Presswork Archives - vandercookpress.info

Impression variation

To go along with my previous post about plate movement, I noticed the leading and trailing edges of my prints have a noticeably deeper impression than the middle. I ran off a blind print of a small leaf plate so you can see it here. My packing is 4 sheets of tympan and 1 sheet […]

Plate movement

For those of you that use Patmag bases, what do you do to keep your steel-backed plates from moving? I have a pretty large solid – about 15″ x 4″ – that I’m running and I discovered, upon running the second color, that the plate had continually moved throughout the run. Makes registration a damn […]

Ink/impression issue on SP-20

I’m having some issues with a print I’m working on today. It’s a long form (photopolymer) – approx 17” – that I’m running vertically. I’m using photopolymer on a solid wood base that’s shimmed with chipboard up to type high. Printing on Lettra 110 with black ink. The initial couple of lines are very heavy, […]

New Troubleshooting Page

I’ve posted a new troubleshooting page tabulating common presswork problems. Check it out and let me know what needs correcting and what should be added.

Lock-up and Spacing

Although we have worked for years on a 10 x 15 C&P, only recently we have started doing more than cuts and proofing on a Vandercook Model 3. Obviously, there is something we missed given problems we encountered in a recent job. We prepared a form for printing on the Vandercook. This was a 9” […]

Restoring a Vandercook 03 [updated]

Hello everyone! I’ve undertaken the task of restoring my 03. I’ve started with paint thinner to degrease the bearings system where the previous owner had it all greased up, and thus it gather a severe amount of gunk. I disassembled the carriage and down to the impression cylinder. I’ve gotten most of the grime off. […]

SP-15 Cylinder Carriage Bearings Issues

I undertook the arduous task of adjusting the 6 cylinder carriage bearings on my SP15, after still experiencing uneven inking and impression with newly recovered rollers. Thanks especially to Gerald’s comprehensive “Adjusting Cylinder Carriage Bearings” article, without which I never would have undertaken the ordeal: https://vandercookpress.info/vanderblog/articles/lange-adj/ And with Fritz’s recently found comments within Paul’s “Common […]

Tour de Lead Graffiti

As we did this on our Vandercook Universal III, we hoped some of you might be interested. leadgraffiti.com/news/tour-de-lead-graffiti . . . We would love for everyone to take a look at our effort in ‘endurance letterpress’ we called Tour de Lead Graffiti. We wanted to do a series of typographic posters that took the memorable […]

Vandercook 219 Power Grinding

Hello! I have two pictures (pictures below) of a piece that is grinding on my vandercook 219. There are fine metal shavings under the press after about an hour of running. I see no way of adjusting this to lift it up. Any suggestions? Pictures: Nick

Halftone Problems

Well, it appears that I have chosen to showcase my relative inexperience with a contribution to the Vandercook bundle. Currently, I am having problems printing my second ever halftone. First of all, I think that I may need new rollers as these are a little glazed. I’ve used Putz pomade and a scotch brite pad […]

Inking/Impression problems

I am having problems getting the correct inking coverage as well as impression for what I’m trying to print. I apologize if you’ve read about this on the letpress listserv or briarpress….I suppose I should’ve posted here all along. I have a Universal III, and I am printing on 220lb Crane’s Lettra Duplex paper. If […]