Yesterday’s Technology . . . Today!
Historical items
The “Mickey Mouse” was a linecaster that was used to produce display or outsize type up to 60 point. It was invented by M.H. Whittaker.
The “Mickey Mouse” was built using old, stripped-down star-based Model 1 Linotypes. They included several inventions patented by Whittaker. The matrices were kept in cabinets separate to the machine.
The Model 4 was introduced in 1908. It was the first hot-metal linecaster with the capacity to hold three magazines of matrices. It had a single distributor to return matrices to their magazines after use.
An automatic font distributor prevented the matrices entering the wrong magazine. The Model 4 was the first machine to be equipped with an automatic quadder.
John R. Rogers invented the Typograph in 1890. It was a simple linecaster, and so cheaper to buy than more complex machines. The Typograph was marketed to small print shops rather than to newspaper printers.
Its matrices were suspended on wires. As the operator selected characters from the keyboard, the corresponding matrix slid down the wire to the assembly point. After use the operator tilted back the frame of wires, and the matrices slid back to their original positions.
Built in Manchester, this Square-Based Model 1 Linotype is one of the first British-made linecasters. The model’s square base was later made smaller, and then changed to a star shape.
Model 1 Linotypes had a 90-character keyboard. The back-loaded single magazine could take matrices up to 11 point in type size.
THE WHITTAKER COLLECTION of linecasters was put together by Mr H Peter Whittaker whose company sold and repaired linecasters.
The collection is currently in storage room 2 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.
To see the various machines, use the Related Pages menu.
Mike Wilson sent in this account, along with photographs, of his recent visit to the American South West.
Says Mike: ” During a three-week visit to the American South-West, I saw more printing equipment than I had seen for years.
Taken from a Linotype brochure published in Berlin in the 1930s. Some quite unusual machines.
Linotype fan? Don’t miss the Linotype Chat section of the Metal Type Forum.
Thanks to Teo Pelho, from Finland, for sending in these pictures, taken at the Deutsches Museum, Munich and the Gutenberg Museum, Mainz, Germany.
I have very little information about the pictures, so if you think you can “flesh out” any of the captions, please post your suggestions here. Please refer to the pictures by number.
Thanks to Don Mountain for sending in this material that documents the completion and delivery of the 200,000th Heidelberg press in 1968/69.
This article was published in “Seclarion” the newsletter of Seligson & Clare (Aust) Pty Ltd, the Australian Agents for Heidelberg at that time.
Many thanks to Flickr user Gridula for allowing these photographs that he took at the John Jarrold Printing Museum, in Norwich, Norfolk, UK to be used on Metal Type.
Says Gridula: “An absolutely stunning example of a smaller Soldan Lightning Proof Press. I didn’t even know this was in the museum so when I walked round the corner and saw this I nearly fell over.