Hello: Almost 3 years ago I wrote with some questions regarding the motorization of a Universal III I had acquired without the motor. Paul and others had thoughts to share on the matter, (much thanks for this input to all involved), but it was apparent that this would not be an easy task to accomplish. […]
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Universal III-Rag stuck in gear
While cleaning our new Uni III, one of my students managed to get a rag caught in the drive cylinder gear. They wisely cut the motor off and unplugged the machine, but our attempts to The chain is very tight; I cannot find any wiggle room to get the rag out. I’m now trying to […]
MoreUni III Carriage slam
Ive had my Universal III for almost a year now and have been running some large editions on it. 99.9% of the time she runs perfectly, but occasionally upon returning to the feed table the carriage will slam home with a startling amount of force. Im talking once out of a few hundred cycles and […]
MoreAutomatic carriage stuck in print mode
Good Evening! I have recently come into possession of a Universal I Power Test Press with automatic cycling abilities. This is the first automatic cylinder press I’ve had experience with and I am finding there are some things I do not understand. When the cycle mode is on, the press does not go into “trip” […]
MoreUniversal Problem
I am having a problem with a roller on my Universal. The roller closest to the feed board is binding and can’t be removed. The offending area is opposite the press operator. We can not move the carriage and the roller is not spinning. We believe that a screw has worked loose and is not […]
MoreUniversal I Under Rails Rebuild
Hatch Show Print, with the help of the venerable Dave Seat, had rebuilt the worn out under rails on their hand-cranked Vandercook Universal I. Worn out under rails yield uneven impression and the inability to maintain registration. Wear is caused by excessive pressure due to these conditions: 1) an unleveled press; 2) grime buildup on the cylinder bearers, bed bearers, […]
MoreNew Gripper Bar
We made or first Vandercook gripper bar assembly from scratch for a Universal I. The press had lost its bar somewhere, and to get it back into operation, we had to get this one made. This is for the first version of the Universal I press and is basically the same as used on the […]
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FOR SALE: Vandercook Universal III, C&P Pilot, Challenge Cutter & More
We at Tweedle Press have moved on to greener pastures and although we are reluctant to part with our beloved equipment – we feel certain that they would be happier to be used more often. See below for a list of the major pieces we are selling out of our house in Woolwich, Maine (about […]
MoreCycle Start Issue on Universal 3
A new gremlin has reared its head with my Universal 3, I’m having trouble with the cycle start button. Sometimes when the button is pushed nothing happens, if I hold it down it seems to eventually start the cycle and the time I need to hold it down varies from a second or two to […]
More“Spring Cleaning”
I thought I’d give my Universal III a good cleaning after it had sat idle for a good deal of the winter while doing some home remodeling. I started out cleaning out the gear racks and noticed that the carriage latch was pretty loose and no spring tension. I pulled it off and found the […]
MoreRecoating the ink fountain roller
Anyone know the specs or someone familiar with recoating the rubber roller that is part of the ink fountain on a Uni III? My roller is flared at both ends and the rubber is very hard from age. Thanks
MoreAutomatic carriage problem Universal 3 power
Need advise on trouble shooting our Universal III Power serial # 25118. This is how it is behaving: When set in CYCLE and RUN mode; the cylinder moves forward until the carriage cam releases the 4LS limit switch, then the carriage immediately reverses back to home position. MANUAL mode; using the FORWARD lever the cylinder […]
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