Ryobi / Crestline technician in the New York City area?

Hey all,

I upgraded to a Ryobi 3302 with Crestlines, and the shady *** dealer claimed to have set it up (that was included in the price) but did no such thing. I've spent days adjusting the rollers but cannot, for the life of me, get those Crestlines dialed in. I downloaded the instruction manual for making adjustments to the Crestlines and it's confusing. The Ryobi operator manual contradicts the service manual in regards to some adjustments, as well. I need to get the press up and running as soon as possible, so I'm looking for a service tech that can come to the shop and do what needs to be done.

I have printed on the second unit (surprising, seeing as how none of the form rollers gave me a stripe except the water form) and it came out okay but not sellable. The rollers on both heads seem like they're in okay condition and I've got all the ink forms giving me nice stripes according to spec; I can't afford to put new rollers in until I get some jobs out the door. I know the press will produce sellable jobs as is, I just need help setting the adjustments.

If anyone knows a tech in the NYC area (my shop is in Brooklyn), please let me know. Failing that, if anyone has any special insights about making those adjustments, feel free to speak up. I've been lurking printing forums every day and I've found nothing.

Thanks.

- Lantz

 

i am in boston and could help you out

 

call me at 617-592-3362
mike

 

Hey Mike, what are your rates like? I was trying to find someone more local so that it wouldn't cost me my first born child just to have someone come out. I'm not at the shop today but will give you a ring soon. We could also start the conversation via e-mail, I'll have access to that all day. info@radixmedia.org

Thanks.

 

Haha I'm in Wi! The problem now a days is that most people are going digital so us press mechanics are gettin thin! it's easy to dial in crestlines set your strips and if it ain't running right then u may need new rollers in that I replace my metering roller very 6 months. Do you have the 5 roller or 4 roller crestline??

 

Hey Ziggy, the problem is that I'm having trouble setting the stripes. I've got the 5 roller system, and here are the problems I'm having:

When I tried to set my ratchet gear, I adjusted the stripe as could be seen on the metering roller. I loosened the set screws, then turned the big knobby screw until it stopped, then I tightened the set screws. This should mean that if I ratchet all the way up (at the end of the day) and then go all the way back down until it stops, I should be exactly at the ratchet gear that I spent hours (!!!) establishing, right? But it didn't work. When I tested it and looked at the stripe again, it was friggin' huge, indicating that it was all off. I had to start all over again.

I'm actually confused about all the roller adjustments. Sorry if that makes me sound totally dumb, but things are really not clear in the manual that I downloaded from Accel. The ratchet gear is supposed to adjust the metering to pan roller, but when I adjust those settings, the stripe on the metering roller is affected, not the pan roller. The other adjustments aren't clear because the pictures are on different pages and are not labeled, so it's hard to know which picture corresponds to which adjustment if you've got zero experience with the dampening system or the machine. Like I said, I was just running an AB Dick 9850 with an aquamatic for two years, and as big of a jerk as it was, I got decent work off of it and it made me some money. This Ryobi is a significant upgrade, and the scummy dealer I bought it from is totally worthless.

Again, I was able to print on the second unit, which was in better shape right off the bat than the first one was. But I had to run the ink really heavy, and the Crestlines are difficult to clean up, so I know there's an issue. The rollers are all in decent shape - I've heard that Crestlines are finicky and that you have to change the rollers at least once a year. That may be the case to some degree, but I know that the place to start is with the roller pressures. I don't have the money to replace every roller on both heads, until I get some jobs out the door. I'm confident it will print a few sellable jobs as is - once the rollers are adjusted - and that will pay for new rollers.

I got a quote from a service tech in Queens, but I'm waiting to hear back about scheduling. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. I'm reluctant to ink the press up with yellow ink AGAIN and fiddle with it for hours without making any progress, but if you've got any advice that has maybe eluded me up to this point, I'd definitely like to hear it.

Thanks, y'all.

