Throwback Thursday Object: Morrison "Perfection" Wire Stitching Machine
I apologize for the quality of the photograph of our object
this week, but the stitcher is on exhibit in our basement and the lighting
there is poor. I hope the story makes up for the bad image.
A wire
stitching machine was used in the APH bindery to staple the spines of
braille magazines, sheet music, and pamphlets. The machine feeds wire
from a spool, cuts it, forms a staple, drives it, and folds over the
points. An operator used foot pedals to control the action. Similar
machines are still in use at APH every day although we also use an automatic
stitcher/folder line too. We acquired our first wire stitcher around 1902
and purchased our first "Perfection" model in 1910, but we bought
this one used. The Illinois Braille and Sightsaving School, now the Illinois School for the
Visually Impaired, was a major producer of braille music scores before it
closed its print shop in the summer of 1963. Most of the machinery in the
shop was bought by APH and brought to Louisville later that year. This
machine still has the state of Illinois inventory tag.
Micheal A. Hudson
Museum Director
American Printing House for the Blind
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