I have a uni III in great condition, but don’t have a tower for it and would love to restore it completely with the inclusion of a tower. Anyone have any ideas of where I could look? Or perhaps a loose tower hanging around for purchase? lol.
MoreUniversal 1 – appears to have a much deeper undercut than usual…
Hello! First time poster here so please bear with me if I’m going about anything wrong. Just to set the scene here: I recently accepted a technician role at the arts university in my hometown and there are a couple Vandercook presses here I’m in charge of. I spent a few years working at Hatch […]
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Fabricating a Universal 1 plexiglass dust cover…
We have three Universal I presses in our printshop and a number of the plexiglass dust covers have cracks from use. In the past, I had tried fabricating covers, but they never came out with the correct angle. So, I decided to do it right, and make a ‘buck’ to drape the heated plexiglass over. […]
MoreSP20 Ink Drum/Form Roller Contact Issues
Hello, we recently acquired a refurbished Vandy SP20 at UT Austin and it is having issues. The worst problem we’re having is the form rollers not making contact with the ink drum. We bought two new springs from Fritz for the ink drum and replaced those, so I think that is at the proper height. […]
MoreProofpress.ch back online
I’m pleased to learn that proofpress.ch is back online. A sister site to vandercookpress.info, launched in 2012 by Swiss printer Dafi Kühne, it is dedicated to the Swiss proof press FAG (Fournitures pour les Arts Graphiques: tr. Supplies for the Graphic Arts).
MoreUniversal III – clutch and brake
Hello folks, I’m trying to tune up the Universal III here at Arion Press and keep it in good order. The power carriage has been hitting hard at both ends unless I keep the braking knob turned up all the way, and even then it will hit hard at higher speeds. I’ve been trying to […]
MoreSP-15 non-motorized press | 2 questions please
Hello: I feel like I ask y’all lots of questions. I truly appreciate all the help you have offered this novice user. My questions today are these: I am running out of height adjustment for the front form roller before it is high enough for proper printing. Is the hand crank on the front form […]
MoreVandercook Uni I reintroducing past ink; ink drum calibration?
Hi! One of Virginia Book Arts’ Vandercooks (a Universal I AB P that was converted to hand-crank) has always had a difficult-to-clean ink drum* that would appear to be successfully cleaned by a printer post-printing session, but then randomly introduce bits of ink from past print sessions into future printing sessions (e.g. you’re printing with […]
Moreloading Model 15 – non standard “rigging”
Paul, I’ll be moving an older Model 15 this weekend. Sky Shipley suggested I reach out to you (press is in Presscott :) because the Vandercook is “on cribbing, inverted.” He thinks we’ll need to right it to load but we’re not sure what the smartest way to go about this might be. Can we […]
MoreUnderstanding hand-cranked rollers
Hello! I’m trying to understand non-electric/non-motorized cylinder press that still have inked rollers (for cylinder presses, I’ve only printed with ones that have power ink distribution, or handinked with a brayer). For cylinder presses that instead use non-motorized handwheel ink distribution (like the Vandercook 3 or similar Challenge models), does anyone know how often you […]
MoreSeeking lock-up bar
Seeking lock-up bar for a Vendercook no. 3 in need of lots of love. No luck yet from Briar Press or eBay. Also, any recommendations on the best place to seek roller repair/replacement for this model? All my gratitude!
MoreSP-15 foot pedal cable replacement
I have a SP-15 press that uses a cable to connect the foot pedal to the gripper head release. The cable has broken, twice, and I am wondering what type of cable I should be sourcing that will be a better solution. Is there a mechanical work around to replace the cable? Thank you […]
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