Fixing Tension Spring on Vandercook #3
Greetings!
I’m a new letterpress student, this being my first year. Monday I had a shameful accident. The wood type I had laser cut was less that type high and I elevated it past type high. Long story short:
The Vandercook #3 I was using is no longer operable. A tension spring was bent out of whack. The spring is in a hard to reach place and the manual with the press had no instructions on replacement.
Any suggestions? I need to remove the piece of metal and find a way to re-bend it to its original shape; in order to restore my dignity and apologize to my teacher. :(
Any help will be useful!
Many, MANY thanks
if you have any information please email me at: [email protected]
Dear Mary,
Your description is a bit vague. There are 8 springs on a No. 3. A photo may be helpful.
Paul Moxon
http://vandercookpress.info/
Hi Mary and Paul,
Paul, while you’re helping Mary with her specific problem, could you also — for everyone’s benefit (especially mine) — describe exactly how Vandercooks might be damaged by forms that are too high or packing/stock that is too thick? I’ve heard many caveats about trying to get a very deep impression on a flatbed cylinder press, but I’ve never fully understood exactly what can go wrong. Sometimes when I run the impression cylinder over the form, I feel a slight resistance, and it worries me that I’m throwing something out of whack (I have a No. 4).
Thanks,
Barbara
Most cylinders are undercut .040”, which means that it takes that amount of material (packing, drawsheet and paper stock) to make contact with a type high form. Vandercook operator manuals recommend an additional .003” over cylinder to make (a kiss) impression, and thus facilitate ink transfer. This is how these presses were designed to print.
Deeper impression is possible, but this depends on the bulk and hardness of the paper, and to some degree the hardness of the packing. Perhaps another .004” is possible without harm, but the packing should be to built up incrementally. (While Lettra and most printmaking papers allow a deep impression, it shouldn’t be so prominent that it makes it hard to read the text.) You’ve added too much packing if you feel resistance during carriage travel, this may cause the carriage bearings to grind into the under rails.
A printing form that is too high requires adjusting the roller height to avoid over-inking, but this causes the form roller gear(s) to improperly mesh with the gear rack and thus excessive wear to both parts. Furthermore, the ink may not transfer to the form as intended and possibly cause the rollers to wipe the ink from the form on the return carriage travel.
Paul,
I will take some photos tonight and post them. Thank you!