Everything about Staplers - Ask an Expert

 

- I am upholstering interior panels in my 1976 MGB. I would like to use a staple with a 1/8th inch leg and a 3/8 inch crown similar to a Senco BeA 71 series. Would you please recommend a manual stapler that I could order for the 1/8th inch leg staples. This is not for a business so a fairly inexpensive stapler would fit my needs. Thanks, Danny

The Expert: - We unfortunately do not have a manual stapler that will shoot a staple that short for your application. We do, however, stock  a inexpensive pneumatic stapler which uses that series staple (BEA71) and that is able to use a 1/8” leg. It is Spontails PS7116. We also have 2 electric staplers, both which are more expensive but could be more convenient for you:

F15/7116 electric staple & brad gun, and ME-3G electric staple gun.

Any of these staplers in the future will be able to handle most, if not all, of your upholstery needs.

 

- I have several JK777 staple guns. I'm wondering if the JK20T777L is the same gun?

The Expert: - The “L” stands for the long magazine version. If your magazine extends 6” past the frame of the body you have the “L” version. If not then it is the standard 20T-777 model. Other than the magazine being longer the tool is identical. The benefit of the long magazine is that it has almost double the staple capacity so there is less time used in re-loading the stapler. The drawback is that, in certain applications, the extended magazine might impede what you are trying to staple.

 

 

- For Stapling 4mil to 8 mil plastic and oxwall netting would the a11-16 lm or the 50-16 alm auto. Which one would be better? thanks

The Expert: - They both use similar staples so either will do the job. If you are looking for one where the T50 type staples are very popular and would be readily available where you are then I would go with the A11-16LM.

 

- Hi, I'm inquiring about any cordless staplers able to handle a 5/8 staple for an industrial application. Please contact me with any options available…
Best Regards,
Jay.

The Expert: - Jay, Thank you for your enquiry. There are no cordless electric tackers made that can drive a 5/8” leg length staple. Cordless [or 110V corded] electric staplers do not have sufficient power. However, we have a portable belt-hung CO2 power kit that works in conjunction with several medium/H-D pneumatic gun tackers taking staples up to 2” in length. Please click on the links for more information:

CO2 Regulator Kit
Air Staple Guns

- I build and repair custom poker tables. I am stapling a felt or vinyl product to plywood and pressed board materials. I have no problem when I staple into plywood. When I try stapling into the pressed wood it appears to be too hard to get the staples to go all the way into the board. Most staples go part way in and bend over and have to be pulled out and tried again. I use an electric Arrow ETFX50 gun. I am using 1/4 in 6mm #504 Arrow T50 staples. I also use 8mm staples. My question is, do I need a stronger staple gun or stronger staples? Or both? Do they make stronger staples?

The Expert: - Certain press-board materials are very hard and present difficulties for electric gun tacker staplers. In those applications it is often necessary to switch to a pneumatic stapler using a heavier-gauge staple.

Before determining that, try a test with your present electric stapler: with one hand firmly pressed palm-down on the top of the stapler, staple into the material being used. This is to prevent recoil of the stapler off the surface of the material which wastes energy that otherwise is used to drive the staple flush. If the staple still buckles, or jams in the stapler, you'll need to step up in staple gauge and the associated stapler[s].

It is not necessary to have an air-compressor in order to use a pneumatic stapler; we have a very convenient and efficient CO2 portable cartridge power kit that is economically priced at $99. Please click on the links for further details and information:

CO2 Regulator Kit
Air Staple Guns

- I need advice. We have that Atro stapler(below) in earlier email, we have to staple together roughly a little less than a 1/2" of corrugated sheets together. What is your opinion on which pneumatic pliers would meet our needs.

The Expert: - We recommend either the Salco SP50-10B or the Salco SP50-777. Both use staples suitable for corrugated applications. We also carry the premium priced Bostitch P51-10B which uses the same SB103020 staple as the SP50-10B.

- Which staples would I get for the R106E? I know the 1/4" would be cutting it close for the number of sheets we have to staple. I just want standard staples. I don't know the difference between the flat wire and standard staples. Could you let me know? Thanks.

The Expert: - The 210/6EBS 1/4" staple will staple up to 20 sheets of standard bond paper. Beyond that, the 210/8EBS is required. Make sure to purchase the EBS [Electric Blue Streak ™] staple as standard round-wire staples are too soft and will jam in the electric stapler causing premature stapling head wear. The EBS staple is specifically engineered for use in production electric staplers. 

 

- Do you have pedal operators for this JK model? We are using this stapler to staple hooks on gloves and will mount the stapler to a table. We would like a foot pedal to operate it.

The Expert: - Yes, the JK20T-779L can be fitted with a remote valve trigger and foot-pedal . To do so requires a remote valve kit to replace the finger-trigger, and a separate foot pedal valve assy. The remote valve kit it $219 and the foot-pedal assy is $290. To complete the installation will require a 5mm reducer for the foot pedal air-line which can be purchased from an industrial supply vendor.

The remote kit and foot pedal are special order items with a 7-10 day lead time. To place an order please call our customer service toll-free at 1-877-463-2531. 

 

- Hi there: We are a printing company. We routinely bind booklets that include a fairly heavy cover stock and various weights of text weight paper of up to 100 pound stock interior pages. Usually all of the paper is gloss coated. What gangster units would be most applicable to this application? Thank you!

The Expert: - For booklet applications the R106E Gangster is the correct stapler package. For heavier weight papers and glossy [hard] papers we suggest the R106E Gangster fitted with 44-series heads (With Gang Plank). The 44 head uses a heavier 24 gauge staple in place of the 26 gauge staple used by the standard 66-series head.

