Printing blanket holding bar

A printing blanket holding bar insertable in a generally rectangular axially disposed channel formed in a cylindrical blanket holding reel for anchoring one end of a printing blanket on the blanket holding reel, said bar comprising a generally U-shaped base member having a bight and a pair of legs extending from the opposite ends of said bight adapted to be slidably received within said channel with the outer surface of said legs being disposed in interfacial relation with the side walls of said axially disposed channel and with the upper surface of said bight being disposed in an increasing depth chordal relation relative to the surface of said blanket holding reel and an integral blanket clamping arm hingedly connected to the lower end of the bight portion of said base member, thereby forming a jaw opening toward a first side wall of the channel and adapted to cooperate with the upper surface of the bight portion of said base member to clamp an end portion of the printing blanket therebetween, the one of said legs adjacent said first channel sidewall forming an acute included angle with the upper surface of said bight and said second leg being parallel thereto, said clamping arm having an upper arcuate outer surface formed such that when the generally U-shaped base member of the printing blanket holding bar is inserted in the channel with said upper outer surface of said clamping arm lying across the channel, the marginal edge of said upper outer surface of said clamping arm is disposed in substantially flush continuous facing relation with the top edge of a second side wall of the channel, and wherein the upper surface of the bight remote from the hinged connection of said clamping arm is disposed in substantially flush continuous facing relation with a top edge of the first side wall of the channel.