As previously mentioned, I’m trying to get the Linotype at the Mackenzie Printery & Newspaper Museum up and running again. I’ve had to fix several problems, and here are the details on one of the problems:
Progress on the Mackenzie Printery’s Linotype (Second Elevator Transfer, part 2)
As I mentioned in a previous post, the Linotype at the Mackenzie Printery & Newspaper Museum is having problems with the horizontal transfer from the first elevator to the second elevator.
On Saturday I adjusted the alignment between the first elevator and the toothed bar on the second elevator. This is largely a visual adjustment, where you see how much light shines through the gaps between the toothed bar and the teeth of a pi matrix (which has all its coding teeth) and adjust for equal sized gaps all ’round.
I seemed to have things transferring OK, but later when I was gleaning matrices from what had been picked up off the floor over the past few years I had three matrices to load into the magazine (though one was actually a pi matrix, maybe the small-caps ‘Z’). I loaded them into the assembly elevator where the machine normally collects the mats as you type at the keyboard, and cycled the machine to send them up for distribution. Instead of rising smoothly, the second elevator lurched up and shook the whole machine.
I think what happened was that the three mats did not transfer fully to the second elevator, but the interlock (clearly out of adjustment) thought the transfer was complete and allowed the cycle to proceed. A mat was spanning the gap between the first and second elevator, causing the latter to temporarily hang before lurching up. This is particularly worrisome because the elevator is being raised by a cam, not a spring, so something has to give (read: break) if the transfer is incomplete but the interlock doesn’t stop the clutch. In this case the matrix shifted enough to release the elevator once the force built up a bit.
So clearly I have to check the alignment again to ensure a smooth transfer, and I also have to check the adjustment of the interlock so the cycle will stop if the transfer is not fully completed.
Tagged with: Linotype
Progress on the Mackenzie Printery’s Linotype (Second Elevator Transfer)
As previously mentioned, I’m trying to get the Linotype at the Mackenzie Printery & Newspaper Museum up and running again. I’ve had to fix several problems, and here are the details on one of the problems:
Tagged with: Linotype
Progress on the Mackenzie Printery’s Linotype (Stuck Keyboard Cams)
As previously mentioned, I’m trying to get the Linotype at the Mackenzie Printery & Newspaper Museum up and running again. I’ve had to fix several problems, and here are the details on one of the problems:
The keyboard cams, which provide the push to release a matrix from the magazine, were seized up pretty much solid. The caster had not been used for a couple years previously, mainly due to COVID restrictions, and the lighter parts of the lubricant had evaporated leaving a gummy residue which effectively glued the cams into their idle position.
Tagged with: Linotype
Progress on the Mackenzie Printery’s Linotype (Rough Delivery Slide)
As previously mentioned, I’m trying to get the Linotype at the Mackenzie Printery & Newspaper Museum up and running again. I’ve had to fix several problems, and here are the details on one of the problems:
The transfer of the line of matrices from the intermediate channel to the first elevator was very rough, often jamming completely. Manually jiggling the first elevator up and down a bit often, but not always, helped.
Tagged with: Linotype
Progress on the Mackenzie Printery’s Linotype (1st Elevator Hang)
As previously mentioned, I’m trying to get the Linotype at the Mackenzie Printery & Newspaper Museum up and running again. I’ve had to fix several problems, and here are the details on one of the problems:
During the Linotype’s casting cycle, after the line of matrices did its transfer from the assembly elevator to the first elevator, the latter would fail to descend to casting position, and instead of returning to the right, the delivery slide would become unlinked from its operating lever. The camshaft would stop when the machine failed to detect the first elevator in proper casting position.
Tagged with: Linotype
Howard Iron Works Print Expo & Fair
After a year or two off due to COVID-19, the Howard Iron Works Print Expo & Fair is on again next month! There will be fewer vendors than previously to maintain physical distancing, but we will have a table there selling paper, marbled paper, and other book arts supplies.
