07/29/2024
Cottrell restoration update
We have been working hard to rebuild our transmission system for the Cottrell.
First, we drew up a line diagram of proposed systems. Each one had different pulleys to figure out what different speeds we could have at the end where we feed paper.
Next, we picked one of the line diagrams. We drew up a design of how the hardware should look.
After that, we drew up a list of parts. A major goal was to spend our money locally. We succeeded! We had all parts in hand by early May.
Once we had the parts, we decided to go one step further. We asked a mechanical engineer who has appeared on our pages in the past to come and personally review our project.
He came to Benton, Ark., the second weekend of July. To say the visit was invaluable is an understatement. He thoroughly reviewed our drawings, our space, our goals and our mechanical parts.
He advised us on ways to change our plan to make it better. He also made suggestions like the fact we may not need a tensioner (see immediate previous post). We learned a lot in the time spent with him.
I have been busy helping others in my roles as a magazine publisher, farmer and preservation consultant. However, I've been able to spend a little bit of time laying out the components for the new transmission system.
I realize these posts leave people wondering, "What happened?" when we go with a gap in information. At Muscadine Press, the gap has been active work.
Some have asked why go to all the trouble to rebuild the way that power moves from the motor to the press? (I call it the "drive belt system" or the "transmission system.")
The answer: the way I had the press earlier, it was a static display press. That meant that the motor was connected for purposes of showing how the press could work.
For example, I've attached the photo of the Babcock at the Printing Museum at Old Washington State Park in Washington, Ark. The press is a display. It shows a motor of the kind uses to power the press. That is why it is a display press. A printing company wouldn't ever use that press for work with a motor setup like this. Why not? The press would turn too fast for humans to use. If you put a mixing attachment on the end of the press pulley, it would spin as fast as a blender.
We are turning the Cottrell from a static display into a working press. A working press needs a drive-belt system that (a) can work; (b) work reliably and (c) is one we can quickly repair when there are operational issues.
It's taking a long time but we want to work out all the bugs so we can show you how we print with it.
One last note: our engineer friend strongly - strongly - suggested we have YouTube videos of what we do. Yes, even the mundane stuff. He thinks a lot of people will be interested in seeing the old machinery used in a safe operating environment. What do you think?
