Do You Use a Feedboard?

I have an old C& P catalog (which has no copyright date) that displays the old style Pilot with no feed board, or mention of one. My C & P Pilot new style does have a space for one, but it was not with the press at time of purchase.

I wish I could have concrete dates for you. Good luck!

I think it is worth having if you can find the parts.

The left side feed board support also keeps the gripper spring in tension. I don’t see how you could use the grippers without at least having that support or some alternative to it.

Daniel Morris
The Arm Letterpress
Brooklyn, NY

Dan,

I should have clarified. If there’s only one board then it’s both the feed and delivery. But what I was referring to is the swivel-bracketed dedicated feedboard that you see on the right hand side of some Pilots. It’s a smaller version of what you’d see on floor models. I have one on our New Series Pilot but not on our Old Style.

Thanks,
Brad

The Old Style Pilot had a main board that extended further to the right. It didn’t use a bracket or a separate upper board. It is nice to have that extra bit of space whether it is on an upper board or is just the wider version.

I would guess that the only reason it was set up the way it was on the later presses was because it was essentially a teaching press and in that configuration it related better to the setup of the larger platens.

Daniel Morris
The Arm Letterpress
Brooklyn, NY

I have an Oldstyle Pilot with the feedboard on it. The basic press has green paint on it, but the feedboard bracket assembly is grey in color, so it appears to be added later. It screws into the bottom right side of the main board. I would assume that this was an accessory.

Rick von Holdt
The Foolproof Press