Improvements in Linotype Casting Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 15th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 10th Feb., 1900
Improvements in Linotype Casting Machines.
I, HENRY JAMES DERBYSHIRE, of the Ohio State Journal, Columbus, in the
County of Franklin and State of Ohio, United States of America, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows;—
This invention relates to Mergenthaler linotype casting machines. In
machines as at present constructed it is necessary to make the line or slug tapering
to allow of easily ejecting it from a mould, and smaller projections are cast on the
side of the line which may be trimmed off by the action of a knife to overcome the
taper in the line so as to make the line of an equal thickness throughout. By
this operation the type is always a little smaller at the bottom than at the top,
causing it to buckle in the form when being made up, and consequently topple
over to the annoyance of the compositor. By my improvements these objections
are avoided and a slug or line or a number thereof can be east at once in proper
proportions and be ejected from the mould in a perfect condition, requiring the
Knives only for scraping off the little fins produced during the casting operation
and caused by the matrices aligning against the mould.
The machine may be so constructed as to permit of casting a single line or a
number of lines of type. The mould wheel is mounted in the usual manner on a
stud carried by a slide actuated from a cam wheel on one of the shafts of the
linotype machine so that when the machine is in operation the mould wheel
receives the usual intermittent motion and a reciprocating motion, for moving it
toward or from the knives through which the line or slug is forced after leaving
the mould carried on the web of the mould wheel. The mould is provided with a
slot whose outer side is preferably formed by a movable piece wedge-shaped in
cross-section to fit the correspondingly-shaped outer portion of the slot, and pro-
vided at its ends with lugs for guiding it in the slot and maintaining the length
and thickness of the line to be cast. To one of the knives is secured a pusher
projecting towards the face of the wheel and in alignment with the small end
of the wedge-shaped member of the mould so that when the mould wheel is
advanced toward the knives the wedge-shaped member comes in contact with the
stationary pusher and is thus moved partly out of the slot to release the line or
slug which is then pushed out of the slot by a pusher actuated in the usual
manner. When the mould wheel rotates for the next operation and moves into
position for receiving the lead from the pot the pot in advancing towards the
mould moves against the outwardly extending end of the wedge-shaped member
so as to push the latter back into the slot to its proper place the small end of
the member abutting against the matrices closing this end of the slot. When
the parts assume this position the cast metal can readily run from the pot into

page_text: the slot and cast a slug or line against the matrices and when this has been done
and the wheel makes a three-fourths revolution, the above described operation is
repeated that is the wheel in advancing toward the knives has the movable
member of the mould dislodged by the pusher to release the cast slug or line and
readily eject the same from the mould over the fixed pusher to and between the
knives to scrape off the fins formed on the slug as previously explained.
In order to cast a number of lines at a time the length of the mould is made
samewhat in excess of the aggregate length of the desired number of lines to be
produced at one single operation. For this purpose I provide the movable
member with parallel ribs spaced an equal or an unequal distance apart, accord-
ing to the length of the lines desired. The movable member, fitting into the slot
of the stationary member of the mould, rests with the ribs on one wall of the
mould slot, said ribs thus subdividing said mould slot into a number of single
line slots.
When the machine is in operation in the manner above described and the
metal is poured from the pot into the line slots and against the matrices, a
number of lines are simultaneously cast, the lines being the same or of a different
length according to the distance between the adjacent ribs of the movable mem-
ber. The pusher in this case is formed in a number of sections cach adapted to
pass into a line slot, to simultaneously push the several lines out of the line slot.
Thus when the pusher is advanced, it pushes the cast lines or slugs out of the
line slot after the movable member has been released by the stationary pusher
as above explained, the lines or slugs then passing between the knives to be.
trimmed in the usual manner.
