Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

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  • copyman
    Owner / Technician

    Site Contributor
    2,500+ Posts
    • Sep 2005
    • 4524

    #76
    Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

    Speaking of neckties, I can't believe the one savin dealer I worked for made us techs wear ties, working on liquid machines. Picture this, the tech (me) with nice clothes and tie, kneeling on the carpet working on top of dog pee pads cleaning the thick gel off of drum brake on a savin 770! That picture scares the hell out of me even today.
    With the other savin dealer we had uniforms.

    Also about the tie, used to carry scissors in my tool bag in case tie got fed into machine. Only had a chain sprocket grab one tie. I know it sounds funny and would think it would bind up, not in those old machines, they ran on 120 vac motors !!! If it got a hold of your tie it could of choked you to death!

    Got smart and started to tuck the tie into shirt.

    I hated once a month you had to stay in shop and clean the tanks in a Bransen cleaning machine.

    Posted this story before, I was out in the boondocks and realize the company car (Datsun B210) gas tank was on Empty. No way I was going to make it to gas station and thought I was screwed, then something came to mind I heard at savin school, one of the techs said he ran his car on dispersant, which those who don't know was a petroleum distillate used in the liquid copiers tank and basically carried the thicker liquid ink, almost like a Kerosine. I had a case in trunk, figured what the hell company car.....son of a bitch it worked and got me to gas station. LOL smoke coming out of exhaust like a stunt plane. True story.
    Last edited by copyman; 05-01-2019, 05:49 AM.

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    • Lagonda
      Service Manager

      Site Contributor
      1,000+ Posts
      • Aug 2008
      • 1649

      #77
      Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

      Originally posted by copyman
      ...... said he ran his car on dispersant, which those who don't know was a petroleum distillate used in the liquid copiers tank and basically carried the thicker liquid ink, almost like a Kerosine.......
      One of our clients was the testing lab at an oil refinery, they had a look at developer/dispersant that we used to use in the old Nashua liquids and said it wasn't far off Jet A1 as used to fuel aircraft. Never tried it an a car myself but one of the techs said that as long as you chucked a bottle of metho in as well it would get you home.
      Wouldn't like to try that in a new computer controlled fuel injected car these days as the octane sensor / knock sensor would probably make the ECU implode.
      At least 50% of IT is a solution looking for a problem.

      Comment

      • BLADE
        former propeller tester

        250+ Posts
        • Dec 2009
        • 478

        #78
        Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

        I like watching 'Air Crash Investigation' occasionally, I,m waiting for an episode where the captains computer screen goes blank for awhile then shows SC 672

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        • allan
          RTFM!!

          5,000+ Posts
          • Apr 2010
          • 5459

          #79
          Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

          Originally posted by copyman
          Speaking of neckties, I can't believe the one savin dealer I worked for made us techs wear ties, working on liquid machines. Picture this, the tech (me) with nice clothes and tie, kneeling on the carpet working on top of dog pee pads cleaning the thick gel off of drum brake on a savin 770! That picture scares the hell out of me even today.
          With the other savin dealer we had uniforms.

          Also about the tie, used to carry scissors in my tool bag in case tie got fed into machine. Only had a chain sprocket grab one tie. I know it sounds funny and would think it would bind up, not in those old machines, they ran on 120 vac motors !!! If it got a hold of your tie it could of choked you to death!

          Got smart and started to tuck the tie into shirt.

          I hated once a month you had to stay in shop and clean the tanks in a Bransen cleaning machine.

          Posted this story before, I was out in the boondocks and realize the company car (Datsun B210) gas tank was on Empty. No way I was going to make it to gas station and thought I was screwed, then something came to mind I heard at savin school, one of the techs said he ran his car on dispersant, which those who don't know was a petroleum distillate used in the liquid copiers tank and basically carried the thicker liquid ink, almost like a Kerosine. I had a case in trunk, figured what the hell company car.....son of a bitch it worked and got me to gas station. LOL smoke coming out of exhaust like a stunt plane. True story.
          This guy test all kind of "fuel" on a poor brigs motor.
          Whatever

          Comment

          • NeoMatrix
            Senior Tech.

