A fix when no original part is (cheaply) available.

[Pi]

I thought I'd share this with those of you that may be facing the same problem as I had:
Recently, the Mouthpiece Expansion Tube on our Model 31 Linotype, decided to give up the ghost. Not surprisingly I suppose, after something like 55 years. I have special memories of the machine, which is now located in our Museum in New Plymouth NZ, as it is the very machine I worked on, in the 1970's, at Taranaki Newspapers, as a lad in my 20's.
Getting on with my story, in a nutshell, I had scouted all around known sources in NZ and could not find a working replacement. However, I had a friend at Bedplate Press, In Wellington, NZ (Bill), that offered me an Intertype set-up, complete with control unit. I could get a replacement part from the States, but that was going to cost quite a lot (in non-profit Museum terms), so I was left with the choice of paying up, or perhaps, shutting up shop. I had good advise of alternative, from a Lino mechanic (John from Hamilton, NZ) and mused for some time over the choices. I could replace the unit with a solid state set-up, or other new-tech set-up.
I made the decision to utilise the Intertype equipment. Those of you who are familiar with these particular parts on both machines, will have realised that I had reasonably hard practical and technical problems to overcome. The Intertype bulb unit is far longer and fatter than the slimmer, shorter Linotype unit. If left as it was, I could see that the Intertype bulb would foul on the mold wheel. I knew that if I was to successfully fit the Intertype bulb, I would have to do some drastic work, to recess the bulb, into the area slightly above and backward of the mouthpiece. Nothing ventured I thought, as I started grinding slots out, either side and above of the actual mouthpiece, into the cast iron of the pot front. I also had to grind some of the cast from the opening just behind the face. I can tell you, the decision to "butcher" the machine in this manner, wasn't taken lightly. Once fitted, I then wound the tube back through the machine, past the existing 31's pot control box, to the Partlow Intertype face control box that I had mounted on the mold turning casting. The former face control unit of the 31, which was mounted on the right hand side of the machine, became redundant and was removed. The machine was wired up by one of our members and we fired it up. I figured that it would likely work just as well as the Lino unit, as the Lino unit had about a metre of tubing used in the relay, whereas the Intertype unit, although mounted above and back further than the 31's, had a shorter tube. We cast a few dozen lines and all seems to be working well.

Pics of this modification have been added below

[Dave Hughes]

Nice posting Pi - sounds like a job well done!

If you could take a pic of the modification I could put it in your post.

[Dave Hughes]

Pi has sent in the following pics of the modification he described:

[Dan Williams]

Looks great. If you applied the standard mouthpiece cover plate, no one would know the difference (except for the Intertype control box on the side). I think this installation would benefit from some kind of insulation ... spakled asbestos was used previously, but of course there are much better and preferable replacements. Something for the minimum temperature range of 550 degrees +
No doubt you checked that the tube thermostat is responding adequately so that the mouthpiece doesnt over-heat...a good test is timing how fast a two point lead takes to melt when held on-end firmly against the mouthpiece....I think it was ten seconds???