Lucky Again

[Trox]

Lucky again.

Three years ago, I came over an old German clicker press for sale here in my hometown. Used clicker presses are seldom for sale here. It was an old Sandt 8 ton press and the seller wanted 1100 $ for it. I wanted it badly, but my budget said no. I just had to forget all about it.

Here the other day when I was cleaning up my email inbox, I found the emails about the clicker. I wondered if the seller had sold it or if it still was available. I sent him an email, and the seller answered “call my”.

I called him and he told me he still had it. Since I had spoken to him three years ago he had to close down his leather business and get an other job, he could not survive economically.

The clicker still was in his old workshop and it had to be moved out yesterday.

He said; “I got to move it. So if you still want it, just pick it up and it is yours“. The answer was of course “yes, thank you very much Sir”

I am grateful for the machine. However, I feel a bit sorry for the guy who had to close down his shop. I know he had trained six years in UK schools to become a saddler and now he have to work with something completely different.

He still has a small workshop in his basement and is in need of a heavy stitcher. I do have three for sale and I will provide him with one at a very reasonable price, which is the least I can do.

I still have not been able to get it in to my shop, because of the amount of snow here for the moment. Its no rush, I still do not have any tools for it either.

Therefore, all tips about clicking dies and embossing plates are highly welcome. I have won some polyethylene stamps from duck traders on EBay, I do not know if they are any good. I have a maker stamp in the same material and that is very durable. Time will show. I will also need a poly clicking board on top of the wooden blocks; the wood is not hard enough. I have three wooden blocks for it and they all need to be leveled again. (The picture of the press is of low quality).

Thanks

Tor

[benlilly1]

Wow, that's cool!

[Trox]

Wow, that's cool!

Thanks, it has a cool retro look. The advantages with this old model is that it goes in true every door, new ones are pretty big. I guess it is pretty old, it no auto adjustment of clicking height and so on.

Tor

[bruce johnson]

Tor, Good deal for you to get the clicker, and for you to be helping him out with a stitcher.

[Trox]

Tor, Good deal for you to get the clicker, and for you to be helping him out with a stitcher.

Thank you Bruce, I think it no point in playing the lottery this week, I got my share. Ha ha.

Have a nice evening, I hope you still have some aquavit left.

Tor

[bruce johnson]

I'll be toasting your good fortune in about an hour!

[simontuntelder]

Nice pick up.

Unfortunate circumstances, but that looks incredible.

[Trox]

Nice pick up.

Unfortunate circumstances, but that looks incredible.

Nice pick up.

Unfortunate circumstances, but that looks incredible.

Thanks Simon, I am not sure about the circumstances, I have not been able to get in touch with the seller yet.

Tor

[Trox]

Hi all,

now the machine is up and running. I have given it a clean up and a fresh layer of Hammerite paint, rebuilt the motor to a single phase. To ensure the motor got the same power as on 3 phase, it now has two big capacitors 2 times 50 µF. I have a friend who rebuild electrical motors, he brought new life in to this machine. This is not a hydraulic but a electro mechanical machine, it has a short and powerful blow. Sandt started to make hydraulic presses around 1950, this is a 53 model and probably the last of its kind (from Sandt). I have planed the wooden clicker board and supplied a 1 inch poly board on top of it. I have used it with knifes and Bunkhouse embossing plates and it works very well. I am looking for European sources for embossing plates and clicking dies, all tips will be much appreciated.

Thanks

Tor

[Northmount]

Really great job! Gives me an idea too about making something smaller than a 20 ton hydraulic press ... Gearbox, eccentric, ...

Tom

[WScott]

Good find for you and great to give an old machine a proper home. It looks like you cleaned it up well!

A little sad the seller couldn't make a go of his business, but at least the tool didn't go into the hands of creditors

[Trox]

Really great job! Gives me an idea too about making something smaller than a 20 ton hydraulic press ... Gearbox, eccentric, ...

Tom

Thank you Tom,

If anybody can do it, you can. Its a simple construction. The secret lays in the big heavy flywheels motion, that exchanges in to a short movement of the press head, true a crank that moves the big column up and down. The (bicycle) crank works as a gear/exchange arm. A small stud with a spring loaded return comes out and lock the big flywheel to the main shaft when you activates it. Its kind of an reversed bicycle mechanism. Here you see the development history of their machines, http://www.schoen-sandt.com/company/about-us/development-of-cutting-machines.html

I have seen people still uses the first kind of press; the 1867 screw press. They rapidly spin the big wheel to make it more powerful, Its mostly used for embossing. You still find it in Asia and Africa, I have seen they put more weight on the wheel and extend its diameter to make it more powerful. I wonder where all these old mechanical and electro mechanical presses are today, they are maybe been turned in to nails. Its about impossible to break their sturdy construction. Its possible some hidden around in basement and barns somewhere, all you got to do is looking. I know this one works very well.

[Trox]

Good find for you and great to give an old machine a proper home. It looks like you cleaned it up well!

A little sad the seller couldn't make a go of his business, but at least the tool didn't go into the hands of creditors

Thank you, its a sad story. However, he still do leatherwork, but not as a professional. Norway is not a easy country for small businesses, its the same expenses to run a one man show as it is with ten employees.

Tor