I recently purchased a Vandercook #3. I have used Vandercooks in the past but it has been some time. I was struck by the phrase “galley height” and was wondering what it means exactly. The information that I have found on this press refers to a bed plate that comes with the press. I will […]
MoreEnglish-made Hybrid
Keith Stubley in Sheffield, UK contacted me about locating a manual for his Vandercook and sent me two interesting photos. The first shows a nameplate on the carriage with the model name left blank and a serial number that does not correspond to existing records. At bottom, it states that the press was made in […]
MoreOriginal Universal I/III Knobs Available
I have a few extras of the original knobs (complete with insert and set screws) for the control panel on the Universal I and III power carriage presses. If you are missing a knob or have a damaged one let me know. I could sell them, but would prefer to trade for any of these […]
MoreSeeking Vandercook Side Guide x 2
I have been trying for a while to find an old-style Vandercook sheet side guide for one of my 320Gs and also one of the newer ones for one of my Universal IIIs. If anyone has a spare they could sell or happens to know where I might be able to find one it would […]
More4T gripper foot pedal slipping
I am trying to fix up a Vandercook 4T. When I press on the foot pedal, the pedal moves but the grippers don’t. At first I thought that the chain had stretched but when i look at the joint where the bar from the foot pedal connects to the bar that moves the chain, I […]
MoreComposing Room Cylinder
As of last Friday, my boss has asigned me the job of putting back together the disassembled Vandercook Composing Room Cylinder we have here in our shop. I have been having a hard time locating pictures of this model. Does anyone have any photos of it, or dare I say, any instruction manuals for it? […]
MoreUniversal III Dead Bar Fabrication
I am about to have a replacement dead bar made up for one of my Universal IIIs and the original I am using as a pattern has a raised center block. Does this block serve any function? Should I include it in the reproduction or would I be wasting time and money? Does anyone else […]
MoreHacker Plate Gauge
I know that Hacker Mfg. was acquired by Vandercook, but this gauge appears to pre-date that merger. Does anyone have any information on Hacker gauges from this era? This particular gauge has two standards (.159 and a .759) which add up to type-high. I would guess it was to be used for checking planed blocks […]
MoreUniversal I Power Brakes
Here’s the beginning of a sad story. How will it end? I do not know. For how shall I begin my query, how shall I transmit my distress? Our trusty Universal I automatic has lost control of itself. This press’s dilemna has been building up ever so gradually year by year, run by run. I […]
MoreDust Cover Repair
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 […]
MoreAdjusting 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 […]
MoreNew 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
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