New member: Franz Hennies

[Franz]

I am not sure it is customary to present one self here, but I will do it anyway:

I was born in 1974 and grew up in Hamburg, Germany. Since 2006 I live in Lund in Sweden. I have a PhD in physics and work in the scientific management of an international research center.

At the age of 10, I first learned manual typesetting in the letterpress workshop of the local arts and community center MOTTE in Hamburg. When I was 12 a Linotype 4b moved in and I started my apprenticeship there. This was really my part time, others played hockey.

When I was about 16, I was allowed to use the printing presses, a hand fed Hohner gally platen and a Windmill.

In 1997, as student work, I successfully put the Linotype Quadriga at the Museum der Arbeit in Hamburg into operation and demonstrated, including TTS. Unfortunately, its operation turned out to be too complex for museum use, so it stands there unused.

After moving to Sweden, I didn't have touch any lead until one year ago.

Now I found the Grafiska Museet in Helsingborg and became a (bord) member. I am working on getting a 1936 Intertype into better shape, it runs, but needs some love. And a I recently started a "remote" apprenticeship with Erich Hirsch at the Museum der Arbeit in Hamburg, learning their late model monotype with unit shift. A lot of book reading and occasional visits. I will eventually post some more here about both.

PS: The picture is historical, but not posed. "Setzergeselle" is of course fake news, eternal apprentice is more accurate.

[Dave Hughes]

Welcome to the Forum @Franz

Thanks for posting your introduction, including the picture of you at a Linotype at the age of 12!

Here's one of me sat at a Linotype at the age of 18:



As you probably know, there has been some excitement on here recently about the German "new line" linecasters. Bruce Anderson wrote a great article about them here: German "new line" Linotypes

There was an earlier discussion on the Europa model here: Linotype Europa