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 this the same oil that would be used in the gear box of a Vandercook #4?

Hello!

I have two pictures (pictures below) of a piece that is grinding on my vandercook 219. There are fine metal shavings under the press after about an hour of running. I see no way of adjusting this to lift it up.

Any suggestions?

Pictures:

Nick

Dear Vandekin

I am in Memphis cleaning & repairing two Vandercooks, a 4 and a Uni III. The operator of the III tells me the motor jumps (or rather jolts) itself randomly during a press run and there appears to be a little bit of slack in the chain. I tested it out and sure enough it happened for me while I had the press on cycle & run modes. Having experience this problem myself while similar presses power Universals I always lessened the problem (if not got rid of it entirely) by adjusting the carriage speed and/or making sure my ink wasn’t drying out on press.

Since there’s a wee bit of slack in the chain this Uni’s operator is suggesting that I shorten the chain. My feeling is it has something to do with the clutch and that shorten the chain will be a headache and a waste of time, or worse . . . it’ll do some damage to the press. Anyhow . . . is there anyone out there with some experience with these Universal clutch adjustments and/or jumpy, jolty motors? I’d appreciate any input as I have a couple more days of work here cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.

Also, while I have your attention . . . the 4 is in need of a few parts. I’ve identified all the parts this school will need, but I am without a good reference to the small parts inside the inking rollers (the thin tubes in front and behind the oscillating cylinder). These are small collars (wood? plastic? I’ve never been sure. I had two pair made a local machine shop for m old 4 years ago.) that fit around the inking system roller frame and keep the inking rollers from slopping around and hurting themselves. Anyone have a good reference for these parts?

Terry Chouinard

reporting live from the Bluff City of W.C. Handy, Gus Cannon, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and Prince Mongo.

I recently bought a Vandercook 4 with an engine that doesn’t run. I plan to bring it to a local motor shop for repair early in the new year. Does anyone have any tips for successfully removing the motor and / or any essential information that should be passed on to the mechanic?

Thanks,

Kyle Schlesinger

I had my motor rebuilt and put it in the press today, however, like an idiot I didn’t take a photo of the wiring. I need help with wiring this back up. I have attached photos of the wiring. If anyone can help please contact me here or offline at casey@inkylipspress.com.

The pink circles are wires that are on the press. The yellow circles come from the motor

My Universal I Power carriage motor has been leaking oil for the three years I have owned it so I finally took it apart and fixed the leak. After reassembling the motor I filled it with oil but I am unsure how high the oil should be. Should I fill it to the screw on the front middle, #1, or the screw on the upper right, #2. Thanks in advance for any help.

The Book Arts Program needs to replace the motor on our No. 4. I’ve written down all the specs from the maker’s nameplate – the current motor was manufactured by Westinghouse (no longer in business) – and contacted a few local companys about replacement. I was told I would need to bring the motor in. The current motor hasn’t completely died and the press is still being used by a class, so I would prefer to purchase a new motor to switch out and minimize downtime. Anyone replaced with another (contemporary) manufacturer? If so, would you be willing to discuss specs? Should we just wait until the class is over and have the motor rebuilt? Thanks.

folks -

We have a Vandercook Universal-1 with a powered carriage. I am having a little trouble getting the drive clutch adjusted properly and I was hoping that I could get some help from other powered-carriage Vandercook owners out there.

The clutch is attached (as you might expect) between the drive motor and gear that drives the carriage back and forth to print. As I understand the Drive Clutch Adjustment information on the housing, there is a collar on the motor-end of the clutch that is used to tighten and loosen the clutch. This seems straightforward. I can loosen the set screws in the collar and then use an allen wrench (for leverage) in the holes of the collar to rotate it back and forth to tighten and loosen the clutch.

The confusing part is that in the bed-end of the clutch (at the end of the gear which turns to power the carriage), there is a round plate and an allen-headed screw in the middle. That screw seems to move the gear back and forth so that it makes cood contact with the gear on the print cylinder. But, that screw wiggles loose during operation to the point that the round plate is very loose, the clutch is looser than it should be, and it just doesn’t seem right. It even fell out once. On the other hand, if I tighten that screw down all the way, the clutch doesn’t seem to be active. That is, the cylinder starts and stops sharply with no clutch give at all.

So, my questions are – what is the deal with this screw and how does it work with the clutch? Should I tighten that screw all the way down so it doesn’t jiggle loose, and then adjust the clutch to be looser? Should I tighten/loosen the clutch and then use that screw to adjust the gear to mesh with the cylinder propserly, but then have to keep readjusting that loose screw every so often? Am I missing the point completetly? Help!

I’m including a picture to show what I’m talking about.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

-Erik Brunvand, Saltgrass Printmakers
www.SaltgrassPrintmakers.org

The motor on my 215 just started stalling in the middle of today’s run. I had switched off the motor during a pause in printing, and when I switched it back on again, it hummed but did not move. I was able to get it moving again by physically moving the belt from the motor pulley to the chain drive. Then the motor ran as normal. When it’s switched off, it takes a few seconds to stop turning, and the final turns end with a click/clack/snap sound. The snap also occurs when I get the motor fully moving again, like there is a clutch allowing movement that has to click into place. When switched off and then back on again, it sometimes appears as if the motor is trying to turn backward, but again, if I physically move the belt the right way, it will catch and then start turning on its own. It’s a Century Single Phase 1750 rpm motor that is kept regularly oiled, at least with the two visible oil cups. I have read that single phase motors can sometimes have a capacitor go out, which causes them to try to run backwards at startup. If this is my problem is it fixable? Thanks for any help.

Hello all,

I have a No. 4 which the seller informed me has a 3 phase motor, I only have access to single phase power. I would be grateful to know of anyones experience of such matters. Did you change the motor or get a converter? If you used a converter it would be great to know what sort of rating I require, as they vary a lot in price. If you changed the motor, what sort of power do I need? I am in the UK (different power to you guys in the US).

Thank you for any advice, Alistair

On the sp15, the motor unit and ink drum are held under the press bed within a unit mounted on two pivots. Two springs create tension on the unit enabling it to spring back up after the impression cylinder has travelled over it. What I want to know is how ‘springy’ this assembly should be – an adjustable padded bracket on the non-operators side controls the amount of play this unit has: the higher the bracket is fixed, the smaller amount of spring the ink drum has.

Thanks!

John Christopher

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 the motor is very hard to access and even see, and I don’t want to pull it out unless I have to.

On a related note, we’re having trouble with the chain rubbing the cabinet side very slightly, enough to make an annoying noise. I don’t want to shorten the lifespan of a chain that is undoubtedly already 30 years past its usable lifespan. This might require pulling the motor anyway, but wanted to see if anyone had any ideas.

Thanks,

Duncan Dempster

University of Hawaii