Hi all, I’m teaching on a Vandercook 320G that is still relatively new to the school, and working on tuning things up. One of the main issues is that the carriage will not stay in its resting home position unless it’s held in place. After a print is pulled, upon returning to the starting point, […]
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No. 4 Drive Chain
I’m slowly making progress on cleaning up my No. 4 and the other day I ran into a strange issue. Hoping others can shed some light on the situation. After re-timing the carriage I noticed it wouldn’t return all the way to the feed board. It seemed like the trip wedge wasn’t being pushed out […]
MoreLooking for ball bearings for Vandercook “0” – copy
I have tried to find a similar ball bearing on the open market. The closest size I can find fits all measurements except that the screw that goes through the side of the press (held by a nut on the outside of the press) is 2mm bigger. I would need to drill a bigger hole […]
MoreVandercook 320G and Challenge Paper Cutter for Sale
Looking to sell my Vandercook 320G (rollers replaced in 2012) and Challenge Paper Cutter—preferably together but will entertain the idea of selling them separately. Located in Chicago. Pickup only. $6500 together OBO. Contact cory@fourhatspress.com with serious inquiries.
MoreSP15 Ink Drum uneven
Paul – That SP15 I sold to your friends at Old Dominion last year is having a problem with uneven inking = uneven pressure from the main ink drum. My guess is that, since it is spring-loaded, that either the spring has failed/is failing or that there is a build-up of ink and solvent coming […]
MoreMotor SP15
Hello, I’m a french letterpress printer. I have a Vandercook SP15 (#22293) with an electric problem: 1 – I turn on the press 2- Main cylinder ink drum don’t move 3- I help the cylinder ink drum to turn with my hand 4- Cylinder ink drum start turning 5- 30 seconds after, the fuse of my electric switchboard blows ! (I […]
MoreMoving a No. 4, Some Disassembly Required
I’m getting ready to have my No. 4 moved, and unfortunately the riggers are saying it will require some disassembly. The plan is to remove the carriage, then the bed, and then treat the cabinet as a separate piece (drawers removed of course). I’m familiar with most of the tips to remove the feedboard, handles, […]
MoreTightening drive chain on Universal III
Anyone got an idea of the sequence (or at least a place to start loosening bolts) to move the sprockets to tighten the chain on an automatic Universal III? The chain is hanging enough that it is dragging just after (or before?) it passes the sprocket nearest the ink drum roller. I’m not sure it […]
MoreNo. 3 Gripper Bar Lever Fabrication
Hi, I have a No. 3 (Old Style), and I am planning on fabricating a gripper bar lever for it and I wanted to see if anyone else would want one as well. The more that are made at one time the cheaper they should be, but they definitely should be under $100. The idea […]
MoreIssue with #4 while printing
When I am printing, every few sheets, the rollers chatter the whole way down the press bed. When this happens, the print is ruined with a strip of over-inky-ness and the next few prints are ruined as it cleans back up the extra ink. I’ve included photos and a video of the noise. Paul mentioned […]
MoreNew Belt for Vandercook 215 Proof Press
Hi All, The belt of my 215 proof press finally bit the dust. NA Graph doesn’t have any. Does anyone have any luck with another vendor or manufacturer for these? Photo attached. thank you, Britt
MoreInking 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 […]
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