Dave and Beth Seat, the only remaining travelling Ludlow repairpeople in the country, have many extremely useful Ludlow publications and compilations of information available for download on their website: Hot Metal Services, www.hotmetalservices.com. These include charts of weights, dates, power requirements, etc. on their Ludlows page and several Ludlow documents on their Downloadable Documents page.
In addition, they keep in print and have for sale James Parrish's invaluable books:
Ludlow Operating Manual (Forman)
Forman, Edward P. Ludlow Operating Manual (Chicago, IL: Ludlow Typograph Company, 1962). Forman also wrote many of the Ludlow field service notes (signing them as "EPF"). This document is really an operator's "daily maintenance and troubleshooting guide"; it is not an introduction to setting matrices in the stick and running the machine through its casting cycle.
The original edition of this document has been scanned by Dan Celani, "OCR'd," and converted into a new edition. The version presented here is a scan by me of a printout of that edition. It appears here through the kind permission of Dan Celani. The Ludlow community is very much in his debt for preserving the original of this scarce work and reprinting it. Please do not reproduce this edition commercially or for profit.
My thanks to Dave Seat ( Hot Metal Services) as well for his assistance.
The icon here links to a 66 Megabyte PDF of the document, as greyscale images at a resolution of 300 dpi. Since there are no illustrations, this should be more than adequate. Here, for those with a sufficiently fast net connection, is a 600dpi scan (251 Megabytes): ludlow-operating-manual-forman-celani-ocr-hms-0600greyjpg.pdf
Ludlow. Effective Use of the Ludlow
Anon. Effective Use of the Ludlow. (Chicago: Ludlow Typograph Company, 1929.) "Reprinted from the April, 1929 issue of United States Publisher"
Thanks are due to Dave and Beth Seat, Hot Metal Services for making this book available. The image at left links to a presentation of this document at The Internet Archive. Here is a local copy of the PDF version (464 Megabytes): ludlow-effective-use-of-the-ludlow-1929-hms.pdf
This book was also published with an orange cover.
Karch. Operation of the Ludlow Typograph
Karch, R. Randolph. The Operation of the Ludlow Typograph. (Rochester, NY: Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute, 1939.) The image at left links to a presentation of this document at The Internet Archive. Here is a local copy of the PDF version (778 Megabytes): karch-ludlow-typograph-1939-0600grey.pdf
Duncan. Operating Manual for the Ludlow Typograph. (1951)
Duncan, Harry F. Operating Manual for the Ludlow Typograph. (East Weymouth, MA: Weymouth Vocational School, 1951.) No illustrations, but good, simple explanations. 13 pages of text, numbered pp. 7-19. The image at left links to a presentation of this document at The Internet Archive. Here is a local copy of the PDF version (94 Megabytes): duncan-operating-manual-for-the-ludlow-typograph-1951-0600dpijpg.pdf
This document appears here through the very kind permission of Paul Aken, proprietor of the Platen Press Museum in Zion, IL.
New York City Schools Syllabus (1965)
"Proposed Course of Study, Related Technologies, Ludlow Typesetting Operation." (NY: The High School Division (Vocational), Board of Education of the City of New York and The [NY] State Education Department, ca. 1965.) "Project No. 12PR65RT." A course syllabus, not an instruction manual. Mimeographed. The image at left links to a presentation of this document at The Internet Archive. Here is a local copy of the PDF version (178 Megabytes): ludlow-operation-new-york-city-12PR65RT-0600dpijpg.pdf
This document appears here through the very kind permission of Paul Aken, proprietor of the Platen Press Museum in Zion, IL.
Manual No. 3 (Missing Front Matter)
This copy of the manual for the Ludlow Typograph is incomplete. It lacks its cover, page 1 (title page), and page 2 (Contents). Although it was disbound at some unknown point in the past, it probably is not lacking any material at the end. The corresponding material from the partial photocopy without parts list of Manual No. 3 (below), which does include page 1 and 2, matches this volume perfectly, so I presume that it is indeed edition No. 3. (But it is possible that it is a different edition if only the parts list changed between editions; at present I have located no copies of editions 1, 2, 4, or 5.)
The interesting thing about this manual when compared to later manuals is that it includes actual operating instructions. Its parts list also breaks out major structural components which were not independently illustrated in later editions.
Thanks are due to Dave Seat ( Hot Metal Services) for preserving this manual and making it available.
The icon above left links to a presentation of this manual at The Internet Archive. Here is a local copy of the PDF (441 Megabytes): ludlow-manual-03-incomplete-hms-0600rgbjpg.pdf
Manual No. 3 (Partial, No Parts)
This is a partial photocopy of Manual No. 3. It was reprinted and distributed in 2004 by Dan Celani. It also includes an Insert, dated 1928-02-13 giving "Instructions for Adjusting Ludlow Mold and Adjusting Table Locking Down Mechanism on all Machines Above No. 2092 that are Equipped with the Equalizing Bar Lock." This is interesting not only for its instruction but also for its dating of the introduction of the Equalizing Bar.
Instructions for Adjusting Mold (1928)
This is the Insert, "Instructions for Adjusting Ludlow Mold and Adjusting Table Locking Down Mechanism on all Machines Above No. 2092 that are Equipped with the Equalizing Bar Lock," in the Manual No. 3 (see above) extracted as a separate document. This insert is dated 1928-02-13.
Manual No. 10 (for Model L)
THIS IS INCOMPLETE. It goes only through p. 69 (that is, it has all of the text and the illustrations, but does not have the parts lists). I'm working on finishing it, but as this isn't a raw dump of the scans, it takes time. The version linked from the icon is of reduced resolution (120dpi, basically) but is relatively quick to load (16 Megabytes). Here is a full-resolution (600dpi) version of the same, at 348 Megabytes).
