nuArc VLT23F Vacuum Light Table with Ulano Glide-Liner X290

Heavy-gauge hammertone steel. A lamp bay sealed inside a sheet-metal cabinet built like a machine tool. The hinged top frame — aluminum-edged, glass-surfaced — drops down under vacuum pressure to hold film flat against the light. A Ulano Glide-Liner X290 straightedge rail spans the working surface: the standard mount for pre-press paste-up, film registration, and opaquing. This is what a production print shop looked like before desktop publishing ended it — not a light pad, a light table, with the mass and rigidity to prove it. Built by nuArc Company, Inc. in Chicago and tested fully functional.

The cabinet carries two decals on the left side — USS Hancock CVA-19, 7th Fleet Task Force 77, 1955–1956 and Patrol Squadron VP-46, U.S. Navy — that connect this unit to Cold War naval aviation in the Western Pacific. The USS Hancock was an Essex-class attack carrier deployed to the Far East during that period; VP-46 was a maritime patrol squadron flying seaplanes out of the Pacific. Whoever put those decals here served, or knew someone who did.

CONDITION

Good and fully functional. Cabinet shows scratches, scuffing, and surface oxidation throughout consistent with long shop use; staining present on the lower steel shelf. The glass working surface carries scratches across the face. The Ulano rail mount shows paint loss and corrosion to the hinge frame. Navy decals remain intact and bright. Sturdy throughout.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 36.75" H × 30.5" W × 25.75" D
• Viewing Surface: 28" × 23"
• Shelf Height: 21"
• Manufacturer: nuArc Company, Inc., Chicago, Illinois
• Model: VLT23F
• Serial: 117B77-29
• Volts: 118
• Amps: .65
• Hertz: 60
• Straightedge: Ulano Glide-Liner X290
• Materials: Steel, plexiglass, glass
• Decals: USS Hancock CVA-19 (7th Fleet Task Force 77, 1955–1956); Patrol Squadron VP-46, U.S. Navy