Shin Tools More than you ever wanted to know about Boba Fett's Paterson Print Squeegee!

[Art Andrews]

The Paterson print squeegee was one of the very first "found parts" I obtained, but it has taken me 15 years to get one that is an exact match to the one Boba Fett most often has on his costume. I say "most often" because I haven't seen all of them and some have surely been lost to time, but I want to share with you what I have learned, and if you are a serious stickler like me, what you want to look for in getting that "perfect" Paterson. From what I have seen, there have been 4 types of Paterson Squeegee (there may be more, but these are what I have found). Here they are, to the best of my knowledge, from oldest to most recent:

TYPE 1 IDENTIFYING MARKS:
The easiest way to ID this squeegee is by the open-ended bottom rail (see arrow in angled shot).
This squeegee does have the Paterson logo in the right location and has the correct patent marks.


TYPE 2 IDENTIFYING MARKS:
THIS IS THE CORRECT SQUEEGEE!!
Unlike its predecessor, this squeegee (and all subsequent iterations) has a closed-ended bottom rail (see arrow in angled shot).
This squeegee has the Paterson logo in the right location and has the correct patent marks.


TYPE 3 IDENTIFYING MARKS:
This squeegee also has a closed-ended bottom rail (see arrow in angled shot).
This squeegee has the Paterson logo in the right location.
However, this squeegee has the incorrect patent marks.


TYPE 4 IDENTIFYING MARKS:
Unless you got lucky or are a real stickler, this is most likely the squeegee you have. These are still sold today.
This squeegee is a darker grey instead of off-white color.
This squeegee has a closed-ended bottom rail (see arrow in angled shot).
This squeegee's Paterson logo has been moved from the face of the squeegee to the top of the backstrap.
This squeegee has no patent marks and just states that it is Made in England.



One final tidbit of information.... IF you happen to find a Type 1 or Type 2 Squeegee here is where you want to cut it. Sorry.... can't help with the others.

 

[RafalFett]

Great info! As always, thanks for sharing!

 

[Viper]

Awesome write up, thank you!

 

[intwenothor]

Art Andrews have you ever seen these with domed covers over the rivet holes?

 

[Art Andrews]

Art Andrews have you ever seen these with domed covers over the rivet holes?

I have but I have never purchased one. I assume those covers are plastic all the way through instead of the rolled pins, but I don't know.

 

[intwenothor]

I have but I have never purchased one. I assume those covers are plastic all the way through instead of the rolled pins, but I don't know.

Thanks, I'll be able to tell you in a week or so.

 

[Art Andrews]

Thanks, I'll be able to tell you in a week or so.

Sweet! Would be great information to have for sure as those could be an untapped treasure if the pins are under those caps... Even if not, you may simply be able to knock them out and put pins in them!

 

[intwenothor]

Pretty much what i was thinking. I was interested because it's the old off white colour. It has the paterson writing on it in black.

 

[hvacdon]

Thanks for all the great info Art !! Good to know .....

 

[Froflo]

Aghh i was so excited i just got one but its the "patended" one! Aghhh!!! i guess the hunt continues! ... now i just need to figure out where to cut this one (the type 3)

 

[Darth Voorhees]

Aghh i was so excited i just got one but its the "patended" one! Aghhh!!! i guess the hunt continues! ... now i just need to figure out where to cut this one (the type 3)

You can see where the pin is in the photo Art posted, and they are all the same size as far as i know, so id just go by the pin location for reference and cut where Arts mark is..i think its around 1/2" or so below the pin.

 

[TheZeroEffect]

Wow details, you can never have enough..
love it Thanks Art

 

[intwenothor]

I meant to post this a while ago but didn't get around to it. As previously mentioned I bought another type of one of these not mention in Art's original post. Instead of the metal pins there are domed covers where they should be. Here are some shots below.

The domes don't cover the pins but are actually instead of the pins. The holes underneath are wider than the ones on the pinned versions and they don't go all the way through to the backside.

The bottom rail features the open end and the patent marks are correct. This is clearly one of the earlier models.

This was one of those parts I thought I'd put to be ages ago. As Art mentioned the type 4 is widely available to today for £25 - £40 and I already had one of those thinking they were all the same but when he made his posts a couple of years ago I had to revisit. Like him I've ended up with a few of these in addition to the one above and encountered some confused ebay sellers who regard asking about patent marks as a little strange. Anyway, the other day I bought the correct version in its original packing. This one is dated for 23/05/1977 and marked at £5.57. Inflation calculator makes that £32.90 so the price has remained pretty consistent over the years.

Oh, one more thing; aside from the marks these squeegees are all pretty much the same with the same proportions as far as I can tell. Art's cut mark through the R of Paterson is 118 mm from the end of the squeegee.

 

[Mugatu]

This is the **** I love about this place.
You and Andy are like detective professor Indiana Jones’ of the prop world. Fascinating.

 

[intwenothor]

Art Andrews were you aware that a company called Jessops also made these?

 

[Art Andrews]

Art Andrews were you aware that a company called Jessops also made these?

I was not! Do they have the same patent information molded into them?

 

[intwenothor]

I was not! Do they have the same patent information molded into them?

I'll let you know in a few days. There's something on there. The shorter arm has the word Jessop moulded onto it near the end.

 

[intwenothor]

I was not! Do they have the same patent information molded into them?

It's the same basic unit as they all are, and shares the same dimensions. It has most in common with the type four in terms of the closed end and the patent markings. Where Paterson is moulded onto the type 4 it says Jessop, which is a photographic retailer over here.

 

[Art Andrews]

Fascinating! Wonder what the history is there?

It's the same basic unit as they all are, and shares the same dimensions. It has most in common with the type four in terms of the closed end and the patent markings. Where Paterson is moulded onto the type 4 it says Jessop, which is a photographic retailer over here.

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[JojoFett95]

Quick question related to the “Paterson Chemical mixer”. Like the Print squeegee, is there a way to date the Chemical mixer to a manufacturer date?, ie : made in the late 70s.