During an oiling and maintenance session on our Vandercook No. 4, I noticed what I believe to be with a problem with the Steady Roller (part MR-175 on sheet no. 106 of the manual). After rolling the cylinder to the end of the bed, the Steady Rollers hang over the end of the bed. When […]
MoreMore TagAuthor: John and Nancy Johnson
Vandercook No 4 cylinder alignment
The cylinder check spring broke on our No. 4. I got a replacement spring from Fritz and the press is printing again. My question is concerning the position of the cylinder at the feed table. With the cylinder at the feed table, the grippers are at about the 12 o’clock position (just a little before […]
MoreMore TagVandercook No 4 gripper foot pedal problem
We have a No. 4 (S/N 8655) and have a problem with the foot pedal mechanism that interacts with the gripper trip assembly. The foot pedal is connected to the pivot mechanism on the non-operator side of the press by way of the bicycle chain on the outside of the press cabinet. I had the […]
MoreMore TagNo. 4 Carriage Return Issue
We have a No 4 (S/N 8655) that seems to take more effort lately to return the carriage to its resting position at the feed table. There is no problem leaving the feed table in trip or in print. Returning to the feed table seems fine in both trip and after printing an image until […]
MoreMore TagTightening bearing block on SP-15
I have found that the adjustment posts for the form rollers on our SP15 go out of adjustment rather easily of late. The locking screw is tight, but not tight enough to stop the post from turning. Do I simply remove the bearing block, remove the locking screw, and ‘gently’ tap the side of the […]
MoreMore TagOil for #4 speed reducer gear box
It was posted a year or so ago that 40 wt oil is recommended for the #4 speed reducer. I presume you are talking about gear oil rather than motor oil. I have not found a source for 40 wt gear oil, but I can get 75/80 wt. Would that present a problem? Alternatively, would […]
MoreMore TagVandercook #4 gripper adjustment
We are going through the process of getting our Vandrcook #4 back into use. One issue we have almost solved is the grippers did not move either at the feed table end or the tail end of the bed. In addition, the foot pedal would not move the grippers at the feed table end. We […]
MoreMore TagSP-15 motor oil level
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 […]
MoreMore TagSP-15 Ink Drum Issue
I noticed that on our SP-15 the ink drum was not getting any ink on one end of the drum while inking fine on the other end. My suspicion is that the spring has weakened to the point where that end of the drum is lower. Are there other conditions we should look at which […]
MoreMore TagAdjustment of grippers on SP-15
The grippers work fine on our SP-15 when we use the foot pedal to insert the paper, but they do not properly release the paper at the end of the print. Other than adding some shims behind the bracket that activates the gripper lever at the end of the print action, is there another method […]
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