 

- Hi! We have a Rapid 105E Stapler and are having trouble stapling 16 pages. We are using the 66/6 210 staples. Is there a way I can use bigger staples in the machine to get a more solid staple? Thanks!

The Expert: - What is the type of the paper being stapled? Is it standard bond, or heavier card/cover stock? Also, are you using standard 210/6 1/4" staples presently?

If you are stapling up to 20 sheets of standard bond paper, the recommended staple is the 210/6 Electric Blue streak staple. A standard 210/6 staple will tend to buckle if used in the R105E to staple more than a few sheets.

If you are stapling heavier card stock, there is a 44-series staple head available for the R105E. It allow the use of heavier 24G staples. The 44 head is a direct interchange for the 66/6-8 head presently in your stapler. Its price is $90.65.

 

- I need a pneumatic clinching stapler to make and repair wood trellises which cannot be securely nailed or stapled with a tacker stapler. I need staples at least 20mm (1 inch) in length to fasten two slats of softwood with a total thickness of 16mm [5/8-inch].

The Expert: - You require a plier type stapler. The only pneumatic plier stapler that uses a staple longer than 15mm [5/8"] is the JK35T-590. It takes wide-crown [24mm, 61/64" width] staples in various lengths up to 32mm [1-1/4"], and produces a tight, secure clinch at the back of the pieces being stapled.

 

- How can I re-enforce the corners of corrugated boxes to make the box stronger?

The Expert: - Double-wall corrugated box corners can be re-enforced by using a pneumatic plier stapler such as the Salco P50, Salco 779, JK20T-779, or for tri-wall applications the JK 35T-590, to staple coated paper angle-board sections into the four corners of a double-wall or tri-wall corrugated box

 

- How can I secure canvas or masonry board into wood or composite frames?

The Expert: - The best solution is a pneumatic staple gun tacker using medium or wide-crown staples [ 3/8", 1/2"] for canvas applications. For masonry board the best choice would be a pneumatic staple gun tacker using narrow-crown staples [3/16", 3/4"]. Fasco F1B 97B-25 is the best option for that application. Note - the staple leg length will depend on the thickness of the mansory board - it should be long enough to penetrate the board and staple it to the frame.

While the narrow-crown staple can also be used in canvas applications there would be some risk of the fabric tearing as it is stretched and under tension at the perimeter of the frame where it is fastened. The wider crown width staple provides greater surface holding power.

 

- Greetings, I have a custom picture framing business and we stretch art canvas over wood bars. I am looking for a staple gun that will accept multiple length staples up to about 3/4". The electric staplers do not have the power to set the staple flush. We currently use a manual gun with the T-50 type stainless steel staples. What would you suggest in a pneumatic type gun? Thank you.

The Expert: - The pneumatic counter-part to the manual gun you're presently using is the F1B 50-16 air-tacker which uses the same T50 type staples. For longer leg lengths, up to 1", the F21T SG-25 pneumatic tacker would be a good choice. It uses a 3/8" crown staple, available in 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", and 1" leg lengths
We also have a belt-hung portable CO2 power kit which can be teamed with any of our pneumatic staplers to eliminate the need for a floor air compressor. 

 

 

The Expert: - We suggest you contact Lotters Draht GmbH & Co., KG in Hemer-Bredenbruch, Germany. We are not aware of any manufacturer of 71-series colored staples, but Lotters makes the wire such staples are made of and may know of a company making the 71 type staple with that wire. The wire is not painted; it is coated with a thin layer of synthetic material which is very durable. It should be suitable for your application IF available in the type you require.

In the likely event the staples are not presently available, it may be possible to have the wire/staples specially made for you, but the minimum order quantity would be substantial. If this is something that is interesting for you, we can make the appropriate enquiry for availability and price. 

 

- Hello, we are looking for a manual stapler to make booklets. The booklet is with the hard cover - our regular stapler can't staple through it?

A very popular manual stapler for booklet applications is our Kangaro HD-23L. It has a 10" long-reach which allows stapling in the center of 11 X 17 stock to make 8 1/2 X 11 booklets. Using high-carbon staples it is capable of stapling up to 140 sheets of standard 120 lb. bond paper. The HD23L Kangaro is very durable for commercial applications and carries a 2 year manufacturer's warranty. 

 

- We are a small company that prepares training and informational materials in the form of booklets for our sales staff. We have been stapling them by hand but would like to speed up the process. What stapler do you have that would be suitable?

The Expert: - The Salco R106 Electronic Gangster ® stapler package is the most popular bindery stapler for fast, efficient stapling of folded 11 X 17 sheets into booklet form. With two stapler units joined by a fiber optic cable it staples quickly and securely for a professional result. Staples up to 50 sheets of paper - a 100-page booklet. The stapler is made in Sweden, and we provide 2 year extended warranty against defects in materials or workmanship.

Another option would be a very popular manual Kangaro HD-23L stapler - it staples up to 140 pages of paper. It uses high carbon staples and can be used for ultra-dense materials.The stapler made in India and sold with 2-year warranty. We provide after sale service - and carry the parts for the staplers we sell.

 

- I need to close the flaps of a corrugated box a few times each day. What would be the right stapler for that?

The Expert: - There are two types of staplers used for securing the flaps of corrugated boxes: A bottomer stapler to build the box from its knocked-down state, and a top carton closing stapler to close the box after filling it with your product. Both types are available in manual carton closing models which are best suited for smaller businesses or where only a few boxes are needed daily.