Summary

Gestetner Cyclostyle No 6 Duplicator, circa 1913 with paper feeder and case.

This is a two drum rotary stencil machine. A stencil, in poor condition, is still attached. The double-drum design inked the stencil with rollers, which picked up the ink from a tube.

In 1881, David Gestetner (1854-1939) invented a simple stencil perforator using what was called the Cyclostyle pen which had a tiny toothed wheel on the end. The wheel was rolled along, punching tiny perforations in a sheet of wax coated paper. The next step forward the Rotary Cyclostyle in 1901. This was a rotary stencil machines allowing copies to be rolled out on a continuous basis. This discovery was the birth of office automation.

Gestetner set up a business to manufacture duplicators in Tottenham, North London, England.

A plate on back of machine includes this caution:
'Each sheet of Rotary Cyclostyle Paper and each Tube of Ink must bear my signature as follows
D. Gestetner'

Physical Description

Drum duplicator with paper feeder and case.

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