Just when I thought my SP-15 problems were over, there’s another issue! I apologize for the length of this post, but I’m trying to be as thorough as possible. I noticed that the press was inking rather lightly, but the impression was good and I had plenty of ink on the rollers. As I adjusted [...]
Archive for April 2009
No. 4 Cylinder stuck - Posted April 22, 2009
Hey everyone, I co-run a community print shop in Saint Louis, MO. We have facilities for letterpress, intaglio, and screen printing. We were recently given a vandercook no. 4 to add to our lettepress equipment. When we showed up to pick up the press, it was being moved out of a basement with a backhoe [...]
SP-15 Ink Drum Issue - Posted April 20, 2009
I noticed that on our SP-15 the ink drum was not getting any ink on one end of the drum while inking fine on the other end. My suspicion is that the spring has weakened to the point where that end of the drum is lower. Are there other conditions we should look at which [...]
Hacker No. 4 Proof Press - Posted April 19, 2009
Does anyone know of any surviving examples of the Hacker No. 4 proof press, as pictured in the “Other Brands” link – in museums, private collections, or in use? Thanks, John
Restoring an SP-20 (i.e. hunting for parts) - Posted April 14, 2009
Hello all – – I had the great fortune of saving an SP20 from the scrapyard earlier this Spring. However, it was not quite as complete as I remembered it being when I first found it last Fall. Someone clearly attempted to dismantle it sometime in its history, then abandoned it, and the only old [...]
Universal II- Cylinder won’t lock at feedboard. - Posted April 10, 2009
My Universal II has all of a sudden stopped locking when it returns to the feedboard. Therefore when I press the trip pedal nothing happens (grippers don’t move) and it makes a sharp ‘bang’ noise releasing the tension of the pedal… Thoughts? Trip spring? Please help. Thanks, Adrian

