That is just the coolest machine ever...I want one! Many years ago I was factory trained on some pre and post production equipment by the manufacturer, one being modern folder inserters like the formax, secap, neopost, pitney bowes, and all the rebranded versions and I can see now at least half a dozen reasons why these older mechanical styles are much more preferred and way more reliable. The less folding, curving, start/stop points, flipping etc. the better. And thank God for air feed.
For some reason the old basic swing arm inserters are my favorite machine to run. I would much rather run one of these than a big smart inserter. They were always my favorite machines in the shop..
I worked in the mail room for a bill collecting agency in the 80's. Well, I was the mail room! I spent those evenings with this machine and a folder and a Pitney Bowes postage machine. It was a lot of fun. 🙂
I used to setup and fix those machines I was the mechanic for a bulk mailing company we also had inkjet printing ,folder machines,Cheshire machines ,magnacraft machines … pretty cool seeing this video brings back memories I had fun working on them
Amazing machine....still remember that all of those independent mechanical movement originated from a single main motor connected to a gearbox and an indexer for insert chain & gripper chain..... (worked with B+H poststar & vitesse)
omg i use to be a machine operator, back in he day from the year 1979 - 1991 for a company called Jones Direct Mail Scarborough, ON Canada ( made good money back then as well $10.95 HR ) I am so glad they still use these machines today
I worked for RL Polk in the 80's in Toronto and Mailmarketing Corp. through the 90's and 2000's.... these were the workhorse machines of the industry for sure. I even did a few Continental shifts for Jones as well back in the day...Jack Jones was a good man.
Your great...thanks you so much for always a very informative video. It is in your channel that I discover that there is such a machine like envelop inserter that exist......good job...👍👍
During 1981-1984 | worked for Donnelley Marketing Direct Mail plant in Elm City, NC. They said we handled more mail under one roof that anywhere else in the world. We did enormous jobs- hundreds of thousands at a time, maybe more. The PCH/Publishers Clearing House was our largest job each year. The USPS large/18 wheeler trucks would back up to the loading docks & the pallets of mail bags would be loaded on. They’d be taken to their destination, starting with the West Coast, since it took longer to get there. The exact timing for the mail to arrive in homes was timed very carefully so they would all be delivered at the same time. The Bell & Howell inserter machines put coupons that were the size of half of a regular sheet of paper into brown envelopes that said 'Carol Wright' on the outside. Our machines ran 25+ stations of inserts. The envelopes we put onto the machine came to our stations already addressed and in order.
Part 2 The 'mail sorter' person would put empty envelopes on the machine. They came to us pre-addressed, in order, in boxes. We had to make sure they didn’t get mixed up & that they stayed in order. We’d take the sealed ones off and rubber band them & put the handfuls into mail bags. The zip code+ carrier routes couldn’t be mixed. You had to make to not mix carrier routes in one bundle. Then we’d put them into large mail bags that we put labels on, writing the zip code by hand on little cards to put into the mail bag.
Part 3 I was young & it was easy work & I got a lot of exercise. There were around 20 of those machines running in this plant 3 shifts a day, 5 days a week. Let me tell you- it was LOUD in there I believe my hearing loss came from working in that environment for 3 years. I think we should have had hearing protection.
Part 4 I had a lot of fun & there were many young people like myself (I was 21 when I started) and it was much less stressful than waiting tables. And better pay, too. Great benefits & they even paid 80% of my college degree.
Worked as a B+H engineer for 15 years working on this type of kit. Rock solid and reliable, but the later automated selective read swing arm machines with maybe 12 stations needed a very good operator to run them fast without too many crashes. The temptation was for owners to ignore the specs and stuff too much in the envelope and still expect it to run at 10K/Hr.....happy days.
Will this machine work with a non #10 window envelope. For instance, if the flap of the envelope in the back is not a typical triangle but a bigger rectangular shape.
