Removed carriage to safeguard for moving. Now putting it back onto the bed. Forgot to mark the gear for proper line up, but I’ve done this before a couple of times, resolved that issue by trial and error. The main problem, and I don’t recall how I resolved it in the past: the nylon wheel […]
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SP-15 Trip issue
A student emailed me last night (I got the email this morning) that one of our SP-15s had stopped working in trip. The cylinder hits part of the trip mechanism and will not move. The cylinder moves fine in print. I cannot see any obstruction. Any help to a diagnosis appreciated.
MoreSP20 Pitted Press Bed
Hi! I teach at a university that has a Vandercock SP20. I am looking for advice on how (if anyway possible) to alleviate uneven inking due to small pits in a press bed. We have a thin sheet of metal over the press bed to create the proper printing height, but we are still having […]
MoreChange/rebuilt SP15 motor
Hello,The change of the capacitor has not been enough, the motor stop after less than 10 min… I will take it to a motor repair shop but before, have you any advice to take of the motor from the presse ? Is there anything to know ?Thanks a lot. Thomas
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 […]
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 […]
MoreSP15 Ink Drum Adjustment
Setting stripe ink drum to form on SP-15. How thick a stripe? And, any easy way to adjust (besides raising and lowering the drum/motor cradle (?) stop foot? It’s not an easy adjustment… loosening two bolts while pressing down on drum, micro-adjusting, then tightening (only to see I went too far). Better solution?
MoreSP-15 Manual Inking Crank Knob
I recently helped someone with his SP-15. One of his problems was that one of the roller height adjustment knobs had broken due to an impact. His press had knobs of solid plastic, sort of pear-shaped with a tapered stem. I installed a replacement knob which was round with a brass threaded insert. He also […]
MoreSP-15 Motor / Ink Drum Noise
We are having some issues on our SP-15 with a “clicking” noise from the ink drum. It sounds like it’s coming from the pulley/timing belt area. It’s gotten progressively worst the past 2 days and also looks like it’s maybe a little lopsided (or is that just the belt?). This press is still new to […]
MoreSP15 spare part, broken trip spring
I was levelling my press yesterday (SP15) and found a ‘spare part’ (?) lying beneath the press. It has the same greyish colouration of the press and looks like it could be vital? The press is still printing, though might prefer to have the piece if indeed it belongs somewhere? Is it part of […]
MorePolishing drums on a SP-15
So I’m rehabbing my SP-15 currently. The rollers melted a long time ago, and the printer has been sitting in a garage for 20 years. There was some light rust and goop on most surfaces that I was able to remove. I followed the advice here and removed a lot of the rust with WD-40 […]
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