Adjusting rollers on Vandercook Uni 1

I just got finished printing my first real run on the Vandercook Uni 1 and it came out pretty nice. Now, I could just leave it at that but here’s the circumstance and then a question.

I have a galley high bed at .968 and a corresponding lollipop height gauge. I used the galley plate and locked up directly on the bed. Without any roller adjustment at all (which really surprised me), the gauge strip of ink came out about the width of a nickel and the printing went quite well. No that’s all well and good but here’s my question/observation/concern.
The roller height is adjusted by those black knobs and as one turns a knob clockwise, the knob “screws” into the roller bracket and forces the roller to rise. I think that is correct. My adjustment screws are just touching the roller bracket and very, very little adjustment (if any) is used. In fact, it seems like my rollers could not be any lower since there is little lift from the knobs being rotated. I hope that I am being clear and even though the printing went well (it was simple stationery and not a very large area), I want to understand what’s going on since I suspect that as I become more ambitious, I’d better be able to understand the whole roller adjustment thing. Thanks as always.

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You should post on

http://vandercookpress.info/vanderblog/

Paul Moxon will help you

LD

bigboy

Interesting. This falls under the caption Vandercook Voodoo. You could pull the blocks and clean everything up. Especially the threads. No guarantees though.

Yes, turn right to raise, left to lower. RR, LL.

The only info Vandercook ever proffered was in their “Vandercook’s Reproduction Proofs,” which you can download from the site LetterpressDad indicated. And anyone using a Vandercook should read this.

Good luck.

Gerald
http://BielerPress.blogspot.com

Well, an apology and a good lesson for all beginners like me. And, thanks to all who replied.

Since I am trying so hard to adhere to “rules” I raised the rollers after I successfully printed and then started looking at adjustment and such just so I could become more familiar with my press. Well, rollers up are rollers up and obviously not in the right position to Investigate adjustment. No vodoo here - just inexperience and the good fortune that bunches of people are willing to pitch in and offer whatever help they can. Thanks.

If you have a “lollipop” for .968 and you measured the ink stripe with the bed plate in place you would expect a much wider stripe, but 3/4 inch? It seems to me that what you want to do is set the rollers without the bed plate in place using the lollipop, and then put the bed plate in and lock up your type-high material. The rollers should thus be correctly set for that configuration.

Bob

Thanks very much Bob and Gerald and all viewers - all adjusted and printing very nicely.