Pressrooms large and small that I have visited lack tools for several reasons.

The reasons range from, “We don’t need it right now, and if we ever do need it, we will purchase it then,” and “We can get by without them right now,” to “The tools keep disappearing, and I just have to buy more,” and “They cost too much, so I’ll just let the service tech bring them when he comes.”

None of the tools in this article are that expensive and will pay for themselves several times over if they are on-site when a problem arises, especially since most pressrooms are producing during hours that most other business are closed.

Also, the cost of the press being down can be staggering if you consider that the downtime can cost additional salaries to be paid to pressroom, mailroom and circulation employees if the tools are not available and have to be purchased, rented or borrowed. The cost of the parts are a given, but if you have the right tools and the expertise, you can save a lot of money doing the repairs yourself.

Becoming self-sufficient is extremely important not only to reduce the repair costs, but also to avoid a press shutdown until the service technician arrives.

The following is a list of tools that can be added to the basic toolbox that will make your pressroom more self-sufficient.

Hydraulic

Portable power-hydraulic sets help remove all the stubborn bushings in the press equipment.

This tool comes in several different power capacities. The 4-ton capacity works well in small pressrooms, such as those that own Harris V-15 series, Goss Community, Web Press Leaders and King presses. The size I carry with me has a 10-ton capacity and will work on most every problem that I encounter on either single- or double-width presses. If a larger unit is needed, it can be rented locally.

Feather key tools

The feather key wedge can be used in place of a porta-power in most cases, and is much quicker. The feather key wedge is a triangular shaped piece of metal used to separate objects. Normally, a feather key and the wedge are driven with a hammer to remove or separate the objects.

A feather key bar is another useful tool that can be used in place of a porta-power in most cases. This bar is similar to a crowbar. It is approximately 3 feet in length and has a curved wedge on the end of the bar, resembling a half moon. The key bar and wedge were originally used on old presses to remove a feather key, which wedged the drive gears to the drive shaft instead of the locking bolts that are used on modern presses. These tools can still be purchased today.

Another tool that can be purchased at any automotive store and used to do the same thing is a ball joint removal tool. This device is another wedge that resembles a tuning fork. All of these tools fit well in some areas but not in others, so it is important to have all three.

Collars

Plastic bushing or slip collars, which are used to remove bushings from the press unit and folder frames, can be made from any round, tubular material such as plastic water pipe or metal pipe.

Brass or plastic is preferred so that the parts being removed are not marred. Plastic bushings or brass slip collars need to have an outside diameter slightly smaller than the bushing to be removed, and an inside diameter slightly larger than the bushing to be removed. The bushing removal tools should be made in an assortment of lengths from 0.5 inches to 6 inches long in 0.5-inch increments.

The bushing removal tools should be split in half lengthwise so they can be placed between the oscillating drum and bushing to be removed. The two halves can then be held in place with a hose clamp or tie wrap. Normally, most parts can be removed with a brass rod and hammer, but in some cases it is necessary to use other tools in confined areas such as those mentioned above.

Reciprocating saw

A reciprocating saw can be used in extreme cases where all methods of removing oscillating drum bushings fail.

The shaft of the drum can be cut off allowing access to the bushings. Again, this method should only be used if the drum shaft is bent or doesn’t allow access to remove the bushings with the uses of conventional tools.

This device is also effective in removing paper from a severely jammed folder or unit. Extra care must be taken so that the blanket cylinder or the plate cylinder is not damaged inadvertently by trying to remove the paper jam. Use with extreme caution!

Plastic ties

Plastic ties can be used to hold the end of the sock material on the dampener sock roller. Several of these ties can be connected in order to form a larger plastic tie, which can retain larger objects. The ties can be used to support air hoses, electrical wires, water lines or other objects that dangle around the press which may cause occasional web breaks, be a safety hazard, or just interfere with the normal functions of running the press.

Strobe light

If you are trying to troubleshoot a folder problem with the press running, it can be very difficult because of the high speeds at which some of these problems occur. A strobe light can freeze the area enough to help see and resolve an annoying problem. A video camera with freeze framing and a good light source is even more effective since the images can be reviewed over and over again.

Stethoscope

Stethoscopes for listening to mechanical defects are useful for pinpointing bad bearings in a high noise level environment or where there are several bearings in close proximity to each other.

Heat-sensing guns

Heat-sensing guns are extremely valuable tools for finding hot roller bearings. The only way that I used to be able to find bad roller bearings after a press run was to individually feel each ink roller journal by hand. Heat-sensing guns save a tremendous amount of time and keep most of the ink buildup off the hands.

