Perforation Guages

I need a new gauge, my old one, though in good shape, does not have quarters and three quarters. Please tell me about the guages other collectors use and where can they be purchased?

Janet

Here the Gibbons Instanta is most widely used. But you can also find free guages on the web - see this thread

https://goscf.com/t/35224

Geoff

Hi, Janet!

I am a tremendous fan of the "US Specialty Precision Multi-gauge." (I have 2 now, in fact.) It is the last gauge you'll need. You can measure to the tenth and more of a perf (i.e., 12.2 vs 12.25 vs 12.3), and it has a nice overlay for determining flat vs rotary press, etc.

Ignore the fact that it has "US" in its name. I don't even collect US, and still find it better than the others. (That flat vs rotary works for Japanese stamps, too.)

Here's a quick visual:



I wrote more about it here on another board:

http://stampbears.net/post/50624/thread

And here's a pdf of the instructions:

http://www.slingshotvenus.com/PDFs/...ataSheet.pdf

It's about $16. Well worth it! (And I have no connections to anyone associated with it.)

You can find it on ebay direct from the developer, and Superior in St Louis carries it, if you want to tie it into a larger purchase for free shipping. I'm sure other supplies dealers have it, too. But I like purchasing it directly from the developer, since he makes a little bit more off of it that way. (I want to support his idea.)

Philatarium,

That is quite an impressive looking perf gauge. I think I might be getting a new accessory sooner than I had thought!

Thanks,

Agree with Geoff- the SG Instanta has been my standard for at least 20 years. The gauge above looks pretty cool but perhaps complex for my needs as a WW collector. The SG has larger, easier to read markings.

Hi Philatarium,

I agree with you about that it is definitely the "last gauge you'll ever need -- cause it has everything you want at your finger tips. I have one but have always strayed away from using it because of the size. It almost reminds me of when I had to do calculus using a slide rule and tables! The problem issssss remembering where everything was and using it correctly. I'm lucky if I remember to feed the cats once a day! Breaking old habits is H~A~R~D!

Hal