Yesterday’s Technology . . . Today!
Historical items
Taken from the book “Operation and Mechanism of the Linotype and Intertype” by J Ashworth, first published in 1955.
Used with Linotypes and Intertypes, these saws extend the scope of work from the keyboard to cover line measures from one em to lines of any length. Very narrow measures can be set as normal-measure work at the keyboard, and the slugs cut on the saw to the measures required.
Taken from the book “Operation and Mechanism of the Linotype and Intertype” by J Ashworth, first published in 1955.
The Intertype Fotosetter, many models of which are in commercial use in the United States, is similar in appearance and general operation to the standard Intertype slug machine.
Taken from the book “Operation and Mechanism of the Linotype and Intertype” by J Ashworth, first published in 1955.
THIS specially-designed TTS Linotype apart from its special high-speed features, is manufactured and equipped on similar lines to the standard Model 48.
Taken from the book “Operation and Mechanism of the Linotype and Intertype” by J Ashworth, first published in 1955.
1, a display slug partially stripped; 2, the control knob of the slug-holding clamp; 3, a slug stripped ready for use; 4, the type metal gauge block; 5, the micrometer gauge, calibrated in thousandths of an inch.
Matt Henderson, of Henderson Printing, 7627 B Hull Street Rd, Richmond, Virginia, USA kindly sent in these logos that he’s been working on recently. Matt is keen to get his hands on more logos that he can turn into high quality artwork.
Higher-resolution versions of these images are available for download in a zip file here: Metal Type Library – Miscellaneous.
This article appeared in “Operation and Mechanism of the Linotype and Intertype, Volume II” by J Ashworth, published in 1955.
The Intertype composing stick attachment includes a special setting stick, similar to a composing stick, for easy hand assembling of lines of matrixes and spacebands, and a special hinged first elevator head for quick insertion and withdrawal of hand-set matrix and spaceband lines.
This photographic postcard, which the seller said probably dated from the 1930s-40s, was recently offered for sale on Ebay.
The following was printed on the reverse of the postcard:
Many thanks to Robin Kenworthy for sending in this article, originally published in a book called “Typographical Printing Surfaces” shortly after 1907. The Graphotype was an early rival to the Monotype system, but had the keyboard and casting system in the one machine.
Robin has a museum-worthy collection of machines, type and matrices as well as an extensive library on the subject of letterpress.
Tony Shaffstall from Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, got in touch with Metal Type to give us details of the Shaffstall Transistor Mat Detector that his father (Everett G Shaffstall) invented.
Tony sent in the patent application (10 pages with some nice illustrations) dating from 1960 and a 1965 copy of the Installation Instructions and Trouble Diagnosis (72 pages).
Deep in the countryside of Wiltshire, in the UK, lies the disused World War Two Airbase RAF Wroughton. In six huge, decaying hangars named in typical military style: L1, L2, etc. lie thousands of the modern world’s greatest treasures, guarded round-the-clock by British Army veterans.
The Airbase acts as a storage facility for the Science Museum. The Museum’s public face in South Kensington can only show eight per cent of their massive collection.