Revised. I’ve recently refurbished a No. 4. When the roller carriage is in contact with the ink drum (hence the form roller clutch is engaged), there’s an awful squeaking sound. The front rider roller does roll, and the oscillating roller seems sort of sluggish. It’s difficult to gauge where the sound is coming from, but […]
MoreCategory: Inking System
Inking issues on SP15
We’re completing the rebuild of an SP15 that was begun by someone else (who is now deceased, so we can’t ask them questions) and we are running into some challenges with the inking system. We were trying to set the rollers to the lightest stripe possible for photopolymer printing, which we did with the press […]
MoreSP-15 Motor / Ink Drum Noise
We are having some issues on our SP-15 with a “clicking” noise from the ink drum. It sounds like it’s coming from the pulley/timing belt area. It’s gotten progressively worst the past 2 days and also looks like it’s maybe a little lopsided (or is that just the belt?). This press is still new to […]
MorePolishing drums on a SP-15
So I’m rehabbing my SP-15 currently. The rollers melted a long time ago, and the printer has been sitting in a garage for 20 years. There was some light rust and goop on most surfaces that I was able to remove. I followed the advice here and removed a lot of the rust with WD-40 […]
MoreModel 4 Bottom Frame Assy Tie Rods
I have a pair of Tie Rods salvaged from a No. 4. The Bottom Frame Assy drawing denotes the Front Tie Rod as p/n MR-104 and the Rear Tie Rod as p/n MR-105; the Front one appears longer. The two parts I have are identical, with the length being 21-7/8″. On my own No. 4, the […]
MoreSeeking a M-134 Feed Roller Frame Assembly for a No. 3
I have a Vandercook No. 3, the same one (SN 13165) here, that’s missing its M-134 feed roller frame assembly. I’m looking to first see if anyone has a spare (which I imagine is unlikely). Or if anyone has fabricated an alternative to the stock feed roller. I’ve also looked into Paul’s suggestion here but the sprockets […]
MoreUsing the Ink Fountain on a Universal III
Im in the process of refurbishing a Uni3 that has a lot of options that are not existent on the Uni1 thats been my workhorse for over a decade. The one that has me the most perplexed right now is the ink fountain system. Does anyone have any literature on how to properly use the ink […]
MoreRider roller frame
Hello guys —Happy holidays! I installed a long lost taper pin for the rider rollers shaft on my no.4 and realized that the MR-113 Tie Rods where the M-123 Rider Rollers go, are definitely twisted or bent so they make the installation of the pin a very tight fit and makes the frame sit twisted […]
More32-28 Form Roller housing loosening
I’ve got a 32-28. As I run the press, the screws that hold the form rollers at the correct height become very loose, causing the rollers to drop and strike the type improperly. Viewing the pictures right and below, screws A and C go almost all the way through the carriage [bearing bars] to bring the […]
MoreUneven cylinder, SP-20
Hi all, So, the small spring on the far side of the bottom cylinder of my SP-20 broke the other day (the one next to the chain). I replaced it, but I’m still having the same issue of the cylinder being too low on that side. It’s not inking at all, and the chain is […]
MoreVandercook #3 hand inking roller assembly
I recently acquired a # 3, circa 1939, missing the feed roller frame assembly, part M-134. This is the roller to which ink is applied to and then hand cranked to distribute the ink to the vibrator and the form rollers. Has any one come up with a substitute method for inking the #3, or […]
MoreA novel solution to incorrect form roller diameter
I was recently trying to set the form (inking) roller height on an SP15 and found that I was unable to properly set the gear-driven one (nearer the impression drum). There was no way the back end (closer to the gear) could drop down far enough. I measured the rollers and found that, instead of […]
More