Roller carriage problem

Hi all,

I only just started hands on work with letterpress printing after admiring it for a long time. However, I’m facing some problems and hope you can offer some help:

- I’m using an Adana 8x5. I realised that the right hand roller carriage is not holding the rollers well. The spring doesn’t seem to retract well when the handle is released. This means that the roller isn’t really straight and there is less contact between the rollers and the plate on the right side. If I attach just one roller, the spring retracts much better. The springs are kinda rusty (Is that the reason?) but otherwise feels pretty strong to me. Should I clean them? If so, with what?

- Ink is also getting onto the bottom of the chase as well.

I would appreciate any info/advice that you can offer!

Thanks very much!

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Could be a few things. Do you have some pictures to share with the group?

If you bought this Adana online, there’s a good chance that it’ll have some post-factory modifications. Usually the people selling them aren’t printers, so who knows what kind of Frankenstein you might have on your hands.

Good luck!

I gave the machine some oil and it seems to be working much better! Thanks for your time.

Also, in regards to ink getting spread onto the chase or unevenly; There are 4 big bolts at the rear of the chase that can adjust the alignment of the chase. Make sure these are aligned properly.

Got it! Thanks much :)