These are "sorts" casting machines, as well as "display" casting machines which cast individual types (but excluding slugcasting display machines). It is probably a misnomer to call them "sorts" casters, since they were usually quite capable of casting entire fonts. The distinguishing characterstics of machines in this category are that they are:
In other words, the emphasis here is on machine from the 1890s onward which were intended for use in individual printing establishments, not in typefoundries manufacturing type for sale. ("Every printer his own typefounder.") The organization in this section is alphabetical. The sections which have the most content are:
Bannerman
R. P. Bannerman & Co. At present I know nothing of this save for a brief reference in {Wallis, L. W. "Legros and Grant: The Typographical Connection." Journal of the Printing Historical Society. No. 28 (1999): 5-39. (p. 32)} which indicates that Bannerman was selling a "proprietary" sorts caster in competition to the Davis caster of Grant, Legros & Co. The Bannerman firm also manufactured matrices for sale; see: ../ Noncomposing Typecasters -> Foundry Specimens & Typography -> R. P. Bannerman & Son.
The Davis Typecaster
Made by Grant, Legros & Co. (Lucien Alphonse Legros and John Cameron Grant, of Typographical Printing Surfaces fame). The Davis Typecaster was apparently a pivotal caster adapted to deliver finished types and capable of casting from Linotype, Monotype and "Typograph" (I presume Rogers Typograph) matrices. Grant, Legros and Co. Ltd. were acquired in 1919 by the Williams Engineering Co. Ltd., makers of the Nodis Rapid Caster. See {Wallis, L. W. "Legros and Grant: The Typographical Connection." Journal of the Printing Historical Society. No. 28 (1999): 5-39.}
The Hua-Nan Casting Machine
[TO DO] [Made in Taiwan. See Rimmer, Jim. "Typefounding in Vancouver's Chinatown." ATF Newsletter No. 13 (April 1990): 6-13.]
Koike
[TO DO] Japan. [A Thompson derivative.] [see http://www.bjornpress.com/koike.html]
The Man-Nen
[TO DO] [Probably made in Taiwan, but not certain. See Rimmer, Jim. "Typefounding in Vancouver's Chinatown." ATF Newsletter No. 13 (April 1990): 6-13.]
The Nodis Rapid Caster
[TO DO] Williams Engineering Company, Ltd.. See { Hurst and Lawrence. Letterpress: Composition and Machine Work. (1963) , pp. 23-24} Here it is said to use two moulds, to produce type from 5 to 72 point, "as well as a wide range of spacing material in the form of quads and quotations up to 72 x 72 pt. In addition, the machine can produce a variety of leads, rules and borders to measures as required."
A footnotes in Rice's Matrix Making at the Oxford University Press. (1982) says "Williams Engineering Co., Ltd. Nodis Works, Ealing, London, this firm manufactured the Nodis Typecaster." and the text of Rice's account indicates that they may have manufactured pivotal casters for the Oxford University Press as well. They ceased matrix manufacture for the OUP circa 1953.
{Wallis, L. W. "Legros and Grant: The Typographical Connection." Journal of the Printing Historical Society. No. 28 (1999): 5-39. (p. 37)} indicates that the Williams Engineering Co. Ltd. purchased Grant, Legros & Co. Ltd. (makers of the Davis Typecaster) in 1919. See The American Printer. Vol. 71, no ? (July 20, 1920): 59. which had a trade note on this caster.
The Nuernberger-Rettig or Universal Automatic Typecasting Machine
Essentially a pivotal typecaster re-engineered for use by printers.
The Unicast
[TO DO] [See Graphic Arts Monthly December 1949, p. 101 (ad)]
Legros' "Typecasting and Composing Machinery" (1908) is in the public domain.
The 1911 edition of the Encyclopædiadia Britannica is in the public domain.
The 1920 edition of the Encyclopedia Americana is in the public domain.
The Nuernberger-Rettig advertisement is taken from the Chicago edition of the 1911 Printing Trades Blue Book (Chicago: A. F. Lewis & Co., 1911). It is in the public domain. Scanned by the author from the original.
The 1896 Typographical Journal and the article in it by "Skopeo, of No. Six" are in the public domain.
The 1917 Keystone View Company Stereographic View Card partially reproduced here is in the public domain.
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