Chase question

Greetings all.

I’m a newbie to this site but not terribly new to _some_ aspects of letterpress printing. Read that as “once upon a time I was a “here’s what I need you to do, now do it” grunt hand-feeding a press and occasionally watching and older gentleman hand-composing the next couple pages.”

Anyway, I just discovered among clutter and mess an old Golding old-style Pearl press, presumably a #3. It’s fairly complete but the rollers are shot, a couple minor castings are fractured (but all there), front tables and support-arm are missing, and the drawers are long gone, etc. etc. “Close to working” rather than “career-length project”. However, there’s no chase in it and no other associated material the belongs to it to be found nearby. Yes, the shed is packed nearly wall to wall with all manner of this-and-that like all good “you can stuff that here” places which require forethought to navigate the maze or the agility of a moutain goat to climb over material.

Anyway, the platen itself (if I have the terminology right) is somewhere near 8 x 12 if I’m remembering my hasty measurements correctly, so I’m guessing it’s likely a #3 that would have a 7x11 chase. If I am incorrect in that assumption someone let me know.

I do metalworking machining and have foundry experience so making a pattern for, casting, and machining a chase wouldn’t be so exceptionally challenging IF I had proper dimensions.

Hence my inquiry… would anyone out there happen to have a loose chase that they could write down the inch-dimensions for as well as photograph it so I can cognitively relate the appropriate dimensions to what would be the finished product? If anyone can help I would sincerely appreciate it.

And for those who would point out such things, yes I know a chase is pointless without type, and both are pointless without usable rollers in the press, I’m taking things I can tackle before tackling the things I’m only minorly familiar with - like the rollers.

Yes, you all can also expect a question or three about RTV rubber in the future.

Tim Fuller

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