Cracked Ink Disk Lever
I am looking at purchasing a Golding Pearl #3 from someone and it seems to be in good shape with a few issues (missing drawers, missing ink plate, broken feed board brackets) however the only thing I am uncertain about involves the ink disk lever. According to the seller, the ink disk lever has a crack near where the pawl is attached with a pin. They have had the press for many decades and it seems this crack has ben there much of that time if not all. Apparently the disk spins fine.
Unfortunately I live about 5 hours away so I can’t just hop over to see it.
Any thoughts on an issue like this? Is it something that can be repaired or best left alone? Or does this sound like something I should avoid?
Thanks!
I have a Pearl #3. The pawl is at the end of a fairly long, thin casting with a fork at the end of it. The pawl is attached between the two “tines” of the fork, with a pin going through one “tine,” then through the pawl, and then through the other “tine.” I am guessing that there is a crack through one of the tines, and the other tine is still holding everything together.
Personally I don’t think this is a deal breaker. However, since the good tine now has to handle all the stress that two tines were designed to handle, it has more chance of breaking as well. So, I would definitely get it repaired. Cast iron can be either brazed, or welded with a nickel rod. Since it is old, brittle cast iron, I would definitely take it to a shop which has a lot of experience with this kind of work and can make the best choice regarding what to do, because you can’t afford to make the problem worse. Be sure to tell the welding/brazing shop that the piece is very old.
Please let us know whether you get the press and good luck!
Geoff
Hi,
I definitely would not let that issue be a deal breaker either. Almost all really old presses have some sort of issue to deal with when restoring. That is a minor one. You may even be able to superglue the joint and not risk the embrittlement that can occur with brazing/welding if done improperly. I may even have a replacement part without any issues.
JF