- Lantz

 

sounds like your set screws on the racheting knob aren't holding it in place get some new set screws (2 on each one) or set them and don't loosen em except on weekends. I have the crestline installation instructions that i go by cuz the accel book doesn't say anything really. here are what your stripes need to be at Pan to Metering 3/16" (adjustment is done with the large knurled knob), Metering to Intermediate 1/8"-5/32" (adjustment is done on the bolt screw combo thats located right under the large knurled knob, loosen the nut i believe its a 1/4" nut and turn your allen screw in or out then tighten), Intermediate to Oscillator 5/32" (adjusment is done with the larger bolt and nut located near the extension spring make sure your on position 2 when setting this one also you can remove your metering roller to make it easier to see your stripe), Oscillator to Form 5/32" (adjustment on this one is tricky there is a flat head screw located on the sides of the frame should be a slot to stick in your screwdriver without having to take off covers, turn clockwise to increase must do both sides evenly of course) and of course your form should be at 5/32" also

I hope this helps you out a bit try taking your rollers out and giving them a good de-glazing I hit mine up with rubber roller rejuvenator also a good thing to do is scrub your pan roller down with some comet and a scotch brite pad till its a really nice matte shine (glossy shine means big water problems during runs) crestlines get really picky about there chemistry

-Jake Z
Ziggys Press Repair
Rice Lake WI 54868

 

Thanks for the info, Ziggy. I did take out all of my rollers and scrubbed the hell out of them with Soft Scrub and a scotch brite pad. I did get them looking really nice, they don't look glazed or anything.

Please clarify what you mean by "knurled knobs." Are these the ratchet screws? The installation / final adjustments section of the Crestline manual makes references to these but I've never been clear what they could be other than the ratchet screws.

I've located all the different adjustments but they're all things that I've tried to adjust for days and I'm just not getting it. The press technician is coming tomorrow at 1pm. I'll go ahead and start sawing off one of my arms and half of a leg to pay him with, then report back if / when the press is running well afterwards. It's likely that I'm just going to have to see someone do it in front of me to really understand it. Too bad no one ever makes YouTube videos of this stuff.

- Lantz

 

I was once told never use soft scrub but i read the bottle last time and its pretty much the same as comet. Yes the knurled knob is that large racheting screw that allows you to back off the metering roller when not in use. If us press techs made you tube videos we wouldn't get any jobs haha. Wish i was closer to you because i don't charge much($60/hr compared to $80-$125/hr for most in our area) because i'm a small print shop guy myself and I know how much it hurts to pay those large unsightly repair bills. I really hope that you get a good press tech in because 1 pm is really late to start diving into crestlines. The Tech I used before wouldn't come for that unless it was early morning cuz it can end up being an all day thing. What is your chemistry like?? not using alcohol in your fountain solution are you?? Also make sure you spread the name of that shady *** dealer so no one else gets the shaft too! I had a guy sell me a ryobi 3200 said it was good to go but i had to do tons of things to get it to print a sell-able piece including paralleling my cylinders that **** ain't fun!

 

Yep, soft scrub is magic stuff. I hate using gnarly stuff like that, but it's cheap and it works. It's funny, I've actually had several kind press operators / techs from internet forums offer to walk me through stuff on the phone, send me advice, etc. I think it's OK to give away some knowledge for free. Mutual aid, and all that. But I also think it's legit to make a living wage so I don't fault those repair bills too much, even though it hurts when you're a small fry with limited cashflow and repairing printing presses is tricky stuff.

The tech I'm getting seems to be a good one. He's from a small family-owned business named Jack Popkin. Someone else recommended them and said that no one knows that press the way they do. He gave me the choice between 9am and 1pm, so I figured if he gave me the option, starting at 1pm wouldn't be a big deal. I've got some stuff to do in the morning but I'm generally at the shop til 7pm or later. And anyway, I've only got enough money to pay him for three hours TOPS, so let's just hope he's diligent!

My chemistry is a moot point right now, because as I said, I know the roller adjustments are all effed up. But I'm using Universal Pink, about one ounce and the rest water in a 32oz bottle. It seemed to work fine, even with the pressures being all out of whack. You probably couldn't pay me to go back to using ISO alcohol.

