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Visiting the Vandercook family graves
Paul Moxon is in Chicago teaching his Vandercook Maintenance class at Evanston Paper and Print and some of us took a tour of Robert O. Vandercook’s grave and his house in Evanston.
I’ve posted some photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2052602&l=0ab706a80d&id=1462172660
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I am refurbishing a SP-15, which had been sitting in parts in a basement for 20 years (and when I say parts, I mean that the bed was removed from the legs). I am having troubling loosing up a few parts. None of these parts have much apparent rust… they are just not moving.
Problem 1: The grippers will not move from the gripper bar. I have removed all the knobs, rings and spring. The bar with grippers has been soaking first in mineral spirits and then in Evapo-rust over the last three days. I have also tried liquid wrench. I have tried lightly tapping the bottom of the grippers with a rubber mallet. Any suggestions?
Problem 2: All the bearings, except one, are frozen. I have tried similar soaking procedures with these, and after 3 days they are bubbling when immersed in Evapo-rust, but are still not moving. A car mechanic suggesting I try boiling them… any other suggestions?
Thank you for any advice,
Jessica Peterson
Paper Souvenir
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Hi All,
New to the site from UK. We have an SP15 needing restoration in the workshops (we usually do hand presses). It is hand cranked and has powered inking. One of the nylon? plasticky gears that drives the ink cylinder has basically disintegrated and I was wondering if anyone Stateside does spares?
Any help greatly appreciated. I also have another SP15 belonging to a client but it is a different model so I can’t ‘borrow’ the part from that one.
Cheers,
Jeremy
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Here are some pictures of this proof press i found in the woods. I have no idea about these things but i really want to sell it. I was just wandering if anone new how much i could sell this for? Or you could give me a little more info about it and what i can do with it. Oh and all that stuff on top of it were some pieces of metal i found beside it. Thanks
my email: billytheaufan@yahoo.com
#: 3185577910
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I have a 219 OS with twin ink drums. Does anyone have a procedure for removing them? There are a few reasons:
The bolt to adjust the height of the entire carriage to the form roller is completely hidden by the armature for the ductor roller (which is missing).
The press was stored in a damp environment and has pitting on these drums from rust. At some point it would be nice to have them turned.
If a ductor roller could be located, I might like to try to rebuild the whole assembly.
After removing the chain from the motor and idler sprockets, it looks like it might be possible to rotate the unit on bolt “A” (see photo). Being able to lift the unit would allow access to the height adjustment. The problem is there is a block protruding through the frame of the press that connects to the clutch in the rear ink drum even after the linkage “B” is disconnected.
Any ideas?
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I read that one should periodically check the oil level in the SP-15 motor gear box. I removed the plug and can see the oil is at a level below what I believe is the worm-gear shaft. What is the appropriate level that should be maintained and what specification of oil should be used? Is this the same oil that would be used in the gear box of a Vandercook #4?
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I am having an issue with our Uni I—it has a squeaky rider roller. I took a look at an old post, ‘Inking Roller Squeal,’ and that was helpful, but I have an additional question. The black knob at the end of the rider is loose, but when it is held in place, the squealing stops–Is there a way to tighten this? I don’t see a set screw, so does the whole rider roller have to be removed to examine the handle?
Thanks!
Sara P
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NA Graphics has added a new page on its website to list presses for sale. This is one more resource for acquiring your own press. See also the Links page on the present site for other companies and individuals selling equipment.
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I have had a continuous problem with the Vandercook 215 form rollers dropping down too low due to the hex bolts working themselves loose. We tighten these by hand because with a wrench, they get too tight and the rollers won’t turn freely. Is this an indication that there is something wrong with the bearing blocks? We have nyliners in place, too. For years I have just accepted this as press aging, something to be watched from time to time, but I’m hoping there might just be a cure. Any help appreciated. I have photos if that would be helpful.
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Hello, I recently bought a Vandercook 4 from the Hick’s Bros.
Everything seems like it’s in working order except the cylinder needs to be adjusted – the rail on the operating side is bearing down hard and there’s a gap on the non-operator side where you can see daylight between the rails. I think as a by-product of this issue the press is printing heavier on the operator side and lighter on the non-operator side. Also, the teeth are starting to have tiny specks of metal get shaved away. I’ve stopped printing as soon as I noticed this, but am in a deadline to finish my first job with this press and feeling the crunch…
Can anyone give me a lead-through on how to fix this? I know that it’s something to do with the ball bearings in the printing/impression cylinder, but I haven’t got a clue where to start.
Help? Friedrich Kerksieck
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Terry Chouinard sent me this advertisement he saw in the BBS Specimen Book (No. 25) for a “Vandercook Gordon Press Vibrator.” He asked if Vandercook made any other equipment for production presses? Good question. After all, their presses were marketed as pre-press equipment. But nothing in the catalogs I’ve seen references anything like the Gordon Vibrator.
Some time ago Daniel Morris gave me a CD of pdfs of Vandercook patents he found on Google Patents. After reviewing these files it appears that the vibrator and R.O. Vandercook’s first patent “Means for Dissipating Static Electricity” (1902), plus three for offset presses, were the only ones issued to his company for inventions not part of a proof/test press or plate making equipment. Hacker Manufacturing Co., acquired by Vandercook in 1937, held 14 U.S. patents for equipment that later became part of the Vandercook product line, notably their well known plate gauge.
Rather than uploading Daniel’s files, I’ve created a page with tables listing the patents issued to Vandercook and separate pages for Hacker and Challenge. Each feature links to the drawings and descriptions on Google.
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Hello,
I was wondering if anybody had any tips for removing a single coat of paint off of the rails of a vandercook #3. Would a solution such as Citristrip do the job without damaging the rails?
Thanks!
Kirk
Sycamore Street Press
