Universal Is [and other v-cooks?] have an optional dust cover which is, because of the design, often broken. They seem to break at the same point, the transition from dust cover to attachment tab. I believe that the dust cover should have been made without the cutout in the center, which would have prevented the […]
MoreMore TagAdjusting Ink Roller Height [15-21]
As the process of getting to know the press continues to unfold, I’ve been putting together some notes on various discoveries & lessons learned. This post is concerned with adjusting the height of ink rollers. While these notes may appear overkill for a relatively simple process, some may be as ignorant as I was about […]
MoreMore TagNew York Times Article
An article in Sunday’s New York Times online edition “‘Retro Printers, Grounding the LaserJet’”:http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/arts/design/10hols.html features a photo of our own Eric Holub. –PM
MoreMore TagNPR’s SoundClips: A Hand-Fed Printing Press
Friends & relations alerted me to this story on yesterday’s “All Things Considered.” And I quote: “Douglas Wilson of Springfield, Mo., lets us listen to the sound of his 1949 Number Four VanderCook Proof Printing Press. The hand-feeding process makes for some rockin’ rollers.” For all of us on the Vanderblog, this 2-minute piece ought […]
MoreMore TagReprex Once-over
Scott Fisk, designer, educator, and vanderblog consultant, just bought a Reprex, a 1960s era down-market flatbed cylinder proof press. Its overall condition is quite good and it should prove to be serviceable. Its mechanisms, however, may seem a bit peculiar to most Vandercook operators. For example, the reservoir drum, while driven by a chain, also […]
MoreMore TagUniversal III toggle base (usefulness for photopolymer)
I have two Vandercook Universal III toggle plate bases with all the toggles and tools and was wondering if I’d be able to use them with photopolymer plates. It seems to me that with metal backed photopolymer plates they might work were it not for the fact that the toggles themselves would print. Are the […]
MoreMore TagPressure Ink Well
*Was: Unknown device on SP-15…* changed for archiving purposes What is the component you see sticking up on the back corner of the paper feed board? I never see it on any of the posted photos. This image is of an SP-15.
MoreMore TagAutomatic frisket…
I recently bought a Universal III with the automatic frisket / paper delivery option. I’m looking for information about the automatic frisket part. What would cause you to use a frisket versus the cloth tapes which is the only thing I’ve ever seen being used? What do you use for the frisket material?
MoreMore TagVanderporn?
Not the most technical of posts here, but I just wanted to give mention to the Vandercook Press Flickr photo page for those who may not have seen it yet. This page now has over a hundred pictures of Vandercook presses. If you have any images of the Vandercooks in your shop/studio maybe think about […]
MoreMore TagTindeck?
Can someone tell me about the characteristics and specs of a “tindeck blanket,” the original packing specified for the impression cylinder of my No.2 Proof Press, according to the model description on the vandy site. Just curious, never having come across one. Thanks, Duncan Dempster Honolulu, Hawaii
MoreMore Tagcylinder gear tooth alignment
After reading the previous discussion about a misaligned cylinder causing the grippers to smash the form, I thought about the SP20 I’m currently going over (and on which we have not yet printed) and noted that when I received it, the gripper bar was not at 12 oclock when the cylinder was home at the […]
MoreMore TagVandercook 4 problem
I have printed a couple of projects on a Vandercook 4 that a friend recently purchased. I have had to put 4.5 picas of furniture in back of the deadline bar because if I were to put type or engraving at the deadline bar (without the furniture) it would smash. With the furniture in, this […]
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