They stopped making the standard machines back in the 1970s, when line printers
and computers started taking over. Addressograph became Addressograph
Farrington, Inc, and created a division known as AFI Datatrol, which specialized
in credit card POS systems.

The machines evolved with the market, and by about 1980 the only machines and
plates being made were for credit card sliders.

Today, the addressing plates are collectors' items. People who have them in the
original boxes sometimes show up on ebay or Craigslist. I only know of one
person who currently has any for sale, and that's ME. I have a couple of boxes
of them (1940s or 1950s manufacture) but don't have an accurate count of how
many plates I actually still have (I donated a few for museum displays). You
can email me about them, but I'll give it a couple of days for anyone else to
respond (I didn't start this group so that I could sell my stuff).

Dogtag blanks are stainless steel. You need some kind of plate in there to
cushion the dies -- banging them together only ONCE can chip and ruin them.

You can make plates of any suitable metal of the proper thickness and size.
Alloy B was developed to give the best set of tradeoffs regarding deformation
when made (when you want it to bend cleanly) against deformation when used (when
you want it to keep its shape without bending).

Keith

--- In Graphotype_Machines@yahoogroups.com, "dmmlemur" <dmm@...> wrote:
>
> Two questions related to graphotype/addressograph plates:
>
> Does anyone sell (or know who sells) new-old-stock Addressograph
> plates? That is, I'm interested in the actual Addressograph plates
> for embossing type on a Graphotype and printing on an Addressograph,
> not in blanks for debossing dogtags.
>
> More generally, what are the general specifications/requirements
> for Addressograph/Graphotype plates? The Graphotype Reference Manual
> is quite clear that the plate itself is important for protecting
> the dies/punches. The few unused plates that came with my
> machines were simply marked "Alloy B." What materials were used
> for the plates? What thicknesses? What hardness conditions?
> What experiences have people had with substitute materials
> in making their own plates and/or dogtag blanks (which would seem
> to have similar requirements - or not?). Any information at all
> would be welcome!
>
> Regards,
> David M.
> dmm at lemur dot com
>