Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-04-05
IN THE TYPE FOUNDRY.
MANUFACTURE OF THE VALUABLE
LITTLE PIECES OF METAL.

paper Making Is ProduCed-The Most
Absolute Accuracy and Nicely Required.
Wide Range of Size and Style.
The man who reads his morning or evening
paper, and has no knowledge of the vast
amount of mechanical labor required TO turn
out nicely printed sheet, may think that
the production of newspapers is an easy task
He is sadly mistaken. 1t requires much hard
and unpleasant labor to make a newspaper
The compositors, pressmen, proofreadeIs,
mailing clerks, reporters and editors have
their share of work. There is yet another
class Of workmen who pave the way for even
the compositors The types, presses, and in
Vulnerable other mechanical devices, which
none but practical printer knows how to
put into use, must be made.
The preservative art of printing has under
gone many changes since the first types were
invented Even since the first type foundry
was established in Cincinnati marvellous
changes have been made, and the gentleman
who established the first type foundry in this
city can tell wonders about the printing
business.
CASTING THE TYPES.
| A reporter visited one of the large type
foundries of this city yesterday and gathered
some information about the little pieces of
metal which print the almost countless let
ters of a great newspaper. Large type foun-
dries do not confine their work TO the making
OF the little types such as are used in print
ing this article but, on the contrary, all
sizes, shapes and designs are manufactured.
From the plain minion, such as is seen here,
the styles vary to designs which leave inn
pressions almost as clear and beautiful as
those produced by the finest lithographing
stones.
Then again there are styles so small that
| the printed letters cannot be made out with
the naked eye Others which are so large
that they measure six feet in height. Beau
tiful script letters which look like ones own
handwriting idealized, exquisitely fancy
styles to suit the different advertisers, and
the world knows how many other designs
There are also brass rules, ''slugsn "chases,n
''sticks, ETC., all of which are familiar to the
compositor
To start with, what is type metall at is
composition of lead, tin, zinc and anti
mony," said an old printer who has been in
the type making business for forty years.
"The antimony has a peculiar property. AL
most all metals contract while cooling, and
this property in itself would interfere greatly
with the type making business.
"You see the little types, even the small
est diamond or brilliant styles, are nodded,
and If either OF the four metals save the anti
mony was used alone in making the letters a
perfectly clear outline could not be obtained,
although the molds were filled with molten
metal, because when it cooled it would con-
tract, and as a result would destroy the clear
outline of the very minute types, With the
l., 1.Ak
be taken. Now, the metal antimony has the
peculiar property of expanding while cool
ing, and for this reason it is invaluable to the
type makers. 1t expands and fills even the
smallest mold; hence the perfect outline of
metal types"
He showed the reporter one of the primitive
molds used in making type. 1t is little de-
vice about as large as a teacup, and will cast
a single letter at a time. This rude but per-
feet device was in use for a long time in cast
ing types, and is used yet in small type foun-
dries. A little later on this device of u mold
was improved and made more useful. Orig
inally the molten metal had to be poured into
the mold by hand, but one of the first steps
in the Improvement of this rude mold was TO
attach it to amechanical deviceso constructed
as to pump the molten metal into the mold in
an automatic manner. This was great step,
and rendered the molding process much more
rapid. Next the automatic device was inn
proved so that two or three molds could be
placed on a single machine, all Of the molds
being filed by the automatic pumps. This
method Of casting the types is the one so ex-
tensively used throughout the country.
THE FINISHING TOUCHES.
When the little, shining metal letters are
first cast they are not yet finished. There is "a
projection on one end nearly as long as the
type itself. AS soon as the letters are nodded
they go to person who breaks off the pro
jections Next the letters go to two other
parties, who rub them over files TO smooth off
the rough sides. This planning process is a
unique one, and the ''planersn must be ex-
perts. The little letters are pushed first one
way over the rough surface of the file, then
back again, all in a second, by the expert
'planer.H Next the letters go to a person who
places them side by side OH "a long tin shelf,
which is about q yard in length. This tin
shelf has one edge turned up so that the long
row of letters may be placed along the shelf
in an even manner.
As fast as the shelves are filled they go to
another "planer," who, however, does his
work much more rapidly than the ones be-
fore mentioned. He planes off the lower or
blunt end of the letter. The shelf, which
holds at least 800 letters, is placed in a long
wise, and then the rough ends of the long
row are quickly pIaned off just as the car
penter planes a piece of wood. One or two
movements of the plane is all that is pecessa-
ry. The types are now complete and ready for
packing and boxing.
This process Of turning out the types re-
quires the labor of six persons, and although
a rapid one as compared with the original
one, is considered too slow by the enterpris-
ing type maker. A new machine has been
recently invented. The rough type metal is
placed In the machine and comes out in the
shape Of nicely moulded types completely fin
ished This machine does its work automati-
cally, and is a marvellous piece OF mechanism.
1t does the work of six men and does it better.
These machines are not any larger than
small hand press, but cost 81 500. Very few
of them are used Gs they are so expensive,
but when they are used types can be made
much cheaper than If hand labor is semployed.
When the types come from the molds they
are bright like newly coined silver dollars.
They are then packed and boxed ready for
Fonts Of type vary ia weight
from six pounds upward, some weighing as
much as 1900 pounds. One OF the foundries
of this city carries as much Ss 10000 pounds
Of type in stock, and il tine types Of one OF
the large papers OF the city were to DO de-
stroyed by fire an entirely new outfit could
be supplied at ce.-Cincinnati TmesStar.