This device can also be used on pipe roller bearings, water temperature, motor temperature, gear box temperature, the temperature of rubber rollers and electrical connections that you feel might be developing heat because of a loose connection. The price of this device has come down significantly over the past few years.

Grinders

A 5-inch hand grinder is very effective in removing unwanted metal, such as burs on shafts, and cutting off frozen nuts or bolts. It is also useful in removing broken or twisted parts from the folder or damaged press units. A bench grinder is also useful in doing similar tasks, and will leave the hands free to control the part needing the attention.

Hex wrenches

A variety of different hex wrench sets, such as the Chapman set, which consists of a set of short hex bits and a small ratchet handle. This set helps you get in the tight areas. There are areas that require a long screwdriver-handle style that are not accessible with the Chapman set.

The hex wrenches can be purchased in lengths up to 14 inches long; however, I have cut the hex shafts and extended them to 36 inches for special applications. If size is not an issue but length is, standard hex wrenches that are fit into a 0.375-inch drive socket can be purchased.

A full set of standard hex wrenches should be available as well.

Bolt removers

Sometimes bolts break off and need to be removed. I use a folder pin and pin arm assembly to remove small bolts. A pin placed on the edge of the broken bolt and then tapped in a counter-clockwise direction will remove the bolt in most cases.

Larger bolts that are broken off may require a bolt extractor (referred to as an “easy out”). A hole is drilled in the center of the broken bolt and the bolt extractor placed in the hole and turned counter-clockwise to remove it. I also use left-hand drill bits to drill the hole and remove the broken bolts. The bolt will come out without having to use the bolt extractor in many cases.

Torque wrench and pull scale

Knowing the amount of force exerted by the floating roller is extremely important in maintaining correct web tension.

A torque wrench can be used on the end of a floating roller or governor with the use of a homemade bracket that will allow the torque wrench to sense the pressure being delivered by the floating roller load device. A pull scale capable of measuring at least 150 pounds positioned between the floating roller (sometimes called the dancer roller or governor roller) and first pipe roller can also be used to test the pressure being exerted by the floating roller load device.

Drills

A hand drill and drill bits are absolutely essential in the pressroom for repairing the press equipment. Except for the normal hand tools, the hand drill gets the most use. The drill can be used to drill out broken bolts; drill holes for pins; and re-drill holes that were damaged, either through abuse or normal mechanical failures. Drills are used to remove the heads from bolts to separate pieces of equipment that cannot be removed any other way.

I have even had to drill several consecutive holes in an “on-the-nose plate lockup” in order to remove it one piece at a time because of plate cylinder rust. A drill press is very desirable because of your ability to be more hands free and do more accurate drilling.

Dial indicator, rods, levels

I use a dial indicator to check the run-out of plate and blanket cylinders.

I can check the cylinders for depressions and other imperfections that reduce the ability of the press to print. The run-out of pipe rollers, bearing and folder components can be checked as well. The dial indicator can also be used with a tram rod set that can be made from electrical conduit and compression fittings.

Telescoping rods can be purchased from a photo supply store for this purpose as well. The purpose is to ensure the lead-in rollers are parallel and the units have remained square with each other. A level can be used to verify that the folder is level and all units have remained level because of a foundation shift.

These devices are used to verify a possible problem, but more sophisticated equipment is generally used to realign units once you have discovered that there really is a problem.

Tape measure

A tape measure capable of measuring diameters is useful to verify the ink roller diameter, oscillating drum and cylinder diameters. When rollers, cylinders and drums are purchased for replacement on existing equipment the diameter should be verified for size. Often, mistakes are made and the wrong size of components are shipped to the customer.

Can you do the needed repairs without these tools? Yes, but how much time would it save to have the right tools?

These tools are not essential in many cases. Pressrooms have lived without many of the tools for years, and rely on service technicians to have the tools necessary to complete any work they perform. But a well-stocked tool box can, in some cases, eliminate the need to call a service technician.

Equipment fails through normal wear and through abuse. The pressroom needs to be prepared to repair the unit or folder when it becomes inoperative. Having a well-stocked tool box will to save valuable time and reduce the overall down time expenses.

Frank Bourlon, executive and training director for the Newspaper Production & Research Center, has over 30 years’ experience in the industry. He can be reached at 405.524.7774 or via e-mail at fbourlon@np-rc.org.