Franklin Gordon short video

Why do you say the throw off is backwards from the norm?

Well it is, you push it forward to print, back to you to throw off….every other cp I’ve seen has it the other way…, it prevents me from using a redingon counter, not sure why??

let’s see some pics from the back of this press. below the ink disk…

Yes, on my Ben Franklin Gordon, (1886-1898) as well as any of the others I’ve seen, the throwoff action is reversed. I’ve also owned a Schniedewand & Lee Challenge (1884-1893) also with throwoff reversed. Schniedewand & Lee of Chicago, later (1886) became Challenge Machinery Co., Grand Haven, Michigan.
There is a way of reversing this action, but it restricts the travel of the roller arms all the way down, thereby allowing the use of only the top two rollers. I was told years back this was a patent issue. Chandler & Price made their first C&P in 1886.

Not actually having much knowledge of this machine i will risk a hiding here, the throw off mechanism will work in the direction it does dictated by the way the linkages approach the shaft one direction to throw off if linked above or behind the shaft and throw off will be opposite if the control lever were not moved but linked from below or to the front . Such a variation would probably occur if someone downscaled a design to reduce the machines physical dimensions. A supposition but it may explain why when linked differently there is no rioom for carrying extra rollers because the decreased size did not need the extra inking ???

Reversing the action on the throwoff lever on a Ben Franklin Gordon Jobber or a Schniedewend & Lee Challenge Gordon…
For sake of identifying parts I am using C&P parts numbers from their New Series Component Parts List.
Remove end of throwoff arm that connects to part No. 69, which is the back shaft, which has the ends off-center to allow additional space between the front and rear part of the press during the throwoff action. After removal of the bolts holding the half-round end of the rod to the back shaft, you will step over this half round end, to only one of the two holes in the back shaft. I can’t really tell which way as I’ve painted this press and can’t see the markings. Do this by trial-and-error, it should be obvious which way it goes. It’s a good idea to replace that bolt with a blued steel bolt as only one is doing the work of two.
Reason for only being able to use only two rollers is by doing this we have repositioned the roller arms to run lower, both at bed of the press as well as on the ink disc. To make up for the loss of the third roller, I have fashioned from an aluminum galley a part that locks up in the lower extreme of the chase. It is curved like the part on the old Goldings that carried extra ink coverage. Don’t know if Golding showed this in their catalog, as I’ve loaned mine out.
Hopefully this is understandable, believe me it works, and allows for the use of a counter on that arm. I’ve done this on both the Ben Franklin Gordon and the Schniedewend and Lee Challenge Gordon as using the reversed throwoff would be like learning to drive on the left side of the road!