            2,500+ Posts
            • Nov 2010
            • 3514

            #80
            Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

            Originally posted by copyman

            [snip]

            Posted this story before, I was out in the boondocks and realize the company car (Datsun B210) gas tank was on Empty. No way I was going to make it to gas station and thought I was screwed, then something came to mind I heard at savin school, one of the techs said he ran his car on dispersant, which those who don't know was a petroleum distillate used in the liquid copiers tank and basically carried the thicker liquid ink, almost like a Kerosine. I had a case in trunk, figured what the hell company car.....son of a bitch it worked and got me to gas station. LOL smoke coming out of exhaust like a stunt plane. True story.
            Another senior Tech and I (Junior) did the exact same thing. We miss-calculated the return fuel needed for a long 6hr out of town trip.
            We made it back to around about 10 mins from town before we run out of fuel. The senior Tech looked at me with a blank
            stared and say, "oh crap what do we do now"? I said we have 4 litres of Isopar (Nasuha Dev) in the back and I know its flammable.
            The vehicle was a brand new Ford EA station wagon about 4 weeks old. He said "will it harm the motor or fuel injection." I said "nah!" while nervously thinking to myself, I hope the heck it doesn't. I'd worked with car engines, even built a hotted up holden 192 (186) engine.

            We poured about 2-3 litres of Isopar into the fuel tank, turned the key and off we went back to town.
            We pulled into the first service station and filled the fuel tank full to the top; the vehicle never missed a beat, even years later.
            The senior Tech all but kissed me in his expressed gratitude of thanks. He said, "I never knew you could use Isopar in the tank."
            Please,! please! don't tell any one stupid me run out of fuel or we put Isopar in my brand new company vehicle.

            I never did call on that big favour he owed me...
            Last edited by NeoMatrix; 05-02-2019, 01:30 AM.
            Inauguration to the "AI cancel-culture" fraternity 1997...
            •••••• •••[§]• |N | € | o | M | Δ | t | π | ¡ | x | •[§]••• ••••••

            Comment

            • NeoMatrix
              Senior Tech.

              2,500+ Posts
              • Nov 2010
              • 3514

              #81
              Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

              Originally posted by BLADE
              I like watching 'Air Crash Investigation' occasionally, I,m waiting for an episode where the captains computer screen goes blank for awhile then shows SC 672
              That would scare the bejezzus out of me knowing who made the electronics.

              You'd be tormented to death forever asking your self, did they update the firmware....
              Inauguration to the "AI cancel-culture" fraternity 1997...
              •••••• •••[§]• |N | € | o | M | Δ | t | π | ¡ | x | •[§]••• ••••••

              Comment

              • gneebore
                Senior Tech

                500+ Posts
                • Feb 2010
                • 555

                #82
                Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

                Yes been there done almost all of the same. Worked originally on equipment for the US Army. Machines called Friden Flexowriters and of course even the IBM series of data punch card readers, card punch machines . sorters , verifiers, and collators. Even weirder and definitely out of the Twilight Zone I still remember the Hollerith code for those punch cards. If you are old enough those were the cards that used to be what you electric bill was printed on. Then moved on to the IBM office products , typewriters, selectric and executives and standards. Plus IBM dictation equipment that used a belt instead of a cassette to record. And I also remember those duplicating machine, or mimeographs. Lots of fun when we actually had a school district still using some into the 90's and just could not understand why I would not work on it. Even insisted I could get parts for a forty year old hand cranked machine.
                Yeap a lot of fun remembering all those ancient machines and how much fun sometimes it was to tell someone "There it works but you have a brake light warranty. When my brake lights on my car light up when backing out of the parking spot that is when your warranty expires."

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                • copyman
                  Owner / Technician

                  Site Contributor
                  2,500+ Posts
                  • Sep 2005
                  • 4524

                  #83
                  Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

                  "Yeap a lot of fun remembering all those ancient machines and how much fun sometimes it was to tell someone "There it works but you have a brake light warranty. When my brake lights on my car light up when backing out of the parking spot that is when your warranty expires."

