linotype machine

[iebymtl]

Hi, guys, I'm new to the forum and i have a question for you guys. A friend of mine has a linotype machine that he no longer uses. I was wondering if there is any linotype alloy in the machine. He has the letters for the machine which I understand they are linotype lead right? but I was wondering if there is any more lead in the machine. That thing is really heavy, maybe 800 pounds or so. Thank you very much!!

[onondaga]

If you are talking about a letter press type printing press, they have no lead parts unless some print trays are still mounted and have type set. If he has the lead melting equipment in good working condition, that could be valuable to a bullet caster empty or full. He may have ingot molds and ladles that could be useful to you too. Unless you are a printing press collector, the presses themselves are just a pile of steel and wood.

Gary

[BruceB]

A "linotype machine" has a melting pot and a keyboard.

The operator types whatever is required, and the machine actually creates the type from molten lead alloy as he works.

The " pig" or ingot is suspended over the pot and is automatically fed gradually into the pot as the operator works.

These are extremely-complicated Rube Goldberg-like machines with zillions of levers, cams, buttons and what-not...but they WORKED. I had a summer job at a small-town newspaper which still used this technology (back in the '50s.

Fascinating, and I can well believe that it weighs 800 pounds!

[pls1911]

If anyone has a chance to see one these machines in action they should make the effort to go.
They are facinating.
In the late 70's there was an OLD place in near east Austin which still used these for specific commercial work in the basement.
They had 10 or twelve of these working at one time at was an amazing cacaphony of clanging, whiz, clack, slap, bang... all the operators save one was an OLD man, each appeared to be spinning his own web. One fellow complained that he used to have two helpers and all he did was type, but now he had to all the tending himself.

[Walter Laich]

Saw one in operation at my college in the mid 60's.

Never could figure out how the could backspace to make corrections :)

[Mal Paso]

I worked alongside a Mergenthaler Linotype machine. The letter molds were Brass. The only lead you will find is whats left in the lead pot. Amazing to watch they assembled a mold for a line of type out of individual letter molds as fast as you could type. Each letter mold was keyed so after the line was cast, each letter would returned to it's slot in the cassette to be used again. The machine held 3 cassettes each with a different font.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

There may or may not be any linotype still in the machine itself. You would need to check.

It should be a simple matter, as has been said, the linotype material hung by a chain over the lead pot, moving down as needed as new letters were cast.

Check the pot and just in case, all the dark corners of the area where the old machine resides. There just might be some bars of Linotype laying around.

Now as to preformed letters etc. as well as spacing bars and any other lead like material you may find, it is very bad stuff and you should contact me ASAP so I can get it moved and out of the way, QUICKLY :lol::lol:

While there, I'll also get rid of the linotype bars at no additional charge.

Just being a very nice guy here, doing my best to protect you and yours!:kidding:

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[geargnasher]

My dad was a tender for the machines at a local newspaper in high school, he said being in the room with three of them going at once was like standing in the pits of hades. Fascinating description he gave of the machines, and of the troubles with alloy. It seems that the machines depend on the alloy being pretty close to eutectic to run at full speed, if there is too much of a "slush" stage to the alloy (usually from tin depletion) it can bog things down, resulting in smeared type casts and the operator yelling at him. Part of his job was to maintain the alloy by replacing the tin and antimony that drossed off.

Gear