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If you remember designing, machining, fitting, installing, maintaining, or working with this machine please share your memories at the bottom of the page by clicking on the words Add a comment about this page.
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Hi John! I remember seeing this press in 1970 when I went to Cape Insulation with George Meredith to do a ‘summer shutdown’ overhaul on their deep mould, 3 column press.
As it was the shutdown I didn’t see the press in production so cannot say much more about it. I went to Cape again the following summer, 1971, with Bob Webb to do another annual overhaul on the 3 column. Both visits were with great company in the form of George and Bob!
I always remember the saying that one of the maintenance fitters used which was, ‘when in doubt give it a clout, and if it moves and it shouldn’t’, weld it!
I believe the Cape Insulation site/factory is no more, I seem to remember looking it up on the Internet a while back and reading something about it being closed now?
Chippy Aston
Hi Chippy! Glad you managed to visit the site in Stirling and ‘maintain’ the press!
I am so pleased that we were able to post copies of these photos, as the Archives did not have them. Fortunately, Rhodes Interform had a small bundle of ‘photographic treasures’, that were also supported by some ‘Engineering Specifications’. These are now posted on the website. Regrettably, there is not a spec. for this machine.
I remember-well this period. At that time Bryan Bloomfield, who is pictured in the illustrations, was my [hydraulic] Section Leader in the drawing office and under his tutelage I learnt how to read and then design air circuits that were used on both slab presses and many special presses, including this one. They were the fashion of the time!
The hydraulic section of the drawing office was larger that others, resulting in there being two Section Leaders, John Ansley was one and Bryan was the other. The last years of our apprenticeships’ resulted in both Bob Gough and I being stationed on Bryan’s section. I am sure that this move directed our future careers, Bob leaving to work as a sales representative for a prime hydraulic equipment manufacturer, likewise Bryan to pursue a career in hydraulics. I do recall that Bryan left just before commencement of one of our [then] popular six-monthly slab press maintenance courses and I had to step into the breech at short notice to cover for his lectures on hydraulics and air circuits. Thrust in at the deep end, it was a hard but brilliant way learn how to speak in front of an audience! I seem to recall that I undertook that duty from that time until I moved across to the sales department. John B
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