New press refurb

[garagewear]

Hey Y'all! I'm still here. The day job has me so consumed I spend every other waking hour in the shop.

Sold the Javelin and old small Hopkins then bought a National like my old one. Been refurbing it. Fresh paint, rebuilding the heads one by one. Bearings seemed fine so didn't take the shaft apart. Two more heads to go but using it as I refurb. I never understood why National then Global didn't make it. These presses are beasts.

Here are some of the progress shots.

[garagewear]

More pics

[garagewear]

More again

[garagewear]

And top it off with a home brew!

[GaryG]

Nice- National Purple!
Just kidding, cool graphics and all. I painted our old Rototex 8 color manual with a
slight metallic blue. That was after having a machine shop straighten the 4th pallet
arm back in plane, after it was bent to the truck bed from the height of a wood pallet in the back of a
freight truck! Fun times.

Looked like this
-------~____

[garagewear]

I walked in the paint store and the young guy behind the counter wanted me to leave the strut to let him match the old color. I told him don't worry I am painting the whole thing. He then pulls out his House of Color chips. No thanks I say. Just give me Plum Crazy Purple from 69/70 Mopar. Near dead on!

Fortunately nothing bent on this press however I have one head that I have been scavenging parts from. Will end up with all new Hopkins parts on that head.

[garagewear]

This one was my original National press

[Inkworks]

I have the same press(well actually I have a 6/6). Pretty solid unit, the only thing I don't like is the lower pivot for screen off contact/tilt has some play, so you have to keep them tight or you get a little slop raising and lowering the screens for printing. This makes adjusting the tilt tough as the pivot is so tight.

that and if you lower the screen between platens, you can snap off the nylon bolts if you hit one. I got mine for ~$300 without platens.

[garagewear]

Want your money back? 

You can get rid of some of the slop by increasing the bolt size on the lower pivot. Depending on how much slop there is and if you have to drill out the hole. I know some of the Hopkins had a larger diameter bolt on the bottom.

B