Help with Motor+Belt setup for OS C&P
Hi there,
I have and OS 10x15 C&P that came with a motor and belt but I have no idea where to start when it comes to setting it up. I was almost sure I would just order a treadle because this is what I’ve worked with before but if anyone could lend some advice or their opinions on the motor vs. the treadle, that’d be GREATLY appreciated!!
Thank you!
There’s a great discussion on this somewhere else in briar press; discusses the number of times you need to pump the treadle in order to make an impression, etc. (I think it was like 6 on a 10x15). You can search the archives…neat stuff. rh
An 8x12 C&P OS uses 4 cycles of the treadle per impression and the 10x15 OS, I recall, uses 5 per impression cycle. I had a 12x18 for a short time and recall that it need 6 cycles of the flywheel per impression cycle. Not that I had a treadle on that one.
I prefer a treadle for the 8x12 and the 10x15 because I feel it gives me much greater control over the speed of the press while I am printing. Motors can’t react as quickly as my foot in response to feeding problems…or when things are going really well. That combined with short press runs of 500 or less make a treadle a clear choice for me. I’m a hobby printer who doesn’t have to worry much about customer deadlines. If i had to print 1000s of copies on deadline I might reconsider…but I’d probably opt for a Heidelberg press, so treadling would be moot.
When I had a motor, I ran it off the flywheel with a v-belt so that the flywheel top went away from the operator. I kept my hands away from the belt when the motor was on.