually being removed.

Jeffo has come to our aid with the parts that are needed to get the pot pump safety working. I now believe that we will eventually be able to safely cast a line of type.
Jeffo's cave must be filled with things that are a wonder to behold. Thank you Jeffo.

[Dave Hughes]

Good old Jeffo and his "cave" 

[one stop print]

If they need small parts I am going to dismantle a C4 that I have in storage.

I am only going to keep the heat controls  the molds and keyboard

[Mechanic]

Thanks for the offer Colin. We will certainly keep you in mind. The only part we knew for sure that was missing was the pot pump stop assembly and Jeffo was able help us there. We may need parts for the quadder, but we are not sure. There are a lot of parts in a large box which may have what we need.

This has been a real learning curve for me. Although the Intertype and Linotype look much the same, its only when you start pulling thins to pieces that you notice the difference.  Thankfully Wayne, the other mechanic, knows his way around Intertypes, even if he has to stop and scratch his head occasionally to get the memory functioning.

[Mechanic]

Things were going along swimmingly with the reincarnation of the C4 Intertype. Jeffo had supplied the pot pump stop we needed. The machine was turning over to our satisfaction. Then Wayne turned on the pot. The pot was slow coming down, two hours to reach 550deg F. The mouthpiece would not go above 430 deg F.  Not enough to melt a 6pt slug. We decided that the element was faulty. We found another element that had obviously been used, but decide that we would give it a go. The best this element would give us 380deg F.
The pot control is a Funditor. The principle of the control for heating mouthpiece is something I have not run across before. It relies on a bimetal element, wired in series with the mouthpiece element, heating up and tipping a mercury switch to break the circuit. As the strip cools down the mercury switch is tipped back by the bimetal element and the mercury runs back and completes the circuit and the cycle starts again.
Now if there any Intertype enthusiasts out there who know this control we would be glad to hear from you. We are trying to hunt down a new element. We are even investigating the option of having one made.

Below is the circuit in red

Click for a larger view

[Mike Kirby]

Hi George,

I may be able to help you with parts for your control box and elements for the pot and mouthpiece. If you want to get in touch.

[Mechanic]

Hi Mike,
 Thanks for the offer of help. You don't say where you are located. We are looking at a number of options here in Australia.

[Mike Kirby]

Hello.
I wasn't sure how much information I can give in a forum. I'm at Linecasting Machinery Limited in the UK. I have new throat elements, pot elements and capillary tubes for the Funditor control you described.

www.linecasting.com

[Dave Hughes]

Hello.
I wasn't sure how much information I can give in a forum.

Mike, please feel free to give as much information as you wish. - Admin

[Mechanic]

Hi Mike,
I had phone call from Jeffo, a Metal Type moderator, and he said that you were a font of knowledge when it came to Linotypes and Intertypes. My mechanical and electrical knowledge of US manufactured Linotypes is pretty sound. Intertypes mechanically I can find my away around and I don't think the old style pot controls would be a problem. The funditor mouth piece control is a mystery. If it was functioning correctly I might be able to work it out. The bimetal control keeps cutting in and out as the mouthpiece element is warming up, so it takes forever to reach the maximum temperature that element can deliver. We know the element is faulty as even when the bimetal control is bypassed it still doesn't get hot enough.
We are going To Brisbane this morning to a letterpress workshop to have a look at their Intertype. And maybe they have some spare parts they are willing to share. Our other option is have a new heater made and change the control to use a temperature probe and a rheostat.

[Mechanic]

We were not able to find an element for the machine in Brisbane but, we did find an old control box which included the bimetal switch control. Unfortunately when we removed the bimetal strip we found the end that operates the mercury switch had been bent down to increase the travel of the strip to stop it turning off the switch. So I can only assume that the machine the control was on previously was having similar problems. The resistance on the coil on both bimetal strips is the same.

I had hoped I would be able to compare the circuits characteristics on their C4 but the machine was built around 1976 and was one of the last manufactured. Unfortunately it is equipped with a standard Intertype pot control.

We pulled the cover off the existing element, cleaned the cable connection terminals and shortened the cables slightly to get rid of the corroded ends.

We did manage to find a few other parts that are missing or damaged on the Pimpama C4.

[one stop print]

My G4 takes about 2 hours to heat from dead cold. It has a funditor control.
I have a few spare pot elements.
There is a company in Auckland called Hislop and Baily  they have made elements for me for my Intertypes, stamp machine and my kiln.

[Mechanic]

My G4 takes about 2 hours to heat from dead cold. It has a funditor control.
I have a few spare pot elements.
There is a company in Auckland called Hislop and Baily  they have made elements for me for my Intertypes, stamp machine and my kiln.

Thanks for the information re the length of time it takes for your funditor controlled pot to melt down and the element manufacturer. Jeffo pointed us in the direction of Hotco a Melbourne company that manufactures heating elements. They have an agent on the Gold Coast. They have given us quote.

After spending some time cleaning corrosion from one of our existing elements it tested close to ideal on the bench. However on the machine it would not heat above 380 deg F. Wayne, the other mechanic, suggested we connect the mouthpiece element directly to 240 vols. I put in a jump wire to bypass the bimetal strip and the element heated to 520 deg F, which is more than need to cast a good slug. The Hotco agent suggested that we replace the bimetal and mercury switch with a simmerstat, which I have purchased. Now all I have to do is modify the funditor control box and fit the simmerstat. And keep our fingers crossed.