I just replaced the rollers on my SP-15 and am having trouble printing the first time out. The rollers were purchased from another press owner, but were new and unused, still in original NA Graphics packing and boxes. This was the first time I’d changed the rollers but didn’t encounter any difficulties with changing over the bearing blocks, gear, etc. I’m using a boxcar base and photopolymer plate which I’ve printed from successfully before. The problems I’m having are–

a. The image has a fine darker line of ink around most of the outer edges. I’ve tried 3 different paper stocks and all show the same problem.
b.The front roller has a consistent pattern of blotchy, darker areas of ink, looks sort of like skid marks. The back roller looks normal.
c. After I adjust the rollers to proper height and run just one or two impressions, then recheck roller height, both rollers have shifted. Usually back roller moving up and front roller moving down, both consistent from side to side. I’ve made sure the screws on the blocks are made tight with allen wrench each time.

I never encountered this particular problem with the old rollers. All the oscillation and roller movements look normal to me, but apparently something is off. Any ideas would be most appreciated, thank you!

Vandercook made an extensive line of prepress equipment for mounting engravings. I have a Hacker block leveler and an seeking the honeycomb mold for an EasyKaster to make Vandercook Lite-Base. Any leads would be most appreciated.

[Image from the Vandercook Graphic Equipment Catalog, 1965—PM]

I am selling my beloved press!

In the spring, I will be teaching my Vandercook Maintenance workshop at three locations in the Northeastern U.S.:

April 18-19 in Buffalo at Western New York Book Arts Collaborative
April 25-26, in Manhattan at The Center for Book Arts
May 2-3, in North Andover, MA at The Museum of Printing

Currently, my itinerary allows time to schedule onsite consultations in and around New York City and along the Amtrak route to Boston. If interested please use the Contact Form.

Does anyone know the specs on the form rollers for a Challenge 15MP proof press ?

folks -

We have a Vandercook Universal-1 with a powered carriage. I am having a little trouble getting the drive clutch adjusted properly and I was hoping that I could get some help from other powered-carriage Vandercook owners out there.

The clutch is attached (as you might expect) between the drive motor and gear that drives the carriage back and forth to print. As I understand the Drive Clutch Adjustment information on the housing, there is a collar on the motor-end of the clutch that is used to tighten and loosen the clutch. This seems straightforward. I can loosen the set screws in the collar and then use an allen wrench (for leverage) in the holes of the collar to rotate it back and forth to tighten and loosen the clutch.

The confusing part is that in the bed-end of the clutch (at the end of the gear which turns to power the carriage), there is a round plate and an allen-headed screw in the middle. That screw seems to move the gear back and forth so that it makes cood contact with the gear on the print cylinder. But, that screw wiggles loose during operation to the point that the round plate is very loose, the clutch is looser than it should be, and it just doesn’t seem right. It even fell out once. On the other hand, if I tighten that screw down all the way, the clutch doesn’t seem to be active. That is, the cylinder starts and stops sharply with no clutch give at all.

So, my questions are – what is the deal with this screw and how does it work with the clutch? Should I tighten that screw all the way down so it doesn’t jiggle loose, and then adjust the clutch to be looser? Should I tighten/loosen the clutch and then use that screw to adjust the gear to mesh with the cylinder propserly, but then have to keep readjusting that loose screw every so often? Am I missing the point completetly? Help!

I’m including a picture to show what I’m talking about.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

-Erik Brunvand, Saltgrass Printmakers
www.SaltgrassPrintmakers.org

Hello all,

I recently purchased an SP 15 and am finally getting around to cleaning/restoring it to printing condition. In the process I came across what appears to be a broken trip spring. Since the gears and trip mechanisms were an inky, greasy disaster I decided to pull the side plates and give it a thorough cleaning while fixing the spring. (I know that many advise against this but I have spent a good deal of time repairing/restoring cars and motorcycles so hopefully that aptitude will translate) My only hang up is with the lock nuts that attach to the stud (x-20494) that is the pivot for the trip arm assembly. I have the manual but it doesn’t really show how this part is removed. Here is a photo of what I am looking at:

Any advice is much appreciated and many thanks for the blog.

February 3rd, 2009 at 6:13 pm

I am looking for a motor speed reducer for a #4. This press belongs to Gray Zeitz, who is the nicest person you’ll ever meet, has a beard like ZZ top, and has been hand setting & printing books at Larkspur Press for 35 years. He’s charged me with getting this press running, and this is the last piece of the puzzle. Here’s a pic:

We have the motor and the bracket. I need the reducer (part with orange oil cups) and the cover to the right would be nice too, as well as the belt. This is part number x-9464 in the manual.

thanks in advance,

Alex Brooks

press eight seventeen – lexington letterpress