Intertype Mold Liners

[one stop print]

Does anyone know if Intertype changed mold liners. Recently I obtained (free) a English built C4 Intertype and a crate full of bits and bobs. In a packet was 3 new liners 6pt 10pt and 12pt complete with fixed wedges. The only problem these are on the right hand liner not the left as has been in the past. So a special mould would be needed.

This would have been a great saver for those of us who have lost wedges and had to search round the bottom of the machine trying to find them.

[robfturner]

To my knowledge, there are two liners in each mold. The one on the left is for the left edge of the slug. The one on the right determines the measure of the finished slug. It appears you have three liners, 6, 10 and 12 points for a 30 pica slug.

[David Evans]

Intertype and Linotype measure liners are stamped with both the point size and the ems measure, and are placed in the left hand side of the mould as seen from the front of the machine. Liners for the right hand end are stamped only with the point size.
These liners look to me as though they are ordinary right hand mould liners that have been drilled to accept wedges. This means they could be used upside down at the left hand end of the mould, giving the maximum measure, usually 30ems, unless you have a 42em machine.

You're machine is English-built so make sure you use only English moulds, mould liners, matrices and space bands on it. Even though it's built to use the British-American point system, American and British machines are different.

On Intertypes, British moulds are stamped .843 (the height of a blank slug), and the matrices stamped with a letter E between the point size and the fount reference number. British Linotype matrices have a diamond between the point size and fount reference.

English matrices are struck to a depth of 0.075 inches (75thou), which is then added to the blank slug height to give .918, i.e. type height.

American-made matrices have a struck depth of 0.043 inches. This gives type height of .918 inches when added to the American blank slug height of 0.875.

Don't mix British and American machines and/or parts, keep them separate. Use only English matrices on English machines, and American mats on American machines.

If your machine measure scale goes up to 28 then it's the French Didot system, which I know nothing about!!!

Good Luck.

David

[arthur johnson]

We have two operating C4's at Gulgong Pioneers Museum and a spares machine in storage plus I have another C4 at home, these are all English machines and run American depth mats. In Australia I have only once seen English depth mats on a very early Linotype. At least Intertype built their machines the same both sides of the pond, unlike Linotype where Britain did their own thing. Arthur in Australia.
PS We also have a C3 star base machine built in the USA plus a Model 78 and Elektron both English machines plus a Model 15 American machine. All except the Elektron are working.

[one stop print]

Intertype and Linotype measure liners are stamped with both the point size and the ems measure, and are placed in the left hand side of the mould as seen from the front of the machine. Liners for the right hand end are stamped only with the point size.
These liners look to me as though they are ordinary right hand mould liners that have been drilled to accept wedges. This means they could be used upside down at the left hand end of the mould, giving the maximum measure, usually 30ems, unless you have a 42em machine.

You're machine is English-built so make sure you use only English moulds, mould liners, matrices and space bands on it. Even though it's built to use the British-American point system, American and British machines are different.

On Intertypes, British moulds are stamped .843 (the height of a blank slug), and the matrices stamped with a letter E between the point size and the fount reference number. British Linotype matrices have a diamond between the point size and fount reference.

English matrices are struck to a depth of 0.075 inches (75thou), which is then added to the blank slug height to give .918, i.e. type height.

American-made matrices have a struck depth of 0.043 inches. This gives type height of .918 inches when added to the American blank slug height of 0.875.

Don't mix British and American machines and/or parts, keep them separate. Use only English matrices on English machines, and American mats on American machines.

If your machine measure scale goes up to 28 then it's the French Didot system, which I know nothing about!!!

Good Luck.

David

Thanks but not really. The liners are right handed and after having a look at them again I should have photographed the side they have the letter (C) then the point size.

The only machines that ran English Mats were at the Government Printing Office, plus a few in private hands at Rubber Stamp makers.
All my machines are running American Mats  (my US built Intertype, My Elektron (made in England) and of course this English Built C4.
Over the last 40 years I have run all makes of machines and owned a large number these included  Model 48 & 78 linotypes  a Monarch 4 and a 2 model 8's

My first Intertype was a two magazine model 'B' this was followed by a 3 Magazine Model C3 (star base) and then some C4s plus the Model 78 Linotype.

I was a very lazy operator and had all my machines along one wall and used a office chair  on wheels to move up and down so each machine had different type faces on them.

[Mechanic]

 In Australia all of the Linotype machines that I have had anything to do with were manufactured to the American standard. For example, you could lift a magazine from an American model 31 Linotype and put it on an English model 48. I believe the same holds true for Intertype whether manufactured in the US or England,

Following WW2 it was cost-effective to purchased machinery from England as there were trade agreements between Australia and England. If you could purchase a machine from England that would do the job and you chose to purchase a similar machine from the US you had to pay a substantial import penalty.

[mikefrommontana]

The funny liners are actually right hand liners for Intertype Triangular Shelf Molds for ANY measure.  Traditional recessed molds tend to have certain lengths that cannot be cast because the end of the slug would be in the middle of a slug.  Linotype made special left hand liners that would cover the rib.   

Intertype chose to introduce a new mold line to counter the problem.  They are not common and I would suspect those right hand liners would be handy to somebody with those style of molds.  The molds can be readily spotted as they have a flat on the right hand side, whereas normal recessed molds will have a rib at the right end of the mold cavity.  I presume the same system applies to molds made in England and other overseas markets.

[Alan]

I apologise for this comment, but does mikefrommontana mean "rib" where he has "slug"? The left-hand liners which I saw had double hole [shape like 8] in them for the mould cap to locate in, so that ribs in the mould cap could be displaced to avoid having rib at end of liner. [We had to modify slightly the right-hand cap-retaining bolt of the mould.]

re differing strike depths of matrices and different heights of moulds, this may be because there is a different standard essential for the Rogers vertical rule system, of which I read and heard, but had not ever seen.

Alan.

[Dave Hughes]

I think you might be right Alan, a mistake may have crept in on Mike's posting. I've highlighted it in red.

I think he may have solved the mystery though!

[mikefrommontana]

Yes, it would be rib.  After all, an open rib opening would make for a great squirt.

Thanks for catching that.

[mikefrommontana]

Thought I would bring this up to point out that I have found the original digital posting of the Intertype Mold System booklet (PDF).  It is on a site hosted by Mike Langford, who I believe has machines of this own.  Some other documents are also available at the directory listed here:  http://www.candelapress.us/Linotype/

[Mechanic]

This page is from Intertype's last instruction manual printed in late 50's.
This manual can be found on:-
http://www.urbancottageindustries.com/blog/intertype-manual-book-of-instruction/

It can be down loaded a chapter at a time. The candelpress.us URL no longer works. At least not in Australia