Category: General discussion
Later topic: Moving a Vandercook SP15
Earlier topic: Letterpress Videos

Heidelberg 10x15 roller specs?

Hi all,

I’m currently in the middle of trying to purchase new rollers (all four) for my 10x15 windmill. I’m a bit confused by the seemingly different specs for the rollers being offered and those my press came with.

Specifically, the Syn-Tac brand rollers (opinions one way or another welcomed…they seem to be rather common for online purchase) have a roll diameter of 2 1/32”, roll face length of 14 9/16”, and a shaft length of 19 11/32”. I’ve measured the (beat up, old, messy) rollers I have on my press right now and got the following:

1. truck diameters ranged from 1.954” to 1.990”;
2. roll diameters ranged from 1.899” to 1.951” (small end of this range was on the ugliest roller, large end on the best roller);
3. roll face length of ~14 1/2” (given swelling, etc. that is close enough for me);
4. shaft length of 19 5/16”.

So, a few questions:

a) should the truck diameter be the same as the roller diameter?

b) will the Syn-Tac rollers work? They seem too large…?

If relevant, this is for a 1953 (no bearings, just trucks) press.

Thanks,
Matthew

Log in to reply   3 replies so far

Those Syn-Tac rollers work great for me. I have a sneaking suspicion that they’re a little on the hard side, but the price is right. My ‘54 Windmills have bearings, though.

Of course, the Windmill has adjustable roller rails, so as long as both rollers are the same, there is probably some tolerance for roller dimension.

I have two Syn-Tac rollers and two Lith-O-Roll rollers and both sets have served me well for over two years.

Windmill truck diameters should match the roller diameter. Windmill trucks do WEAR OUT! However, your trucks sound in pretty good shape to be used with the new rollers (which would be 2.032 diameter, meaning the rollers are .032-.040) over the truck diameter (a strong 1/32nd). Anything more than that will cause slurring issues down the road.

Undersize rollers can be migrated from the impression to distributor and ductor postions, so you only have to buy two new rollers at a time. Rollers tired after coming off the ductor/distributor can be used for numbering or print/perforate combinations, which would be the death of good rollers meant for halftones or other fine work.

Thanks for the comments. I’ve got quite a few extra trucks, so I’ll measure them and see if I can find four that are reasonably consistent in size. I’ve ordered the rollers and will see how they work. As you mention, mikefrommontana, I can always move them off the form if they’re less than awesome.

Thanks again,
Matthew