Flywheel direction for Golding Jobber

I was taught the flywheel always goes away from you.

Typically on Golding presses the platen opens quickly and closes slowly when the flywheel is turning correctly. That should result from what Dick said.

Bob

I’ve run a Golding Jobber #7 for 20 years which was motorized before I saw it with the flywheel turning toward me. This causes it to open slowly and close fast just as previously mentioned. I was told this was WRONG, but it is what I am used to so I’m not changing it now. If you want to run it CORRECTLY have the flywheel turn away from you.
www.briarpress.org/27522#comment-30089
Diane

I have a Golding jobber # 7 with a motor that I have been running for the past 10 years, flywheel runs counter clockwise.

Thanks for all your input. I especially enjoyed reading the discussion linked from Diane. I can see how this is a little bit subjective, but I’ll try it counter-clockwise and I’m also looking forward to learning how to adjust the platen.

If the flywheel has curved spokes and, very important, if it is in the original orientation, the spokes tell you the right rotation.
Correct travel will push your hand out of the obtuse spoke angle, incorrect travel will catch your hand in the acute angle.

p_i, that’s an interesting point. Attached is a photo of my press after I first moved it. According to your suggestion the wheel should turn toward me, although I’m questioning whether it is in fact the original orientation.

1517608_625643654171263_1568780010_n.jpg

The Golding Jobber is a wonderfully engineered press. Golding carefully explained and promoted the many features that were superior to other manufacturers in detail in his catalogs. Those superior features are the unique impression adjustment mechanism, inking system, one piece main casting, and feeding dwell/impression engineering. He undoubtedly would roll over in his grave if he knew some operators were running his presses backwards and reversing the intentionally introduced dwell that made his models some of the fastest and safest presses in the world. The extra speed and safety comes directly from not only the extra time the platen is open for feeding, but, from the reduced time for the impression portion of the cycle. If you are capable of feeding 1000 cards per hour on a typical press which has a feeding dwell time of about 1/3 of the revolution(average of other presses) and ran the Golding so the platen open time was the same, you would be feeding over 1500 cards per hour with no more exertion. This information is directly from Golding.

Your flywheel is on correctly. And, as others have stated, for a Golding (Pearl or Jobber) push the top of the flywheel away from you to start the rotation. (counter clockwise)

John

Per parallel_imp’s comment above, it looks to me like the flywheel on Jason’s press is reversed — if the top is moving away from the operator fingers could be caught by the acute angle between the spoke and rim. Perhaps not a great danger, though.

Bob

Hi Bob,

With all due respect to parallel imp’s point, I do not find any evidence of that rule with Golding. The opposite evidence is found. Many times the length and shape of the hub dictates which way the flywheel is to go on and in Golding presses like the Pearls especially, it matches Jason’s picture. Also, it is telling if the decorations applied at time of manufacture are still in evidence. My Jobber has all its original flywheel decoration and dictates the orientation of the flywheel like the picture shows. They didn’t decorate the inside of the flywheel. (well they did, but, with less decoration if any) All images in my 1881 Golding catalog do not follow that logic. There is printed evidence telling us to run the flywheel away from you and visual evidence as to the correct orientation of the flywheels to be as shown in the picture. I have not checked newer catalogs as they are just not handy at the moment. I have seen flywheels on in the opposite way on various presses and the rule may apply to them, but, as I said, their is only evidence to the contrary with Golding.

John

John, I don’t have any of my former reference material to consult, so I bow to your superior knowledge and resources. I’ve had my Pearl 11 apart twice to move and repair it, and at the moment my flywheel is installed as yours is shown on the Jobber. I always run it going away from me anyway. I was told early on that if you want to stop it quick by grabbing the rim, it’s safer to have it pulling on your arm rather than pushing.

So thanks for the correction!

Bob

Curved spokes were used to prevent cracks when the flywheels were poured in cast iron and cooled; nothing to do with the direction of rotation of the wheel on the press. Later improvements in metallurgy allowed foundries to make the spokes straight. My Chandler still has the steam pulleys so it is simple to figure out the rotation as the flat belt had to feed into the side of the pulley that has the shift fingers; I have a short line shaft connecting my two presses.

Interesting… I have both a Pearl No. 3
and a Jobber No. 6. Both of them came to me with motors installed (I subsequently substituted treadles), so I can’t be certain of their original flywheel orientations.
However, if you compare the engineering drawings that are available via links on John’s and Steve Saxe’s sites, you will see that the orientation of the flywheels’ curves is opposite on each respective press (one has acute angle sympathetic to hand rotation away from the operator; the other the reverse). Makes you wonder if designers were concerned about safety of operators’ hands or some other consideration. Doesn’t seem to support parallel imp’s theory of acute vs. obtuse angle re hand - rotation of the flywheel.
N.B. That the flywheel axle on my Pearl leaves only one way to properly install it on its shaft, whereas the Jobber’s flywheel axle is symmetrical, and would allow installation from either orientation.