The fair is on Saturday, October 1st, from 10am-4pm, at Howard Iron Works, 800 Westgate Road, Oakville, Ontario (Oakville is just west of Toronto along the Lake Ontario shore).
In addition to shopping at the vendors who will be present at this fair, you can visit the extensive museum of printing equipment, see a lithography demonstration, and participate in a couple of workshops and classes offered that day.
Some Comedy Translation
If you’ve been reading this blog much at all, you may have noticed a link in the sidebar “En Français S.V.P. !”. This invokes Google Translate on the current page, and from there as you follow links, you get translations of the linked pages.
Just today I tried out this feature so see if it still worked. When in the French translation, I happened to go to our Products page that lists typefaces of metal type that I can cast. I got a good laugh when I saw the first few face names translated:
| Audacieux du 20ème siècle | 20th Century Bold |
| Extraordinaire du 20ème siècle | 20th Century ExtraBold |
| Extrabold Condensed du XXe siècle | 20th Century ExtraBold Condensed |
| Lumière du 20ème siècle | 20th Century Light |
| Médium du XXe siècle | 20th Century Medium |
| Condensé moyen du XXe siècle | 20th Century Medium Condensed |
| 20e siècle ultra audacieux | 20th Century Ultra Bold |
| Condensé ultra-audacieux du 20e siècle | 20th Century Ultrabold Condensed |
I found it amusing that “bold” and “extrabold” were essentially translated in their non-typographical meanings, even though “extrabold” is not even a word. I found it interesting that “Extrabold Condensed” didn’t really get translated at all, even though the two words individually were translated elsewhere. I also found it interesting that “20th” sometimes translated into Arabic numerals and sometimes into roman numerals.
The pages aren’t great translations; I suspect that text written using any technical terms, in particular terms that have other meanings in common usage, is difficult to translate properly. In this page it is clear that “type” and “face” are translated with their common English meanings. Improving this would require the translator to identify the subject matter by examining the text overall, perhaps noticing words (like “typeface”) which are unique to that subject.
I still hope they’re useful to a francophone with limited knowledge of English.
The Linotype at Mackenzie Printery and Newspaper Museum
Over the past several weeks I’ve been spending Saturday mornings at the Mackenzie Printery and Newspaper Museum in Queenston, Ontario, near Niagara Falls. This museum is located in the historic house where William Lyon Mackenzie lived for a while and produced the Colonial Advocate which strongly critiqued the government of the time, fomenting unrest which eventually led to the Upper Canada Rebellion and establishment of a more representative government in Upper Canada (what is now Ontario). The building is maintained, and tours and guides are provided, by the Niagara Parks Commission, and a separate group owns and maintains the majority of the printing equipment located there. I’ve been a member of this group for many years, and recently I became a director.
Amidst their collection is a model 5 Linotype linecasting machine.
Tagged with: Linotype
Niagara Falls Update
We took a day trip to the Falls last Friday, and this time we visited the Niagara Parks Power Station which we missed on our last visit. This station was built in 1905, was in operation for 100 years, and now hosts displays about the development of the station itself and hydroelectricity in general.
When in operation, this station had 11 generators running at 250 RPM to produce 25Hz power. This frequency has been obsolete in North America for decades (we use 60Hz), but local industrial customers were still using it.
You can also take the elevator to the bottom of the pit and walk along the tunnel which use to drain the turbine outfeed to the Niagara River downstream from the falls. The tunnel is well-lit, large (considerably bigger than a train tunnel), cool (refreshing on a hot day) and very humid. At the end of the tunnel there is a viewing platform in the gorge where you can see the Falls and, depending on the wind, get soaked by the mist. Rain ponchos are available free right by the tunnel exit. On the elevator trips you can see the turbine, drive shaft, and penstock for the adjacent generator (I think it was the #2 unit) through the gloom.
The exit of the tunnel, directly facing the American falls. On the platform itself you can also see the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls and most of the gorge.
We all felt this was a worthwhile stop. It may seem a bit expensive at first, but by Niagara Falls attraction standards it is actually a good deal.