Wale Rotary Press info

Roller Press made these rotary nozzles for various press feeders, and they became standard on ATF presses. I think ATF acquired the line from them. Later they moved to 16th street, and in the ’70s to Emeryville in the East Bay.
The nozzles are colloquially called Wale’s Tails. They are auxiliary blowers the separate the feed pile from the sides. They have a tongue that rests lightly on top of the pile, and are made to float by means of a counterweight. This way the top few sheets get extra separation, better than from just front blowers. I have a set on my Chief 22.
300 Broadway was built specifically for printing firms, but Jack Stauffacher was the last printer there.

Wow, how interesting, I have a set of these which I adapted to a Miehle Verticle. Looking back I think mine did come off a Chief 22. But the WOW factor is that in ‘64-‘66 I worked at 200 Broadway in SF for a company known as Security Lithograph. It was a 6 story concrete and brick bldg. with large heavy equipment. Web multi part snapout presses, large roll feed presses. large 77’ Miehle color label presses. they even had an old Hickok pen ruleing machine….which they were running daily. Boy that brings back memories…one day they hired riggers and a crain to remove a 29” LSB single color Harris through a 4th floor window…it was in a million pieces when it hit the concrete sidewalk, bad day for the rigger/crain. Thanks for the memories. Bud

One of my Dad’s first jobs was at 300 Broadway for Independent Litho, in the late ’30s. He’d been at a nearby art school, lived with other artists in the famous Monkey Block (where the Pyramid is now). He did stone lithography every semester, and at Independent, he did the yellow art in tushe and litho crayon for four-color quarter-sheet billboards, to the key art done by the owner.

I just received a copy of The Pacific Printer and Publisher from 1952, with this bit about Wale and his nozzles.

wale.jpeg

Things I never knew about 300 Broadway—I was a frequent visitor there in the 1950s and 60s, at the time buying ATF type from the ATF distributors, Griffin Brothers. My last visit was to visit with my former college instructor, Jack Stauffacher, on the occasion of his 75th birthday. San Francisco was quite the city from a printing standpoint, and 300 Broadway was a focal point. Fritz

And tomorrow, the 19th, would be Jack’s 100th birthday, according to the Letterform Archive.
The last time I went to Griffin Brothers, maybe it was in the mid-80s, they had moved to San Leandro. They were still ATF agents then, but said most ATF type was back-ordered and had been for a long time. They were also Castcraft agents, and it was Neon American Uncial we got through them.