my dad was a linotype operator for over 40 years, mostly at "the dayton daily news"(ohio). he was so proud of being a linotype operator and it kind of makes me sad that there are now tons of people that don't even know what a linotype is and it was a very important machine. over the years, he'd found quite a few books on the subject-especially books about "tramp printers"-printers who traveled from city to city, working for that city's newspaper, or any local magazine publisher. many of them traveled the world and were colorful characters, to say the least! lol my dad even met a couple of the travelers, over the years. i didn't mean to babble on about this, but i rarely get to talk about this subject, that i love.
Learned typesetting on one of these in the 60s when I went to Mergenthaler Voc. Tech. High School. Stayed in the printing industry for 40 years after that.
This is brilliant stuff. Thank you for taking the time to explain the process. I remember I used to be a paper delivery boy and used to go into the linotype room and watch the lead bars melting. It was a most incredible design and engineering feat - along with the very fast printing press. There are some very very clever people out there who design and build these things.
Was a Linotype/Intertype Operator for many years. Had many splashes of hot metal in my days as well. Brings back many good and not so good memories. Thanks for sharing.
I worked on the forth floor of the Philadelphia Inquirer in the mod 1960's. Imagine fifty or sixty of these things running all out when the "Bulldog" edition of the paper was running. I ran a proof press. When the Linotype operators finished an assignment, they would toss us the Gally and we would run off a number of proofs before sending the gally to the composition floor and a copy to the proof. Another benefit of the job was that I was making rockets at the time and found that under the plate grinders was an endless supply of powdered zinc
@@ClassicAustralia All the newspapers in Australia had them and one of the quirks of the job, you had to learn to read upside down, right to left because that's the opposite to the way the lead slug is cast and when it's printed it's the right way around
I worked a Linotype during my five-year apprenticeship at the Bridlington Chronicle in Yorkshire, England, between 1952 and 1954. After that I was a Lino op. until Apple Macs took over the newspaper industry in the 80s.
This is a wonderful piece of documentary spoilt only by being photographed with a hand held phone. An SLR camera on a tripod with a good mike would have made it truly superb.
I was a Linotype operator for The Chicago Daily News, The Chicago Sun-Times, and The Chicago Tribune. There is one very, very important thing to remember, bumpy side up!!!
If you visit a museum/exhibit like this, ask if you can buy a slug with your name or some other text you want. I did that. I can ink it and "stamp" my name on cards and letters for a unique little personal touch. You can tell the computer people and the printing people share a lot of mental ingenuity. The way these machines automatically sort the returning matrices back into the magazine would make any computer guy proud. Hint, each matrix has its letter designation encoded in the teeth at the top from which it hangs as it travels along the sorting rail. When it gets to the row of the magazine to which it belongs, it will find those particular teeth missing from the guide rail, and like magic it then falls off into its proper place. It's quite the marvelous bit of mechanical engineering. So were the Strowger switches that automated the first dial telephone calls, but that is another story...
Many years ago I used to produce those lead Linotype ingots. After the type was used it was remelted and any lost metals replaced. Primarily its Lead with a percentage of Tin and Antimony depending on the required hardness or viscosity. Older machines were 'Monotype which produced single letter at a time which a compositor put together. Eventually the process moved on to 'stereotype. which produced a whole page and which most major Newspaper used. As the man said though, they were all eventually changed over to plastics and then to computers. A shame in some ways but that progress. The company I worked for no longer exists - Edmar Printing Metals. Lifting all those heavy ingots did build my muscles though...LOL
This was very interesting as I'm attempting to write a book that has a linotype printer in it. The dates and how it works have been very useful. thanks.
Que buen video!!! aqui en mi pais yo tenia uno era fabuloso!!!! el mio era un mod 31 linotype 6 moldes!!! ahora son las pc o mac que recuerdos!!!! saludos desde Guatemala....!!!!
I think it's great to preserve the knowlege of the old ways of doing things because some day we might have to return to them. How can they keep this machine running when parts wear out and I doubt they are still selling replacement parts? Also, why isn't that guy concerned about lead poisoning?
