Type Pusher Lever

[Jason]

I'm not sure if any of you have been on this bus, but I had one of these snap on the the other day...



When I took on Jim Rimmer's gear, he had one intact type-pusher-lever in the machine, one broken one with the end missing, and another broken one with the end close by. Last week, the intact one snapped when the caster jammed.

Clearly these are not great parts: that thin spot takes all the strain when it sticks, and cast-iron that small isn't all that strong.

Luckily, in the haul of parts I got from South Africa years ago, I have two more. I have one installed in my display-mat base that is connected to my standard display-mat-head, and a complete second set-up that I use for the Giant mat holder Dan Jones made me, which requires a riser plate between the display mat head and the display mat base. You can see the riser plate in this photo under the matrix head...



So, at the moment I have two intact type pusher levers.

I took both of the broken ones (which have the broken pieces with them) and had them brazed at a local machine shop...



These won't be all that strong, as brazing isn't a great fix. If the machine sticks, these will likely snap. But, I now have 2 good ones and 2 brazed.

In the long run, if all four snap, I'll have one made in steel, but to have both of these ones brazed only cost $120, so it's worth a shot.

So, that was my adventure over the past week.

Anyone else ever broken these?

Jason

[Dan Jones]

I had the opportunity to talk with Gerry Drayton, ex. Monotype tech expert, after an ATF meeting. He mentioned that with the comp caster, and I believe this will hold true with the Super Caster, look at all the levers that have a spring for over-travel. All the levers must have a bit of over-travel but not lock-up. If not, something will break. On my Super Caster, I broke a ball stud on 6FS (Mould Blade Connecting Tube) because the adjustments were out, however I had a spare ball stud. I would suggest going through the machine and verifying all the adjustments. If you make this lever stronger and something is out of adjustment, just my two cents, some other part will break.

[KPMartin]

Jason,
Somewhat as Dan said, if you make this stronger, something else will break instead next time it jams. Surely there is either some spring mechanism to take up the motion if this lever jams, or there is another part that is designed with a weak point to break. An example of the latter would be the pin on the composition caster that connects the type carrier cam lever to the type carrier, which is necked down to allow it to break before the cam lever does if the type carrier becomes totally jammed. Another possibility is that the caster is supposed to stall completely, but that is unlikely because the limit on driving torque available is unreliable, especially when geared down to low speeds.

You should identify what is supposed to give when this lever jams, and ensure that this is adjusted properly and/or the correct part. Perhaps there is a pin that is supposed to be necked down like the one for the comp caster type carrier, but it has been replaced with a plain pin—take a real close look at any parts illustrations you might have available.

By the way, the brazed repair should be pretty much just as strong as the original cast iron.