Hi Paul and all, I am new to this blog. I have a Vandercook No. 4, Serial No 14637. My name is Michael McGarvey, Port Press, Port Republic, NJ. I have been printing for some time, wood engravings and books. I have been using primarily an Iron hand Hoe 6027 for book work. Apparently this […]
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SP-15 Disassembly?
Back in November, I posted about a screw broken off one of our SP-15s, (I think it’s called a shoulder screw), the screw that holds up the L bracket that holds the bearing blocks of the form rollers. The machine shop guy next door has been working on it for us, trying to get the […]
MoreRider 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 […]
MoreSP-20 clicking
My press has it out for me lately. I’ve been hearing this clicking associated with the ink drum. It started a couple days ago, just a couple clicks here and there, but has sounded more and more frequently the more I print. I took a short video and you can hear some of the clicking. […]
MoreBroken SP-20 rail piece
I don’t have my Vandercook book handy so I don’t know the name of the part, but it helps feed the inking roller gear onto the rack down the left (non-operator) side of the bed. It sheared off mid-run. I seem to be able to continue to print (fortunately because I’m in the middle of […]
MoreVandercook 3 for sale (SOLD)
**SOLD** Vandercook No 3 for sale. The press is in very good condition and has been kept indoors in a dry climate. It probably could use new ink rollers (2) depending on your requirements. Price for the press alone: $7,500 OBO (not including shipping). If you’re interested in a bundle, I can offer the press […]
MoreNo. 4: Turning of Wheels on Carriage
Hello everyone~ Earlier this year I acquired a Vandercook No. 4 from my dear printing mentor. I recently discovered that the 2 front wheels on the bottom of my No. 4’s carriage have some inconsistent behavior, especially when compared to other No. 4’s. Apologies as I’ve not been able to determine, from the manual, the […]
MorePacking a SP-20 question
Hello! I have been wondering about proper packing on my SP-20. I have a Galley Bed Plate with 040 cylinder undercut. I have Vandercook Tympan, .003 packing sheets and a Mylar sheet. Everything I can find as to how much packing you need does not mention if the thickness of the bed plate is involved […]
MoreNo. 4 grinding chatter
We have a No. 4 who is the work-horse of our print shop (at MCBA). In recent weeks, it has started an awful chattering noise, that continues to get worse. At first I thought it was the gear and the clutch on the form rollers that were rubbing together. But on closer inspection the gear […]
MoreSP-15 Roller Bracket Issues
One of our SP-15s has been experiencing inking issues; seems that we have to constantly adjust roller height and it gets out of whack very quickly. We discovered today two problems with the bracket that holds the roller bearing blocks (LH Bracket? Hard to see in our manual) and we’re wondering if these could be […]
MoreUNI-1 carriage balking continues
Britt at Banshee Press continues to have a problem with her Universal I Power. In a comment to the previous post, I asked her to check for a loose and/or warped trip rack (X-14854). It’s worth noting that Vandercook made an engineering change to a more rigid part (X-21774 ), first used on press with serial number 21857. […]
MoreUneven ink coverage on one side
I changed my rollers on my SP15 because I found that one side of my press was printing lighter than the other side (my rollers were about 10 years old) but I’m finding that I’m having the same problem with the new rollers. The rollers are set at the right height from left to right […]
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