In operating linotype machines as heretofore constructed it frequently happens
that the metal in the casting pot becomes somewhat chilled and after a line or
slug is cast and the mould wheel rotates away from the pot then the chilled metal
in the pot has a tendency to pull the line of type and also the movable member
of the mould out of the latter. In order to overcome this and to prevent displace-
ment of the line of type and the movable member of the mould after the casting
operation is completed, I provide the following improvement:-The fixed member
or body of the mould is formed with recesses, one for each of the line slots
formed by the ribs of the movable member. The recesses are located at the
front face of the fixed member, that is the face opposite to that on which the
casting pot is arranged, so that when the metal is poured into the slots and
against the matrices adjacent to the recesses, then each line or slug is formed with
a lug or anchorage which serves to prevent pulling out of the cast line or slug
in case the metal in the pot becomes chilled. When the pusher pushes out the
several cast lines or slugs and forces the same between the knives, the lugs are
cut off and the cast lines or slugs trimmed in the usual manner.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that the cast line or slug, as well as the
movable member of the mould, is not dislodged by the chilled metal in the pot,
and a proper cut-off takes place between the cast line and the metal in the spout
of the pot.
In moulds having movable members without transverse ribs and used for cast-
ing single lines only, one or more such recesses may be made use of, to produce
one or more lugs on a single line and hold the latter against dislodgment by the
chilled metal in the pot as above described, it being understood however that
such lugs are subsequently cut off by the knife when the line is trimmed by
the knives.
In order to change the length of a line when the mould is designed for casting
a single line only. I employ a movable member for the mould one side of which
is in the form of a removable liner adapted to be fastened in place on dowel pins.
By using different sized liners the length of the line slot in the mould may be
increased or diminished, according to the length of the cast line or slug desired.
The knives require no micrometer adjustment, as is necessary in machines
heretofore employed, the slug or line being at once cast in proper proportions and

page_text: requiring no trimming. When it is desired to change from one form of type to
another, a different sized movable member can be readily employed in the
mould without requiring any other changes on the mould.
Dated this 21st day of March 1899.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.
I, HENRY JAMES DERBYSHIRE, of the Ohio State Journal, Columbus, in the
County of Franklin and State of Ohio, United States of America, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement:-
This invention relates to Mergenthaler linotype casting machines and it has
for its object to provide certain new and useful improvements in linotype casting
machines, to permit of casting a line or slug in proper proportions to enable it to
be easily ejected from a mould, at the same time requiring no accurate cutting or
trimming by the knives now employed, the machine also permitting of casting
one or a number of lines of types of equal or different lengths at a time, and pre-
venting dislodgment of the cast line or lines by the pot in case the metal has
become chilled.
The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the
same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.
A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying
drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of
reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.
Figure 1 is a face view of the mould wheel and its mould;
Figure 2 is a cross section of the same, on the line 2-2 in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation of the improvement with the line or
slug cast and ready for ejection.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the same, with parts in section and the line partly
ejected.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the detached mould, with the movable member
removed.
Figure 6 is a face view of the mould wheel and its mould for casting a number
of lines at a time.
Figure is a plan view of a modified form of the improvement, with the line
partly ejected.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the detached mould, with the movable mem-
ber removed; and
Figure 9 is a perspective view of a modified form of the movable member, with
the liner removed.
In casting machines as at present constructed, it is necessary to make the line
or slug tapering to allow of easily ejecting it from a mould, and smaller pro-
jections are cast on the side of the line, which may be trimmed off by the action
of a knife to overcome the taper in the line, so as to make the line of an equal
thickness throughout. By this operation the type is always a little smaller at
the bottom than at the top, causing it to buckle in the form when being made
up, and consequently topple over to the annoyance of the compositor. By my

page_text: improvements presently to be described in detail this is all avoided, and a slug or
line or a number thereof can be cast at once in proper proportions, and be
ejected from the mould in a perfect condition, requiring the knives only for
scraping off the little, fins produced during the casting operation, and caused by
the matrices aligning against the mould.
