Author Archive

How many oil holes on a No. 4? - Posted November 7, 2008

Hello everyone,

Fritz Klinke posted a photo on the Letterpress Flickr site showing a C&P press label that refers to “about thirty-seven oil holes” that the pressman needs to attend to http://flickr.com/photos/53177163@N00/3008271735/in/pool-letterpress. I’ve always wondered — and maybe after a year-and-a-half of owning my press, I should have moved beyond the wondering stage before now — just how many oil holes there are on a Vandercook No. 4. Mine is a later model, SN 18794 shipped in October 1957.

I count 19: 8 on the operator’s side, 1 on the gripper foot pedal, and 10 on the side opposite the operator. If there are more, please, along with your condolences, give me a hint as to their whereabouts. I’m referring only to holes marked as such, and not the fill cups on the motor.

Thanks so much,

Barbara

Form roller pins on a No. 4 - Posted September 7, 2007

Form roller pins on a No. 4 
Here is the drawing for the form roller pins on a No. 4, along with a photograph of the pins on my unit. Are the pins supposed to be as round as the drawing shows? In other words, is it time I had my pins replaced?

Thanks,

Barbara

Form roller clutch on a No. 4 - Posted September 6, 2007

Form roller gears showing difference in clearance Brass plate that engages form roller clutch, showing wear Roller that moves plate that engages form roller clutch

Hello. I am a newbie restoring a No. 4. I have cleaned all of the moving parts and am putting everything back in place. When I turned on the motor for the first time and lowered the oscillating and form roller assemblies, I noticed a faint clacking sound that didn’t seem right. I turned off the motor and examined the form roller gears. I saw that, when the clutch is not engaged, there is more clearance between the roller gears and the clutch on the rear roller (closest to the feedboard) than there is on the forward roller. The first photo shows this; for the photo I rotated the gear to better show the difference.

I then examined the brass plate that engages the clutch. There is considerable wear where the plate meets the roller pins, somewhat more wear on the forward side. The second photo shows this. I think this explains the clearance difference, though it also could be influenced by accumulated wear on the roller that moves the brass plate (third photo) or by the brass plate being a bit skewed, though it seems aligned properly.

My question is, how much clearance should there be between the roller gear and the clutch when the clutch is disengaged, and how would I achieve this in my situation?

Thanks,

Barbara

Lubricating the gear teeth on the Vandercook No. 4 impression cylinder - Posted September 2, 2007

Gear teeth on impression cylinder, before and after cleaning Hello. I am a newbie in the process of restoring a Vandercook No. 4, SN 18794. My husband, who was in aerospace mechanical engineering for many years, is providing advice and much moral support. He was surprised when I told him that the procedure for lubricating the impression cylinder gear teeth was to apply a light machine oil to the racks with each use. He thought this sounded wimpy for such a massive unit, and actually when we purchased the press these teeth were gummed up with some sort of heavy, and very dirty, grease. From my classroom experience and in the documentation I’ve consulted, the light oil, applied frequently, seems to be the way to go, though as you can see the gear teeth in the “after” photo do look dangerously clean. What is the rationale for this?

Thanks,

Barbara

(The complete project is being documented, for the benefit of other newbies, at http://flickr.com/photos/7929005@N07/sets/72157601399864650/ )

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