Adana Quarto Treadle Machine c1935/6

[Dave Hughes]

Edward Dakin emailed me about his Adana machine that he has recently re-assembled and photographed:





Says Edward:

A few days ago, when I treadled for the first time in 40 years, I recalled what an enjoyable (and profitable) hobby it had been and how horrified today's Health & Safety people would have been at the absence of any guards!

It had always been my intention to restore it with a bit of emery paper, WD40 and re-cast rollers and Hammerite paint but that is out of the question with my forthcoming move to a small apartment.

[Dan Williams]

I never imagined a small hand press having flywheel and foot-pedal mechanism. The smallest Chandler and Price foot presses probably exceeded the bed size of this Adana by quite a bit.
Very rare, to be sure.

[SwissTypesetter]

Well ... if not restoring it, what do you have in mind for this nice machine?
Will you try and do it later?
However ... be sure it doesn't get lost – would be a pity!

Regards, Andy

[SwissTypesetter]

Hey Tony,

great to hear that this machine found an interested owner!

As for the inkplate mechanism, there shouldn't be too complicated a part missing.
I'm not able to describe it in technical terms, for my english is way too bad there.
But it seems to me that it is just a small lever which clicks into place between the teeth on the backsind of the ink plate by its own weight.
I'll provide a picture of our small Boston platen press the next few days; chances are the mechanism is similar.

Regards, Andy

[SwissTypesetter]

Hi again,

today I shot a pic of our platen press ... hope I can insert it here ...

have a look, Tony!

[intertypeman]

Hi Everyone! - The problem is that the inkplate on the pre-WW2 sheet-steel-frame Adana Quarto (10 inches by 8inches paper size) treadle platen that is featured in this thread is not driven by an arrangement of teeth on the underside of the inkplate as shown in the piccy of the Boston platen - a very common arrangement on hand and treadle platens - but instead has a sheet metal arm which rotates freely on the lower end of the inkplate spindle. This arm is moved downwards by the ink roller arm as the ink rollers move down over the chase, and has a small return spring attached to return it to its normal position again. On the upper side of the arm are mounted a sheet steel wheel with teeth around the outer edge, also a pawl which engages with it. This arrangement allows the wheel to rotate by two teeth or so every time the ink rollers pass down over the chase and return, but whatever is driven by this toothed wheel is missing. It's not obvious how this arrangement is supposed to drive the inkplate, as there is nothing for it to drive on the underside of the inkplate, and the inkplate spindle is a plain shaft.

Anyone come across this type of mechanism elsewhere, or know the whereabouts of another Adana pre-WW2 sheet-steel-framed treadle platen like this that may have the complete mechanism in place - or the whereabouts of an illustrated parts list or exploded parts diagram for one of these machines - or any other that uses a similar mechanism to drive the inkplate?

Former owner Ed Deakin has made a good search of the detached garage at his home in which the disassembled machine had been stored for 20 years, but there's no trace of the missing part or parts. That's a shame, because recovering the manky ink rollers isn't a problem, but with the inkplate spinning freely and not being driven, putting it back into use as a working machine or as a demo machine is going to be problematical. Any ideas, anyone?

Tony the intertypeman, at the new home of this machine in Kent, in the south-east corner of the UK.

[intertypeman]

Just a further note that may help. I'm 300 miles away from the Adana at present, but my memory of it is that the externally toothed wheel rotates on the inkplate spindle itself, as does the inner end of the sheet metal arm to which the wheel and pawl are mounted, and that the toothed wheel has a larger hole in its centre than does the arm, so those two items can only be fitted to the inkplate spindle one way round. The missng piece of the mechanism fits in the space above the toothed wheel, between it and the bracket which supports the inkplate and its spindle.   Tony

[Dave Hughes]

Tony, Would it be helpful posting a photo of the area in question? Let me know if you need a hand.

[intertypeman]

Yes Dave, a photo would probably help a lot for anyone who can't visualise the set-up from my words, but the machine is in East Sussex, I'm in Manchester for the next couple of weeks, you're in York, and I'll be returning to Kent when I leave here - and I don't even have a 35mm camera, let lone a digital one or a video camera!

What may be more practical, when I can get at the machine again, is to strip the parts that I do have from the affected area and lay them out on a photocopier to make a piccy of them - in much the same way as the Arab platen illustrated parts list is arranged -  then scan the photocopy for the thread.

[Dave Hughes]

Sounds good to me!

[intertypeman]

This 1936 Adana treadle platen is quite different in its inkplate driving mechanism from the 1935 Adana treadle platen that is shown in Bob Richardson's booklet "The Adana Connection" and it's quite different from the TP48 and P71 postware Adana treadle/power machines.

Unlike all other Adanas I've met, it DOESN'T have a series of teeth on the underside of the inkplate to drive it.

Anyone met a machine elsewhere WITHOUT this feature to drive the rotary inkplate? This may give a clue as to how the mechanism is supposed to operate, and exactly what missing parts I need to find or fabricate.

Tony