[GreenKeys] Platen change out

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Lar,

I've never had a loose Model 28 platten in my hands so don't know how they 
are made.  But I think you are more likely to break the plastic part of the 
platten than to remove the ends leaving it intact.  

I don't have any idea what material Teletype used for plattens but if the 
narrow one you have doesn't have the end pieces glued, my first guess would 
be that neither do the standard ones.  A somewhat similar (but inside-out) 
problem is often encountered with the brass body bakelite insert connectors 
used on radios like the BC-191, SCR-183, and several NAVAER sets.  The 
bakelite absorbs moisture over the decades and swells, sometimes even splitting the 
plated brass housing.  One solution that has been used is to place the 
connectors in a standard convection oven for several hours at around 200 F, but 
I don't know what the temperature rating of the platten plastic material is. 
 Another solution would be to put the platten in a lathe and machine the 
ends off/out of it.

In a message dated 8/13/2009 6:06:31 PM Central Daylight Time, 
larryradio at worldnet.att.net writes: 
> Hello nice peoples,
> 
> I want to change a Model 28 to form feed.  I have a "narrow" form feed 
> platen.  It was for some kind of narrow form feed paper.
> 
> I took the end pieces off of  the narrow platen.  I took an old platen and 
> 
> removed it from a parts printer but, the end pieces seem to be glued into 
> this one.  How do I get the ends off so I can put the form feed ends on 
> it?
> 
> I'm thinking to put it in a vertical press and slowly try to break the 
> bond 
> by pushing the ends into the tube and once lose, pull them out thus having 
> 
> the correct length platen tube for my form feed project.
> 
> So, has anyone ever removed the end pieces of a platen?
> 
> thanks,
> lar
> www.antiquetelephone.com 

Robert & Susan Downs - Houston
wa5cab dot com (Web Store)
MVPA 9480