Wickersham quoin key

I’m pretty sure an alan wrench might fit those guys.

Or, you could just go to the hardware store and buy a short chunk of .25” square bar stock, use a torch and hammer to put a bend in it for a handle, and if necessary grind the square down just a bit to fit the hole in the quoins.
—
Michael Hurley
Titivilus Press
Memphis, TN

For the price of a *nice Cup of Tea* acquire an ordinary Allen Key, Metric or imperial, slightly bigger than1/4”, grip it in an ordinary bench Vice, file 4 sides down from the six original, D.I.Y. key, in 5 minutes.
Allen keys are not that hard, they are meant to be sacrificial, to protect the bolts they go into, + they have to *Torque* up to a point, otherwise they SNAP.
Quoin keys of this format, were used fairly extensively, (i.e. 90 degree, angle, as in Allen Key,s) = 1 short leg, square head 1/4”, 1 long leg, as the handle, to use, when doing changes/corrections, on the Press, right under the cylinder, to save taking the forme off. 8/16/32 Page,s.*?*?

2nd, option, slightly upmarket.!! 3 or 4 *nice Cups of Tea* price,? *T* handle Allen Key, ditto construction.!!
The above, of course, If all else has failed, or Time is of the Essence, etc. Good Luck. M. on M. 05/09/2014.??

Take a length of around 3 inches of, say 1/2 inch round steel (or square, or whatever section is to hand), drill a hole near one end to take, say 2 inches of 1/4 inch round steel to form a tee handle, and file the opposite end of the 1/2 inch bar to a square to fit the quoins. The tee handle can be prevented from moving around or falling out by raising a small burr in the handle with a cold chisel just next to both sides of where it passes through the 1/2 inch rod.

If you’ve got lots of large screwdivers (or buy one for 25c in a yard sale), saw off the working end and file down the end of the shaft to a square to fir the quoins.

I always had the impression that the square end of quoin keys were hardened relative to the quoins. The home-made solutions suggested in this post and by Mick and Memphits would result in soft keys that would ultimately become too damaged to use - but I suspect you’d get a lot of use of them before this happened!

Sorry Dick, slight discrepancy in the number of Flats, 4 versus 6, be a jolly fine chap and send the Guy, one of the *T* handle square, but tapering keys, that you use on the, Barn Doors and the Goat pens,
Actually not quite a joke, thinking about.?? Mick.

Thanks for the Allen key idea. I had been toying with that idea and wondered if they were too hard for filing.

I may even have a suitably sized T-handle one lying around.

Thanks again,
Joe

I have one for sale $25.00 including shipping.

Paul

At the hardware store you should be able to buy a length of key stock that would fit, and an adjustable handle used to hold threading tools with which to hold the key stock.

*T* handle, Allen Keys do tend to be a little harder, but generally still soft enough to file with a reasonable *second cut* file.
Should you be fortunate, or otherwise, to acquire a well tempered Key, and fortunate enough to have access to the smallest of angle grinders, same applies, gripped in the vice, angle grinder taking off 4 flats, from 6.?
Most vices have hardened steel jaws, the angle grinder takes down for 1/2” laterally 4 flats, the angle grinder skids off the hardened jaws, leaves a virtually perfect flat x 4.!
*T* handle, Allen Keys, generally, come in LONG series, presumably the same Stateside. By implication, plenty of length to play with, experimenting downwards.? to the average height for standard Quoin Key(s).

Is it worth just one small call to your Graphic Suppliers, and ask if, BIG IF, still available, Packs of 5/10 etc, of the expendable bits for Cornerstone style Quoin keys, or U.S equivalent,
Those keys were merely aluminium *T* style handles, with the Bits interference fit @ about 3/4” long, when they were worn, could be pulled out, refitted in reverse. Once.

Should the inserts still be available, unlikely perhaps, but fairly simple for a D.I.Y. handle. Good Luck.

There’s one on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wickersham-Quoin-Key-Letterpress-Printing-Press-...

I’ve read all before me, And I’m wondering. Are we talking hemple type quoins or are we talking about those quoins that could be expanded and then would suddenly snap shut. I’ve got a lot of them! But, I will only use Notting quoins. They dont move a lock up around.They are very precise.

I’ve read all before me, And I’m wondering. Are we talking hemple type quoins or are we talking about those quoins that could be expanded and then would suddenly snap shut. I’ve got a lot of them! But, I will only use Notting quoins. They dont move a lock up around.They are very precise.

Wickershams are the cam-type quoins that revert if expanded in too large a space (actually a kind of safety against a loose lockup) but you’re right, their motion can disturb a form before it gets tightened. Nottings use the same square key, as do Hansons, Cornerstones, Tru-Marks and other wedge-types (my preference as well on many forms).