NA Graphics

Composing Room

Essential items found in the Letterpress Composing Room.

We stock, as available, used HiSpeed quoins. The smaller 3", 4 1/2" and 6" quoins are hard to find. We can supply new HiSpeed Quoins made by BarPlate as they took over the line from Challenge Machinery in 1996. The HiSpeed type of quoin was first introduced in 1932 and quickly became the standard quoin used in most U.S. letterpress plants. We have new quoin keys only for the HiSpeed quoins. We do not stock Hemple or any of the 2-part wedge type quoins or quoin keys for these. We also have a stock of new Challenge brand HiSpeed quoins that were stored unused in a shop for many years--see the first two items on the "Specials" tab.

We are currently without a source for new leads and slugs.

"Super Soap, 1 pound tub"
$8.90
SS1
We were first introduced to Super Soap at the ATF gathering at M&H Type in San Francisco in 1998. Our sample sat unopened for a couple of years, then one day we really needed to clean our hands from a nasty washup of a press when the usually present gloves disappeared. Super Soap was astonishing, did a superb job quickly, and became a favorite hand cleaner around the shop. We now sell it in the one pound container listed here. A friend who is a metal plater and gold plates the annual Grammy awards among other things has found Super Soap to be his best all-around hand cleaner, and he gets really dirty in his work. Now, in late 2025, the owner of Super Soap, now in his 80s, has closed the business but he still some unpackaged material. It is in bulk containers and we repackage it in some left over one pound packages.
Quantity

"Bunting Magnetic base, Cerface design, Aluminum construction, 2.00" x 4.00""
$454.00
MB204
Bunting Magnetics, located in Kansas, makes an extensive line of magnetic products. Prices are subject to change and all Bunting products will be sold only when the selling price has been confirmed with the purchaser. Their line of cerface magnetic bases for letterpress printing have been made for about 35 years and has long been the standard for box making and fine printing using photopolymer plates. We list stock sizes, other sizes are custom and are considerably more expensive. Two or more bases can be locked together in a chase to make a larger base. One to two week factory delivery on standard bases, longer for custom. Bunting also makes the ceramic magnets that are used in our galley magnets. Two or more bases of the same size ordered at the same time offer some good discounted prices--call for a quote.
Quantity

"Sterling No. 0 Toggle Hook"
$11.30
ST100-100
The following information pertains to all the Sterling Toggle hooks listed on our web site. The low height hooks are special order.

Toggle Hooks

Manufactured in the USA

Sterling Toggle hooks are used in our honeycomb plate mounting system and are the industry's standard for locking and registering embossing and foil stamping dies into position.

Finishing specialists appreciate the ease and convenience of obtaining hairline die registration using toggle hooks. The combined forward and downward travel of the toggle hook locks the die firmly into place. A ten-degree bevel is required along the perimeter of the die.

All components of the Toggle Hook are manufactured and assembled in West Babylon, NY.

Do not be fooled by cheap imitation toggle hooks that are made from castings.

We take great care and pride in our manufacturing process to ensure our customers are getting the highest quality toggle hooks.

Our Toggle Hooks go though special procedures for maximum strength and a long product life.

Toggle hooks are also known as die fixings, die catches, die locking, die attache, die fixture and die befestigungs stueck.

Standard Size - Used with honeycomb chases with a thickness of .668" - .759" (17mm -19.28mm)

Low Height Size - Used with honeycomb chases with a thickness of .540" - .668" (13.71mm -17mm)

Quantity

"Sterling No. 1 Toggle Hook"
$11.30
St100-101
NA Graphics stocks the Standard Height Sterling Toggle Hooks, designed for Honeycomb bases .668" to .759" in thickness. We can special order the Low Height Toggle Hook designed for bases .540" to .668" in thickness. Thickness of base is related to thickness of the plate being used, the standard 1/4" die will be at type high of .918" when using a base at .668". • Redesigned to insure longer life. • State of the art heat treat procedures to eliminate cracking in high stress areas. • Manufactured from bar stock eliminating porosity problems found in castings. • Made in USA. No. 0 Narrow Margin Hook-used when less than 1/8” (3mm) margin is required. No. 1 Standard Register Hook-can be used most of the time. No. 2 Register Hook-has a jaw width slightly larger than the No.1 hook, it's Sterling's second most popular hook. No. 3E Extended Jaw Register Hook-this hook has a jaw length that is in between the No. 2 and No. 4 hooks. No. 4 Extra Extended Hook-used for locking up dies on honeycomb bases that do not use Sterling's standard hole pattern, such as a heated honeycomb base.
Quantity

"HiSpeed Quoins, used, 12 inch"
$29.00
QU412
HiSpeed quoins made by the Challenge Machinery Co. were first introduced in 1932. These quoins quickly became the standard of the printing industry and were used in almost every printing operation in the US. We offer used quoins in several lengths, as supplies are available. We test and clean each quoin before shipping and will replace any quoin found to be defective if returned within 30 days of shipping. Used quoin keys are not available but we sell new ones made by the Bar-Plate Co. who still manufacture the original Challenge line of quoins. Prices are higher for the smaller quoins because they are very scarce and difficult to locate. The 3" quoin in particular is fairly rare these days and we have difficulty locating used ones.

Currently, we have only a few 10.5" long used quoins and a large supply of 12" long quoins. All other sizes are out of stock in used quoins.
Quantity

"Linotype Metal"
$2.50
LM1
Linotype metal in pig form, with feeder ears for metal feeders such as Margach, each pig weighs between 22 and 25 pounds, depending on mold used. This is remelt metal that has been fluxed and cleaned with added Plus Metal. This will work in any line casting machine including Ludlows. The metal has not been verified for content, but we use it with great success in our model 31 Linotype and Ludlow at NA Graphic's print shop. Priced by the pound and each pig is weighed separately. Up to 2 pigs can be shipped by UPS per package. There is a shipping charge of an extra $5.00 per package for fabrication of a wood box for shipping. Call for options on large quantities--we have several tons available. Current prices (2011) for "new" metal in quantity range from $3.95 to $4.95 per pound.
Quantity