Disassembly of C&P old-style 10x15
Several of you helped with a question similar to this last year. My father has sold two presses. We have a contractor who is going to help us get them out of the basement. The contractor is interested in talking with (or getting more info from) someone who has done this. I have given him info I found on the internet and info that many of you sent me.
I found a diagram of a 8x12 C&P on the internet, but not a 10x15.
If any of you have more info on disassembling a 10x15 C&P old-style and/or are willing to talk with the contractor, I’d be interested in hearing from you.
We are in the KC/Topeka, KS area—so if you are close by, that would be great to know, too.
Thanks!
Hi Gayla,
I just had a friend of mine who is a mechanic help me disassemble my os 10x15. The press was in great condition and oiled well, so the disassembly when pretty smooth.
The hardest part was removing the flywheel, which is the first thing you’ll need to do. The flywheel is connected to a shaft that runs through the press and is attached to small cog, which interacts the larger cog. There is a small pin on the flywheel shaft that is holding it onto the small cog. In order to remove this pin, you’ll need to take a 2x4 and a heavy hammer and knock the cog inwards. It may tack a few hits to get it to move, but eventually it will loosen the hold on the pin and you’ll be able to remove the pin.
Once the pin is out, you can wiggle the small cog off the shaft. Then, on the flywheel side the press, remove the plate that the shaft is going through and the entire flywheel + shaft will come right out!
An invaluable tool when we disassembled mine was an engine hoist. You can tie this onto the large parts of the press as you remove them.
The next tricky part is removing the bed side of the press. It is connected to the frame on the bottom with a steel pin which acts as the joint. You’ll want to knock this out by using a heavy hammer and a metal rod of some type.
The rest is pretty straight forward. I haven’t put mine back together yet, so I can’t offer any advice there.
Remember, rent or obtain an engine hoist! Such a great asset in the disassembly!
Also, See this thread: http://www.briarpress.org/16149
Good Luck!
There are very few important differences between a 10x15 and an 8x12, other than size. The diagram will work for both. There is a generic C&P parts diagram on the Box Car Press web site. http://www.boxcarpress.com/community/flywheel.html
Engine hoists are very nice, but if this press is in a basement and you can’t get one into the basement, disassembly can be done with a bit of patience and thought without one. It takes at least two people who can lift heavy, awkward objects.
Before taking a 2x4 and pounding on the pinion gear with it, see if there is any room behind it. There should be a large lip on the pinion gear key…A slide hammer may be all you need to remove it. Or try using a metal wedge, tapped in from the side…between the key lip and the gear, to force it out. Once the pinion gear is off, removing the flywheel is a simple matter of removing three screws (on a plate on the flywheel side of the press) and pulling. The offset on the crank will fit through the thus slot revealed with a bit of turning.
Close the press and tie the bed to the rest of the press and remove the ink table assembly, roller arms, throw-off, back shaft, and then the sidearms. Then lower the bed toward the floor. It won’t go all the way down, so prop it up with some 2x4s and 4x4s. Then drive out the rod attaching the bed to the frame.
At this point you could remove the platen, though I don’t recommend it. It won’t really gain you much and it’s rather tricky to take off and even trickier to put back on. I’ve never been able to take much more that this off a C&P The two side frames and the large shaft at the front of the press are nearly impossible to separate The bull gear and the wheel on the other side are press fit on and require a large gear puller to take apart and will require heat and a lot of pressure to get back together. Just leave the gear, frame, rocker lock and platen all as one unit and pull it up the stairs as a unit with the aid of a come-along. Upright this should go through almost any doorway. Put 2x6 skids under the press with lag bolts…there are holes in the feet for this.
Ask if any if this is unclear.
Evan and Arie—Thanks so much for the information! I saw other discussions on Briar Press (and related links) that were helpful, too.
I never knew all this info was out there until I started trying to help sell my Dad’s presses last year. He would love this site—but he is computer-shy at 87 years.
Gayla -
I documented such a move (an 8x12) on my web site - http://www.excelsiorpress.org/photos/2002.0109-Crombie/
We did not use an engine hoist to drop the back. It was sufficient to wrap a heavy rope around the front main shaft in the front - many wraps - and let the back down slowly - see http://www.excelsiorpress.org/photos/2002.0109-Crombie/P1080007.JPG - although put safety first and don’t let anyone try to lower the back without mechanical assistance and a good stout rope holding it together.
I’ve done this many times since with 8x12s and 10x15s - and have always removed the flywheel and the shaft as one unit. There’s no need to remove the flywheel from the shaft. The tricky part will be removing the small drive gear on the right side.
I encountered one press where the gear was driven *over* the key/pin (backwards) and had a heck of a time getting it off. I finally used a Volvo strut removal tool to get that one off.
Use the engine hoist if you can - and use the rope as well. The rope has been sufficient for me, but the engine hoist sounds like a good idea.
Best of luck!
- Alan