Ludlow Typograph
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A Ludlow Typograph was a hot metal typesetting system used in letterpress printing. The device cast bars, or slugs of type, out of type metal primarily consisting of lead. These slugs were used for the actual printing, and then could be melted and recycled on the spot.
The Ludlow system used molds, known as matrices or mats, which were hand-set into a special composing stick. Thus the composing process resembles that used in cold lead type printing. Once a line had been completed, the composing stick was inserted into the Ludlow machine, which clamped it firmly and injected the hot lead, allowed it to cool, and then trimmed the bottom of the slugs just before they were ejected. The operator would then replace the matrices, or mats, back into the typecase by hand. Since the mats were of a consistent height, irrespective of typeface size, they were easier to handle than lead type.
The primary functional difference between a Ludlow Typograph and a Linotype was that the later used a keyboard to compose each line of type, where as Ludlow used hand-set mats. The machine was much simpler, took up less floor space, and was more affordable for a small print shop than a Linotype, which were used by larger printers and newspapers. However, the true worth of the Ludlow lay in the fact that the printer always had fresh, clean type to print from, and never had to worry about running out of sorts. The Ludlow was used primarily for headline-sized type 14 point and above, although mats were made in many typefaces as small as 6 points. The mats themselves were made out of a brass alloy. One thing the operators had to make sure of was that the matrix line was solidly assembled with no gaps between the mats. Because of the speed at which the type metal was forced into the mold cavity, any gaps in the line would lead to a 'squirt' of hot metal (and any print shop that has or had a Ludlow will often have spots of type metal on the ceiling above the machine's location).
The machine included a heated pot for the hot type metal, with a mechanically actuated plunger which operated as part of the injection cycle. The pot on the machine was typically left on overnight during the week, with some flux added to the pot to reduce oxidation. At the end of each week, the plunger assembly had to be dissasembled (while hot), removed, and the pump well cleaned using a scraper (as with linecasting machines). After reassembly, heat was removed for the weekend.
A principal typographer at Ludlow was R. Hunter Middleton, creator of several notable font designs, including Eusebius, a Venetian Oldstyle typeface.
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