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Was: Unknown device on SP-15… changed for archiving purposes
What is the component you see sticking up on the back corner of the paper feed board? I never see it on any of the posted photos. This image is of an SP-15.
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Isn’t that one of those plunger-like ink dispensers? I recall one on a Uni 1 I worked on years ago. The diagonal shape extending up and right is an ink knife that was held in place by a magnet. A hole was punctured in the bottom of the ink can by a steel prick built into the unit. The can was then turned upside down and placed on the plunger. There was a dial underneath that allowed you to measure the dab of ink dispensed. I’ve only seen this mechanism on presses with ink level monitors, which is that black box immediately to the right of the ink dispenser.
I’d love to hear input from others. Were they considered a successful innovation at the time? Would anyone still consider using them if given the opportunity? I imagine I would considering it seems a precise method of measuring ink and controlling the ink level. I stated “I recall one on a Uni 1 I worked on years ago” but we didn’t get to use it. Our Vanson cans didn’t fit the plunger.
November 17th, 2006 at 7:40 amYes, it is an ink-dispenser meant for the Vandercook ink cans, a size once common, less common today. Recently I saw the parts for an installation and there was also a rubber gasket to be used. I’ve seen a number of them but never one with an ink-can still on it.
November 17th, 2006 at 8:47 amIt certainly was a good idea, minimizing skin and waste before non-skinning inks were developed. If you regularly use a skinning oil-base ink, it might still be useful by transferring your ink to a can that fits the dispenser.
I have one of these on my SP-15 (no ink monitor) and I don’t think the two were only available together. I am pretty sure it is meant to have some sort of seperate round flexible plate that sits on top of it that squeezes the ink from the can and keeps the mess off the attached plunger. It would be most useful to a proof printer because you would not want to change colors on it, you’d just leave the can on there until it was all used up, then replace it.
November 17th, 2006 at 9:25 amNot sure if I can post images in this way, but here goes…
November 17th, 2006 at 5:03 pmThat didn’t seem to work.
November 17th, 2006 at 5:37 pmThese were one of the options on all of the Vandercooks during the 60s/early70s. They work with the right size ink can and that’s the problem today–few if any ink cans are made that match the right size for this accessory, and more and more cans are now plastic or paperboard. We still stock the round steel discs that force the ink up through the little hole Terry described. One drawback was that they were messy, very messy. But for a busy shop, working one or several shifts, this was a good answer for a readily available source of ink to add to the press. I have several of these on our shelves.
November 17th, 2006 at 9:08 pmThese might be of use if you were using an ink that did not require additives, can’t think of many that don’t. The Vandercook brand repro ink cans fit these.
But they are located in an odd spot on the press, considering that the inked knife must travel over the feedboard.
I’ve always just converted these over as bases for lamps/magnifying lamps.
The rubber gaskets are nice for just that slight bit more of a movement when adjusting the level of the press.
November 17th, 2006 at 9:27 pmHere’s a new try at showing that photo.
November 17th, 2006 at 9:32 pmYou might have to follow it off-site or if Paul happens to be bored and watching he can snag it and add it above.
http://static.flickr.com/121/299688082_c03dc8a540.jpg
Does the SP-15 in this photo also have a travelling sheet delivery tray under the feed board? I have never seen this feature on an SP-15, but that’s what it looks like to me…
November 18th, 2006 at 11:34 amIt DOES NOT have the traveling sheet delivery tray.
November 18th, 2006 at 6:45 pmLooking at the photo supplied by The Arm NYC it looks like it would have been pretty handy as long as you were just printing black or some other right-out-of-the-can color and printing a lot of it.
November 18th, 2006 at 6:48 pmActually, I’d agree that the posted photo seems to have the receiving tray, poking into the space of the top shelf. Up to now, I’ve only seen the trays on 4s and Universal-Is that did not have shelves under the feedboard, so it is interesting to see it used, apparently, with shelves installed.
About the ink-dispenser, it comes from a time modern Vandercookers can barely imagine: when the presses were actually used for proofing! That is, using black proofing and repro inks to pull proofs of sticks of type-matter, galleys of composition, made-up pages, or engravings, for reading and inspection. Many Vandercooks spent their whole existance inked in black only and never saw anything thicker than newsprint and repro paper.
November 19th, 2006 at 12:23 pmI agree with Eric–I’m pretty sure this is a picture of a fully loaded SP-15 with every available accessory–ink dispenser, ink monitor, paper storage box, delivery tray, the little attachment on the bottom right end of the stand for putting paper work or what ever they called it, power inking, ink roller gizmos that can barely be seen, extra rack for a second set of rollers, and maybe more. I counted 13 possible accessories off a specification sheet here in the files a while back. I quite possibly have the original 8×10 print of that photo over in one of the cabinets–I’ll take a look and maybe scan it.
November 19th, 2006 at 5:37 pmYes, I do have the photo this was copied from and clearly that is a traveling sheet tray. Other options I missed include the plexiglass dust cover, the ink roller hold down spring on the geared roller and the automatic washup device. This photo had been retouched and air brushed, and the background knocked out, and I may have the original print somewhere as well. The resolution on the flickr page is not too hot, so I’d be happy to send by emaila better copy of this–at least on my scan I can read most of the lettering on the labels.
http://static.flickr.com/118/301390309_29b31a4509_o.jpg
November 19th, 2006 at 6:23 pmI have two Vandercook instruction sheets for this device on the website at the Tools and Misc Equipment page in PDF one for the No. and 215 and one for Universal and SP models.
November 20th, 2006 at 10:00 amI’m sorry that I mislead everyone on the traveling paper try. I meant that the one I just bought didn’t have it.
November 20th, 2006 at 11:33 am