My current book project is a short story I wrote in 14 vignettes about a quirky fellow and his neighbors. It’s a humorous tale. I wrote it on and off over several years in my spare time, and last year, I had a professional editor help me get it to the point where I felt like it was worth printing. My dad drew the illustrations for this book, and I think they really fit the tone and style of the story.
I am printing this project on the Vandercook Universal III. I have spent many hours with a mechanic friend working on the Vanderook to get it back into running shape. The chain that powers the inking cylinder had come loose. The plate that holds up the motor cracked so that entire piece had to be fabricated from scratch and reattached. Because the plate was loose, the chain was loose, which kept the inking cylinder from running. It’s been a learning process, and I’m certain more issues will come up as I go along.
Lessons learned so far: 1. how to use the adjustable bed to change the depth of the impression, 2. how to adjust the roller height correctly, and 3. how to change the packing on the cylinder.
Fortunately, the press is up and running now and I’ve successfully printed the first four-folio signature (16 pages of the story, four pages on each folio or sheet).
Of Paper and Ink 