On Saturday, December 12, I will give my Vandercook history talk at the Museum of Printing History in Houston, Texas. I’ve heard great things about this place and am looking forward to setting up their recently acquired Rocker Series press. Let me know if you will attend.
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No. 1 Proof Press Cylinder Undercut / Registration
I have a No. 1 proof press, serial # 6327 that I picked up a while ago to print woodblock and linocuts on, plus I would love to do some small edition work, as I learn. Two questions- In reading through some posts and books, I see the impression cylinder has an under-cut. How do […]
MoreSP 15 Ink Drum
I recently got an SP 15 and the motor was noisy when running so I checked and no lubricant and added some, less noisy but still makes noise. Seemed like the angle of armiture the motor sits on affects sound so I fiddled with tightening and loosening the bolts on side of carriage to change […]
MoreUni-I Roller Gear Question
Hi Folks, I have a question about the roller-gear for a Universal-I. I recently purchased a pair of new cores/rollers for a Uni-I. However, when they arrived I noticed the new cores are different from the existing cores/rollers, and thus the old roller-gear cannot fit to the new cores. The old core is hollow and […]
MoreEarly Vandercook No. 21
Would like to know if anyone as a similar press. I am ready to get the rollers recasted and i am a bit anxious about the proper diameter. My guess is 2 1/4 or 2 1/2. The carriage set at the lowest setting is approx.: 1.9375 (height from the bed to the middle of the […]
MoreModel 25 inking carriage
NEW CONTENT AT BOTTOM The problem I am having is that I can not see how to remove the distributor frame. It is wider than the frame which holds the mechanism to raise and lower the roller assembly. I can raise the distributor frame about 1/2 to 3/4″, but since it is partially in front […]
MorePrint your own Press!
Hi all – – I thought I’d offer up a link to some fun for your 3 day weekend. In honor of Vandercook’s 100th, I put together a little papercraft version of my SP20 to share with everyone. Don’t know what papercraft is? It’s this: Make your own SP20 at any size you’re willing to […]
MoreNo. 3 carriage ‘bounce’
I recently acquired a Vandercook No. 3. There is still a tremendous amount of cleaning to do, but I have it to a point where at least all the oil holes are un-clogged and the parts that are supposed to move, do so smoothly. I also have brand new rollers on the press. (Polishing all […]
MoreRegistration on the No. 1
My recently acquired No. 1 proof press (#3639) is an older version sans grippers. The previous owner fashioned a hinged tympan on the bed which I believe was used for registration. He had taped on makeready with gauge pins to the underside of this tympan at one point. However, the press has not been used […]
MoreHappy Discovery
So, as some of you may remember, I’m restoring an SP20 currently (yeah, I know, I should be done by now… but I’m not.) Well, I’m finally having the rollers recast, and I noticed something yesterday I thought I’d pass along. I was cleaning the gunk off of the ends of my cores to send […]
MoreUni-III Power carriage motor querie
[This post deserves a second look–PM] I have recently rebuilt a Uni-III Power and was perplexed when I could not satisfactorily adjust the “braking” of the carriage at either end of travel. I adjusted the clutch to book spec, checked the micro switches, contacts and rheostat, all were functioning properly. With no other known adjustment […]
More215 Inking Roller Gear Issue
I have had some inking issues today. Some passes were ok, while in other passes, inking of the type on the form was uneven. I noticed that the back ink roller, the one that hits the drum, was having trouble with its gear/clutch not aligning properly on most passes (see photo). The front roller gears […]
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