C&H Advantage G60

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Tasar
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C&H Advantage G60

Post by Tasar »

I have an opportunity to pickup a G60 for around £100 and was just wondering what everyone’s thoughts were.

I understand it’s an old cutter and my immediate concerns are parts.

Just wondering if anyone has used it and what there thoughts were and if anyone knows why parts can be sourced from.

Thanks


Chris
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Re: C&H Advantage G60

Post by Not your average framer »

How old is it? The C&H mountcutter where made is a whole variety of different generations over the years. The very latest generation was called the Advantage Pro. Earlier models had the return springs on the outside of the blade holders, later models had the return springs hidden from view. The very earliest models had a chromed brass cutting head block running on a round chromed bar mounted on top of the cutting bar. Very early model had a chromed cutting bar, while later and still early models stil had the round chromed bar mounted on top of a black cutting bar. A later still model had a black sliding cutting head block running of a black round bar mounted on a black cutting bar. The blade holders on this model were a charge of design to die cast ones'.

The Advatage Pro was the model which follwed on from this and as far as I know the Advantage Pro is probably still the current production model. Before the advantage Pro coming along, there were no provisions made for adjusting for sliding wear and play between the cutting head block, the round bar and the flat cutting bar. Finding spares for earlier models won't be much fun. With the Advantage Pro it might be easier, but the supplier for these is Neilsen Bainbrige who are very easy to deal with, or communicate with. You will need to determine if there is any side to side slopping around in the travel of the cutting head, or any rocking from front to back. this might sound like the end of the road to most people, but ex-engineers like me know a cunning method to fix this.

If it's all there, £100 pounds for a professional mountcutter is not bad. Unfortunately with the earlier models the start of cut and end of cut stops were optional extra, if they are encluded with the mountcutter all well and good, but if not you will be marking out your mount apertures with a pencil, but don't dispair, the flat cutter bar enables you to do this. If you run a pencil along the front of the cutter bar with the margin guide set to the desired distance, where you end up drawing the pencil is exactly where the mountcutter blade cuts with not usually any errors unless the sliding rail bearing are badly worn. It's different way of working, but that's the way it was done it the early days. Even in this day a age the fletcher terry mountcutters are still design so that you can still work like this and most American mountcutter were design to be used like this!
Mark Lacey

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Re: C&H Advantage G60

Post by Not your average framer »

The teflon, PTFE tape which is used of the underside of a computer mouse is available from places like Amazon for people who either want to replace the easy slide surface underneath their computer mouse, or just buy the tape for other uses. If there is excess slop, or play which allows the cutter head to wobble on this C&H Advantage, the hole for the round bar which the head slides on is only a partcial round hole in so far as the bar has a small flat at the bottom, which allows it to be fastened and seated against the flat cutter bar under neath.

If you then remove one of the end blocks which locate the whole cutter bar assembly to the machine, it should be possible to add layers of some of this very thin teflon tape to the bottom of the cutter block to eliminate the backwards and forwards rocking play between the cutter block and the flat bar underneath this has the effect of pushing the cutter block up slightly upwards against the round bar profile thus deminishing the play against the round bar as well.

However, they are a few caviats here. The layers of teflon tapr need to be the same on the front of the block as on the rear of the block, so that the block will still run flat on the bar. Also the layers of this tape do not want to be so many that the cutter block cannot run along the bar. Added to this I have never done this myself and do not know how well one layer of tape will stick on top of another, but I'm guessing it will be O.K., as the self adhesive layer on the back of the tape is already stuck on to teflon itself. I hope this makes sense!

PS. Dont get the ordinary plumbers type, which is not self adhesive!
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
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prospero
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Re: C&H Advantage G60

Post by prospero »

I have a C&H 48" of 1980s vintage. Cost me the best part of £1K but it has done great service.
They are well built machines, very well-engineered. :D Never had to replace any parts.

One thing with the 60" models, you have to make sure they are well supported on a flat surface in case they sag in the middle.
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Re: C&H Advantage G60

Post by Not your average framer »

The brand name of the C&H mountcutter came from two brothers, Charles and Herb Carithers who were based in Jackson, Mississippi. They were the pioneers who everyone else copied to make the other makes of mountcutters. Originally the main names for mountcutters were, C&H, Keeton and in England Magnolia mouldings who made mountcutters based on the C&H designs to some degree, Magnolia also made mitre gullotine as well. I guess that they might have made other things, but if they did I don't know anthing about it. You can trace most professional modern mount cutters back to the influences of C&H somewhere along the line.

C&H also published some books on mount cutting techniques, of which I have one. This is how I know so much about them, as it's included I their book!
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
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prospero
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Re: C&H Advantage G60

Post by prospero »

I started out with a Magnolia mountcutter. :lol:

Comparing it to a C&H is akin to comparing a Austin Allegro to a Bentley. :roll:
Watch Out. There's A Humphrey About
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Re: C&H Advantage G60

Post by Not your average framer »

Yes, I agree! The C&H was build to last. The Magnolia mountcutters are basically most all worn out by now, but still plenty of C&H's arond and still in fully usable condition. Some of the old Keenton's are still around. Triton Galleries were I was originally trained used to have one. it was kept going with spares from the Magnolia Mount cutters, by Peter Stalick, the brother of Jan Stanlick (together they run Framers Equipment). The magnolia spares were a perfect fit, for the Keeton.
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
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