Monotype Bench Hand Corner Fixture

Made:
1937 in Redhill
Bench Hand Corner Fixture

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Bench Hand Corner Fixture
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Matrix bench hand corner fixture, Plant No. 1294, made by The Monotype Corporation Ltd., Salfords, Redhill, Surrey, England, 1937. This instrument is part of the equipment used in the production system for Monotype matrices. Mounted on bench with machines Nos. 1296, 1868, and 2120.

This machine is one of many used in the process to make a 0.2-inch (0.51cm) or 0.4-inch (1.02cm) matrix. Some of the machines were designed at the Monotype factory in Salfords, Surrey, and other machines were purchased and adapted by Monotype.

There were 82 separate processes needed to transform a designer’s drawing of a letter, figure, punctuation or symbol into a piece of Monotype metal type for printing. A pantograph was used to trace and cut the letter from a copper pattern into a piece of steel called a punch. After being hardened, the punch was driven into a piece of bronze using a crank press to produce a matrix. The finished matrix was ready to go to the Monotype Composition Caster where molten metal was pumped through a mould against the matrix to produce a piece of type.

Details

Category:
Printing & Writing
Collection:
Monotype Corporation Collection
Object Number:
1995-1569
Materials:
steel (metal), aluminium alloy, leather, bakelite and brass (copper, zinc alloy)
Measurements:
overall: 80 mm x 395 mm x 370 mm,
overall (bench): 890 mm x 2160 mm x 790 mm,
type:
machines