The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-11-04
THE STORY OF
THE TYPES
SOME OF THE IRREGULARITIES OF
METAL THAT MAKE TYPE
FOUNDING POSSIBLE.

| plain Printing Types" is the follow
ing interesting and instructive disser-
tation on the subject of type and type
metal:
The most remarkable popularity Of
! type-metal isthat it shrnks so little
after being cast-a property not found
to so great a degree in any other useful
| alloy. Harder metals which must be
melted at more intense heat must
necessarily shrink in a corresponding
ratio, and this shrinkage is injurious
to accuracy. Nor do the harder metals
so truly fill the molds or make perfect
casts.
The density of typemetal is a real al
vantage. Although melted at a COM
paratively low heat, it fills the mold
and matriX with remarkable solidity,
and reproduces the finer lines of the
matrix with great -eXactness.
Another great merit in type-metal is
it's ability to resist civilization. 1t takes
much usage to dim it's brightness; it
does not rust Ike iron or steel, nor
show corrosion like copper and brass.
These useful properties are gained only
at the expense of DURABILITY. The hard
est types soon wear out. When Daily
newspapers of large circulation were
printed direct from the type, it was
often found necessary to renew the
fonts after few months of service. To
| jobbing type the damage by wear is
even greater; the beauty of script and
hairline types is sometimes destroyed
by one month of service.
Ever since types were invented,
founders have studied to make them
harder and more durable. Great i'm
provement has been effected, but
point seems to have been reached be-
yond which additional hardness is no
| longer an advantage. Every good
founder could make his type harder
but only at vastly increased expense.
The harder alloy would require greater
heat to melt it: the metals used would
be more expensive; the mOlds and ma
chimes would wear out rapidly; the
speed would be slower and the type
not so accurate.
The durability of types is materially
affected by size and cut Of face. With
kind usage a font of plea may receive
a million impressions before it will oe
condemned with the same treatment
a font of pearl may be worn out with
less than a hundred thousand impres-
sions. Yet the pearl is always of Il
| harder metal. The difference in
durability is caused by the difference in
face. In the size of plea, the counters
| are broad and deep; the hairline and
body marks will wear down and flatten
out to a great degree before the face
will show muddiness or illegibility. In
the smallersize of pearl the counters
are necessarily shallow; the hairlines
and body marks are thinner and closer
together. 1t requires more impression
to print the pearl properly this impress
sion, meeting with less resistance, soon
wears down the thinner lines.
The amount of wear that types may
receive cannot be stated in figures.
Brewer and minion have sometimes
received two millions of readable i'm
pressions upon newspaper work but the
thick presswork from types worn by
more than one million of impressions
would be accepted only by newspaper
| publisher. Many book publishers would
reject small types that had received
but three hundred thousand impressions
| For the finest letter work, the limit
would be put very low. Typography
with characters entirely faultless can
be had only from new type. For type
| founders specimens and for sumptuous
books new types are always provided.
They are never reset, but are con-
| demned to the melting kettle after their
first use.
The repeated handling of types is as
injurious as the impression of the ma
q mill OF
pressions may be obtained from small
types skillfully made ready if these inn
pressions are taken from one form; but
if the types are repeatedly distributed
and reset for many different forms they
will not furnish one1fth of that num-
Der. The wear of types in the compo-
sing room is much greater than is com
monty supposed They are bruised and
battred in distribution and in compost
ton, in making up, and especially by
planning down and correction The
molding process of stereotyping is re-
markedly Injurious. Proving with a
brush, or molding by the PAPER mache
method Is more destructive, in most
cases, than any kind of printing ma
chine. Nor can a more destructive
agent be found than the stiff scrubbing
brush which is used, often by unskill-
ed hands, to clean the forms from the
ink after they have left the press. The
durability of types is also affected by
their uncleanliness and the want Of care
they may receive If they are not tho
roughly cleansed Immediately after TAX
ing proof or on leaving press, if dust
and paper hbres are allowed to settle
In the counters and harden with the
drying ink and If the sediment of the
I've and turpentine used for cleansing
Is allowed to collect-a thick, tenacious
deposit will soon be formed, which can
not be removed without nearly destroy
ing the type. The counters OF a font
of type so neglectfully treated will soon
hAnAnnla AllAl L