Yup, lucky me! I found one in a tin barn in the northern Catskills. It needs some love, but after half a day with penetrating oil, Simple Green, scotch pads, wire brushes and q-tips, etc., the drum turns over and the motor whirs; the press is level and the bed is clean. The belt for […]
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SP15 replacement feedboard and side guide
I’ve recently started up a community workshop in Traverse City, MI – Blackbird Book Arts & Press. We’re getting off the ground with a Pilot clone, 8×12 C&P and this slightly ragged SP15. It came to us out of Indiana without rollers, feed board and brackets to mount it so with a little ingenuity and […]
MoreMore TagHacker #4 Restoration
I have completed the restoration on this Hacker #4. Here is the history as I know it: 1. The press was purchased 1/31/1929.( A date on the bed said Apr. 12. I assume 1928) The company that bought it was Grey Ketterer & Hansen, Inc. It was later sold to Columbus Engraving Corp. 2. The […]
MoreMore TagRider 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 […]
MoreMore TagInk drum on the No. 4
Hi guys, you might remember that last year I posted about this problem I was having with my ink drum not getting fully inked. https://vandercookpress.info/vanderblog/2013/08/ink-drum-oscillator-rider-rollers/ I finally got around to changing the wooden bushings on the Ink drum and on the rider rollers. Very nice oilite brass bushings for the ink drum and some nylon bushings for […]
MoreMore TagVandercook 15-21 maintenance
I’ve acquired a 15-21 and am pretty much teaching myself. I have the manual from NAGraphics for this model, have read and absorbed a great deal but don’t know the history of this press, feel like there are things that might need some attention by a professional. I live in Western Massachusetts and wondering if […]
MoreMore TagInk Drum, oscillator and rider rollers
Hello everyone. Could someone please tell me what could be causing this uneven spread of ink on the ink drum? Could it be the press leveling? I’m not sure it is 100% level. I’m also attaching some photos of my refinished oscillator and rider rollers. I think they definitely improved the inking, I didn’t refinish […]
MoreMore TagPlease help!
I am in the process of removing one side plate of my no. 4’s carriage to get to the oil hole block that oils the eccentric bar. Pardon my lack of correct nomenclature for the parts. I am stuck with this part right here, these don’t seem like taper pins but more like rivets, and […]
MoreMore TagSP15 Plastic Cover Hinge and Misc Parts
Hello everyone, New post again! So the first photo shows some misc parts I found on the bottom pits of my No.4, I would really like to know what these parts do, or where they go. I’ve confirmed that that pin is not in fact an MR-110 pin, I’ve compared them. The second two […]
MoreMore TagWhat does this do?
Hello everyone, I’d like to know what this part does, the one that moves horizontally, and has a spring. I noticed that the small knob on the right “locks it” in place when it’s retracted, but does not unlock automatically. So.. my question is. Is something wrong with my SP15?
MoreMore TagRe-assembling a No. 4 – getting ready to paint
Hello everyone. I’m pretty close to completion of my No. 4’s restoration and I’m very eager to have it ready to start printing on January, at the latest February. I was reassembling the Non-Operator side last night, trying my hand at it, and I thought everything should go smoothly since I took the time to […]
MoreMore TagQuestions about clutch plate, oil holes and automatic gripper release
Hey guys, first of all, I’m sorry about the many posts lately, but I’m trying to make real progress and have my no. 4 working by the end of the year, which is almost here, anyways. So I’m getting up to speed. First question: Are these wear marks on the clutch plate going to affect […]
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