Before I begin, let me say: I do not need a motor and do not anticipate that I will need one anytime soon (or hope that I don’t). I am posting in hopes of inspiring some knowledgeable comments about replacement motors. In recent weeks, Katie Harper successfully replaced Sp15 motor. There was another post by […]
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looking for a universal 1 in san francisco (not to buy)
hello! i am visiting san francisco this week, and want to take a gander at a universal 1. i have one in mexico, and it has several very strange quirks that i can’t seem to get figured out. i’m hoping that seeing one in good condition (and meeting with a fellow printer) will help illuminate […]
MoreUniversal I – Replacement Motor
In response to the recent post regarding an SP- 15 needing a replacement motor, I thought I’d add my experience this week with our Universal I. This press had been hesitating at start-up for some time. On start-up, the drive roller would need a little nudge to get it going. (I believe the capacitor was […]
MoreSP-20 roller height problem
I’m having trouble with inconsistent roller height on my SP-20. I’ve set them to type high using my gauge. When I move the cylinder a few more inches down the bed, the rollers are now above height and no longer contact the gauge. When I roll it back towards the dead bar, the return to […]
MoreVandercook #3 hand inking roller assembly
I recently acquired a # 3, circa 1939, missing the feed roller frame assembly, part M-134. This is the roller to which ink is applied to and then hand cranked to distribute the ink to the vibrator and the form rollers. Has any one come up with a substitute method for inking the #3, or […]
MoreVanderpurge circa 1965
When folks lament that there are no replacement parts for their ancient press, there’s a reason. Fritz Klinke, owner of NA Graphics and the Vandercook archives, sent me this jpeg showing a Vandercook Engineering Change Order for the 325 series. “This particular change order is about nine pages long, and includes other models. I just grabbed that one and […]
MoreSP-15 Motor Gear Box Issue
One of our SP-15 motors (Vandercook # 22155) quit last week. It has been noisy (our other SP-15 is about as loud as a sewing machine) but lately the noise was worse, and then the motor just stopped, smelling burned. The motor refurbishing place (Evans) tells me that there is a seal in the gear […]
MoreMe and my No. 4
Hi all, Over the past couple years I’ve visited this wonderful resource often and just wanted to go legit and introduce myself here. I found my No. 4 by pure coincidence two years ago deep in the warehouse of a folding carton plant where I worked in suburban Los Angeles. I had been in production, […]
MoreNo. 4 Carriage Return Issue
We have a No 4 (S/N 8655) that seems to take more effort lately to return the carriage to its resting position at the feed table. There is no problem leaving the feed table in trip or in print. Returning to the feed table seems fine in both trip and after printing an image until […]
MoreUniversal III automatic / control relay switches
We are having some trouble with our Vandercook Universal III Automatic. We THINK it is in the relays. It will sometimes not start moving when it should. Switching the forward / reverse back and forth will sometimes help. It helps to set the press speed faster which is what makes us believe the problem is […]
MorePlease 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 […]
MoreSP15 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 […]
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