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Typo: A Monthly Newspaper and Literary Review, Volume 4

Inventions, Processes, and Wrinkles

Inventions, Processes, and Wrinkles.

The Lincoln Galley is a novelty turned out by a company in New York. The upper side is movable, and, when a proof is required, is brought down close to the matter, and at once secured at side and foot by a clamp. Neither quoin nor sidestick is needed.

Spiked Spaces.—A useful German invention described and illustrated in some of our contemporaries, is that of spaces from 3- to 120-point, furnished on each side with two projecting pins or spurs. They are intended to be used with reglet, to rapidly make permanent divisions for keeping borders or large or fancy founts in an upright position. They would fall in well with the scheme described in Typo, vol. ii, p. 12.

To Prevent Ink Skinning.—Cover it with water, says one authority, and pour the water off before using.—A thin film of glycerine, says another, will prevent skinning, and will not injure the ink. Typo's advice is, « Don't. » It is bad enough to lose half or more than half, of expensive ink in skin; but either of these remedies is worse than the evil. They may suit house-painters well enough; but if applied to ink they spoil it, and make a complete mess of the work. Pointers says: « a little inkoleum allowed to stand on top of job ink in the can will keep skin from forming. » This strikes us as an improvement on the other recommendations, but we will take care to make our first trial on cheap ink!

Current Coins as Weights and Measures.—When the 2oz. weight has rolled out of sight, or the foot-rule is mislaid, the loose cash in one's pocket may be useful as a substitute. Here is a convenient table of weights and measures:

  • 10 farthings, or = 1 oz.
  • 3 pennies, or = 1 oz.
  • 10 sixpences, or = 1 oz.
  • 5 shillings, or = 1 oz.
  • 2 half-crowns, or = 1 oz.
  • 8 half-sovereigns, or = 1 oz.
  • 4 sovereigns = 1 oz.
  • 5 pennies, or = 6 inches
  • 6 half-pennies = 6 inches

Safe Way to Etch Stones.—The following is communicated to the American Lithographer and Printer by Messrs Baylis, Lewis, & Co., Worcester, England:—Boll up solid and sharp; dust on fine powdered resin, then French chalk. Saturate a piece of flannel (or woollen material thick enough), stretched tightly on a piece of board, of any suitable size (say 12 x 4 inches), with benzine. Lay two pieces of reglet on the margin of the stone, and then turn the saturated flannel face downwards to within an eighth of an inch of the stone, and in a few seconds the resin will have become melted and incorporated with the rolling up ink, forming a perfect protection against nitric acid. As soon as the job begins to look glossy, the board must be moved on, as it will not do to remain too long, for obvious reasons. Of course, the benzine must never come in contact with the job. There are other things as well as benzine which will answer, of course.

New Rule-Cutter.—The Gutenberg-Journal of 25th December figures and describes a new rule-cutting and mitering machine, which the artistic comp will agree is just what he has been wanting. It is the invention of M. Sixte Albert, whose useful « typometer » we described in our last. Most rule-mitering machines fall short in one respect—there is no provision by which the rule or type manipulated can be kept perfectly rigid. Usually the workman's left thumb must keep it in position, while a powerful lever, operated by his right arm, shaves away the metal. The result is, that the type is forced away from the tool, and the shaving steadily diminishes in thickness as the blade descends. M. Albert's little machine has no such defect as this, and though it is produced for 60f., its work is equal to any produced by the typefounders. As examples, we have single letters cut through the middle horizontally and diagonally, and pieced together so that the eye cannot detect the junction. All manner of curious monograms are thus formed, which appear to be printed from a single letter. A line of caps is cut clean through the middle, and a brass erasing rule inserted. We infer that in such a case half the letter is destroyed. The mathematical accuracy of this little machine opens up new possibilities for the artist in rule and border. In ornaments cut and fitted the fit must be perfect, or the result is deplorable. With this new invention the long-sought accuracy may be obtained.

The American Lithographer and Printer reminds the world that 1890 is the semi-centennial year of the Postage-stamp—a British invention.