I am happy to announce that I’ve been chosen to receive a Fulbright award to study Book Conservation at West Dean College in West Sussex England. I’ll be studying for two years, beginning September 2010. Community engagement and cultural exchange are integral parts of the Fulbright program, and accordingly I am looking to conduct free […]
MoreInconsistent print quality
I’m sorry for having problems two days in a row, but here’s another phenomenon that I’m not understanding. These two drop caps (48-point Rondo) were printed one after the other – same lockup, same ink, same paper, same packing, same everything – yet the print quality is markedly different. What could have made the difference? […]
MoreErrant ink
Hello Vanderblog Friends, I’m hoping someone can help me solve a problem I’ve been having with ink being where it’s not supposed to be. The piece I’m printing has two lines on which I’m getting flecks of errant ink. The problem occurs no matter how much ink I have on the rollers, and the ink […]
MoreStuck SP-20 Grippers
I’m rebuilding the gripper assembly on a very dirty SP-20. The pins are jammed in the holes due to the previous owner’s habit of just shooting WD-40 around the pins instead of lubricating them with graphite powder or grease. I’ve tried pulling them out, but they seem glued in there. I don’t think bent pins […]
MoreUniversal I Hand and Door Width Requirement
What do you think is the narrowest space that a Uni I could fit through without taking the press apart? I am looking for a house and this question came up. We like one house with a walkout basement but the doorway is only 31″ wide. Thanks for your input!
Moretechnical documentation universal II
hi today i bought a vandercook universal II, serial no. 19742, im looking for the user manual , thepress is in very good condition . does this press have an adjustible hight, or should the hight for printing be adjusted in an other way documentation can be sent to mgerene@skynet.be first reaction i got from […]
MoreVandercook Universal III Tower Assembly for sale
This Vandercook Universal III tower assembly is complete and in excellent condition. We have removed it to convert the press to hand cranked. This would be best used on a press which once had a tower but has had it removed, otherwise you will need to make slight modifications to your press to allow it […]
MoreVandercook SP33 Power
Hello, A Vandercook SP33 Power, is it a good versatile letterpress ? Pointers on what to look for positive, negative ? Value of this letterpress in Like new shape with all kit for replacement oem electrical parts and all tools and parts delivered in 1961 ? Find some printing supplies is possible in 2010 for […]
MoreInk Migration Problem
The research and development division of NA Graphics has taken up the challenge of figuring out why ink migrates from one side to the other on Vandercook inking assemblies. To that end, we are working in conjunction with Dave Seat, who is in residence this week in our main research facility here in Silverton, to […]
MoreUniversal I back rubber roller and gear backwards?
I was using a friend’s Universal I press today when I noticed I was getting a lot of slurring and that the rollers weren’t rotating at all when I was printing or tripping. They were dragging across the surface of the plate without rotating. I looked up the manual and am wondering now if the […]
More4T motor belt replacement: seeking tips
Hi there, I am restoring my 4T proofing press from the early 1950s and am dealing with replacing the motor belt. I bought a new one from NA Graphics (thanks, Fritz) because the old one was pretty badly dry-rotted even though it still functioned. Even with much adjustment to the height/position/angle of the motor in […]
MoreE.O. Vandercook’s grandson reminisces
Today, I received an email from Kurt Vandercook Osenbaugh, a grandson of Vandercook & Sons President Edward O. Vandercook who shared some interesting family anecdotes. He says his grandfather’s middle name reflects a relation to “the Oatman girls,” two girls who were captured by [Yavapai] Indians in 1851. “One died in captivity, the other escaped, […]
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