I work for a company that does this. When I first started we had even older versions of these. Had a couple Flowmasters at the time too. Now we just have Flowmasters and none of the old swing arms
@@InsignificantSpeckOfDust well when I first started the company I worked for was called Mailing Services of Pittsburgh. Few years my location was bought by another company called Direct Marketing Solutions based out of Portland Oregon
My father owned a mailing business and had five of these machines running constantly. One was able to do 10K envelopes an hour, so long as the operator kept up with it.
I guess that one of the reasons that I am addicted to this channel is that I am fascinated in the ingenuity of machines that are designed to do multiple tasks that seem (before seeing them) impossible to be done by a machine. This was a great clip to be able to see exactly how it works, especially when I slowed it down to half speed. I was able to see clearly how everything works except for that very end section which is stacking the completed envelopes. Any chance of getting a close-up or description of what is happening there (or point me in the right direction if it has been covered in another clip, as I am working my way through the complete series).
With nothing in the jaw and the jaw fully closed turn the miss knob until it just lights. Then stop it again at the same position with a single insert in the jaw. Set the double detect so it lights, then back it out a half turn. Really thin inserts and you’ll have to set it closer
I use one of these at my job, and its such a cool machine :) I even use this to run merged mailings, which is kind of a pain when it jams up or pulls a double. I wish there was a way it could detect when it pulls two envelopes out of the #10 outsider envelope.
They are mesmerizing machines, brilliant and simple. Oh man, I'm getting chest pains just thinking of running merges mailings through there. I do several mailing like that but only one piece is unique. You might be able to modify one of the double detectors to work on the #10's. It would be some work though to make it all work. Take care!
I'm rocking a Bell and Howell Mail Star 5000 at an insanely busy shop. I love getting a 100,000+ piece job and just spend the day with my old "swing arm"..and nothing else to worry about.
I worked for the service department for Bell and Howell for 41 years. The did produce an open flap attachment for the envelope hopper to allow for open flaps. Not many of these open flap units were produced so trying to find one now would be extremely difficult.
It is one of my favorite machines. There is a stationary finger, one that moves and a sucker. Then another grabber. I'll have to highlight in a future video.
I was dream of a machine that stuffs envelopes and I googled it and there you were. Thanks for sharing this incredible machine on you tube
You bet!
That thing looks like a lot of fun. I spent my childhood stuffing envelopes, one of these would have saved a lot of time!
They sure do. This machines opened a lot of doors for my business.
That is just the coolest machine ever...I want one! Many years ago I was factory trained on some pre and post production equipment by the manufacturer, one being modern folder inserters like the formax, secap, neopost, pitney bowes, and all the rebranded versions and I can see now at least half a dozen reasons why these older mechanical styles are much more preferred and way more reliable. The less folding, curving, start/stop points, flipping etc. the better. And thank God for air feed.
Yes, this is the most fun to watch. It is complex and simple all at the same time.
Beautiful example of a well maintained classic piece of machinery. Love to see it!!
Couldn't agree more!
For some reason the old basic swing arm inserters are my favorite machine to run. I would much rather run one of these than a big smart inserter. They were always my favorite machines in the shop..
Absolutely. Something about an old simple machine rhythm.
I worked in the mail room for a bill collecting agency in the 80's. Well, I was the mail room! I spent those evenings with this machine and a folder and a Pitney Bowes postage machine. It was a lot of fun. 🙂
I used to setup and fix those machines I was the mechanic for a bulk mailing company we also had inkjet printing ,folder machines,Cheshire machines ,magnacraft machines … pretty cool seeing this video brings back memories I had fun working on them
I also remember the postage stamp machines you can attach to the end of some machines
Glad you enjoyed! I bet you have some stories to tell!
Amazing machine....still remember that all of those independent mechanical movement originated from a single main motor connected to a gearbox and an indexer for insert chain & gripper chain..... (worked with B+H poststar & vitesse)
omg i use to be a machine operator, back in he day from the year 1979 - 1991 for a company called Jones Direct Mail Scarborough, ON Canada ( made good money back then as well $10.95 HR ) I am so glad they still use these machines today
do you know where they purchased their envelopes in wholesale in toronto ?
