Yesterday’s Technology . . . Today!
Historical items
Thanks largely to John Nicholson of Hamilton, NZ, the Model K Elrod which had been in storage at the Taranaki Aviation Transport And Technology Museum (TATATM), New Plymouth, is now operational.
To the writer’s knowledge, the Model K had been in the lean-to store of the museum, on a heavy wooden plank base since its arrival at the museum and never used since de-commissioning at the donor’s premises (Taranaki Newspapers Ltd., New Plymouth) around 1985.
The fascinating story of how a new version of this old machine came to be manufactured in 1960.
Article taken from The History of the Printer by Dr. James Eckman, published in 1965 by North American Publishing Company, Philadelphia, USA.
Many thanks to the Rutgers University Libraries, John Depol Collection for permission to use this picture.
On July 3, 1886, seated at the keyboard of his new machine, Ottmar Mergenthaler handed to Whitelaw Reid a slug of metal. Reid exclaimed, “It’s a line-of-type!” Thus was christened the forerunner of today’s modern linecasting machine: the Linotype.
Details of the APL (Linotype’s version of the Ludlow) taken from “Linotype Machine Principles” published in 1940.
THE ALL-PURPOSE LINOTYPE (APL) is a complete, self-contained unit for the casting of type in the form of slugs, in faces ranging from 6 point to 144 point; for casting of furniture, rules, borders, decorative and spacing material from 6 to 72 point body, and 42 picas in length.
FEATURES of the Linotype Assembly Mechanism taken from “Linotype Leadership” published in 1930 by the Mergenthaler Linotype Company.
1 – Swinging Keyboard
2 – Removable Keyboard cams
3 – Single Power-Driven Keyboard
4 – Keyboard Lock
5 – Escapement
6 – Die-Cut Cams and One-Piece Yoke
7 – Keyboard Rubber Roll
8 – Complete Bank of Key Bars Removable as a Unit
9 – Assembler Front
10 – Assembler Entrance Cover
11 – Geared Assembler Drive
12 – Offset Assembling Elevator
13 – Endless Matrix Delivery Belt
14 – Assembler with Quick-Removable Star Wheel
15 – Rapid Change of Measure
16 – Line Delivery Carriage
17 – Assembler Slide Roller Bearing
18 – Assembling Elevator
19 – Adjustable Spaceband Key
20 – Linotype Spaceband and Slide
21 – Four Thicknesses of Spacebands
Many thanks to Terry Foster for sending in this picture and article he found in a book called “Victorian Inventions.”
Recently, on 6th August 1882, Monsieur Abel Pifre, a French Engineer, demonstrated the solar engine invented by him at a meeting of the Union Francaise de la Jeunesse held at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.
Ruben Brizuela, from Argentina, sent in this excellent graphic of a Model 1 Linotype, serial No. 5788, in full working order, that he would like to sell.
I’m not sure how rare the Model 1 is, but judging by the graphic the machine looks in good condition and worth preserving.
Peter Ainsworth sent in these photos, the man at the Monotype Caster is Peter. The photos come from a Mouldtype brochure.
Monotype fan? Don’t miss the Monotype Chat section of the Metal Type Forum.
Many thanks to Ralph Voogd for sending in this photo and caption.
This picture was taken when I was working at the Albuquerque Journal-Tribune, in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA, back in the mid ’70s. It appeared in an issue of the ITU Review.
A Model 31 Linotype at the International Printing Museum, plus some other pics, kindly donated by Dr Leland Whitson.