I’ve been in the slow process of meticulously cleaning and fixing my Chandler & Price Pilot Press (old style) Parts are not always readily available. For the most part it’s in working order other than the rollers being roached which I purchased new replacements. There’s other bits and pieces that I’ve been cleaning rust, paint, and who knows what else to help it be in smooth, working order.
When I received the press the yoke spring and rod were failing. It appears that someone in the past put on a brass spring when the original broke. So, when that broke on me, I decided to take that part off with the rod it was on while I was in the process of taking off the platen for maintenance (not that I had to). In all I spent about $10 for parts.
The video below shows how I made the offset clamps. This will help me clamp down the rod and prevent it from rotating when being drilled. It also gives a firm grip on the rod compared to a clamp being clamped directly on the rod.
I cut a steel round rod to length with a hacksaw (and cut a couple in case I goofed on one of the other steps). I then took the rod and ground a rounded taper on the yoke end and lightly chamfered the other end. Since the rod is round and doesn’t easily stay in a clamp, I made a set of offset clamps out of scrap wood so that I could accurately drill the hole for the cotter pin that keeps the spring in place.
When drilling steel, make sure you use a slow speed and keep it lubricated. This will make for a better cut and keep your bits in better shape. I found the center line on the rod, made a divot with a metal punch and hammer to help guide the placement of the drill bit when setting up everything. This video isn’t the actual drilling, but I forgot and decided to show the process in essence. Sorry about the sound, I was using a camera setup that I was not used to (note, next time get an external microphone).
old part meet new part
When I was done drilling, I sanded off the burr and then lightly rubbed the rod with synthetic wool to get off the scale and shine it up. I then put a light coat of anti rust to protect the rod.
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