In order to get a good finish when milling the top surface of a part, as I will be doing to prepare matrix blanks, it is necessary that the axis of the mill spindle be perpendicular to the surface of…
Category: Type Casting
An Interem Solution to the Pneumatic Valves Problems
This week I’ve been occupied with (finally) putting away all the display mats I bought last year at the Anderson and Skyline matrix auctions. They have been cluttering up the shop since last summer with their variety of packaging. I…
Tagged with: Jim Rimmer
Converting the Outline to a Pantograph Template
In the process of cutting a matrix for the 18-point @ I made up to go with Swing Bold, I need to make a template to run the pantograph tracer against. The edge of the template has to be high…
Matrix Making: Handling Ink Gain
Letterpress printing has a property called “ink gain” where the inked area left on the printed sheet is a tiny bit larger than the type used to do the printing. Because of this, when designing type (which includes designing the…
Designing Swing Bold @ 18 point
Having decided to use my pantograph to try making a display matrix for my Monotype caster, and having chosen to make an at-sign (@) to match 18-point Swing Bold, the next task was to actually examine other letters in this…
Making a Display Matrix, but Which One?
It seems natural for me, as a first project using my new pantograph engraver, to try making a matrix. Rather than designing a whole new family of typefaces (or even a single typeface), I decided to make a single character.…
Cleaning and refilling the Monotype pot
For the casting job I have coming up I want to use Monotype medium alloy (74/10/16% Pb/Sn/Sb) rather than the softer Linotype alloy (84/4/12%) currently in the pot, which I was using to cast spacing. To do this, I got…
Will the real Swing Bold please step forward
I’m getting ready to cast some 18-point Swing Bold (Monotype #217) for someone and I’ve found that my test casts don’t match the samples I received for alignment matching. Each group of 3 letters shows the alignment sample between two…
Yesterday’s dumb move
In my last post I mentioned problems with flash and squirts around the seal between the matrix and the display mould. I have since added a comment alluding to the probable cause of this problem: Forgetting to reinstall the link…
Up, Down, What’s the difference?
My recent post about setting up to cast 18 point display type got up and down mixed up. When casting 18 point on an English mould with an American display mat holder, the mat must be lowered, not raised as…
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