So a year ago or so when the family was out from Michigan for the DDC Get-Together, we went down to Oregon City to do a little junkin’. Evan was with us too, if I remember correctly. In a little antique store I came across an “Ideal No. 2” stencil machine from the Ideal Stencil Machine Co., Belleville, Ill.*. It was one of those moments where you look at the thing, then just sort of yell out to who’ever’ll hear, “This one is coming home with us. Wrap it up!” Something like that.

So I made the purchase and lugged the thing home. A stencil machine! Almost a hundred years old, the kind the old-timers would use to stencil the side of a fruit crate or something.

Turns out the thing is called a “Diagraph,” for it’s “marking and coding” qualities. The word “diagraph” is traditionally known as a “A drawing instrument, combining a protractor and scale,” so, hell, everything is up to snuff.

Okay, so, the machine I bought last May has been at the house. It’s the bookend to my record collection right now. It needs a good lube job and it’ll be ready for action. But, this last Friday morning, I’m on my way to work and stop off at Desks, Inc. to check out the inventory. Upstairs in the vintage section, kinda buried, was another one of these stencil machines.

I unearthed the sonofabitch, took a couple swings on it, and yelled for the proprietor, “Wrap it up!” The thing was well-oiled, with good action and a even came with hearty stack of old, oily stencil cards. Gross. Perfect.

Now we’ve got two of ‘em, “just in case one wears out.” Yeah, right.

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So, here’s a look at the thing. Couldn’t be happier:

01. “Ready for action.”
02. “The ‘Gary’s eye view’ of the thing.”
03. “The character dial.” 04. “Patented 1911, 1914, 1915.”
05. “A stern warning.”
06. “Fine details…”
07. “…all over the machine.”
08. “Keep machine clean and well-oiled.”
09. “Victory!”
10. “Spoils.”
11. “Always on call.”

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Contemporary diagraph supplies. We’ll be putting in an order for some of that stencil board real quick. Heck yes.

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Here’s a Bradley model, along the same lines, only that much more burly.

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*Another Belleville, Illinois treasure, long dead and gone: A three-piece rock outfit from the early ’90s.