C&P NS wavy roller rails

Recently purchased C&P new style.
The roller rails are a bit wavy. You can see the wave and feel the wire edge from the wear. I am sure the trucks need replacement.
What can be done for the rails? Is it possible to repair? File flat and build-up with tape? Weld up, grind down? Just curious if there is a standard repair?
Thanks in advance.

Log in to reply   5 replies so far

Rails are cast iron. Trucks are steel. Iron is softer and will take the wear.
You have two issues. You must cure the cause and heal the damage. Look to the roller arms and saddles to find the cause.
The rails must be brought to flat. At or slightly under .918”. Hard to grind evenly. A file held flat the long way on the rails and worked tediously will bring the rails even. If deeply scalloped/wavey you can build up the low spots with J-Weld, Red Hand or Bondo epoxy filler as used in automotive body repair. Then file.
With the rails even and slightly under .918” high, you bring them up the rest of the way with tape.
A good flat straight edge across the rails with a piece of large type held against the bed will tell you where you are. This is best done with four hands.
A bit of work and you will have the old iron back to the way it was designed and built.
Get some ink on your shirt.

Can’t help you too much on rail repairs, though it should be possible both of the ways you mention. A cure I use is to employ roller bearers. These lock up in the chase and overhang the chase itself so you only lose about 1/8” of chase space. Think type high, 90 degree angled steel with ramps for the rollers to roll on and off. Much cheaper than regrinding the rails, less prone to damage than tape.

The tracks can be made true with a carborundum stone held in a jig that keeps the stone level and at suitable height. That will allow you to have the same height side to side and top to bottom. Manual filing would be tricky, and you’d need a depth micrometer or the like to judge evenness.
I don’t think using filler in the low spots, other than big dings, is going to hold, especially where the filler feathers out to its thinnest layer, having used Devcon plastic steel epoxy or JB Weld to repair a lot of dings.

Thank you for all of the feedback. Options! I like em. You all gave me some. I’ll let you know what I end up doing.

” You must cure the cause and heal the damage. Look to the roller arms and saddles to find the cause.”
I took the roller saddles (I hope that is the correct term) out and cleaned everything. The rods were bent, so I straighten them. I removed the swing arms from the journal and cleaned. I modified a copper pipe, so to hold the saddle springs in a compressed position, while inserting the spring retaining pins. This press has been operated dry. No lube anywhere. Oil holes hidden under years of crud. OH! the cam follower that triggers the grippers on the platen had a flat spot from years of not being oiled. Yes, there is an oil hole on the follower. Built up the follower with a weld and then ground it back to round. Not a hardened part. Does anyone have a real idea of the weight of the NS flywheel or large drive gear?
I want to get to the main journal and caps before long to get that all cleaned and lubed.
Thanks.