The construction shown in the drawings in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, pertains
to a machine for casting a single line only; and in this machine the mould
wheel A is mounted in the usual manner on a stud B, carried by a slide C
adapted to be actuated from a cam wheel D, secured on one of the shafts E of
the linotype machine, so that when the machine is in operation, the mould wheel A
receives the usual intermittent motion and a reciprocating motion, for moving
it toward or from the knives F, F, through which the line or slug G is forced
after leaving the mould H carried on the web of the casting wheel A.
The mould H is provided with a slot H', and the outer side of said slot
is preferably formed by a movable piece H2, wedge-shaped in cross section to
fit the correspondingly-shaped outer portion of the slot. The member H2 is
provided at its ends with lugs H³, for guiding it properly in the slot H¹ and
maintaining the length and thickness of the line to be cast, as hereinafter more
fully described.
To the knife F is secured a pusher I, projecting towards the face of the wheel A
and in alignment with the small end of the wedge-shaped member H² of the
mould H, so that when the mould wheel A is in the position shown in Figure 3
and is advanced toward the knives F, F, the member H2 comes in contact with
the stationary pusher I and is thus moved partly out of the slot to release the
line or slug G, which is now pushed out of the slot H by a pusher J, actuated
in the usual manner from a cam J' carried by the shaft E. When the mould
wheel A rotates for the next operation and moves into position for receiving the
lead from a pot K, the pot in advancing toward the mould moves against the
outwardly extending end of the member H2, so as to push the latter back into the
slot to its proper place, the small end of the member abutting against the
matrices L closing this end of the slot, as shown in Figure 2. When the parts
assume this position, the cast metal can readily run from the pot K into the
slot H and cast a slug or line against the matrices L; and when this has been done
and the wheel A makes a three-fourths revolution to bring the mould to the
position shown in Figure 3, then the above described operation is repeated,―
that is, the wheel A in advancing toward the knives F, F has its movable
member H2 dislodged by the pusher I, to release the cast slug or line and to
permit the pusher J to readily push the slug or line out of the mould over the
fixed pusher I to and between the knives F, F, to scrape off the fins formed on
the slug, as previously explained.
In order to cast a number of lines at a time, I prefer the construction shown in
Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9, in which the length of the mould is made somewhat in
excess of the aggregate length of the desired number of lines to be produced at
one single operation. For this purpose I provide the movable member H² with
parallel ribs H' spaced an equal or an unequal distance apart, according to the
length of the lines desired. The movable member H², fitting into the slot H¹ of
the stationary member of the mould, rests with the ribs on one wall of the mould
slot H', said ribs thus subdividing said mould slot H' into a number of single
line slots H, as is plainly shown in Figure 6.
When the machine is in operation in the manner above described and the
metal is poured from the pot K into the line slots H and against the matrices L,
see Figure 2, a number of lines are simultaneously cast, the lines being the same
or of a different length, according to the distance between the adjacent ribs H
of the movable member H. The pusher J in this case is formed in a number
of sections, as is plainly shown in Figure 7, each section being adapted to pass
into a line slot H³, to simultaneously push the several lines out of the line slot
when the wheel is in the position shown in Figure 3. Thus, when the pusher J

page_text: advanced, it pushes the cast lines or slugs out of the line slot H³, after the
ovable member H2 has been released by the stationary pusher I, as above ex-
lained, the lines or slugs then passing between the knives F, F, to be trimmed
n the usual manner.
In operating linotype machines as heretofore constructed, it frequently happens
hat the metal in the casting pot becomes somewhat chilled, and after a line or
lug is cast and the mould wheel rotates away from the pot, the chilled metal in
he pot has a tendency to pull the line of type and also the movable member H
of the mould out of the latter. In order to overcome this and to prevent dis-
placement of the line of type and the movable member of the mould after the
casting operation is completed, I provide the improvement presently to be
described in detail.
