Just over a century ago, Illinois businessman John W. Marsh launched his Marsh Stencil Machine company. His firm produced stencil-cutting machines, inks and oilboards (the oil-treated paperboards stencils are made out of).
Their Marsh Model H machine, which rolled out in 1940, is still in use and sold today.
Inside are case-hardened steel dies and zinc alloy punches designed to maintain crisp edges over time.
The interface is quite interesting, and perhaps a function of 1940s UI design, when rotary phones were a thing. Here’s how it worked:
Today a Model H will set you back around $2,400.
