The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1885-04-30
MAKING TYPE.
An Hour Among tho Skilled Workman in
q Type-Foundry.

""iN 'hlouSh ~ typC-lOunury
yesterday morning by Times reporter
the following words from MotIev's
Rise Of tho Dutch Republic" wero
quoted by the founder, who accompa-
MED the reporter through his establish
ment, in referring to the art of print
ing:
"At the very epoch when the great
ness of Burgundy was most swiftly
ripcning, another weapon was secretly
forging, more potent in the great
struggle for freedom than any which
the wit or hand of man has ever de-
vised or welded"
'It may not be generally known"
said the typc-founder, that the first
quarto bible printed in America was
the work of Christopher Saucr, of Ger
mantown, who there in 1885 estab-
lished type foundry, but it is to sec
how type is made that you come"
Let us begin with the metal room"
About the place where the amalgam
of which type is made were piled hun
dreds of bar of the metal. At the fur
ther end of tho room q master work
man threw into tho great kettle cer-
tain proportions Of copper, antmony,
lead, and tin. This is the amalpam,
the exact proportions of which produce
the useful metal that must be hard
without being brittle, ductilc but tough.
1iowlng freely and hardening rapidly.
a bar was broken in two, and tho
beautiful, sparkling grain of the metal
shown. About tho apartment were
casks of glittcring antimony, bars of
yellow copper, dull bricks of lead, and
blocks of tin
AS tho composition melted the man
at 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 at his feet.
Above the mctal-room tho bars wcro
lifted for the printers use. Before
machlne known as punch-cutter sat a
man surrounded by bcwilderinp ar
ray OF delicate tools and guagos.
There arc very fow men of note for
this part of work in tho United States. :"
whispered the reporters companion.
'lt requires a delicacy of touch and
perception that is not easily acquired. !"
On the end of a 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 tho series.
One by one tho dies were placed in n
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
matrix.
From the punch-cuttcr the matrices
were carried to an adjoining room,
their fitting up for the mold. The
slightest variation or irregu,arity was
said to be fatal to tho appearance of
the type cast in them.
Perhaps the most interesting things
about tho foundry are the tiny casting
machines that pour out an endless
stream of type as long as they work.
"These snug little fellows5 said tho
typc-founder, patting with his hand
the odd little mass of machinery before
which he stood, lean throw out moro
! type in one day than man, working
ten hours 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 4 fresh
charge of the metal. A spring in front
of tho mold holds close to it copper
matriX, and the stamp of tho letter on
the matrix is directly opposite the
aperture of the mold which meets tho
spout of the pump.
In boxes the new-madc type is car
ried to the drcssing-room, where
around large stones tho boys arc kept
busy rubbing away the rough edges on
the type. The lads wear leather glovo
fingers for protection. AS the type is
rubbed smooth each letter is set up in
long lines.
From the nimblc-fngcred boys the
lines of type pass into the hands of tho
dresser, who has beside him powerful
magnifyingeglaSS The dresser dcftly
slips line of type into q long stick
similar in shape to that used by print
ors, 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.
''Thcy 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 tho
mclting-pot.
"'Thi' Iteration practically ends tho
making of typc,n said the founder.
"AttGrward the different letters arc
put up in what we call pages, and
are ready to be sent out" Tho ma
triccs and mold, of which the foundry
has n collection numbering many thous-
ands, arc kept, when not in use, in
lircproof 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
prlscd under nine heads, rs follows:
Capitals A, small capitals Z, lower
case C, figures, points, spaces, en- and
en- quadratcs, two and three en- quad
rates, and accents.
fimtcrs divide font Of letters into
tNN-H nln