“Perfect Register” Gauge Pins

Hi guys;

So, I know the subject of gauge pins has come up before, but I have a query of some interest to me pertaining to both letterpress AND other types of printing (both screenprinting and otherwise.)

Certainly there will be some journeymen printers on here who will tell me that the pins Im about to ask about are not a necessity for good printing, and others who may have experience having used them before as well who will offer a differing opinion. With all conjecture put aside, what I’m really asking about is whether anyone has a set of these, or if they know where to acquire them.

While looking through my recently acquired Samuel Stephens and Wickersham Co “Blue” book catalog, I came upon a section with some interesting models of gauge pins..

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5020/5477389464_99294df125_b.jpg

They appear to have an adjustable screw or tiny cam possibly in the case of the “perfect register” model, and incidentally this is something I’m really interested in procuring.

Currently, I print with these:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5476785051_fa4e89d1be_b.jpg

But I don’t have much control over tight register with them. You can line things up, but man, if I were to want to nail something hairline, it’d be kind of difficult to get it right, and once they’re loosened they are very difficult to put back in the same spot.

S0- Has anyone come across these? Does anyone know where to procure a modern version? Are there any machinists on this site who would be interested in making a set? Would anyone care to give me any kind of lead?

Also, those who HAVE printed with them, would you say you found them to be indispensable, or trash?

Also, what other types of lay pins are there that I haven’t come across? I mean, I know about quad guides, I know about the traditional wax applied pins- but really I hadn’t come across anything like this/hadn’t thought that it existed until now.

Log in to reply   16 replies so far

I’ve hairlined with my Kort Adjustable Quad Guides. If you haven’t tried them out and order from NA already I would suggest picking a set up and trying them out… Definitely much cheaper than having custom pins machined.

Paul

I have a set of those.
I like them as much as I like my double grips but they’re still the kind of pin that you have to actually move with your hand, versus a static base/mechanical adjustment.

The reason I’m asking, and pardon me for not making this clear, but I am curious about the type that I haven’t used, not the type that I have in my posession.

Have you ever used the other type?

The key to adjusting double grips is to run one screw tight and the other “snug”. Then, when you need to adjust, loosen the tight screw and tap the gauge pin over with a line gauge—just gentle taps. I’ve used double grips to do work and turn die-cut projects that required multiple adjustments to the position.

An alternative to moving the paper to make register is to have register quoins and nudge the form (loosen one side/tighten the other). The quoins would be placed in pairs on all sides of the form or portion of the form requiring adjusting. Rouse was the most popular maker of these.

“Certainly there will be some journeymen printers on here who will tell me that the pins Im about to ask about are not a necessity for good printing, and others who may have experience having used them before as well who will offer a differing opinion. With all conjecture put aside, what I’m really asking about is whether anyone has a set of these, or if they know where to acquire them.”

DONT get me wrong- I appreciate the advice. But I want to make it clear, I already know both of those procedures, I’m not a new printer (well, by some people’s definition), and I am specifically trying to track down some of these pins out of curiosity about the pins themselves, and their uses- not because I lack the skills to employ the alternative methods that I know many of you will suggest, and it is good advice, but Like I said- I’m really just interested in seeing about these pins.

Thanks.

I just read on Excelsior Press web site that he found some of these pins, he has been printing for 49 years and this is the first pair he has seen, i’m a little older, i’ve been printing for 50 years and never seen these pins before. Maybe there weren’t too many made, don’t know. Dick G.

I’ve seen them in illustrations, but never for real (Ebay or pix or anything). Up there in the land of unobtanium. Still, somebody might have a pair. Actually I wouldn’t mind a version that could be pasted down on a die-cutting jacket and have thought of trying to make some myself. Alas, not yet.

They’re apparently designed to be glued in place, according to the instructions.

Since you two old-timers haven’t seen a pair, I’m going to look into fabricating some in my friend’s metalshop and see what I can come up with. Maybe there will be interest in them once I’ve actually made a viable set. I get the feeling they could come in really handy in specific situations…

And sorry if any of my comments seem terse. I just really wanted specific answers and I knew there would be some people on here who happened to have experience (or a determining lack therof) :-)

i have a pile of gauge pins and in my pile i found a couple of these, tried them out and didn’t like them. There doesn’t seem to be much holding them to the top sheet. I’ll stick to the quad guides. Dick G.

Well, if you care to locate and sell me a set, I would gladly buy them off you at a favorable price (double the value of regular quad guides) or trade you some other sets of pins or something. I really am interested in trying them out.

Well, if you care to locate and sell me a set, I would gladly buy them off you at a favorable price (double the value of regular quad guides) or trade you some other sets of pins or something. I really am interested in trying them out.

My advice, if your going to have some machined have the machinist combine the double grip design with the screw adjustment design. I was actually just contemplating posting to the list to see if there was any machinist interested in doing something similar. Just just finished printing a set of cards with some very tight registration using double grip pins. Small adjustments are possible, just takes a very lot of patients and a delicate touch.

I was thinking pins that are held to the sheet like the double grip pins but had a “head” that could be raised and lowered with an allen head screw mounted though it’s face.

If Dickg has 2 and I have one…you have three.

Let me know

I found 4 of these, 2 are in rough shape and 2 are brand new. If you want them for a favorable price, that would be a couple of hundred each, or i’ll trade the 4 for 2 sets of quad guides. Dick G.

Just so I have this right- So you’d want two sets of 3 Quad guides, for a total of 6 quad guides, for the 4 PR pins you have? Two 28.00 sets of quad guides, totaling to 56.00 + postage (I am assuming you’d be willing to post the pins my way if I sent mine to you)?

I’d be willing to trade that, sure. Done and Done.

I’ll email you.

Well, so DickG decided to pass his pins on to someone else who kind of decided to bump in front of me in line, despite 5 hours difference between when he said he’d make ‘em available to me- no questions to me about it- so I’m still looking for a set of these (thanks again, Dick!).

Anyway, if anyone has any of these at all, I’m still looking and I’d gratefully pay for them or provide you with alternative gauge pins or work something out in trade.

I’d really like to make some of these and I need to understand how they work precisely- the drawings explain it but it would be helpful to have some. Also, for my own selfish reasons, I want to try them out.

Thanks in advance for any leads.