So, as some of you may remember, I’m restoring an SP20 currently (yeah, I know, I should be done by now… but I’m not.) Well, I’m finally having the rollers recast, and I noticed something yesterday I thought I’d pass along. I was cleaning the gunk off of the ends of my cores to send […]
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215 Inking Roller Gear Issue
I have had some inking issues today. Some passes were ok, while in other passes, inking of the type on the form was uneven. I noticed that the back ink roller, the one that hits the drum, was having trouble with its gear/clutch not aligning properly on most passes (see photo). The front roller gears […]
MoreMore TagVandercook No. 4 gears grinding
I purchased a Vandercook #4 about 2 years ago, which had been working beautifully until about a month ago. The roller gears have been grinding against each other when sitting idle. Here’s a link to a video showing the problem. Vandercook #4 gears grinding I would appreciate any help I can get. Thank you!
MoreMore TagVandercook 325A rollers
The University’s Vandercook 325A needs a new set of rollers. I’ve got the old cores, etc. but don’t know the proper dimensions. Also, does anyone have recommendations about where to have them recovered?
MoreMore TagNo. 4 rear roller will not rotate
After much successful use, I had to move my Vandercook 4 proof press. In putting everything back where it is supposed to be, I have encountered a problem (actually several problems, but I fixed the sheared drift pin on the gripper foot lever as well as the sticking and bent grippers). After much scouring, I […]
MoreMore TagSP-15 inking problem
Just when I thought my SP-15 problems were over, there’s another issue! I apologize for the length of this post, but I’m trying to be as thorough as possible. I noticed that the press was inking rather lightly, but the impression was good and I had plenty of ink on the rollers. As I adjusted […]
MoreMore TagUniversal I gear and rack wear
I have a question about a Universal I hand press. The problem first became noticeable after setting the rollers to the correct height and printing for a while. The back inking roller gear will sometimes jump off the track when in print mode and make a terrible sound. We were able to replicate the problem […]
MoreMore TagSP-15 new rollers/image problems
I just replaced the rollers on my SP-15 and am having trouble printing the first time out. The rollers were purchased from another press owner, but were new and unused, still in original NA Graphics packing and boxes. This was the first time I’d changed the rollers but didn’t encounter any difficulties with changing over […]
MoreMore TagChallenge Proof Press Roller Specs
Does anyone know the specs on the form rollers for a Challenge 15MP proof press ?
MoreMore TagInking roller squeal
Yesterday morning we had a rather strange experience with our Vandercook SP-15. It was about noon and the studio was just starting to warm up. Temperature was maybe 50 degrees when we started the heater. After a bit we inked the press to print some notecards and what I think was the vibrator roller (pretty […]
MoreMore TagSP-15 roller height problems
I have a couple of questions regarding roller adjustment on my SP-15. Recently when checking the roller height, I discovered that the ink stripe on the gauge was about twice as thick in the middle of both rollers than on the ends, leading me to think that the rollers are for some reason slightly sagging […]
MoreMore TagClaybourn Proof Press
This photo was sent to me by Amanda Stevenson, Curator at the Museum of Printing History in Houston, Texas who asked me to identify the press in the background. I recognized it as a Claybourn hand proof press made in Milwaukee, Wisconsin circa 1926. There should be a nameplate on the operator’s side and the […]
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