Mexican Monotype Meddling?

[Dave Hughes]

Video of a Monotype being operated in Mexico.

Not sure what these guys are doing. It looks like they are just casting a few "sorts."

I've never used a Monotype but it looked like they weren't using the standard matrix block.

Also, near the end where they were squirting the metal up, looked a little unprofessional!


Monotype Machine - Hot Metal Typesetting

[John B Easson]

Great stuff.
I'd have loved to have had a translation - looked like an explanation going on. The matrix looked like a US Lanston display one to me, in the special holder used for casting on the Composition Caster one character at a time. The metal squirting at the end is perfectly normal to check the nozzle is clear, and I think was just to show the nozzle and molten metal in this case! I was intrigued by the stripped-down look of the machine - mine (a UK one) has lots on the top hiding the wedges he demonstrates at one point, and over the controls as well: maybe the machine was only used for casting this way, not for normal composition work.

[Eric Brown]

Far from messing around these guys were demonstrating a Monotype Sorts caster, I have not seen one quite like this as it looks like a cross between a composition caster with the complicated gearing system of a Super caster. It has no air tower for taking the spool paper of a composition caster, but unlike a super caster it looks like it will not cast leads and rules as it has no cutting mechanism.

[Dave Hughes]

I stand corrected.

As I mentioned in my original post, I have never really had much experience with the Monotype system.

I just thought the video looked interesting - as it has proved to be.

This Monotype section was recently introduced to Metal Type, following a request from a site user.

I'm glad it's proving to be interesting.

[John Cornelisse]

These people are operating a type&rule caster, with the holder for american matrices, than the tongs are not needed, and those can be taken away.

the diecase is put in a fixed position, all type are made in this single position. (G or H

like a super-caster only single characters are cast.

the correction wedges cannot be adjusted on the normal way, but are placed in the right position manually.

[John Cornelisse]

There's a lot more missing on this machine.

besides the papertower...

missing on this machine:

- the springbox and its cam
- the locking bar cam lever and the mechaniism to lock the bars
- all the pins are missing,
- the galley-mechanism at the front
- the tray above the galley-mechanism
- the matrix-case is always in a fixed position

therefor this machine is only to be used sorts, using american super caster mats,
and it cannot be used for texts.

[Keri Szafir]

What is more - the caster looks like it has always been like that. I'd say it was built as a type&rule caster, and not a composition caster.
After studying some plates in the English spare parts book, it occurs that they also made a simpler non-composing machine based on the composition caster, but vastly simplified.

The justification pin block is not there (instead, a solid piece of metal without holes in it), some of the unneeded cam levers are not installed (most notably: for the tongs springbox).
The diecase is actually not in fixed position, it can be moved by means of hand-operated draw rods instead of the tongs mechanism.

Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQf4dSMei3o and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVlqbK9df4Y you can see a simmilar machine and its matrix case positioning system. Rather than being "stripped down" - it was not "built up" in the first place.