Our SP-15 (#22182) at UA Fort Smith is missing the nylon wiper (X-20758) that apparently cleans the rails on both sides of the press. Looks like these were replaced at some point with a couple of pieces of thin metal. The other day, on the non-operator side, these bits of metal shifted and on the return trip, they would scrape the gear track. On our press, the wiper holders on both sides are really gunked up, so we could not shift the metal blade back into position and had to just remove it. Will this be a problem? Can we just clean the rails manually?
Also, our motor is very noisy. The noise seems to be coming from the brush part, not from the shaft that drives the drum cylinder. We have talked about taking it in for service. Is removing it and replacing it a major ordeal on this press?
We have oiled our gear box twice now since acquiring the press a few months ago; and when we remove the “oil check” screw, oil drips out, so we assume the oil level is ok. Is there a better way to tell? Are there schematics of these motors anywhere? Would any competent electric motor repair place be able to service it, or does it require special knowledge?
Definitely get the motor to a competent motor repair shop to fix whatever the problem is–there are no direct replacements, and any gear motor that might be a replacement is very expensive. Make sure the gear box has a sufficient oil level in it, and if there are oil holes for the motor, serivce them every few months. Because some people don’t know the cover plate unscrews to access the motor, drive belt, etc., some of these units haven’t seen an oil can in years.
Many Vandercooks are missing wipers. It’s not a problem, but keeping the cylinder and bed bearers clean is critical for the long-term health of the press. The manual says to wipe the bearers with a slightly oiled rag daily.
The photo below of an SP15 motor (courtesy of Yvon Lantaigne) shows where the power cord is connected and where the motor base is bolted to the plate on which it sits. Your motor may be of another make, but should be configured similarly. You may need to remove the back panel to access the bolts.