Hello everyone! I’ve undertaken the task of restoring my 03. I’ve started with paint thinner to degrease the bearings system where the previous owner had it all greased up, and thus it gather a severe amount of gunk. I disassembled the carriage and down to the impression cylinder. I’ve gotten most of the grime off. [...]

Quoting from sheet 108 of the sparse Vandercook 05 proof press manual sheets: – SAE 20 motor oil is recommended for all moving parts. – Ball bearings X-2688 and X-2698 are packed in grease and require no further attention. I’ve not had a chance to disassemble and investigate the carriage assembly thoroughly enough to get [...]

Hello all – In the middle of a big job this weekend, my Universal 1 Power started making a persistent new noise –something between a chatter and a squeak. The noise occurs as the carriage is moving, a little more on the return. The noise occurs whether the motor is driving the carriage or whether [...]

I’m happy to say that I recently purchased my first vandercook SP20. I’ve worked on another vandercook but did not maintained it. This site has been extremely helpful with almost all the information I need, however I can not find the oil holes. Does anyone know how many oil holes are on this model and [...]

Would the type of graphite sold for bicycle chains be suitable for lubricating SP-15 gripper posts? But I was hoping to find it in a dispensable container, not pressurized in a can, to avoid a mess. Where’s a good spot to find it in small quantities? Thank you.

I read that one should periodically check the oil level in the SP-15 motor gear box. I removed the plug and can see the oil is at a level below what I believe is the worm-gear shaft. What is the appropriate level that should be maintained and what specification of oil should be used? Is [...]

I have a badly corroded lock-up bar that I would like to free up. I see numerous good suggestions on how to remove rust, but considering the steel AND aluminum construction of this bar, any suggestions on a type of penetrating oil or rust remover that would work on the movable steel components while not [...]

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 [...]

Following up on the discussion a few days ago, which I think alarmed many of us into checking on our motors, I’m having some trouble finding my way around the gear box on my SP20. I’ve posted photos on flickr: if anyone can point me in the right direction I’d be thrilled. The problem is [...]

Keith Cross phoned me this morning asking what he should do about oiling the motors on the two Mass Art shop Vandercooks. One has an oil cup (or two?) with spring cap(s); the other, two cap bolts on top of the gear box similar to my late model SP15. What did I do about oiling [...]

 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 [...]

I received an email from a gentleman who recently acquired a Universal I and is having difficulty finding an SAE 20 wt oil, the grade specified in most operator manuals. Like many printers, I first used 3-in-One oil. Some Vandercooks like, Daniel Morris’s 320, even have a plaque on the carriage reading “Use 3-in-One Oil” [...]