Mystery Machines

[Mechanic]

Mystery Machines
Anyone know what the machines are. The photo was taken in 1902.

[Dave Hughes]

I think I know, but I don't want to spoil it for others.

Would the initials JL be relevant?

[Mechanic]

No Dave but it did have some input to this machines invention.

[Mechanic]

This machine has been a mystery machine on Metal Type before.

[John Cornelisse]

You want us to look through the whole website ? To read all the those old posts ? I have more things to do. Life is short.

A search with mystery machine, just gives only two possibilities... No answer at all, you will end up with all these posts above.

And "unknown machines" ? it reveals no possibilities either.

Whenever you have any answer, why do you wait to give it to us all? Or is it the attention the item gets by stalling the answer... that you do like so much ?

[Mechanic]

John, I don't expect you do anything. I was just trying to give any one interested a hint. There was a time on this site that if you posted a photo of mystery object, there would be a lot of people trying to guess the answer or would know what it was. It would appear that all the old hot metal members have lost interest in Metal Type, which is rather sad. but I guess inevitable.

The machines are Monoline lincasting machines invented in 1892 by Wilbur S. Scudder . If anyone cares.

[John Cornelisse]

I've seen pictures of monoline machines in a few old books, but those were from the front, not from the side.

I know these machines worked nicely, but Linotype did not like the competition of it, and bailed the constructor out. Like they did with the Typograph machine too.