The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-06-06
HOT sPRINGssTAR.
BENEDICT & HANFoRp,
PRoPRlEroRs.
IN THE TYPE

IN THE TYPE FOUNDRY.
Manufacture ofthe valuable little pieces
ofmctal.
The man who reads his morning pa.
per, and has no knowledge Of the vast
amount Of mechanical labor required to
turn out a 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 COM
positors, pressmen, proofreaders, mail
ing 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 innumerable other
mechanical devices. which none but a
practical printer knows how to put into
use, must he made.
The preservative art of printing has
undergone 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.
Areporter 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 letters Of great
newspaper. Large type foundrics 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 nan
ufactured. From the plain Roman,
such as is seen here, the styles vary to
designs which leave impressions almost
as clear and beautiful as those produc-
ed by the finest lithographing stones.
Then again there are styles so small
that the printed letters cannot he made
out with the naked eye. Others which
are so large that they measure six feet
height. Beautiful script letters which
look like ones own handwriting ideal
lied, exquisitely fancy styles to suit
the different advertisers, and the world
knows how many other designs. There
are also brass rules, ;'slugs,'" chascs,"
sticks etc, all of which are familiar
to the compositor.
To start with, what is type metal?
1T is a composition of lead, tin, zinc
and antimonv,' said an old printer who
has been in the type making business
for forty years. 1.-THE antlmony has a
peculiar property. Almost all metals
contract while cooling, and this proper
ty in itself would interfere greatly with
the type making business.
"You see, the little types. even the
smallest diamond or brilliant STYLES,
are nodded, and If either of the four
metals saw the anthony was used
alone in making the letters a perfectly
clear outlina could not be obtained,
although the molds were filled with
molten metal, because when it cooled 1T
would contract, and as a result would
destroy the clear outline Of the very
minute types. With the large letters
so much care would not have to be
taken. Now, the metal anthony has
the peculiar property of expanding
while cooling, and for this reason it is
invaluable to the type makers. 1t ex-
pands 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 a little device about as large as a
teacup, and will cast a single letter at
a time. This rude but perfect device
was in use for a long time in casting
types; tits used yet in small type foun-
dries. A little later on this device of
a mold was improved and made more
useful. Originally the molten metal
had to be poured into the mold by hand
but one of the first steps in the i'm.
provement Of this rude mold was to at.
tacli it to mechanical device so con.
structed as to pump the molten metal
into the mold in an automatic manner
This was a great step, and rendered
the moulding process much more rapid.
Next the automatic device was lmpro.
we'd so that two or three molds could be
placed on a single machine, all of the
molds being filled by the automatic
pumps. This method of casting the
types is the one SO extensively used
throughout the country.
THE FINISHING TOUCHES.
When the little, shining metal let.
tiers are first cast they are not yet fin.
I:,L.S ul.-.