I received an email from a gentleman who recently acquired a Universal I and is having difficulty finding an SAE 20 wt oil, the grade specified in most operator manuals. Like many printers, I first used 3-in-One oil. Some Vandercooks like, Daniel Morris’s 320, even have a plaque on the carriage reading “Use 3-in-One Oil” […]
MoreSP15 hand gripper lever
Last week I was in New York to teach workshops at the “Center for Book Arts”:http://centerforbookarts.org/, and also visited a couple of printshops including Daniel Morris’s “The Arm Letterpress”:http://www.thearmnyc.com/information/letterpress in Brooklyn. Some readers may know that has several Vandercooks including this rather unusual SP15 that has a hand lever mechanism to raise the paper grippers […]
MoreAsbern for sale in Germany
ADR.1, N° 7927, built 1966. The owner, artist “Thomas H. Cremanns”:http://www.tcart.de, Düsseldorf, Germany is moving his studio and wants to sell the press.
MoreLargest run…
I was printing last night and was wondering what the largest run (number of sheets + number of colors) anyone had run on a Vandercook where you were either hand feeding the paper or hand cranking. How about a few stories of your experiences? If you can please list the sheets / size / colors […]
MoreSP-15 ink roller and gear…
Could someone either take a nice close-up digital photo or carefully measure (wrap a piece of paper around it and measure) the circumference of both the form roller (the one that actually touches the type) and the gear that drives it as it moves across the press? The outside diameter of my gear is noticeably […]
MoreSp-15 trip spring reference
Thanks to Paul’s recent post regarding trip spring replacement, I was able to discern that my SP-15’s trip/print problem is that both springs are broken. I spoke with Fritz today for advice and ordered new ones. I know there was a photo recently posted by John Cristopher showing a carriage off the press with the […]
MoreVandercook Employee Photographs
Just added a new page of “Vandercook employee photos”:https://vandercookpress.info/vanderblog/employee/photos/. Take a look at a few of the men who built your presses.
MoreEarly Vandercook Manufacturing
This badge, on a 1919 model 20 (SN 1103, now at the Hamilton Wood Type Museum), begs the question: when did Vandercook & Sons begin manufacturing—or at least assembling—presses in-house? Fritz Klinke says that he has not come across any documents in reference to outsourcing manufacturing for this period. However, he does have information on […]
Moresuggested price for Vandercooks
Dear All I am considering selling my 2 Vandercooks to my employer. (Read: “I needs the cash!”) As I don’t keep up with recent Vandercook sales & prices anymore, I am curious what any of you might think they are worth. The first is a Vandercook 4 that has been rebuilt, repainted, and has everything […]
MoreSP20 Trip Spring Repaired
I recently repaired an SP20 at the University of West Georgia on which the carriage had become stuck during the return travel. The photos above shows that top carriage bearings on the operator’s side had been removed during a previous repair attempt. Typically what happens on SP series presses is that the trip spring inside […]
MoreHelp ID old Vandercook
I need help identifying my “Vandercook”:http://www.accumulata.com/pics/vandercook.jpg. There is no model number anywhere on the press (nor any serial number), the plate states only “Vandercook Roller Series Proof Press”. There are 4 patent dates, all in 1914. It looks like the 17 or a member of the 15 family as seen on the “Vandercook website”:https://vandercookpress.info. The […]
Moresp-15 another part identification required
can anyone tell me what other parts would be required to make the sheet finger operate – view the parts i have on “flickr”:http://www.flickr.com/photos/8286330@N03/ thanks again! john christopher arcane devices
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