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Thought I would share this here after I finished writing it and posting on another forum. CastBoolits.
History of Linotype.
The Linotype bar was called a PIG. Linotype had to be harder than regular lead when it cools to last for hundreds if not thousands of impressions of printing. A bit of a history lesson from a guy who ran a Linotype machine for a short period of time. The pig was suspended over a melting pot that injected the hot metal into a bank of gathered molds (matts) stacked together to form a line (Sentence or other info) of type for a platen type press. Usually about 4 to 6 inches in length. These lines of cast type would be gathered together in the proper order to form the page or proper size of raised type. Then locked in to a frame (chase) placed in the press and charged with ink. Pressed directly on to the paper. Should you ever read a cast line of type you will notice it is reverse lettering or mirror image of the text to be printed. The Linotype machine was a technological advance from gathering up each letter from a jobcase full of individual letters and setting the text by hand. It was like a giant typewriter with wheels and motors a humming. It also dod not use the now standard QWERTY keyboard. Keys were mechanical like an old Remington typewriter. Something right out of the H.G Wells era.
Though Linotype machines are rarely used any more, we bullet casters benefit from the surplus alloy that was needed for the printing industry.
If you look to the left edge center of the picture you can see the PIG suspended in the Linotype machine.
History of Linotype.
The Linotype bar was called a PIG. Linotype had to be harder than regular lead when it cools to last for hundreds if not thousands of impressions of printing. A bit of a history lesson from a guy who ran a Linotype machine for a short period of time. The pig was suspended over a melting pot that injected the hot metal into a bank of gathered molds (matts) stacked together to form a line (Sentence or other info) of type for a platen type press. Usually about 4 to 6 inches in length. These lines of cast type would be gathered together in the proper order to form the page or proper size of raised type. Then locked in to a frame (chase) placed in the press and charged with ink. Pressed directly on to the paper. Should you ever read a cast line of type you will notice it is reverse lettering or mirror image of the text to be printed. The Linotype machine was a technological advance from gathering up each letter from a jobcase full of individual letters and setting the text by hand. It was like a giant typewriter with wheels and motors a humming. It also dod not use the now standard QWERTY keyboard. Keys were mechanical like an old Remington typewriter. Something right out of the H.G Wells era.
Though Linotype machines are rarely used any more, we bullet casters benefit from the surplus alloy that was needed for the printing industry.
If you look to the left edge center of the picture you can see the PIG suspended in the Linotype machine.
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