The fixed member or body H of the mould H is formed with recesses H',
one for each of the line slots I, formed by the ribs H of the movable member H',
The recesses H7 are located at the front face of
as is plainly shown in Figure fi.
the fixed member, that is, the face opposite to that on which the casting pot is
arranged, so that when the metal is poured from the casting pot K into the
several slots, as indicated in Figure 2, and against the matrices L adjacent to the
recesses H, then each line or slug is formed with a lug or anchorage G¹ by the
metal passing into the corresponding recess H. This anchorage prevents a
pulling out of the cast line or slug in case the metal in the pot becomes
chilled, and at the time the wheel A rotates to bring the mould into the position
shown in Figure 3. When the pusher J pushes out the several cast line or slugs
and forces the same between the knives F, F, the knife F cuts off the lugs G¹
and also trims the cast lines or slugs in the usual manner.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the cast line or slug, as well as the
movable member of the mould, is not dislodged by the chilled metal in the pot,
and a proper cut-off takes place between the cast line and the metal in the spout
of the pot.
In moulds having movable members without transverse ribs H and used for
casting single lines only, as referred to in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, one or more
such recesses H may be made use of, to produce one or more lugs G¹ on a single
line, and hold the latter against dislodgment by the chilled metal in the pot, as
above described, it being understood, however, that such lugs G₁ are subsequently
cut off by the knife when the line is trimmed by the knives F. F'.
In order to change the length of a line when the mould is designed for casting
a single line only, I employ a movable member H8, see Figure 9. for the mould H,
one side being in the form of a removable liner H, adapted to be fastened in
place on dowel pins. as plainly indicated in said figure. It is evident that by
using different sized liners H. the length of the line slot in the mould may be
increased or diminished, according to the length of the cast line or slug desired.
It is evident from the foregoing that the knives F, F¹ require no micrometer
adjustment, as is necessary in machines heretofore employed, the slug or line
being at once cast in proper proportions and requiring no trimming.
When it is desired to change from one form of type to another, a different sized
movable member H2 can be readily employed in the mould H, without requiring
any other changes in the mould.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
0 I claim is :-
1. In a linotype casting machine, the mould having a movable member with
a wedge surface to engage an inclined wall of the mould wheel, the opposite sur-
face of said member being adapted for engagement with the cast line.
2. In a linotype casting machine, the movable wedge-shaped member having
55 at its ends guide lugs for maintaining the length and thickness of the line.
3. In a linotype casting machine, the wedge-shaped movable member filling

page_text: partly the wedge shaped slot of the mould wheel, in combination with a pusher
adapted to engage said movable member to release the cast line.
4. In a linotype casting machine, the wedge-shaped movable member filling
partly the wedge-shaped slot of the mould wheel capable of axial movement, in
combination with the stationary pusher adapted to engage and dislodge the
movable member upon the axial movement of the mould wheel.
5. In a linotype casting machine, the mould member movable transversely of
the mould wheel, in combination with the casting pot arranged to engage said
member and to push it into the wheel.
6. In a linotype casting machine, the mould member movable transversely of
the mould wheel, in combination with the casting pot arranged to engage one end
of said member to push it into the wheel, and the pusher arranged to engage the
other end of said member to partly withdraw it from the wheel.
7. In a linotype machine, a mould wheel carrying a mould provided with a
slot, one wall of which is perpendicular to the plane of the wheel, while the
opposite wall is inclined, in combination with a movable mould member wedge-
shaped to fit into the said slot and provided on the face opposite to its inclined
face with ribs dividing the mould cavity into a series of line spaces.
8. In a linotype machine, a mould wheel carrying a mould provided with a
slot, one wall of which is perpendicular to the plane of the wheel, while the
opposite wall is inclined, said perpendicular wall of the slot being provided with
a recess at that face of the mould wheel which is farthest away from the metal
injecting device, in combination with a movable mould member wedge-shaped to
correspond to said slot.
9. The wedge-shaped movable member having a removable liner, substantially
as described with reference to Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.
Hated this 14th day of December 1899
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.