One thing I have wanted to try for a while was the duplication of a Lanston Monotype display matrix. It it probably not worth the trouble to copy an entire font of mats, but it would be useful for replacing…
Category: Equipment
A New Pin Wrench
When I was fixing my Monotype caster to do some composition casting a few months ago, I broke the small pin wrench that I use for turning some of the adjustments on the caster. The wrench seemed to be too…
Rubber feet for the Challenge Proof Press
Proof presses are subjected to a lot of sideways forces when used, caused by the carriage hitting its stops at either end of its stroke. These can be reduced by slowing down near the end of the stroke, but there…
Putting a back on the Challenge Proof Press
When I got this press earlier this year, I printed off a nice copy of the instructions. Challenge Machinery still exists, and their web site is quite useful in that they seem to be trying their best to have manuals…
Last week’s time suck
Last week was March Break, and Audrey and Lily flew to Calgary to visit Granny. I took the opportunity to do a few home improvement projects (replacing a bathroom sink, putting up a knife holder in the kitchen, and installing…
Repairing the other Monotype nozzle
While trying to do some composition casting recently, I concluded that the nozzle on my caster was worn or damaged, causing it to leak profusely, and the spare nozzle I had on hand was in even worse condition. I repaired…
A Bit of Font Casting
I have a short project in the works, and since I don’t have a Monotype Keyboard or a computer interface for the caster, I have to fall back to hand setting some text. I have a few paragraphs that I…
Tagged with: Ian Schaefer
Proof from the March 2nd Casting
My post on this weekend’s casting adventures did not include a proof of the imperfect but useable forme cast in the early evening, so here it is: This was done with rubber based ink, and the gloss of the ink…
March 2nd Casting Session: A Modicum of Success
The first job was to address the problem of the magnetic starter tripping out every few lines. I found online several documents regarding the pulsing nature of the current drawn on the input of a VFD. I think the pulsing…
March 1st Casting Session
This morning I checked the angular alignment of the nozzle on my caster and found that it was off a tiny bit, so I adjusted that. I also reset the nozzle to its proper center position on the assumption that…
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