Continued thanks to everyone who has the patience and takes the time to answer the many questions that we relatively new printers come up with. I recently asked for step-by-step instructions for installing new form rollers on my No. 4, and the replies I got were extremely helpful.

I put together a Flickr set on what I did, for the benefit of other newbies. If you see anything that needs to be corrected, please leave a comment. Thanks!

Barbara

Hello Vanderfolks,

I just had the form rollers on my No. 4 recovered. A very nice gentleman from RotaDyne came to my house to pick up the old ones. He took the whole assembly with him, and they shipped everything back disassembled. I’ve looked through the archives for instructions on putting things back together, but I couldn’t find anything elementary enough for me. I have Sheets 103 and 182B from the manual, but I was hoping to find some step-by-step instructions, or even an exploded view. Is there anything like that out there?

I have one question about Sheet 182B. It says, “4 nyliners are required per bearing bar. 8 per machine….” All I ever had on the form roller assembly was 2 nyliners. Is there something wrong?

Also, I would appreciate your feedback on RotaDyne’s assessment of my roller situation. The rep said that my old rollers had hardness ratings of 32 and 34, and that the new rollers would be 25. He also said that the diameter of my old rollers was 2.480″, that the spec was 2.500″, and that my new rollers would be 2.520″. Did I really need new rollers? I’m aiming for the best print quality possible.

Thanks so much for your help,

Barbara

I am trying to figure out how to tighten the action on the CM-37 handle of the inking system.  This press has always had problems with uneven inking and after eliminating trip mechanism issues and replacing glazed rollers, ink distribution on the form is still occasionally  lighter on the operating side.  I think it has to do with the play in the engagement of the inking system–the handle lifts during the print stroke.  Has anyone had this problem . . . or are there any ideas on reducing the play?

Thanks much,

Sara P.

The research and development division of NA Graphics has taken up the challenge of figuring out why ink migrates from one side to the other on Vandercook inking assemblies. To that end, we are working in conjunction with Dave Seat, who is in residence this week in our main research facility here in Silverton, to work on this problem. In question is a 219 New Style press that has a severe problem with the ink. We have the upper and lower assembly here to work on and we tentatively conclude it is a weight distribution problem in the main oscillating roller. And for field research, we would like to ask anyone who has been experiencing this problem with their Vandercook to do a simple experiment–ink up your press, see that the ink migration is taking place, then take the oscillating roller out and replace but in reverse position, and see if the ink migrates in the opposite direction. We think we have the solution, but need to have this part of the equation verified. Thanks,

Fritz

I am having an issue with our Uni I—it has a squeaky rider roller.  I took a look at an old post, ‘Inking Roller Squeal,’ and that was helpful, but I have an additional question.  The black knob at the end of the rider is loose, but when it is held in place, the squealing stops–Is there a way to tighten this?  I don’t see a set screw, so does the whole rider roller have to be removed to examine the handle?

Thanks!

Sara P

NEW CONTENT AT BOTTOM The problem I am having is that I can not see how to remove the distributor frame. It is wider than the frame which holds the mechanism to raise and lower the roller assembly. I can raise the distributor frame about 1/2 to 3/4″, but since it is partially in front and partially behind the curved steel frame in which the rod for lowering/raising moves up and down. I suspect I would need to disassemble the frame.

For those not familiar with this early model, I have added this excerpt from the Composing Room Cylinders sales brochure below. The full 4 page PDF is available on the Bibliography page. -PM, moderator

The following photos of a model 17 are provided by JoDee Stringham: 1) complete assembly lowered; 2) complete assembly raised; 3) Distributor Lift Part CI 9 ; 4) Distributor Lift installed.

Here is a another view of the Distributor Lift (CI 9):

Hi Folks -

I know that I use one of the “knock offs”, a Challenge 21MP (similar to the Vandy SP15), but I’m up poop creek without a plunger. I am calling on the collective wisdom of this group….

I’ve been restoring this press (some rust – lots of gunk) and have run into a problem with the Vibrator Assembly. It is in good shape visually but will not oscilate when the press is running. it moves to the far end of the bar and stays – it doesn’t return.

I’ve looked at the parts list breakdown and can’t find anything I might be missing. Ideas?

Brent

The Book Arts Program at the J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah has a Vandercook 15-21 (shown with the top frame assembly removed) that is experiencing difficulties. Within minutes of application, a majority of the ink added migrates to the non-operator side (highlighted in the image) of the ink distributor assembly and form rollers

Any suggestions for correction are much appreciated.

I have been perusing the posts related to #4 form roller problems, specifically in regards to the clutch plate. I finally got a good handle on the source of all the racket that my press has been making for the last few months by adjusting the roller assembly and shimming the clutch plate. The issue that I am really curious about and haven’t seen any information about the wear on the gear track where the form roller gears rest. In all the pictures that have been posted of the clutch plate the gears below look like they have been worn down, just like mine. I have heard that a worn down gear track is curtains for a press…is that true?? Also, is this the reason that my press jumps some times when i begin to move the carriage down the track? Any information regarding this matter is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Karen

Can anyone provide a picture and approximate dimensions of the bullet catch that holds up the ink distribution rollers for cleaning on a Uni I? Ours has gone a-miss and I have a VERY KIND friend willing to machine us a new one–but I have no idea what it looks like!

Rather suddenly my rollers decided to crap out by not inking the form evenly. I am using photopolymer plates.

The Problem
Form is not being inked evenly. Ink is heaviest at the beginning of the form (the area the form rollers hit first). Based on the image above, it appears that the rollers are not freely rolling across the top of the form, rather pushing/sliding the ink across. The 2nd example is the worst case scenario – many of the bad impressions made the form look as if it were only half inked.

Observations
First, I’ve tried adjusting the roller height and the amount of ink in addition to cleaning all moving parts (nyliners, etc.) – all to no avail. I tried rubber and oil based inks. I even moved the form around on the bed. All with the same result. However, please note that I haven’t tried cleaning the crescent or worm.

I have observed the following behaviors:

[1] The oscillating roller does not appear to move/roll during inking of the smaller form. With the larger form, it rolls inconsistently – it rolls over some areas and slides across others.

[2] I get better results when the oscillating roller is in the up position (ie. not touching the form rollers).

[3] Even with the oscillating roller up, the problem seems to persist with the front form roller.

[4] I get best results when using only the back form roller (ie. without the oscillating roller or the front form roller in use).

On Another Note
Sort of on the same topic but an entirely different issue, when things are working okay, my rollers are not able to ink the entire bed. It does fine on the first 7″-9″ but the form rollers cannot make contact with the form on the rest of the bed. Does this mean my bed is uneven? If so, how do I fix this?

Hi there—This is my first post. I have an SP-15 (serial #26151), and I looked through my manual, but am still unsure of the part names. It appears the gear on my motorized roller is broken. This is the gear that the belt / pulley (?) runs on to actually move the roller. For clarity, here’s the area in question:

I was printing this afternoon, and paused, turning off the press and raising the rollers to answer the phone. I came back about 10 minutes later, and when I turned it back on, nothing was moving. When I looked around, I realized the pulley / belt (?) had detached from the roller gear. As I attempted to get it back on, I discovered THIS:

Yikes. A chunk of the gear is suddenly missing. The strange thing is that I didn’t hear anything break—just turned off the press and raised the rollers to answer the phone. I found a few pieces of the gear—they appear to be clear plastic.

This one gives a really clear picture of how much of it is missing—quite a bit.

I’m hoping I can just find another gear and replace it, but I’m not sure how it all fits together. Does anyone know if this is a readily available part, and if so how I’d go about replacing it?