chandler and price something is out of whack
The chandler and price platen, when the press moves into the impression position with the platen rotated forward, and just prior to the impression strike a brace moves forward under the platen to absorb the impression and prevent any movement. If this brace will not seat itself under the platen and lacks about 1/8” or less of clearing, what might be some of the causes???
if this is down lower on the front of the press, say thigh/ knee level, under your feed and delivery station, this sounds like the gate lock. this should be locking into the rocker just for the purpose you stated. the platen is bolted onto the rocker. the rocker swings up to contact the frame. there should be no gap here. the gatelock then moves in to lock the rocker. there should be no gap here either. do the following checks CAREFULLY PLEASE.
now some things could be wrong, from bad to terrible. first, check the race way(the big groove that is cut into and around the inner side of the big main gear.) by wiping it out with a rag, while have someone turn the press by hand SLOWLY! this can be a very nasty pinch point. look for any trace of metal on the rag. check the groove itself for abnormal wear. bad grooves anywhere here are just that,,, bad.
you will notice a spot in the groove that dips in, which sends the rocker/platen closed. bad grooves in this area mean the press was run with too much pressure near the top of the platen. with the platen in a few different postions, try wobbling the platen back and forth, seeing if there is a lot of play in its normal turn pattern. hopefully there is play and this probaly mean a worn bent/ broken stud for the roller in the main gear groove. there is a service hole to help change this. broken/bent stud, not the end of the world. major scrapes, wear, damage to the surface of the main gear groove is worse.
now we get to terrible… which your problem could be. if this press was hit hard on the top edge of platen and did not damage the roller stud, the platen/press could be knocked out of time. this could easily be your problem. you are looking at a complete teardown at this point. side arms must come off, head cam(smaller main cam on operator side.) main gear and main shaft need to com out, the the rocker arm removed/retimed then redrill and pin. this can be quite a project, but there is alot of advice out there on this and i am sure all would help with pics.
Gatelock, rocker, yes those are the parts, I just did not know the nomenclature but you have the problem well in hand. Now to flesh out a bit, this press is available, probably for a very reasonable price, (just move it) However my observation did show a 1/2” chip in the upper left corner of the platen, that would be the upper next to the feed board as well as a broken right foot and another small chip the location of which I cannot recall. My suspicion was that the press had been dropped at some point but I could not imagine what could have thrown the rocker and the gatelock out of whack, now I do. This is an old style press and I am considering getting it for parts if any one might need them, I have no use for the press myself. Thanks you for the input, I was once and discovered I will always be a printer at heart. It is nice to be able to tap into and share what little knowledge I do have in this forum and hear from those with more experinence than I. Also a question, has anyone ever know a printer and instructor by the name of Lyle Smithson?? I would like to know if he is still around. Thanks, Vern