Hi again Ken and Richard,
Thanks for your help.
I've tried placing a 2M trimmer between legs 5 and 7 of that particular 072, but without results until rsistance too low locked up the 072 - I may try one from a different manufacturer, since I'm getting a slightly different set of patterns that hold, I gained a 01101100 aside from the previous mentioned conditions. I notice that it is between steps 5 and 6 that when there is typically a space (101), it disappears (110) at that position.
The CD4015 I had is from texas instruments, though said to be at the end of it's life cycle, should I try one from a newer batch?