Mold Hints
If the mold cap guides become bent they will throw the mold cap out of alignment with the constant side of the mold. The guides can be straightened by removing the mold from the disk. Place a straight-edge across the mold and cap to determine how the guides are bent. They may be tapped with a hammer and a piece of brass rule to spring them back in position. Care should be used in this operation and if bent very much, the mold should be shipped to the nearest agency for repairs. A mold with bent guides or a warped cap will cause back squirts and to remedy these, the mold must be repaired. Mold cap guides can be renewed by driving out the small pin that holds them in place in the base of the mold and fitting in new ones.
If a mold has become warped by overheating, it can be shipped to the nearest agency to be ground. If the mold is ground on the back, the slug will be less than type high, according to the amount taken off in the grinding. The liners must be ground as well as the mold. Always be very careful of the mold so this will not be necessary.
The bottom of the mold sometimes becomes tinned. This will not permit the mold and mouthpiece to lock up properly. The trouble can be remedied by removing the mold from the disk and placing it on the bench. Put a small amount of metal polish on a block of hard wood. Rub the wood back and forth the entire length of the bottom of the mold, with an even pressure. As the metal polish contains an abrasive, the mold, cap, and liners should be kept together, so that the casting edge of the mold will not be rounded. Be careful of the molds as they are one of the most important parts of the machine and will run indefinitely if handled intelligently.
Take the mold apart and clean the base and the cap with the polish. Place each part in a vise so it will be held solid while cleaning. After using the polish, clean with gasoline.
When metal gets into a mold cap screw in the disk after a squirt, do not hammer the metal with a screwdriver. To do so merely drives the metal tighter in the threads of the hole. Gouge the metal out with a knife a little at a time.
Do not remove the mold keeper from the mold. The mold keeper is for the purpose of holding the lugs of the matrices in alignment. If it is removed and not replaced properly, it will interfere with the proper alignment of every line set.
Keep the face of the mold clean and free from metal which has a tendency to accumulate during the day while the mold is being used. A clean face of the mold will greatly facilitate the press make-ready. Metal on the mold causes high and low letters on the slug.