4 comments have been posted on “Vandercook 01”.

1. David Gray commented:

   March 31, 2011 at 12:56 pm

   I think I would rather have a bed plate but I want to make sure I’m not ignoring any important considerations. The bed is 15″ x 26″ I think (I’ll double-check that but let’s assume that’s correct for the moment), so I was assuming I would want a plate just slightly smaller so that I can fit it in and remove it easily. So would a bed plate 14.75″ x 25.75 make sense?
   Also, I contacted a couple of local places listed under sheet metal and they weren’t interested. Is there an online source for ordering a piece of cold rolled steel this size? And is there a particular grade of steel that should be specified?

   Thanks,
   David
2. David Gray commented:

   March 19, 2011 at 7:10 pm

   Great – thanks!
3. Paul Moxon, Moderator commented:

   March 19, 2011 at 7:03 pm

   The wheels are called bearings. They are sealed, so you only need to wipe the surface that rolls on the under rails with a slightly oiled rag daily. Likewise, wipe the bed bearers (top rail) and cylinder bearers. Use SAE 20wt. Find it in the blue and white 3-in-One bottle.

   Do not attempt to sand the stains away, which would create low spots.

   Note also that this is a galley height bed .968″. This means that either you should place type high (.918′) printing forms on a .050″ bed plate or a galley. Otherwise, an additional .050″ worth of material will needed between the paper and the impression cylinder.

   It you decide to have a bed plate made you will want cold-rolled steel. If this is more precision than you require, you could also place .050″ worth of binders board or a hard paper such as tympan.
4. David Gray commented:

   March 19, 2011 at 5:54 pm

   I went over it with Simple Green and then went over the rails and bed with #00 steel wool. There are still a few stains (may not even be ink) on the bed and maybe some gunk residue there. Any advice for further cleaning? Those stains may never come out, which would be ok, but I’d like to get them if I can.

   It does roll much more smoothly now but I’m wondering if I should oil the wheels – there are 2 small ones below the rail on each side plus the larger one on each side. Seems like it might get gunky on top, but maybe the smaller wheels need oil? If so, what should I use?

   Thanks.
   David