Back in 1978 I went out to LA Hollywood and had this idea to take a portable linotype with candy minted typecase and create a comedy routine and take it onstage. It didn't plan out because most of these machines weighed 1 ton. I couldn't find one lighter than 1400 lbs. Hey Andy Kaufman had his record player and Mighty Mouse....
as a kid id volunteer to sweep the lead up off the floor of a small shop ran by a family friend just to be able to hang around n watch the presses n process
They even had linotypes that had plastic extrusion type fonts but in 1978 Steve Jobs and Wozniack came out with The Macintosh and LinoTypes where History
I have been trying to learn about Victorian type setting as a profession.With little luck unfortunately, so Im just going to take a chance and ask here. The people who were the type setters. What kind of education would they need if any for such a job? Was this work white collar or more blue? A nice middle class income or just putting food on the table? Any Ideas?
I was always impressed with both the machine and my father. First the machine: I grew up in a small weekly newspaper published by my father and mother. I spent hours sitting in a big old wheel chair which happened to be in the "shop" watching the many gears and other features of the machine. (I have no idea why it was even in the "shop" and don't remember ever asking about it.) My father was a master typesetter. I was also amazed because he knew how to type on the linotype AND on a typewriter. Both machines had completely different key arrangements, but my dad could sit down and use both machines.
This Linotype tech make me think of the Paige Compositor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paige_Compositor , patents 157694, 547859 that Mark Twain lost so much money on trying to get it to work / bring it to market.
now try to explain to your teenager that right after agriculture this technology enabled today's comfortable live from caveman to 24/7 iPhone user, if you can get their attention!
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
my dad was a linotype operator for over 40 years, mostly at "the dayton daily news"(ohio). he was so proud of being a linotype operator and it kind of makes me sad that there are now tons of people that don't even know what a linotype is and it was a very important machine. over the years, he'd found quite a few books on the subject-especially books about "tramp printers"-printers who traveled from city to city, working for that city's newspaper, or any local magazine publisher. many of them traveled the world and were colorful characters, to say the least! lol my dad even met a couple of the travelers, over the years. i didn't mean to babble on about this, but i rarely get to talk about this subject, that i love.
Thanks Melanie, it's quite an amazing craft and it good to see that someone has taken the time to keep this machine working. All the best John
Learned typesetting on one of these in the 60s when I went to Mergenthaler Voc. Tech. High School. Stayed in the printing industry for 40 years after that.
This is brilliant stuff. Thank you for taking the time to explain the process. I remember I used to be a paper delivery boy and used to go into the linotype room and watch the lead bars melting. It was a most incredible design and engineering feat - along with the very fast printing press. There are some very very clever people out there who design and build these things.
My dad passed away n I was looking at the scrapbook.
It says, he was a linotype operator n I didn't know what that was.
Thanks n very interesting!
Was a Linotype/Intertype Operator for many years. Had many splashes of hot metal in my days as well. Brings back many good and not so good memories. Thanks for sharing.
we called them a "squirt" we had 5 linos, ad shop, 2 model 5s of which one was called the G-d damned #5 and the other a #5 also 3 #26 mixers.
I worked on the forth floor of the Philadelphia Inquirer in the mod 1960's. Imagine fifty or sixty of these things running all out when the "Bulldog" edition of the paper was running. I ran a proof press. When the Linotype operators finished an assignment, they would toss us the Gally and we would run off a number of proofs before sending the gally to the composition floor and a copy to the proof. Another benefit of the job was that I was making rockets at the time and found that under the plate grinders was an endless supply of powdered zinc
Wow that’s for sharing this story.
Would love to have seen that. We have two at our print shop. My grandparents spent their lives running them. I loved to watch it cast slugs.
@@ClassicAustralia All the newspapers in Australia had them and one of the quirks of the job, you had to learn to read upside down, right to left because that's the opposite to the way the lead slug is cast and when it's printed it's the right way around
I worked a Linotype during my five-year apprenticeship at the Bridlington Chronicle in Yorkshire, England, between 1952 and 1954. After that I was a Lino op. until Apple Macs took over the newspaper industry in the 80s.
This is a wonderful piece of documentary spoilt only by being photographed with a hand held phone. An SLR camera on a tripod with a good mike would have made it truly superb.
I was a Linotype operator for The Chicago Daily News, The Chicago Sun-Times, and The Chicago Tribune.
There is one very, very important thing to remember, bumpy side up!!!
That's amazing. Going from Linotype to commenting on RUclips.
If you visit a museum/exhibit like this, ask if you can buy a slug with your name or some other text you want. I did that. I can ink it and "stamp" my name on cards and letters for a unique little personal touch.
