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Gauge / Lay Pins


Henry Elliptical Gauge Pins

A big change is coming to the gage pin world for hand fed platen presses.. We are now stocking the first runs of a replacement "Adjustable Quad Guide." Ever since Butch Kort stopped making his gage pins some 9 years ago, there has been a need for the quad guides. They are almost identical in every respect to the Kort Quad Guides. Priced at $35.00 for a set of three, we need to limit the first orders to two sets of the guides. We are excited about the new gage pins and welcome back comments about your use. Lay pins for the Heidelberg platen are still being made.

And we are about to see a return of the Magill Spring Tongue Gauge Pin. The machines were sold at auction some years ago and have been sitting in my backyard ever since. Now, in May of 2025, the machines have found a new owner who picked them up with an eventual new home in Utah. Considering the years of sitting out in the open through all sorts of weather, the stamping presses looked presentable and everything moved. The new owner is both a letterpress printer and a machinist. This is an exciting turn of events.
 
"Heidelberg Yellow Sucker Slide"
$28.20
HW103
Yellow sucker slide for 10x15 platen made by Heidelberg. Sucker slides made by Heidelberg are far better than any after market ones available and are worth the additional cost in performance and longevity. The Yellow slide has the largest air hole of the 3 slides. Note that Heidelberg now makes all three of the sucker slides from the same red plastic--it is the size of the air holes that determine if the slide is the "pink, red or yellow" slide.
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"Heidelberg Windmill Lay Pin, 35 mm, each"
$7.15
LP35
Pricing on all Original Heidelberg parts are subject to change and will be invoiced at prevailing prices at the time we receive product from Heidelberg. They will not guarantee any pricing or availability. Prices are pegged to the ever changing dollar/Euro exchange rate, so prices increase or decrease as the dollar moves. We add a small markup on these items that is well under half our normal markup as a service for those who don't want to deal with Heidelberg direct. Prices can change daily from Heidelberg.
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"Heidelberg Windmill Lay Pin, 45 mm, each"
$5.25
LP45
Current price January 2008
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"Heidelberg Windmill Lay Pin, 55 mm, each"
$6.20
LP55 Quantity
 
"Heidelberg Windmill Lay Pin, 75 mm, each"
$10.38
LP75 Quantity
 
"Heidelberg Windmill Lay Pin, 65 mm, each"
$6.16
LP65 Quantity
 
"Sealing Wax, 10 inch stick"
$5.50
SW452
Used for sealing gauge pins in place.
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"Sealing Wax, 4 sticks, one pound"
$18.80
SW452-4
Used for sealing gauge pins to the tympan sheet. This video shows how the sealing wax we sell is made. The sticks of wax are very hard and brittle, so some breakage of sticks is normal.
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"Heidelberg Red Sucker Slide"
$33.46
HW102
Red sucker slide for 10x15 press made by Heidelberg. This is the sucker bar slide with the medium sized air holes. Note that Heidelberg now makes all three of the sucker slides from the same red plastic--it is the size of the air holes that determine if the slide is the "pink, red or yellow" slide. We do not sell after market slides as the ones we have seen are poorly made and break easily.
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"Heidelberg Pink Sucker Slide"
$46.90
HW104
Pink sucker slide for 10x15 platen made by Heidelberg, not an after market product. This is the slide for thinner paper with the smallest diameter air hole. Note that Heidelberg now makes all three of the sucker slides from the same red plastic--it is the size of the air holes that determine if the slide is the "pink, red or yellow" slide. Our experience with non-Heidelberg made slides is that they are poorly made and often fail.
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LayPinAsst "Heidelberg Lay Pin Assortment"
$24.95
P-31133
One each of 35mm, 45mm, 55mm, 65mm, and 75mm lay pins for Heidelberg 10x15 platens. This assortmant is not made by Heidelberg.
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DSCN1206.JPG "Henry Compressible Gage Pins"
$10.00
GP225
The new Henry Compressible Gage pin is designed to be used with photopolymer plates mounted on bases that do not allow enough room for setting regular gauge pins in the area of the base. For small image areas or smaller sizes of paper, or for tight register to the edge of a plate, the Henry Gage will allow feeding of the paper stock on the platen without the possibility of crushing a gage pin or damaging an expensive base. These have a peel off adhesive backing for attaching the gage pin to the tympan. The adhesive will allow for repositioning of the gage pin to achieve register. There are 12 pins to a package. These are not designed to replace traditional gauge pins except where used in tight clearance situations with photopolymer plates and bases.
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The new Henry Elliptical Gauge Pin in use. "Henry Elliptical Gauge Pins"
$33.00
GP300
At last we have a new gauge pin for users of hand fed platen presses. These are a combination of two designs introduced by Magill back in the 1890s. As the inventor of the new gauge pin relates: Here's something new in the Letterpress world, Henry Elliptical Gauge Pins. I've been producing Henry Compressible Gage Pins for many years, but there has always been a need for pins which were more durable and for tougher service on the platen press. Many of the metal pins are no longer made, so a modern alternative will fill the gap. The pins combine the features of two pins developed in the 19th century. With the assistance of Anthony Riesen of the North Iowa Area Community College Innovation Lab for design assistance, and John Barrett or Letterpress Things for advice and initial testing, the pins are now on the market. The polymer and metal fabricated pins are designed so that slight changes in register can be made by loosening the pin's top nut, and rotating the body slightly to advance or recede to get the paper in register on the platen. There is also a straight edge so the pins may be used as their metal counterparts were. Early prototypes were too high for use with conventional furniture, but the final design is thin enough to clear standard height furniture. You do. However, have to keep them away for aluminum bases or high leads and slugs. The pins come in sets of three in a matchbook-style package which includes instructions for their use. NA Graphics was part of the initial testing phase of the new gauge pins.
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Adjustable Quad Guides
$35.00
GP500
These gage pins are the result of careful design and engineering work duplicating the long out of production Kort Adjustable Gage Pins. These fill a critical need of platen press users. For the time being, we are limiting each buyer to two sets of the new gauge pins as supply is limited. We appreciate hearing back from buyers of these new pins what their experience is with the new pins.
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NA Graphics, P.O. Box 467, 4 Mears Avenue, Silverton, Colorado 81433
Phone: (970) 387-0212
Email: fritzklinke123@gmail.com