The only official American French Tool Micro Gauge Retro fit kit. Upgrade your French Tool etching press with new, modern micro gauges with the highest level of precision in the printmaking industry. You will be able to adjust your pressure within .001".
The American French Tool micro gauge kit is designed to replace the complete top cap and gauge assembly including:
- Top caps
- Pressure screws
- Inner & outer gauges
- Custom gauge clamps
- Cross pins
- Top cap bolts
Crafted out of solid aluminim and polished to a high shine, the French Tool gauge is easy to read and adds stunning brilliance to your press. The electro-plated pressure screws, cross pins, and industrial coated top caps are smooth to the touch giving you advanced protection against rust.
The redesigned top cap has a custom installed grease zerk fitting to easily grease and maintain your pressure screws and pressure system.
American French Tool Micro-Gauge Installation Instructions
The French Tool gauge kit is easily installed in less than 10 minutes. All you have to do is remove two bolts for each gauge!
Since the entire top cap system is included, all the printmaker has to do is remove the old top cap by loosening the top cap bolts.
Then, place the new top cap on the uprights, tighten the bolts, and zero out your new gauges. You will be up and printing in only a few minutes!
Beware of copy-cat gauge kits. Other companies have tried to make kits to replace the original "Sun-Dial" gauges on vintage French Tool presses with little success. These unofficial gauges are often low quality and made from lesser materials with little to no resolution or pressure setting abilities.
Official French Tool gauges have finely embossed numbered dials, not low-grade printed lettering that will easily wear off.
Only the official French Tool gauge kit comes with the full 25-year Conrad Machine Co. warranty and factory support.
American French Tool Micro-Gauge History
Vintage American Tool Presses were fitted with "Sun-Dial" gauges with minimal resolution. Andre Beaudoin originally designed these as a placeholder for a modern set of Barrel/Thimble micro-gauges
After Conrad Machine Co. acquired American French Tool from Andre Beaudoin, we redesigned the original French Tool top cap system to accept a modern set of micro gauges made from the highest quality materials to produce the highest level of precision.
All new French Tool printmaking presses come with this micro-gauge kit as a standard option.
Press Warranty
All Conrad Machine Co. Presses come with the printmaking industry's best 25 Year Warranty. We here at Conrad Machine Co. believe in our products and workmanship, so much so, that we will repair or replace any defects in materials or workmanship for the first 25 years of the life of your printmaking press.