You can tell the computer people and the printing people share a lot of mental ingenuity. The way these machines automatically sort the returning matrices back into the magazine would make any computer guy proud. Hint, each matrix has its letter designation encoded in the teeth at the top from which it hangs as it travels along the sorting rail. When it gets to the row of the magazine to which it belongs, it will find those particular teeth missing from the guide rail, and like magic it then falls off into its proper place. It's quite the marvelous bit of mechanical engineering.
So were the Strowger switches that automated the first dial telephone calls, but that is another story...
Many years ago I used to produce those lead Linotype ingots. After the type was used it was remelted and any lost metals replaced. Primarily its Lead with a percentage of Tin and Antimony depending on the required hardness or viscosity. Older machines were 'Monotype which produced single letter at a time which a compositor put together. Eventually the process moved on to 'stereotype. which produced a whole page and which most major Newspaper used. As the man said though, they were all eventually changed over to plastics and then to computers. A shame in some ways but that progress. The company I worked for no longer exists - Edmar Printing Metals. Lifting all those heavy ingots did build my muscles though...LOL
Saudades... gostava muito dessa profissão.
I know this machines very well, to operate and to repair!
This was very interesting as I'm attempting to write a book that has a linotype printer in it. The dates and how it works have been very useful. thanks.
I ran one when I was in Trade School - 1975 to 1977. We even melted out own pigs of lead. Cant do that today.. LOL
Great memories...
Thank you..
Thats a great demonstration.
Very cool, there was a "Daily News" in Perth Western Australia too back in the day. Hard to comprehend the massive changes in such a short time!
hahaha knew it, the guy sounds aussie :))
Quelle belle machine un creuset des matrices des excentriques et une fiabilité à toutes épreuve
Que buen video!!! aqui en mi pais yo tenia uno era fabuloso!!!! el mio era un mod 31 linotype 6 moldes!!!
ahora son las pc o mac
que recuerdos!!!! saludos desde Guatemala....!!!!
I think it's great to preserve the knowlege of the old ways of doing things because some day we might have to return to them.
How can they keep this machine running when parts wear out and I doubt they are still selling replacement parts? Also, why isn't that guy concerned about lead poisoning?
Tipometro, linotipo, componedor, cajas, galeras, cortadora. Rol de pruebas, formación de planas, y más cosas que viví.
Back in 1978 I went out to LA Hollywood and had this idea to take a portable linotype with candy minted typecase and create a comedy routine and take it onstage. It didn't plan out because most of these machines weighed 1 ton. I couldn't find one lighter than 1400 lbs. Hey Andy Kaufman had his record player and Mighty Mouse....
Looks like he was a good operator in his day
+Andy Taylor yes definately
...to the aid of the party!
as a kid id volunteer to sweep the lead up off the floor of a small shop ran by a family friend just to be able to hang around n watch the presses n process
'Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party.' A good typing practice.
Amazing!
They even had linotypes that had plastic extrusion type fonts but in 1978 Steve Jobs and Wozniack came out with The Macintosh and LinoTypes where History
My father used to use these machines
Mine, too. :)
4-color stripping was my job.
I have been trying to learn about Victorian type setting as a profession.With little luck unfortunately, so Im just going to take a chance and ask here. The people who were the type setters. What kind of education would they need if any for such a job? Was this work white collar or more blue? A nice middle class income or just putting food on the table? Any Ideas?
+EmPi sorry I didn't see your comment sooner. Try emailing these guys if it isn't too late Dardanup Heritage Park www.dardanupheritagepark.com.au
Thank you!
I was always impressed with both the machine and my father. First the machine: I grew up in a small weekly newspaper published by my father and mother. I spent hours sitting in a big old wheel chair which happened to be in the "shop" watching the many gears and other features of the machine. (I have no idea why it was even in the "shop" and don't remember ever asking about it.) My father was a master typesetter. I was also amazed because he knew how to type on the linotype AND on a typewriter. Both machines had completely different key arrangements, but my dad could sit down and use both machines.
This Linotype tech make me think of the Paige Compositor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paige_Compositor , patents 157694, 547859 that Mark Twain lost so much money on trying to get it to work / bring it to market.
Posting a Morse Code Video tomorrow!
Nice.
love it!
Babamı hatırladım 😥
The sound isn't good. The machines make a lot of 'music' type sounds that you really can't hear on this.
now try to explain to your teenager that right after agriculture this technology enabled today's comfortable live from caveman to 24/7 iPhone user, if you can get their attention!
E
What's with the funny looking gay hat thing?