William Spurling's http://www.linotype.org/ site is an excellent starting point. It has the largest collection of Linotype/Intertype documentation online of which I am aware. He also has an extensive bibliography which links to other online resources. In his reprinted material, see especially The Big Scheme of Simple Operation and Linotype Machine Principles
If you're serious about Linotype or Intertype linecasters, and you're not already an old hand at them, then in my opinion the very best thing that you can do is to attend Larry Raid's "Linotype University." See: http://www.linotypeuniversity.org/ This is one-week full-immersion hands-on class on Linotype operation and maintenance. You can walk into it knowing nothing about Linotypes, and walk out not only having set, cast, and printed type, but knowing in detail the daily care and operation of the machine. It is a unique opportunity, and a wonderful experience. I attended Linotype University VI in 2008, and have written up a short account of it.
There is one discussion group that I know of devoted specifically to Linotype/Intertype matters, the Yahoo! Groups "IntertypeWorld" group: http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/IntertypeWorld
The "LETPRESS" letterpress-related mailing list has some related traffic, and in any case is an essential resource for Internet letterpress research. To subscribe, see: http://listserv.unb.ca/cig-bin/wa?SUBED1=letpress&A=1
Don't forget that the online archives of both the IntertypeWorld group and the LETPRESS list (and the Briar Press; see below) are excellent places to search for answers.
The Prelinger Archives of advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur films hosted by The Internet Archive has Typesetting[: Linotype], a 1960 film made by the Salesian Vocational and Technical Schools (Italy; film dubbed into English). It is presented in two parts at: http://www.archive.org/details/Typesett1960 and http://www.archive.org/details/Typesett1960_2
The Italian site "Linotype & Linotypisti" ( http://www.linotipia.it/index.html) has much good material in both Italian (usually heavily illustrated) and English.
"Metal Type" ( http:http://www.metaltype.co.uk) reprints some good material on Linotypes/Intertypes, as well as Ludlow and other hot metal machines. (They also reprint the Cromwell Paper Company's 1951 booklet on printing Makeready, and instructions for folding a paper printer's hat.)
In addition to the Prelinger Archive film on Linotype (Intertype) Typesetting, noted above, The Internet Archive has digitized:
Google Books has digitized a number of public domain books of relevance, including:
I have not yet had the need/opportunity to employ the services of Dave Seat ( Hot Metal Services, http://www.hotmetalservices.com/ or (same website) http://www.gohotmetal.com/ ), but every single person I've spoken with, without exception, has said that he's the best. He is, I believe, the last travelling Linotype/Intertype/Ludlow repair person in the United States. I have, however, bought books/parts from him, and been quite satisfied. He was also the one who put me on to my first Ludlow - thanks, Dave!
SOS Linotype, Jerry Spurlock ( http://www.soslinotype.com)
Don Black Linecasting Service (Canada, http://www.donblack.ca/)
Greg Timko / G.T. Graphic Service and Supply (NY): http://www.gthotmetal.net/
Patrick Leary, of Harold's Printing Co., 216 5th Avenue, Brookings, SD 57006 has (in 2008) "new old stock" copies of Oscar R. Abel and Windsor A. Straw's Mechanism of the Linotype. Revised Edition. (Brookings, SD: Lebawarts Press, 1956).
Dave Churchman, 783 Ridgeland Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46250. (Much letterpress and some lincaster. See also Dave Churchman / Sterling Type Foundry, below.)
NA Graphics ( http://www.nagraph.com/) doesn't address hot metal specifically, but does have general letterpress supplies.
(Officially this machine was known as the "Ludlow Typograph Machine," but it is always informally called simply a "Ludlow.")
Ludlow parts are also available from the following vendors (listed alphabetically):
One of the best things that I ever did in my Linotype journey was to attend the Midwest and Great Northern Printers' Fair in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. There is a great deal of interest in letterpress printing now, and a surprising (to me) amount of this is associated with Linotype/Intertype/Ludlow linecasters. In order to get to know Linotypes, you have to get to know letterpress printers (which is a pleasant task indeed). This trick is to realize that they're interested in letterpress printing (a 19th century technology), not computers and the Internet. You actually have to talk to them, or (gasp) meet them. As I write this (2008), I've only just begun to do this, but even at this point it is clearly a rewarding experience. It seems to be a fine community indeed.
