Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-05-16
PAGE 8.
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, proofreaders,
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 III
Vulnerable other mechanical devices, which
none but practical printer knows how to
put into use, must be made.
The preventative art of printing has under
| gone many changes since tie 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
tiers of 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 manufactured
From the plain mnion, such as is seen here,
| the styles vary to designs which leave i'm
| pressions almost as clear and beautiful
those produced by the finest lithographins
| 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 exquistely fancy
styles to suit the different advertisers, and
| the world knows how many other designs
| There are also brass rules, ''slugs," ''chases"
Sticks ETC., all of which are familiar to the
! compositor
To start with, what is type metal? SIT is
a composition of lead, tin, zinc and anti
| mony," said an old printer who has been in
the type making business for forty years.
"The anthony has 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 OF brilliant styles, are nodded,
| and if either of the four metals save the anti
| nony 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 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 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 q teacup, and will cast
| single letter at time. This rude but per-
| feet device was in use for long time in cast
| ing types, and is used yet in small type foun-
| dries. little later on this device of 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 mechanical device so constructed
| as to pump the molten metal into the mold in
all automatic manner This was great step,
and rendered the molding process much more
| rapid. Next the automatic device was inn
4
| 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 1early 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 lettDrs so to two other
| parties, who rub them over files to smooth Off
the rough sides. This planning process is
unique one, and the ''planers" 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." Next the letters go to a person who
| places them side by side OH long tin shelf,
| which is about a 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 500 letters is placed in a long
| wise, and then the rough ends of the long
row are quickly planed off just as the car
| penter planes piece of wood. One OF two
| movements of the plane is all that is necessa-
| ny. The types are now complete and ready for
packing and boxing.
This process of turning out the types re-
| uuires the labor of six persons and although
| 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
| shed. This machine does its work automati-
cally, and is 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
If them are used, as they are so expensive,
ut when they are used types can be made
much cheaper than if hand labor is employed.
then the types come from the molds they
ure bright like newly coined silver dollars.
They are then packed and boxed ready for
shipment. Fonts of type vary in weight
from six pounds upward, some weighing as
| much as 5000 pounds. One of the foundres
Of this city carries as much as 200, 900 pounds
Of type in stock, and if the types of one of
the large papers of the city We're to be de-
stroyed by fire an entirely new outfit could
be supplied at once.-Cincinnati Times-S STAR
Columbus Letter.
The letter of Christopher Columbus to
Queen Isabella of Spain, purchased by Judge
Chamberlain for the Boston Public library
at the auction of the Barlow collection of
Americana in New York, is Latin transla-
ton of the original letter in Spanish. 1t is
quarto bound in morocco antique, with gilt
edges, by Bedford, printed at Rome in 1893.
1t consists of four leaves, of thirty-four lines
to a full page-the size of the leaf being
| Saasx5119 inches. And very fine copy it is.
No copy of the original Spanish letter has
i yet been found, either in manuscript or
print, so that this Latin translation by
Leander de Cosco takes precedence. 1t is
fairly established to be printed in the types
of Stephen Planck of Rome, though without
year or place.
Harrisse, certainly the best authority on
that subject, has accorded this particular i'm.
preston the place of honor, and as copy
irI hold g 20