I have been trying for a while to find an old-style Vandercook sheet side guide for one of my 320Gs and also one of the newer ones for one of my Universal IIIs. If anyone has a spare they could sell or happens to know where I might be able to find one it would […]
MoreAuthor: The Arm
Universal III Dead Bar Fabrication
I am about to have a replacement dead bar made up for one of my Universal IIIs and the original I am using as a pattern has a raised center block. Does this block serve any function? Should I include it in the reproduction or would I be wasting time and money? Does anyone else […]
MoreHacker Plate Gauge
I know that Hacker Mfg. was acquired by Vandercook, but this gauge appears to pre-date that merger. Does anyone have any information on Hacker gauges from this era? This particular gauge has two standards (.159 and a .759) which add up to type-high. I would guess it was to be used for checking planed blocks […]
MoreUniversal III toggle base (usefulness for photopolymer)
I have two Vandercook Universal III toggle plate bases with all the toggles and tools and was wondering if I’d be able to use them with photopolymer plates. It seems to me that with metal backed photopolymer plates they might work were it not for the fact that the toggles themselves would print. Are the […]
MoreVanderporn?
Not the most technical of posts here, but I just wanted to give mention to the Vandercook Press Flickr photo page for those who may not have seen it yet. This page now has over a hundred pictures of Vandercook presses. If you have any images of the Vandercooks in your shop/studio maybe think about […]
MoreGrippers snap closed when cylinder is at feed board…
I am trying to work out the quirks in one of my 320G presses and the thing that is bothering me the most is that the grippers are closing when the cylinder reaches the feed board. The gripper pedal won’t open them at this point. The gripper bar stops at the proper vertical orientation, but […]
MoreVandercook Grey Paint
I am preparing to repaint one of my Universal IIIs and am trying to come up with a suitable paint that I can apply without having to haul it to a painter. On letpress Greg Fischer suggested brush painting with Rust-Oleum Professional High-Performance Enamel “Smoke Gray”, but I would prefer to use spray cans in […]
MoreID this proof press!
A fella in Panama City, Florida has offered this press on the Briar Press classifieds site, but can’t find any info on it. The third picture I found in an article online and is of a similar press, but it made no mention of what it was. Does anybody know? Daniel Morris The Arm Letterpress […]
MoreAnybody using 320G/325G with auto sheet feed?
Hello, I have a 320G press (#17096) set up with the optional auto sheet feed and was wondering if anyone was using one of these presses. I am looking for replacement rubber tapes for its sheet advance mechanism and have yet to find a source. Any ideas? Any tips on working on this press from […]
MoreUniversal III press restoration…
As time permits, I have been working to restore two Vandercook Universal III presses (#25942 and #27123) which I bought from a printing equipment dealer on the west coast and had freighted to me here in Brooklyn. I have been hounding poor Fritz with numerous questions and parts inquiries and thought it might be better […]
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