Model M Manual
Note that (in my opinion) if you are working on a Model M you still need the Manual No. 10 (for the Model L). The machines were similar enough that the No. 10 manual is often relevant, and the illustrations in it are much, much better.
A Model M manual scanned by Andy Taylor is online in the Metal Type Library [UK].
Model S Manual
I am unaware of any surviving Model S Ludlows. The image at left links to a copy of this digitization that I've uploaded to The Internet Archive. For convenience, here is a local copy of the PDF (181 Megabytes): model-s-ludlow-manual-c2-0600dpijpg.pdf
Model S Manual
This is a scan of an incomplete photocopy of the Model S manual as sent to a customer by the Ludlow Typograph Company (with the explanation 'We do not have a manual available for you because this machine and it's [sic] parts are obsolete and we no longer manufacture model "S" Ludlow machines.')
To the best of my knowledge, there were no volumes of machine principles published by the Ludlow Typograph Company equivalent to Linotype's Linotype Machine Principles or Intertype's The Intertype. I am unaware of any third-party volumes.
Plunger/Well Cleaning Hang Tag
A "hang tag" containing "Instructions for Cleaning the Plunger and Well" of the Ludlow Typograph. Form 290. This version is dated January, 1955.
Clicking on the image at left will get you a readable version of this in a reasonably sized file (1.8 Megabytes). Click here for the full-resolution original scan, 600dpi, 40 Megabytes
Instructions for Using Ludlow Self-Centering Stick
This is the instruction card which was included in the wooden box with the Ludlow Self-Centering Stick. This is Ludlow Typograph Company Form 18, dated August 1960.
The image at left links to a reduced-size (but quite readable) version. For reference, here is the original 1200 dpi scan (53 Megabytes): ludlow-self-centering-stick-instructions-form-18-1960-08-1200rgb-recto.png
Supersurfacer Instructions
Ludlow Supersurfacer Instructions. (Chicago: Ludlow Typography Company, n.d.) The image at left links to a presentation of this document at The Internet Archive. For convenience, here is a local copy of the PDF (69 Megabytes): ludlow-supersurfacer-instructions-grey-0600dpijpg.pdf
Supersurfacer Instructions and Parts List
Ludlow Supersurfacer Instructions and Parts List. (Chicago: Ludlow Typography Company, n.d.) The image at left links to a presentation of this document at The Internet Archive. For convenience, here is a local copy of the PDF (157 Megabytes): ludlow-supersurfacer-instructions-c2-0600dpijpg.pdf
Lance Williams, Kadet Stationery / Williams Stationery Company has a different scan of this document online in his Downloadable Letterpress Documents section.
Ludlow cabinets are marvellously useful, and much heavier than they look.
See also Ludlow Cabinet Label packets, which have instructions for inserting the celluloid-covered labels on cabinets.
See also Ludlow New Universal Matrix Cabinet brochure.
Dave and Beth Seat, Hot Metal Services, have instructions for the Burnishing Board online on their Downloadable Documents page. Their version is dated "7-60".
See also photographs of two Burnishing Board Paper packets, courtesy of Dave and Beth Seat . These packets are useful because they specify the grit of the (sand)paper to be used with the Burnishing Board.
How to Use the Burnishing Board
Although this does not say "Ludlow" on it anywhere, I have it on the authority of John Rountree that this device was sold by Ludlow. He notes as well that his copy of these instructions, from the 1930s, is identical except for date to this copy (which is from 1962, "Form 57-2500 7-62"). Dave Seat also confirms that this is a Ludlow product.
The link through the icon at left is to a reduced-resolution version (a reasonable 0.8 Meg). Here is the full-resolution 1200dpi scan, in greyscale (260 Megabytes): burnishing-board-instructions-1200grey.pdf
Hot Metal Paste-Up
This was a system in some way developed jointly by Hammond Machinery Builders and the Ludlow Typograph Company. Very little is now known about it.
The link here goes "up and over" to ../../../../../ Letterpress for Non-Relief Processes -> Ludlow/Hammond Hot Metal Paste-Up
See [Matrix Dressing Tool A763] / Bulletin FI-45: "Instructions for Repairing Damaged Matrices" in Ludlow Typograph Service Bulletins.
The original edition of Forman's Ludlow Operating Manual is in the public domain as it was published in the US without copyright notice at a time when such notice was required to secure copyright. However, the OCR'd and scanned edition here is copyright by Dan Celani and is reprinted here with his kind permission. Please use it under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License, with attribution to Edward P. Forman and Dan Celani. Please do not use it commercially in any way.
The following works reprinted here were published in the US without copyright notice at a time when such notice was required to secure copyright. They therefore passed into the public domain upon initial publication. These digital reprint remains in the public domain. Works: Effective Use of the Ludlow; Duncan, Operating Manual for the Ludlow Typograph ; "Proposed Course of Study [NY City Schools Syllabus]"; all editions of the Ludlow Typograph manual; Plunger/Well Cleaning Hang Tag; "Instructions for Using Ludlow Self-Centering Stick"; Supersurfacer Instructions (both editions); "How to Use the Burnishing Board".
The following works reprinted here are in the public domain due to the failure to renew their initial copyright, as was then required. These digital reprint remains in the public domain. Works: Karch, The Operation of the Ludlow Typograph;
All portions of this document not noted otherwise are Copyright © 2009-2013 by David M. MacMillan and Rollande Krandall.
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