                  Hey! I thought I was only one that used the "tail light warranty". Funny how a saying can be used in another part of the country or world for that matter.

                  Comment

                  • gneebore
                    Senior Tech

                    500+ Posts
                    • Feb 2010
                    • 555

                    #84
                    Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

                    Originally posted by copyman
                    "Yeap a lot of fun remembering all those ancient machines and how much fun sometimes it was to tell someone "There it works but you have a brake light warranty. When my brake lights on my car light up when backing out of the parking spot that is when your warranty expires."

                    Hey! I thought I was only one that used the "tail light warranty". Funny how a saying can be used in another part of the country or world for that matter.
                    Heck I heard that when i worked at my dad's auto repair shop when I worked there after school in high school. That was in Miami Florida. I used it in class when training on the IBM typewriters when the instructor asked if I thought my "repair would work. And had everyone in the classroom in stitches. Even made the office manager chuckle when he heard about it.

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                    • slimslob
                      Retired

                      Site Contributor
                      25,000+ Posts
                      • May 2013
                      • 36805

                      #85
                      Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

                      Originally posted by copyman
                      I thought I was only one that used the "tail light warranty". Funny how a saying can be used in another part of the country or world for that matter.
                      Originally posted by gneebore
                      Heck I heard that when i worked at my dad's auto repair shop when I worked there after school in high school. That was in Miami Florida. I used it in class when training on the IBM typewriters when the instructor asked if I thought my "repair would work. And had everyone in the classroom in stitches. Even made the office manager chuckle when he heard about it.
                      What I used to hear was a "drive way warranty" The warranty covers you until you get to the end of the drive way.

                      Comment

                      • gneebore
                        Senior Tech

                        500+ Posts
                        • Feb 2010
                        • 555

                        #86
                        Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

                        Originally posted by slimslob
                        What I used to hear was a "drive way warranty" The warranty covers you until you get to the end of the drive way.
                        Oh yeah another variation of the brake lights. Warranty expires when your brake lights come on at the end of the driveway.

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                        • blackcat4866
                          Master Of The Obvious

                          Site Contributor
                          10,000+ Posts
                          • Jul 2007
                          • 22929

                          #87
                          Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

                          I always called it the "5 minute/5 mile" warranty, whichever comes first. =^..^=
                          If you'd like a serious answer to your request:
                          1) demonstrate that you've read the manual
                          2) demonstrate that you made some attempt to fix it.
                          3) if you're going to ask about jams include the jam code.
                          4) if you're going to ask about an error code include the error code.
                          5) You are the person onsite. Only you can make observations.

                          blackcat: Master Of The Obvious =^..^=

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                          • srvctec
                            Former KM Senior Tech

                            500+ Posts
                            • Oct 2009
                            • 827

                            #88
                            Re: Have some fun...Been in this biz so long....

                            Haven't read this entire thread yet but will get to it at some point.

                            When I started in the fall of '88 one of the things that seemed to happen frequently was the heat lamp contacts getting corroded and causing a heat up failure on Minolta machines. We would always have to use a file and clean them and the ends of the lamps up if not too bad or just replace the contacts and lamps.

                            We used to always troubleshoot the individual components on boards back then.

                            Power supply boards would frequently fail because of cold solder joints and could usually be fixed by re-soldering most, if not all solder connections on the back of the board.

                            When the old Minolta 530/R/RII machines would jam, you could just reset the code and the machine would go to pre-drive even if the paper wasn't removed, sometimes feeding the paper out of the machine in the process.

                            Oh, and the same 530/R/RII machines would feed corrugated cardboard through the machine as well. Yes, we had customers try it.
                            Last edited by srvctec; 06-11-2019, 07:36 PM.
                            Started in the copier service business in the fall of 1988 and worked at the same company for 33.5 years, becoming the senior tech in 2004 but left to pursue another career on 4/29/22.

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