To Type, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth...

Are you a fan of staplers? More specifically, are you a fan of Ace Aceliners? You aren’t alone in your attraction to this long-lasting, very popular model that was first offered in 1941 and that is *still* being sold by Ace Fastener. While casual examination of any model made in the past 60+ years might […]

It has been a bit over 1 year since I reviewed Volume One of Frank Parsons’ “Staplers, Stapling Machines & Paper Fasteners”, on the Hotchkiss line of staplers. Since then, I’ve been eagerly awaiting further volumes that would indicate that this important project is continuing on course, and this past January, Volume Two was published […]

Ooh, look what came in the mail today! This is a book I’ve been waiting a few months for, and it’s been very much worth the wait. I wrote a bit about this project before, when I’d seen an earlier, incomplete version of the manuscript, and I was quite excited about it then. Now that […]

In my thrifting runs, I run into a lot of Tatum Buddy model staplers, but the other Tatum models occur less frequently – so this shiny chrome Secretary certainly caught my eye on the thrift store shelf. For $2 it was mine! :D The Tatum Secretary opens for tacking and loads staples in a manner […]

This is another story about a 70-year old stapler design that has survived into the 21st Century, and is still sold today looking exactly as it appeared when it was first introduced (see Ace Pilot 404). The Bostitch B8 “PowerCrown” stapler is a compact pocketable stapler long sold as a “Travel/Desk” stapler by the Boston […]

The TOT Speed Fastener is of stamped steel construction with Bakelite base and topper. Yet another $2 Goodwill find, the TOT Speed Fastener (middle) was the contemporary little brother of the Parrot Speed Fastener Model 3 (back) and the forerunner of the incredibly common Swingline TOT 50 (front). If you love your old TOT 50 […]

Ahh, the venerable, tank-like Bostitch B5 stapler. I remember using these in school back in the 1970’s, but the version that my school used was the battleship grey wrinkle painted ones from the 50’s. Interestingly, Bostitch seems to have followed the painting scheme used by Royal typewriters, where they used black wrinkle paint in the […]

I’ve been lusting after a Swingline 333 ever since I saw one on MOLG’s “Stapler Fetish” page, and finally found one at Deseret for a Buck! :D Mine is a light brown finished model 333, not quite the black enamel and woodgrain-top model that is much more highly desired, but what the heck – would […]

Robert E. De Barth – Bates Brass Wire Staplers Robert E. De Barth – The Hot Rod Bates Model C

The Ace Aceliner, a true classic. Probably the first stapler I actually sought out after seeing them on other Typosphere blogs. It’s a popular design, easy to get ahold of, and there’s probably one in every casual stapler collector’s corral. There are at least two different variations, probably indicating a change in design and tooling […]

This week’s Stapler is one I picked up a couple of days ago at Goodwill’s half-price day. I’d let this one sit on the shelf for a week and a half because it was busted, missing important bits and ugly as sin. When the price dropped to $1.50, though – I wanted it just to […]

UPDATE: I was reading Curtis A. Scaglione’s “Guide to Antique and Vintage Fasteners” today and noticed the patent for this stapler, which matches the last patent stamped into the bottom of the Presto Deluxe: 2,399,761, invented 1940, patented 1946. I wasn’t too far off in my reckoning! Hey, even more info on the Presto Stapler […]

Found at a Goodwill for $2 a few weeks ago, the Ace Pilot is a simple-looking, but feature-rich stapler.  It has a unique anvil with a flip-up staple splayer rather than a two-position anvil that clicks into the two positions. It also features a ratcheted striker mechanism unique to these chrome Ace staplers, that makes […]