The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1885-03-06

the uscIui metal tnar must DC naru
without being brittle, ductile but tough,
flowing freely and hardening rapidly.
A bar was broken in two. and the
beautiful, Sparkling grain of the metal
shown. About the apartment were
casks of glittering antimony, bars of
yellow copper, dull bricks of lead, and
blocks of tin.
AS the composition melted the man
ut the kettle stirred the molten mass,
and when the proper degree of heat
was reached ladled it out on the molds
that lay on the brick floor ut his feet.
Above the metal-room the bars were
fitted for the printers use. Before a
machine known rs II punch-cutter sat a
man surrounded by a bewildcring ar
ray of delicate tools and guagcs.
"Thcre are very few men of note for
This part of work in the United States, a"
whispered the reporters companion.
at requires a delicacy of touch and
perception that is not easily acquired. F"
On the end of Il piece of steel the work
man at the punch-cutter was forming a
letter. He worked rapidly vet with
caution, frequently testing his gauges
until the letter was complete. Then
other letters of the alphabet were
formed finishing the series.
One by one the dies were placed in a
stamping-machine, an oblong piece of
copper put under them. and then the
great lever was brought down. The
impression was left deep in the copper
This oblong bit of copper is termed the
matrx.
From the punch-cutter the matrices
were carried to an adjoining room,
where the greatest care is exercised in
their fitting up for the mold. The
slightest variation or irregularity was
said to be fatal to the appearance OF
the type cast in them.
Perhaps the most interesting things
about the foundry are the tiny casting
machines that pour out an endless
stream of type as long as they work.
"These snug little fellows" said the
type-founder, patting with his hand
the odd little mass of machinery before
which he stood, lean throw out more
type in one day than man, working
ton hours a day, can count in a
month" The casting-machine is the
invention of David Bruce, Jr., of New
York.
The metal is kept fluid by little
furnace underneath the machine and is
projected into the mold by pump.
The mold is movable, and at every
revolution of the crank is brought to
the spout, where it receives fresh
charge of the metal. A spring in front
of the mold holds close to it copper
matrix, and the stamp Of the letter on
the matriX is directly opposite the
aperture of the mold which meets the
spout of the pump.
In l'oxes the new-made type is car
ried to the dressing-room, where
around large stones the boys are kept
busy rubbing away the rough edges on
the type. The lads wear leather glove
fingers for protection. AS the type is
rubbed smooth each letter is set up in
long lines.
From the nimble-fingered boys the
lines of type pass into the hands of the
dresser, who has beside him powerful
magnifying-glass. The dresser deity
slips line of type into long stick
similar in shape to that used by print
ers, face downward, screws them up
tight, and with two rapid movements
of planing-tool cuts the grove in the
bottom of the type. This operation is
known as giving the type legs.
''They must have something to stand
on" said the good-natured looking
dresser. After that, with the magnify
ing glass, the face of the line is criti-
cally inspected and imperfect ones
thrown aside to be returned to the
melting-pot.
This operation practically ends the
making of type" said the founder.
"Afterward the different letters are
put up in what we call pages, and
| are ready to be sent out" The ma
trices and mold, of which the foundry
has a collection numbering many thous-
ands, are kept, when not in use, in a
fireproof vault. They are very valu-
able, representing, as they do, the col
lection of many years of labor.
A complete font of type may be COM
prised under nine heads, as follows
Capitals A, small capitals b, lower
case C, figures, points, spaces, EN- and
en- quadrates, two and three EN- quad
rates, and accents.
| Printers divide font of letters into
two classes-upper-case and lower
case sorts. The upper-case are CAPT.
tails, small capital letters, and refer.
ences; the lower-case consists of small
letters, double letters, figures, points,
and quadrates. = Philadelphia Times.