hi all I’m calling on the fount of collective knowledge here with a technical question. I’m refurbishing an sp-15, and as I was cleaning up the underside of the cylinder carriage I noticed that a rocking lever arm (what is I assume part of the trip mechanism) was sprung with a flat spring on one […]
MoreUniversal I grippers and trip mechanism
I have recently taken two Universal I presses out of storage and am getting them going for the first time so, I’ll be making quite a few postings here in the next few weeks. My first question is regarding the gripper assembly. One of my presses is a later model Illinois Tool Works press, serial […]
MoreSP-15 inking…
Details: Vandercook SP-15 Brand new inks from Graphic Chemical and Ink (their own block & letterpress ink) Photopolymer plates from Boxcar Press Impression is somewhat deep The issue is that if I put enough ink on the press to ink in one pass the type is ragged. What I’m having to do is shift to […]
MoreNo 4 Grippers not engaging
I’m having some troubles with a Vandercook #4, and I’m more or less completely inexperienced with it. The trip mechanism is not connecting enough when the foot pedal is depressed. There is about a centimeter of space between the trip assembly and the rod when not engaged, so when you hit the pedal, it just […]
MoreModel 17: No Holds Barred Help Needed
As the new owner of a Model 17, I have a question, maybe two, regarding dead bars and Handy Bars. But first let me say how grateful I am to Fritz Klinke who has been incredibly helpful with providing historical and operational details about my press; to Daniel Morris; and also to all of you who […]
MoreSP-15 maximum sheet size?
Hello, I posted once previously regarding the SP-15 I recently bought and have been cleaning up. This is taking longer than I thought but it is looking better! Meanwhile I’ve been reading and enjoying learning about the press. I am somewhat confused, however, about the maximum sheet size which is listed as 14-3/4 x 20 […]
MoreVandercook Electric Galley Proof Presses – For Sale in Chicopee, MA
John Barrett at “Letterpress Things”:http://www.letterpressthings.com/ is trying to find a home for a Vandercook 22 and an HS27. The 22 needs some work and new rollers, but the HS27 is in great shape and probably ready to run. The price is negotiable on both of these. These presses do not have gripper bars so the […]
MoreHelp ID these Vandercook? mystery inking parts
Dylan Fareed and I went out to visit John Barrett at Letterpress Things today and he asked me to drag some proof press roller assembly parts back to The Arm to attempt to identify them. I think the second one is a 219 rider roller assembly, but I have no clue on the rest. Anyone […]
MoreCensus of other brands
I am now soliciting press data for all brands of flatbed cylinder proofs: Asbern, Challenge, FAG, Hacker, Korrex, Reprex et al. See “complete list”:https://vandercookpress.info/other.html. Censuses will be posted in the side bar next the Vandercook Census.
MoreSeeking some inking parts for the new #3
I picked up this Vandercook #3 (serial 13165) a few days ago and am interested in tracking down the parts it is missing. The press seems to have been partially disassembled to replace the rollers and the associated parts were lost before it was put back together. Here is a list of what I am […]
MoreGene Wenderski
Many Vandercook owners remember Gene Wenderski, the last Vandercook trained maintenance person at Vandersons, the predecessor company to NA Graphics. Gene literally disappeared in the summer of 1996 as we were buying NA Graphics and numerous attempts to find him failed. It was a sense of great frustration for me as one of the selling […]
MoreUniversal III Under Power!
A video… This is the most recent press to cross the threshold at The Arm. It didn’t take too much fiddling to replace the microswitches across the back of the press, clean out the control box and get it cycling back and forth, but it is pausing for a full five second count at the […]
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