We took the plunge on an auto.

[stitches4815]

We just bought a used gauntlet today.  I have been sick to my stomach on making the decision to buy it.  Hopefully that will go away and joy will start to filter in.

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[GaryG]

Man- sounds great~
I'm sure you will do well !!

Let us know how it goes...

[LoneWolf2]

That feeling will go away as soon as you start printing with it.

[Sbrem]

a couple of jobs, and you'll be wondering how you lived without one...

Steve

We picked up a '94 Gauntlet S a good 15 years ago, still running...

[Homer]

old gauntlet huh...I'll lend you my list of custom swear words when you try to bump the micros...

[stitches4815]

Thanks for all the input.  I actually can't wait to get it and use it.

Jay, I am sure I will be able to come up with my own swear words but go ahead and send me your list.  I am sure I will crap myself laughing.

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[Prosperi-Tees]

Forget the micros, buy a hammer

[1964GN]

Forget the micros, buy a hammer

^ He's not kidding.

[tonypep]

Absolutely no hammers allowed on the production floor. Ops need to learn how to use micros. Always centered to zero each job. Most don't even know they have a neutral position to prevent shifting.
Sorry but hammers=bandaid

[mk162]

I never used a hammer on our gauntlet...our micros were as smooth as butter.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

I guess I need to clean and learn to use the micros then, because I too have succumbed to The Hammer Method™.

@ Brad and/or Tony, I only have front micros. Do I need to open the rear locks to use my front only micros?

Hey Stitches, what year is yours? Is it a Revolver? I have come to love mine, but it took a while. There IS a learning curve.    Sounds like you are already prepared for a little head scratching. The long mounting rods for the airlock assemblies do more "flag poling" than I'd like. There is probably a trick that I haven't figured out yet. I'm 8 months in and still learning something new every few days.

If you seek basic operating instructions, be aware that the control panels are variable (by year?) and can be confusing when asking questions. As modern computer user, I remember thinking "This interface is SOOO "last century!!" But naw, its just fine once you get your mind around it.

[Homer]

yeah no hammer mmk....no need, keep'em clean and you'll be ok. the issues with our micros are each head reacts a little different to each movement. the threads of the micros get a little looser on some over others... I know one head moves x and a little y at the same time, another head moves in a swing pattern....

[tonypep]

If you study true XYZ registration theory you will realize that rear micros are unnecessary though at times, especially with a slightly warped frame, they can come in handy. Its best to release the rear clamps.

[Screen Dan]

Absolutely no hammers allowed on the production floor. Ops need to learn how to use micros. Always centered to zero each job. Most don't even know they have a neutral position to prevent shifting.
Sorry but hammers=bandaid

Oh. My. God.  The fact that most operators never even consider zeroing out their micros drives me up an effing wall.

Quick tip to OP: Zero out all micros after every job, and keep your white plate micros zeroed out at 33%-50% pushed inward.  Depending on how the films were lined up, or any other type of inconsistency that can happen even with a CTS (if they can, they will...humans are human) it's always nice to have a little outward slack for all the colors after the white.  you can always push back more since the rear frame holder is adjustable, but you can't always pull out unless you account for it.  You'll appreciate this when you have to replace a screen in the middle of the run...especially once you experience the exact reason why I started doing this.  Having to re-registering a job in the middle of a run is a waste of time, money and sanity.  Everyone should do their job 100% perfectly.  They probably won't.  You shouldn't have to pay for that.  Build in a fail-safe.

Also, disconnect the front frame holder from the registration plate thingy, clean it up thoroughly and smear a layer of lithium grease under there, put it back together, lube up the bolts that the knobs connect to at every junction and work the micros through the entire range of motion...if you maintain this (keeping the glue and lint out and the grease fresh every 6 months or so) those micros will work like a dream. 

Also, keep the rear frame holder clear of lint and ink.

...and sometimes "cheating" is fine.  Cheating being unlocking the rear frame holder and manually nudging the frame, holding it and throwing the rear locks.  Yes, I know what that does...but when it works, it works...and it's far harder to do than it looks.

Though if you use a spray tac using the rear frame locks on head 12 (or whatever your last head is) is pretty futile unless you clean (and I also grease it with a thin layer of lithium) it after every job.

Also, to hell the rear manual clamp...but make damn sure you tighten the front ones always.  Never rely on the air clamps, even if the job won't be left aired down overnight.

Also, when leveling the pallets I would level to nickles at the rear corners and dimes at the front corners.  The literal coins.  This would account for most of the pallet deflection that occurs naturally.  Even using minimal pressure you'll see that the absolute top of the pallet doesn't clear out as well as the middle or rear when leveled perfectly flat (to quarters, if you were curious).  Compensating like this allows me to use minimal pressure without the top of the print being less cleared out than the rest...and you won't have to use more pressure to clear the front, resulting in too much pressure for the rest.  Don't worry if this sounds like a bunch of voodoo mumbo jumbo right now.  The first time you level the pallets (I'll say a prayer for you) it'll all click.

But you don't have to take my word for it...you'll learn this all on your own eventually anyway.

Congrats, Stitches.  The free-swinging Gauntlets are my favorite press that I've ever used.  You've made a wise investment.  With regular maintenance that thing will run forever...and even without it seems.  Those things just can't be killed.

[Sbrem]

What if we change the pronoun "Hammer" to "Dynamic Excitement Tool"? No, we don't, but we used to once upon a time. We had an old Italian machine called MATEX, a 7 color carousel (there's one on eBay right now) and the hammer was pretty handy for the final little tweak. Yes, we knew better, but it was much faster than the worn micros...

Steve