Comments on: Hacker Plate Gauge

By: Fritz Klinke

Fritz Klinke — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 08:54:01 +0000

We do stock accurately made paper, of uniform caliper across the sheet, called press packing, trade name Sun Pak, in thicknesses from .002 through .016. I have not been able to find real press tissue that was guaranteed at .001 thickness, so wrapping tissue will work, and within that .001 dimension, and the current press techniques, any variation in thickness has to be minor and probably of no consequence. We buy this material in 25×38 sheets and cut to size for sale. We also sell it by the carton, and it can be had in rolls as well. Its main use today is for packing offset plate and blanket cylinders.

By: The Arm NYC

The Arm NYC — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 19:43:03 +0000

Fritz,
Thanks for the scans! I never realised there was so much more to this thing. I think the later setup with the small benchtop cabinet and block checker combo was a better idea. (see this link)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/361791309_65c0d401ef_o.jpg
It sure would be nice to track one down, but I could pretty easily make my own if I had to… I am going to have to order some makeready sheets of various thicknesses. Should I assume NA Graphics has them in stock?

Daniel

By: Fritz Klinke

Fritz Klinke — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 13:34:46 +0000

This link shows the Hacker style of plate gauge made during the 1920s as shown in the August, 1924 Inland Printer. The desk is part of the operation and the various shelves held different thicknesses of makeready paper for doing the pre-makeready that Hacker advocated doing before the plate ever went on press. This style was redesigned and reintroduced in 1931 in the more modern style Hacker made until 1937 when Vandercook took them over and continued the line.

By: Fritz Klinke

Fritz Klinke — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 01:26:32 +0000

Hacker ads for this model appear in Inland Printers from the 1920s and I don’t have the date when they redesigned the line for the later versions that Vandercook continued to make clear up into the 1970s. I do have the blueprints for the entire Hacker gauge line from the 1930s, and we have been able to supply a few parts.

By: The Arm NYC

The Arm NYC — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 19:14:45 +0000

Thanks for steering me toward that .pdf, Paul. The models shown in that catalog look to be the same ones that Vandercook carried over. I will have to look to see if earlier ATF machinery catalogs had Hacker equipment listed.
I sure would like to have one of those Hacker Block Levelers!

Dan

By: Paul Moxon, Moderator

Paul Moxon, Moderator — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:41:12 +0000

Images and data for “Plate Gages” [sic] and other Hacker equipment appear in the 1935 ATF Machinery Catalog. It is available as a pdf on this website’s Bibliography page.