Finding out when the Printers' Fair happens (or other similar events in other places) isn't necessarily easy (see the remark above about letterpress interest in these timewasting computers). You should keep an eye on the LETPRESS mailing list (see above), the Briar Press website (see below), and The Printer (see below). The 2009 event is scheduled for September 17-19, 2009, and will be combined with the annual "Wayzgoose" (which is private, if I understand correctly) of the Amalgamated Printers' Association (of which I am not yet a member). I'm not quite sure how this works, but the Printers' Fair at least is a public event.
(By the way, the Midwest Old Threshers park/museum in Mount Pleasant ( http://www.oldthreshers.org) is magnificent. Besides all of the agricultural machinery and such, they have a splendid collection of stationary steam engines - many of them run under steam! - and an extensive Printers' Hall. When I was there for the 2008 Printers' Fair, they were running demonstrations on a beautiful old hand press, a spectacularly clean and shiny Heidelburg "windmill" platen press with a vacuum automatic feeder (I must get one of these someday!), and an early steam-driven cylinder press (run under steam, of course). The Printers' Hall also has several Linotypes and an Intertype C4 side magazine machine, and a Ludlow. Some of these are in operation; I saw the Ludlow running, but unfortunately had to leave before the Linotype demonstration.)
The Briar Press ( http://www.briarpress.org/ seems to be the main website for letterpress enthusiasts (well over 20,000 of them).
The Printer is a physical, printed monthly newspaper (as befits its subject) devoted to letterpress printing. 337 Wilson Street, Box 1402, Findlay, Ohio 45840. See the Briar Press entry on them at: ( http://www.briarpress.org/1435
John Barrett, a professional letterpress printer, runs Letterpress Things as a second business handling letterpress equipment, tools, and materials ( http://www.letterpressthings.com/). I'll always be in his debt for a great deal of fine advice, and for directing me to the Midwest and Great Norther Printers' Fair - thanks!
linotype.org has a list of museums. To this I'll only add that the Midwest Old Threshers park/museum ( http://www.oldthreshers.org, and see also my comments above) has several Linotypes, an Intertype, and a Ludlow - and sometimes they're demonstrated in operation.
The International Monotype Memory Project: ttp://www.letterpress.ch/
The Alembic Press (David Bolton): http://www.alembicpress.co.uk
[nothing yet]
Schuyler (Sky) Shipley's Skyline Type Foundry (Kampsville, IL): http://www.skylinetype.com/
The Dale Guild Type Foundry (Theo Rehak): http://www.daleguild.com/
Dave Churchman and Sterling Type Foundry: P.O. Box 50234, Indianapolis, IN 46250.
M & H Type (Aron Press, San Francisco): http://www.arionpress.com/mandh/
Quaker City Type Foundry: 2019 Horseshoe Pike, Honey Brook, PA 19344.
Others?
Books on Punchcutting and Typefounding
Also search generally on the history of typefounding in the U.S., and Linn Boyd Benton's matrix engraving machine (the Benton-Waldo machine) and its use both by Linotype and (for foundry types) by Goudy, ATF, and others.
If all else fails, and you have a serious question about Linotypes, Intertypes, or the like, you can always contact me. I am not an expert and probably don't know the answer, but I love these old machines, and will try to help.
The most reliable way to contact me is via postal mail:
David M. MacMillan 2526 Wearne Road Mineral Point, Wisconsin 53565
You can also try e-mail, although it may well get caught in the "spam traps" and I may never see it (your best bet is to keep it simple, in plain text (not HTML or other fancy formatting), and sent from an Internet service provider who doesn't automatically append advertising to e-mail). My e-mail address is:
dmm@Lemur.com
In an absolute emergency (where "emergency" means "a Linotype is about to be scrapped"), you can call me at: (608) 623-2286. Please don't call unless it really is an emergency (it is better to write to me instead); I'm not at my best on the phone, and in any case we often don't answer because we get so many telemarketing calls.
(The title of this section is a very obscure reference. Many years ago I attended a talk by the English writer James Burke, famous for his Connections television series. He told a story from his days as a young correspondent during the NASA Apollo program. Apparently, he said, the astronauts had a very low-tech flipchart attached to the arm of their space suits. It contained troubleshooting flowcharts; if X goes wrong, do Y, etc. He said that at the very end, when absolutely everything had failed and you knew you were stuck on the moon, 250,000 miles from home with no chance at all and only a few hours of oxygen left, the final desperate item was this: "Kick with lunar boot.")
All portions of this document not noted otherwise are Copyright © 2008-9 by David M. MacMillan and Rollande Krandall.
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