Electricaster

1. Identification

Electricaster Hand Book. Second Edition. (Chicago: Western Newspaper Union, 1926).

The "Electricaster" was a small electrically heated stereotype plate casting machine sold by Western Newspaper Union in Chicago. I know nothing at all about it other than what is in the manual reprinted here. It seems to have been a small unit intended for occasional rather than production work. As described here, it could be used with the "Electriladle" (a heated ladle) to "borrow" typemetal from a Linotype pot, and with an ordinary paper cutter used as a press to make stereo mats.

This material was copyright 1926, but a search of the copyright records revealed no renewal as required. I believe therefore that it passed into the public domain upon the expiration of its original copyright in 1954. These are scans made by me of a photocopy purchased by me from an owner of an original copy of these instructions (and these scans are public domain, too).

My "original" is itself a photocopy. Unfortunately, it cropped the header of many of the pages, and a few characters from the sides of a few of the pages. It should be possible to reconstruct these missing bits from context, however.

2. Single-File PDF Version

3. Page Images

• [cover]
• p. 1 - What Electricaster Is
• p. 2 - Installing the Equipment; You May Use Linotype Melting Pot
• p. 3 - Fig. 1: Electricaster and Accessories
• p. 4 - Fig. 2: Electriladle
• p. 5 - Fig. 3: Pouring Cast with Electriladle; Casting with Electricaster
• p. 6 - Heating the Box; Fig. 4: Filling Open Spaces; Backing the Mat
• p. 7 - Drying the Mat; Fig. 5: [mat with "leader" attached]; Attaching Leader
• p. 8 - Fig. 6: Closing the Box after Placing the Mat in Position
• p. 9 - Locking Box for Cast; Fig. 7: [using the electriladle with a Linotype's pot]
• p. 10 - Making Shell Casts on Wood
• p. 11 - Fig. 8 [drying mounting blocks on a stove]
• p. 12 - Fig. 9 Mounting Block with Nails Driven Before the Cast.
• p. 13 - Fig. 10: Placing the Mounting Block, In Which the Nails Have Been Driven, In the Caster.
• p. 14 - Making Mats with Electricaster
• p. 15 - Fig. 11: Lying the Moistened Flong on the Form Preparatory To Making Impression with Paper Cutter; Form for Matting; Reverse Platens and Heat Box
• p. 16 - Preparing Mat; Fig. 12: Placing Molding Block Over Moistened Flong Before Putting Form Under Paper-Cutter Clamp; Rolling Mat
• p. 17 - Fig. 13: In Making Impression with Paper Cutter, ...
• p. 18 - Fig. 14: After Each Bite, Draw the Form Towards You...
• p. 19 - Fig. 15: After You Have Locked the Cutter ...
• p. 20 - Caution! ; Making Mats with a Planer
• p. 21 - Fig. 16: Making Impression with Felt-Faced Planer...
• p. 22 - Saving Time with Small Mats
• p. 23 - Casting Large Mats in Electricaster
• p. 24 - [continued]
• p. 25 - Price List of Electricaster Supplies
• p. 26 - Index
• p. 27 - [continued]