I worked for RL Polk in the 80's in Toronto and Mailmarketing Corp. through the 90's and 2000's.... these were the workhorse machines of the industry for sure.
I even did a few Continental shifts for Jones as well back in the day...Jack Jones was a good man.
Your great...thanks you so much for always a very informative video. It is in your channel that I discover that there is such a machine like envelop inserter that exist......good job...👍👍
You are so welcome!
During 1981-1984 | worked for Donnelley Marketing Direct Mail plant in Elm City, NC. They said we handled more mail under one roof that anywhere else in the world.
We did enormous jobs- hundreds of thousands at a time, maybe more. The PCH/Publishers Clearing House was our largest job each year.
The USPS large/18 wheeler trucks would back up to the loading docks & the pallets of mail bags would be loaded on. They’d be taken to their destination, starting with the West Coast, since it took longer to get there. The exact timing for the mail to arrive in homes was timed very carefully so they would all be delivered at the same time.
The Bell & Howell inserter machines put coupons that were the size of half of a regular sheet of paper into brown envelopes that said 'Carol Wright' on the outside.
Our machines ran 25+ stations of inserts. The envelopes we put onto the machine came to our stations already addressed and in order.
Part 2
The 'mail sorter' person would put empty envelopes on the machine. They came to us pre-addressed, in order, in boxes. We had to make sure they didn’t get mixed up & that they stayed in order.
We’d take the sealed ones off and rubber band them & put the handfuls into mail bags. The zip code+ carrier routes couldn’t be mixed. You had to make to not mix carrier routes in one bundle.
Then we’d put them into large mail bags that we put labels on, writing the zip code by hand on little cards to put into the mail bag.
Part 3
I was young & it was easy work & I got a lot of exercise.
There were around 20 of those machines running in this plant 3 shifts a day, 5 days a week.
Let me tell you- it was LOUD in there
I believe my hearing loss came from working in that environment for 3 years. I think we should have had hearing protection.
Part 4
I had a lot of fun & there were many young people like myself (I was 21 when I started) and it was much less stressful than waiting tables.
And better pay, too. Great benefits & they even paid 80% of my college degree.
Loved tinkering/tuning these things.
They are fun!
good ole swing arm easy to work on the newer ones are a pain in the ass
Thats why I went with the good old iron. I like it!
@@justaprinter oh yea there really easy to fix
Agreed
Worked as a B+H engineer for 15 years working on this type of kit. Rock solid and reliable, but the later automated selective read swing arm machines with maybe 12 stations needed a very good operator to run them fast without too many crashes. The temptation was for owners to ignore the specs and stuff too much in the envelope and still expect it to run at 10K/Hr.....happy days.
My company got rid of all of our swing arms and now we have blue crest Mailstream evolution. There will always be damages. Smh
Hi, nice 4 insert machine...what plug or volts does that Bell Howell require?...110...or...220?
Will this machine work with a non #10 window envelope. For instance, if the flap of the envelope in the back is not a typical triangle but a bigger rectangular shape.
nice machine!!!
Sure is!
I remember doing this type of work at DST. Easy 12 hrs.
Its a fun machine!
Which DST?
I worked in South Windsor, first for Bell and Howell, then directly for DST maintaining them.
love this
Thanks!
Didn't even know those were a thing until very recently!
They are amazing!
TRW had a Bell and Howell unit in Space Park for among other things to stuff the payroll checks into envelopes in the 1980s.
Oh cool!
I work for a company that does this. When I first started we had even older versions of these. Had a couple Flowmasters at the time too. Now we just have Flowmasters and none of the old swing arms
Which Company?
@@InsignificantSpeckOfDust well when I first started the company I worked for was called Mailing Services of Pittsburgh. Few years my location was bought by another company called Direct Marketing Solutions based out of Portland Oregon
My father owned a mailing business and had five of these machines running constantly. One was able to do 10K envelopes an hour, so long as the operator kept up with it.
