There is a Vandercook SP-15 on eBay in Omaha, Nebraska. It is equipped with a hand wheel to work the ink instead of the lower ink drum. These presses can’t carry quite as much ink as the motorized SP-15, but if this press is in your neck of the woods it might be worth a […]
MoreInk rollers
Hi, I recently obtained a vandercook that is in pretty rough shape and missing a lot of parts, although still great for what I need it to do. I have the two inking rollers that are supposed to be mounted together with the oscillating roller (excuse the made up terminology), but they aren’t usable anymore. […]
MoreHappy Birthday!
Today marks one year of Vanderblogging. Thank you to all registered users, we now number 147. Together we have generated 114 posts and 495 comments that have been viewed over 33,984 times. These figures are nearly double those reported six months ago. This is a vibrant forum that will continue to grow. New pages and […]
MoreBill Critchlow
Today I spoke by telephone with former Vandercook and Sons employee Bill Critchlow who worked for there from 1961 to 1971. While a student at the University of Arizona, Mr. Critchlow met his future wife Lynn, daughter of company president E.O. Vandercook. After marrying, he attended dental school at the University of Pittsburgh. Afterward he […]
MoreMore V&S Employee photos
I’ve posted six additional “photos”:https://vandercookpress.info/vanderblog/employee/photos/ of Vandercook & Sons employee gatherings. Once you view them you will agree that Lowenbrau was the offical company beer.
MoreImprovised photopolymer bases
I was recently asked about a homemade photopolymer base I use at The Arm and thought it would be of value to post the reply here where it might be of use to others. “The base you saw at The Arm was an acrylic base with an aluminum surface laminated to it. It works okay, […]
MoreForm roller pins on a No. 4
 Here is the drawing for the form roller pins on a No. 4, along with a photograph of the pins on my unit. Are the pins supposed to be as round as the drawing shows? In other words, is it time I had my pins replaced? Thanks, Barbara
MoreForm roller clutch on a No. 4
Hello. I am a newbie restoring a No. 4. I have cleaned all of the moving parts and am putting everything back in place. When I turned on the motor for the first time and lowered the oscillating and form roller assemblies, I noticed a faint clacking sound that didn’t seem right. I turned off […]
MorePower grippers on Universal Series…
I understand that there is an option for the powered Universal series presses in which the powered grippers would raise and close without having to press on the foot pedal. How is it activated? Where can I find blueprints or technical operating manuals (more detailed) of the Uni presses? Thank you once again!
MoreSplit Oscillating Roller and Drum…
Has anyone had experience using a split roller that allows for two different inks to be used on a single print run? Is it worth retrofitting a Uni to cut the printing time in half? Thank you for your thoughts!
MoreWhat Vandercook does this clamp bar go to?
I am trying to figure out what press this tympan clamp bar comes from. It doesn’t fint my SP-15, the Uni I has a slotted bar, and it is too short for the Uni III. Any ideas? It is 14 inches long, the outer pins are 11 1/2 inches on center, and the innermost two […]
MoreNew PDFs Available
I have posted several new PDFs of Vandercook brochures and catalogs on the “Bibliography”:https://vandercookpress.info/bib.html page. Also posted is a reprint of an interesting talk given in 1954 by Vandercook marketing manager O.F. Duensing entitled “Minimum Makeready Through Form Preparation“:https://vandercookpress.info/downloads/articles/duensingMM.pdf.
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