Windmill part left after disassembly (Oups !)

Hi everyone,

First of all I would like to thank all those who have been posting and sharing on this site in the past, even though it’s my first post I’ve found so many answers to my questions thanks to this community I stopped counting !

I’ve been working in graphic design for a decade now and I’ve come to the same result as so many of you have already came to : let’s go back to the roots, there is nothing like it ! (Back in high school I also learned printing but sadly it was mostly offset..) Anyway, I’m getting out of tracks here !

Last summer, in the process of creating my own workshop I bought a Windmill from 1962, it was dusty and not really well stored by its previous owner (who saved it from the trash 4 years ago so I can’t complain) so it took me a while to clean it up and see if everything was okay.

At the time I didn’t have electricity at the place I restored it so I started to turn the wheel by hand like I did a few times before… That’s when the lever for the sucker bar movement (part T 0437) just broke !! As you can imagine it wasn’t the best day of my life but I wasn’t gonna be stopped by this, so after trying to figure out what just happened (a badly placed strap slightly twisted the part during it first transit I think) I had only one option : dismantle every part that standed between me and the broken one (clutch lever, flywheel, driving shaft and the clutch itself), find another windmill too broken to work again, dismantle it and replace the part in mine

It wasn’t a walk in the park, but I did it with as much precautions as I could, taking pictures and labelling parts when I took them away, etc. but even by doing so, I was left with a small stupid part (see attached file) that should theoretically go on my windmill but I can’t seem to find where it should go. Since then I can turn the flywheel by hand with no resistance to make the windmill “running” but everytime I make a full turn the clutch lever just disengage, i’m not sure if it’s due to the part I’m left with or because of a whole other thing I missed !

We recently moved in with my girlfriend in a new place where I’ll build a proper workshop for all my letterpress stuff, buy doing so I’ll also be able to connect my windmill to the correct power outlet and really start working with it.

Sadly I’m not sure if it’s gonna work due to the problems I told you about, I would really be greatfull if you could give me your thoughts about it !

Of course don’t hesitate to ask if you need more informations or pictures.

PS : not sure you can see it in the picture but there is a screw thread in the middle of the part!

All the best from France,
Olivier

image: Windmill part.jpg

Windmill part.jpg

Log in to reply   4 replies so far

Looks like a part that is attached with the rider roller.
Guide piece T901015. There should be 2 of them so maybe the other one is in the rider roller. (If you have the roller)

There is also a guide piece for the friskets T2012 that it could be, but it looks to me more like the rider roller piece.

Also, when the press disengages, are you sure the automatic throw-off screw isn’t too far in?

Take a close look at this posting on eBay… is that the same item that is in one of the drawers? If it is not for the rider roller, the guys selling it on ebay might know (unless, of course, his item is similarly left over after disassembly ;-))
https://www.ebay.com/itm/115676812277?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

I agree with Dennis, this is for attaching the rider roller.

Many thanks guys !

Dennis I saw your (super fast and first) answer and I started to investigate, I could’t find the guide piece on the parts book I printed to help me disassemble the beast so that’s was a bit odd, until I opened an other version from 1972 I had on my computer and Voilà, there it was, just aside the rider roller, it does look very similar indeed ! I don’t have this optional roller though so I can’t be sure at 100% but I don’t see what else it could be. (I would say the same as you if i compare with the friskets part)

Now I may have found it when I changed the lever because with no flywheel on I gained access to the circular inspection plate (T0111) on the base (it was kind of cool because I found some old prints it’s previous owners must have made during the 80s !), that would explain why I have this spare part but not the screw that goes with it.. Rhaa I feel stupid I can’t remember how and why I put it aside !

TollundPress that’s awesome you found this add :D
I’ll contact the seller, we never know !

So that would end the mistery and at least prove that it can’t be because of this part my windmill keep stoping

Concerning this last point, I did unscrew it but it doesn’t change anything. After reading your post I tried to take a look closer to the whole system : if I pull out the button (T1610) of the air cylinder automatic throw-off I can make the press turn normally with no unwanted stop but if I push it and then screw or unscrew the adjusting screw (T1665) nothing happen although I would guess it should move the plunger (T1622) and/or the cam (T1649) of the automatic throw-off ?

I can fully unscrew it and looking closer to the part book it seems like I shouldn’t be able to do so because of the compression spring (T1624), the star (T1652) and the split pin (Q 27) hidden in the system. So maybe the pin broke and because of that it can’t do it’s job properly ?