Greetings all. First time here for me. I have in my shed a Western Manufacturing (Reading) Ltd. England ‘The British’ 4C Mk2 under license from Vandercook serial 6453/4. Can you tell me when it was made? I had a look at the site , but can’t see one here. All the bits roll and move […]
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Model 4 packing question
Hi, I have the press basically back together and I’m starting to get things reset so that I can start printing. Some quesitons on how to do a few things: 1. How can I determine the amount of packing needed on the roller [impression cylinder]. 2. inking rollers that are on the oscillating roller group […]
More#4 Rider Bushing Replacement
Hello all. I was fortunate enough to attend Paul’s workshop in Chicago last week and learned a great deal, but the one thing I was unable to retain is what exactly the process is for fixing these missing (broken?) bushings in my riders. As I understand it, there are taper pins holding the assembly together, […]
MoreNo. 4 squeak
Our #4 has a squeak that appears to be coming from the ink drum. In attempting to find the source of the squeak, we have noticed the ink drum is VERY close to the operator side of the press(less than an ink knife blade). I did a little careful cleaning with a utility blade and […]
MoreNew Rollers Slightly Different Diameters
Hi All, I just received two newly recovered rubber rollers for a #4, done by Rotadyne. I measured the rollers and one is bigger than the other in diameter by 1/32″. One roller is 2 1/2″ and one is 2 1/2 plus 1/32. I asked the roller company to make them 2.515″ in diameter. Should […]
MoreFlickr set – Installing new form rollers on a Vandercook No. 4
Continued thanks to everyone who has the patience and takes the time to answer the many questions that we relatively new printers come up with. I recently asked for step-by-step instructions for installing new form rollers on my No. 4, and the replies I got were extremely helpful. I put together a Flickr set on […]
MoreNo. 4 Trip Issue
Our Vandercook No. 4 does not stay in trip. When printing, the operator has to hold down the trip to keep it in place. In comparing it to our other No. 4, the trip mechanism is still in place, but the trip bar connected to the handle has a lot of play; there is no […]
Moreidentify vandercook
hello all, i’ve just picked up this Vandercook and would love some help to identify it, i’m guessing it’s a no 4 but the sides of the main ‘carriage’ seem to be different from those i’ve seen pictures of, it’s made of one piece unlike the other no 4’s which look to be made of […]
MoreNew form rollers for a No. 4
Hello Vanderfolks, I just had the form rollers on my No. 4 recovered. A very nice gentleman from RotaDyne came to my house to pick up the old ones. He took the whole assembly with him, and they shipped everything back disassembled. I’ve looked through the archives for instructions on putting things back together, but […]
MoreInconsistent print quality
I’m sorry for having problems two days in a row, but here’s another phenomenon that I’m not understanding. These two drop caps (48-point Rondo) were printed one after the other – same lockup, same ink, same paper, same packing, same everything – yet the print quality is markedly different. What could have made the difference? […]
MoreErrant ink
Hello Vanderblog Friends, I’m hoping someone can help me solve a problem I’ve been having with ink being where it’s not supposed to be. The piece I’m printing has two lines on which I’m getting flecks of errant ink. The problem occurs no matter how much ink I have on the rollers, and the ink […]
More4T motor belt replacement: seeking tips
Hi there, I am restoring my 4T proofing press from the early 1950s and am dealing with replacing the motor belt. I bought a new one from NA Graphics (thanks, Fritz) because the old one was pretty badly dry-rotted even though it still functioned. Even with much adjustment to the height/position/angle of the motor in […]
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