How much ink on the disc?
I tried searching, but didn’t find anything relevant. I would like to know how much ink is the correct amount to put on the disc? I am using a C&P 8x12 new style.
Is there a certain amount people use or does everybody just eyeball it and ‘know’ how much to put?
We are having problems maintaining the ink through the whole run, so we want to know what is the correct amount to allow for a run of about 100?
Very little ink, say the size of a large pea. You only need as much ink as will cover the first few impressions well.
Then add a dab of ink. Put it on at about 10 o’clock near the outside edge of the ink table and run the press off impression until the ink spreads around.
Or add a very small dab in the same position after say 10 impressions and let it work its way around while you print. This works better for small forms where globs of ink will not run onto the form. I’ve found that roller bearers (wide ones like I use) will help spread out the ink a bit, too.
Add ink whenever the coverage begins to lighten.
If adding ink manually is a problem for you, get an ink fountain and adjust it so that a tiny bit of ink is added with each cycle of the press.
When I have a form which requies critical inking on my platen press, I sometimes roll out ink on a separate ink plate with a hand brayer. This allows one to add ink in fairly small increments and avoids the rush of heavy ink which sometimes can occur when adding by dabs on the ink disk of the press.
After a dozen or so impressions, add ink with the brayer to the left side of the disk, which allows the stripe of ink to gradually get mixed in with the ink already on the disk.
This method is similar to the action of an ink fountain in that it applys a small amount of ink already distributed a bit before application.
Thank you for the replies! They have been helfpul.
Where can I find an ink fountain? I don’t have a problem inking manually, but it might be nice to have it.
Try the usual sources: Churchman’s in Indianapolis, Letterpress Things in Chicopee, MA, Don Black’s in Toronto. Plus watch the lists and network with other printers. I get rid of ink fountains when I find them. Usually at a nice profit. But I don’t use them. Too much trouble to clean and they can use up a lot of ink that never gets on the ink table let alone the paper.
My foreman always tells me….if you can hear the ink “sizzle” or can smudge it with your finger, after it is printed on the paper…way too much ink. After you put your small dab on the ink disc, let the press run until you can’t see very much ink….add more as needed. I hope this makes sense.
it sounds like we have been putting too much ink on the disc and then not having the rollers close enough to the plate, so thanks for all the information… it was definitely helpful!