The Model 8 Linotype

[@ourtownstettleroperations3640]

I have been WAITING for this. We have a linotype at our museum. Our 100+ year old paper used it for years but it's so hard to find a good explanation of how it worked. Thank you for this.

[@JohnnyTidmore]

Have you tried to get the machine running again? They were built to run forever. I have one of the few that's still running.

[@TonyWilliampianoman]

Worked as a Lino - Intertype Operator from age 18 to 26 (newspaper). Distributor jamming, mats not dropping, spacebands constantly needing graphite, plunger needing cleaning every day. Combined with an occasional splash all over my shoes and trousers. Worked them with both gas and electric pots. New and old models. By age 27 doing what I wanted - playing piano for a living.

[@paulfrederick9339]

THANKS! I've always wondered why my father's print shop smelled so strongly of graphite. It was from the spacebands in the linotype machines. I will always remember the aroma of graphite, printer's ink, ozone from the electric motors that ran the presses and the naphtha used to clean the plates. And of course the hot lead smell from the linotypes.

[@sushiltiwari1543]

A big thank you for explaining the working of machine you have in your museum, Howard.

[@davidjohnson6553]

When i was a teen in the 60s my dad was manager of a typography shop. I had summer jobs there and saw these machines in operation every day. They were fascinating and complicated devices. Since they were selling type, the metal would then go to a proof press where the pressman would roll out three paper proofs. My low-skilled job was to deliver the proofs to the customer. I also remember the mechanic pacing around waiting for something to break down.

[@rons9197]

The Linotype with its tinking, clinking , and clacking noises provided the sound track to life in a newspaper production room. I loved those sounds and the energy created by the people getting the paper to press. I started in Trade School producing our own newspaper then evolved with the changes the digital age brought. Thank you for the well explained explanation of the Linotype. Those ingots let off some toxic fumes that shortened the lives of a lot of tradesmen.

[@ebogart42]

Amazing machine & story - thanks!

[@Homer2q]

That’s all really interesting Howard! I worked at Southwestern Bell Telephone in the 1970’s and worked on Teletype 1000 printers. Eventually my employer figured out I had more patience than any other techs when it came to printers so I got assigned to the whole range of printers from teletypes to big band printers. In our case it was usually a network problem but printers were always breaking down and needing adjustments.

[@UDX4570PalmSprings-yh1mv]

Very fascinating Howard, thank you for sharing this!.🇺🇸👋🤠

[@kevculmstock1]

It's Incredible somebody designed that by hand.

[@maxtravers1314]

The mechanical genius to come up with soemthing like this has always amazed me. How can a machine without any kind of chips seem to “think”?

[@jimbrown4990]

Fascinating! Thanks, Howard! 💙

[@ivyrose779]

This is absolutely amazing! It’s hard to understand how a machine can even do all of that.

[@paveloleynikov4715]

This video is excellent illustration to Terry's Pratchett "The Truth". Now I can't unsee image of this linotype as constantly hungry printing machine from that novel...

[@rongrip1]

Thank you so much for explaining this sir

[@green0563]

This is fascinating!

[@AndresMorales-ug3gf]

People is a museum You Will learn. Learn. Use wise.🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@d.aardent9382]

Thats a crazy complicated machine, ive never seen one and had it explained also, what all it does. Thats amazing what the inventor came up with all those different processes going on at samr time. Mustve taken quite awhile to perfect how all the parts would work together and even just the return self sorter by itself is pretty amazing that it could do that.

[@jonathonnolan2328]

This man is a Gem 💎

[@dmjune1]

Thank you so much, Howard, for a great explanation. I'm 62 y.o, and I've never seen this type (pardon the pun) of video.

[@ThomasCarney-r9v]

My grandfather's older brother was a linotype operator. He was also very good at making special prints. Newspapers from all over the country would offer him jobs.

[@spoede64]

Have seen this in action in the late 1970's in a newspapers facility in Zurich, Switzerland. They had to take 8 copies of every mould, because of the number of newspapers they printed every single day. They changed then location and went to offset-printing at the same time, sending all the print operators to training and the linotypists as well for the technology change...only few were sent to early retirement.

[@Rishnai]

I was once told by a former gas station attendant that during the gas crisis, many stations found they did not have enough copies of the suddenly-needed digits for signs. Did the Linotype matrix set tend to suffer from this limitation? That is, if writing about xylophones, might a reporter have to avoid using the word multiple times in the same line?

[@keilista]

There is the possibility to add (special) matrices by hand. There are enough matrices for simultaneous assembly, molding and distribution. The easier way is likely to wait until molding and distribution is finished (if xylophones have also been discussed in the preceding two lines). If the x and y channels are completely filled, there should be no problem anyhow.

[@keilista]

The best video I found up to now about the Linotype. Many thanks. There are so many details of the machine which would be nice to get explained in this way and quality. The Star Quadder for instance. Is this the only electrically controlled mechanism on the 1913 machine?

[@JohnnyTidmore]

When was the last time it was running? I have one, and it runs. Your channel is SO popular, you could really bring some attention back to that marvel--and the marvelous mechanics and operators who kept them running.

[@kal-el-ec1ty]

What happened if the typist made a mistake?

[@spoede64]

He had to re-do this particular line and that's it.

[@keilista]

He quickly filled the line with etaoin shrdlu (the first two columns of the keyboard) and started the line again. Sometimes the wrong line was not removed from the stack and printed by accident. The two weird words are relatively prominent therefore.

[@vtking310]

That's gorgeous! Great video! Is it plate making at its earliest? One can really appreciate the technology with offset plate making.

[@peterawesomeness1]

In the subtitles, was that typo around 5 minutes mistaking “type metal” for “tight metal” intentional? There is a current trend of putting typos in subtitles to increase engagement because people will want to correct them in the comments. I hope this isn’t true here… I appreciate museums for their honesty and intent to educate.

[@HelloIAmHunter]

Lovely machine! But I don't like how they put the lowercase letters on the left 😂

[@borandolph1267]

Why do some of the keys have two characters on them?

[@SacramentoHistoryMuseum]

There is no shift key. However, it is true some matrix have two characters. There’s a means to adjusting and selecting an alternate character on the matrix via a lever.

[@borandolph1267]

@@SacramentoHistoryMuseum cool, thanks!

[@CLUB-th7pp]

What do u use to clean ur hands ?

[@asahearts1]

I always figured linotype was related to lino printing. That is, printing with linoleum.