Daniel & Kathy Gibson wrote:

Haven't you guys ever heard of the "Gibson Girl" splicer? Danno, you of all
people should know this. The Gibson Girl was a "pinup" from the 1890's who
always had an impossibly thin waist. Robins manufactured a splicer that
trimmed the outer edge of the tape (and splice) into a narrowed curve - like
a "Gibson Girl"s waist. I'm guessin that this is what was used to trim the
splices at the factory. I still have one of these I use from time to time on
open reel tapes.

Happy trails,
Larry B.
(what a pleasure, a post on this group that's actually about 8 tracks...)

Gibson girls I know about....the splicer I do not! This may indeed be the
culprit. Any chance of us seening a picture of one?

Danno

Well, I don't have a scanner or a digital camera, so here's what I have:

Robins Industries was a manufacturer of tape accessories throughout the 50s and
60s, don't know when they called it quits. My splicer is marked "Stereo 4" - I
believe because it cut a less-narrow "waist" than earlier 2-track models - and
underneath it says "Robins Ind. Corp. - Flushing 56 NY" - so it pre-dates zip
codes. The patent number is 2778420 - maybe you could find it on one of the patent
search sites. It's kind of a cool little gadget - I actually splice free-hand
these days, though...

Happy trails,
Larry B.