Hi everyone,
Looking at photos of other sp-15s I noticed that my press came with the spring pulling on a different piece than it should.
Is this (2nd photo) the right arrangement? My press is the first photo.
Also, my bearing blocks are obviously wrong, I will change them tomorrow. I also want to know what this spring does, and that mysterious piece circled in green.
What about the nyliners. ¿how should they be arranged?
Inside or outside? rubber side or end set screw side?
Thank you so much for your input.
Hi, If anyone needs a copy of the Vandercook Manual Operation-Maintenance and Parts List for a Model SP15, I have an original one in it’s perfect condition from back in Nov 1965. If anyone would like a copy, just send me your email and I will send you a pdf file of the whole manuel. My contribution to a great web site that is helping all.
Hmmm.. no. I checked the plunger in January when you first mentioned it, and I checked them today. The pins move smoothly. The spring seems in good condition also.
I seriously think it has more to do with lack of oil in the eccentric.
I oiled liberally with liquid wrench and then with sae 20 and after a couple tries it finally moved, and it was my first time seeing that eccentric move.
Pretty cool if you ask me. It still feels a bit like a hard position for the eccentric to transition into. It puts up some resistance. Each day it puts up less resistance, but I’m unsure if there’s more parts to oil.
I also filled up the motor which had like absolutely no oil. Good thing this press hasn’t been printing, so it’s not like it’s been forced to work with no oil.
But it seems it’s moving a lot better these days.
Difficulty advancing the carriage in trip mode could be due to dirty plungers (X-20805), the steel rods that project out from the side of the bed. The ARS-5 spring may also be weak. See Sheet 282-A of the manual.
Coming back to this now. I finally installed the new trip spring.
The press still wouldn’t trip.
I oiled generously with liquid wrench and then with SAE 20 oil in the eccentric oil hole and all around.
It finally moved.
It wouldn’t trip because the cylinder eccentric was stuck and just needed a good amount of oil to start moving.
Luckily my press now has its new trip srping and now trips greatly.
Although I did notice it still a bit hard to advance at the beginning in the trip position.
Any ideas? Or just add more oil and keep making trips?
Also, all I’m missing for this press is the Oscillator, which the machinist supposedly is making, and a steel rider, he will make it also.
I already have the worm gear and the crescent.
So this should be ready soon.
On the other hand, my no.4, is at the electric for a motor check-up. I just need to paint it, and put it back together, and that’s it.
Thanks!
Ray, the scraper is also present on my press, but the L shape bracket is not.
So I guess they are not actually fixed to each other, seems to me they are separate parts.
Thanks for posting your photos.
That ‘L’ bracket on our SP-15 has a metal insert that keeps a plastic insert tight that scrapes between the Delrim wheels keeping things nice and neat. Looking at ours today, I think I need to check it more often and clean out the gunk. There was plenty.
Roller with the spring goes toward the feedboard.
Thanks Paul..
I’ll do that.
This and the other issues we discussed in email …. Try blowing out the dust bunnies with compressed air.
Access to the spring is not ideal, but you’ll find that when the space is clean and well-lit and you need only to tap the screw driver and then the J-tool firmly.
You mean so many issues with my press? :(
I did read your instructions in the book, and saw the sheet on the manual.
I just can’t imagine how to reach through such narrow space.
Seems so cumbersome. Plus it looks awful dirty in there when I flash some light.
I need to go get a long brush to scrub in there see if i can get more visibility.
Oh and order the spring from Fritz.
So many issues …
You shouldn’t need to remove the side plate. The post you’re referring to was an extreme case.
I gave this same answer to someone else a few weeks ago, but I’ll repeat it here. From page 8 of my book:
Trip spring replacement: review Sheet 302 in the SP manual, but ignore the instruction to break spring loop with chisel because this may damage dowel “A”. Instead, pry loop from dowel with a long 1⁄8″ screwdriver.
The assembly tool (j-19953) is available to rent from NA Graphics. It can also can be made from a 2 × 60 pica length of printer’s furniture. Place the loop of the spring against the side of the furniture and tap to indent, then drill hole with a 3⁄8″ flat bit and cut to shape. A flat segment of the broken spring can be used to create tension against the top of the loop.
Before installing, trip arm must be in print mode, see illustration below. Insert spring into tool. Raise oscillator and remove form rollers from press. From the feed board, insert a long thin screwdriver behind the side plate against spring and dowel, then hit with a mallet. To install a replacement spring insert spring over “C” and under “B.” Hit the assembly tool with a mallet until loop of spring snaps onto “A.”
Ok, so the plunger was indeed a bit dirty, but it was moving freely, however, I did clean it up, and it did not solve my problem.
I used a flashlight to see what was going on, and I’m guessing it’s a broken trip spring on the operator side.
I tried moving the trip arm with my finger, and on the operator side it doesn’t “spring back”, it moves freely.
On the non-operator side it springs back.
So might this be the problem?
I also noticed that the support bearers (white delrin rollers) are making contact on the non-operator side. Is this a symptom of the broken trip spring? or what else could it be?
Is it possible to replace the trip spring without removing the side plate? removing it sounds like an ordeal from what I read on your SP-20 trip spring post.
Thank you!
Thanks, Paul, I’ll look into the plunger and report back.
You already have the rollers supports.
The oscillator has nothing to do with the cylinder trip. Instead, I think the plunger (X-20805) needs cleaning. See Sheet 282-A.
Thank you Paul! Good information on the long body nyliners.
About the Bearer Controlled Roller Support, is this a part NA Graphics might have? If not.. should I have it made? Is it a must or a great improvement? Or can I do without it?
As you can see, at this point, of the most crucial things, I’m only missing the oscillator and steel rider.
I think I read somewhere in your book that without oscillator, and form rollers the press won’t be able to trip. Is this correct?
I’m not being able to do a trip run, it gets stuck very early in to the bed. Then I change it to print mode and it will let me do a full run to the and and back.
So I have this feeling I won’t be able to know how well this press works, or what else is missing until I have an oscillator and steel rider.
The arrangement in the second photo is correct. The spring keeps the rear form roller against the ink drum because the oscillator is lighter than earlier models.
Nyliners with a long body should be inserted into the bearing blocks from the core side. This prevents the collar from grinding into the bearing block. Nyliners with a short body are inserted on both sides, and a core retaining screw (X-22157) insures the outer Nyliner doesn’t fall out as well as the block remains attached to the core when the assembly is removed.
The L-shaped bracket is part of the later version of the optional “Bearer Controlled Roller Support” assembly (the while Delrin wheels), which facilitate even inking.