The dealer I bought my stuff from in Queens is called Crystal Graphics. They were awful. My check to them cleared in two days and it still took over 3 weeks for me to get my equipment. They hardly ever called me, I always had to call them, and they said they would call me back but never did. At one point the boss actually yelled at me for being annoyed that I didn't have my equipment and asked me if I wanted my money back and insisting that he was trying to "help me." I had to re-arrange my schedule multiple times to sit at my shop and wait around all day for the confirmation call that they were going to deliver, only for them to say that they couldn't do it that day. When they finally delivered my equipment, they hadn't delivered the plate punch or the Crestline water bottles, rendering the whole operation useless. I had to call them several times to see if they could deliver that stuff separately because, after all, it was the least they could do after making me wait as long as I did (I was seriously on the verge of looking for a lawyer to sue them because I thought they stole my money). They refused to do that, and instead I had to take the subway out to their place, which took about 1.5 hours from my shop in Brooklyn to pick up things that should have been delivered with the equipment in the first place. I lugged a huge Heidelberg / Ryobi plate punch on the subway, along with two Crestline bottles, another 1.5 hours back to my shop. When I finally went to use the bottles, I discovered that one of them had a crack in it, causing it to leak. Furthermore, the price I paid included them testing the press and setting it up. Fast forward to now where a pin is broken in the impression mechanism on the first unit, and all of the rollers need to be adjusted.

So, that was my experience with Crystal Graphics. Sorry to derail the conversation, but I hate them. I'm not sure who else there is to buy equipment from in NYC, but I'd sooner go out of business than ever buy anything from them again.

- Lantz

 

Well good luck and don't let them have anymore business

 

Yep, I'm already on that tip, for sure.

Tech should be here in about an hour - I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. Thanks for the help.

- Lantz

 

Update: the repair guy was awesome. He got my second unit dialed in and went out of his way to teach me stuff so I can do it myself next time to save money. He fixed the roll pin in my impression mechanism on the first head (it somehow just got knocked too far in, not broken). Unfortunately, we didn't really work on the first head because the plate clamp is having problems opening properly on the operator side. He didn't have any parts with him or he would have fixed it. He showed me how to take it apart and I'm gonna see if I can open it up and see what's going in and hopefully don't have to order any parts. Now that I've seen him adjust the Crestlines, I think I can do the other head with no issues. All in all, he charged me half of what he should have and even told me I could call him any time for help.

Even though I have to use the press as a single-color for the time being, I'm excited to be up and running at all. Len Popkin is a solid dude.

- Lantz

 

Hi lantz_xvx , There are a few dealers in NY that I know - #1 Popkin and Co., they are RYOBI dealer and were in the trade for really long time. Their phone number 718-361-6700, talk to Debbie, I am sure they can get your press up and running. I bought a used RYOBI 3200 PFA several years ago and they set it up and fined tuned it for me. There is another company that we use but I have the info in my office, will try to find a Business card and reply tomorrow.
I've herd some bad things about Chrystal Graphics. Which part of brooklyn are you in? We're in Sheepsheadbay.

 

UltimatedBT you obviously can't read Popkin was just at his shop earlier today and was great help

 

Hi ziggy33, not only I can read that he was but also I've read about that he might be coming back to do more repairs lantz will not be able to repair that plate clamp on his own. Also, I keep in mind that this is a public forum and another good word for a good person is always a plus. There is might be some one else who is looking for a reputable press service... Oh and hey you obviously can't read that it is "UnlimitedBT" not a Ultimate

 

Zing. Thanks for the info, UnlimitedBT. Sure, I'll take the info of the other place. Can't have too many friends, I suppose, no matter how expensive those friends are.

I'm hoping I can deal with the plate clamp myself. I really need the efficiency of being able to run two colors in a single pass, and pretty soon. My shop is in the Prospect Heights area, near Flatbush avenue. That's great that you're in Sheepshead Bay! We should talk more, as it would be nice to know more printers in Brooklyn. What machine are you running?

- Lantz

 

Hey, UnlimitedBT, do you have an e-mail address or phone number I could reach you at? Let me know. Thanks.

- Lantz

 

Hey Lantz, check you PM box.