Oh wow! They are amazing machines, and they certainly keep you on your toes id you speed them up!
I guess that one of the reasons that I am addicted to this channel is that I am fascinated in the ingenuity of machines that are designed to do multiple tasks that seem (before seeing them) impossible to be done by a machine.
This was a great clip to be able to see exactly how it works, especially when I slowed it down to half speed.
I was able to see clearly how everything works except for that very end section which is stacking the completed envelopes.
Any chance of getting a close-up or description of what is happening there (or point me in the right direction if it has been covered in another clip, as I am working my way through the complete series).
Great point, I'll do a full setup of this machine and will cover all the parts. Thanks Mick!
@@justaprinter merci de répondre en français
This is a time saver machine!! Very innovate!! How many envelopes can be formed in an hour?
I'd say about 4000 an hour and a moderate speed. It is nice!
Are you selling the machine ?
How do you set the double detector? I just started an inserter job and would like to know as much as I can. Thanks. Great video.
There are little black knobs on each arm that pulls the folded pieces in. You turn those to adjust for different thicknesses.
With nothing in the jaw and the jaw fully closed turn the miss knob until it just lights.
Then stop it again at the same position with a single insert in the jaw. Set the double detect so it lights, then back it out a half turn. Really thin inserts and you’ll have to set it closer
How hard would it be for someone with only a digital neopost background to run one of these? I’m thinking it may be good for us
They are nice and simple. I like it, but I like mechanical things. Now that I have it set up I do very little adjustments. It just runs.
I use one of these at my job, and its such a cool machine :) I even use this to run merged mailings, which is kind of a pain when it jams up or pulls a double. I wish there was a way it could detect when it pulls two envelopes out of the #10 outsider envelope.
They are mesmerizing machines, brilliant and simple. Oh man, I'm getting chest pains just thinking of running merges mailings through there. I do several mailing like that but only one piece is unique. You might be able to modify one of the double detectors to work on the #10's. It would be some work though to make it all work. Take care!
@Insignificant Speck Of Dust I forget, however that job is coming up in 1-2 weeks for me again. I think it was probably 6-8 hours maybe?
I'm rocking a Bell and Howell Mail Star 5000 at an insanely busy shop. I love getting a 100,000+ piece job and just spend the day with my old "swing arm"..and nothing else to worry about.
How well does the machine run if the #10's flap starts in the open position?
It wouldn't work, envelopes need to be closed in order to feed correctly.
I worked for the service department for Bell and Howell for 41 years. The did produce an open flap attachment for the envelope hopper to allow for open flaps. Not many of these open flap units were produced so trying to find one now would be extremely difficult.
how does it grab those inserts ? looks like an interesting mechanism
It is one of my favorite machines. There is a stationary finger, one that moves and a sucker. Then another grabber. I'll have to highlight in a future video.
@@justaprinter quite a complex movement. a video would be awesome.
I work at a company where we have to do this by hand still
@@DeanZylman If you want I can even send you a link to a quick explanation. I might be able to upload it tomorrow.
@@tyrenhoskins9158 that be great
Hi
Is their a machine which inserts a6 flyers into a6 envelopes?
Yes, I think you can actually run an A6 on this machine, you cannot do it with a square flap envelope though.
Buhrs bb300 inserter does C6 to C4 formats . Very well built machines and alot better than these swing arm machines.
Can this machine seal and glue the envelopes?
Yes, it does seal the envelope.
@@justaprinter cool..... this machine can insert 12,000 envelopes a day?
@@万里追悟空 It inserts about 3,000+ an hour.
We have converted to all high speed roll work.
Some day I might need to consider this. Roll fed is a whole different ball game and it intimidates me. :)
so this is what tv licensing use. lol
LOL, maybe, probably much newer and faster. :)
What does a machine like that cost?
I bought this one for $1,700. I thought it was a steal!
@Insignificant Speck Of Dust Thank you! They don't make them like this anymore! :)
Hope one day I can afford this machine
@@justaprinter thank god !
Biden's favorite machine.
LOL!