Odd linotype

[evan price]

While sorting some of this lino I'm selling, I noticed a whole bunch of odd lino.

It is definitely linotype.
However the font size is enormous. Like 32 point or larger. I'm used to lino where the letters are just as wide as the lead strip backing them up.
This stuff looks like a "T", the font is so big.

I'm sure it will melt well, just curious.

[lwknight]

I had some of that. It was still eutectic linotype. 4-12-84 in my case anyway.

[darkroommike]

Unusual linotype slugs might actually be monotype. Similar alloy, the machines could cast much larger fonts, albeit more slowly. Got a photo?

[HangFireW8]

Like darkroommike said, sounds like Monotype. Great stuff, even more tin & antimony than Lino, and since it is reused as-is and not remelted, it keeps its mojo.

[imashooter2]

Monotype is individual letters. A strip in T formation sure sounds like linotype, but I've never seen a strip like it.

[darkroommike]

Too long since I thought about hot type metal, I think your slugs were cast by a Ludlow. Same alloy as linotype, letters set by and and then hot alloy was injected into the matrices one line at a time. Letters often hung over the base and extra strips of lead padded the type so that the page could be locked into a frame.

[Fritz D]

While sorting some of this lino I'm selling, I noticed a whole bunch of odd lino.It is definitely linotype. However the font size is enormous. Like 32 point or larger. I'm used to lino where the letters are just as wide as the lead strip backing them up. This stuff looks like a "T", the font is so big.

Your type was most likely set using a Ludlow (which sets type as you describe) but Linotypes were also able to cast large type sizes which in some cases overhang the "lead strip." But . . . if memory serves, large size Linotype characters did not overhang on both sides of the strip (i.e. it would have looked like an "L"). I operated a Linotype into the early 80's, our largest Linotype font was 24 point but we did have some individual special characters that were much larger. Identifying "type metal" can definitely be confusing.

[evan price]

I know it is not monotype because I have seen lots of ...It's of a style with Linotype in terms of how the type strip is formed in one long piece. Other than the font size being gigantic it looks just like Lino. Only difference I see in these is some of them the wide sides of the strip aren't smooth, they have sort of ratchet-shaped indentations molded in. That's not ALL of them with the ratchet-shaped markings on the side, just some of them.

[evan price]

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa285/ragabash01/img1338762926237.jpg

Here's samples of the two. The upper right corner is the linotype with the very jagged sawtooth sides.
At the middle and left is the linotype that has the overlapping "T"-shaped profile. Could be a Ludlow made it?