Wharfdale Flat Bed Printing Press 1887.
Usage of the Line of Types
Having manufactured a metallic line of type, it is transported to the printing press at the other end of the room, and set up in page format on a chase. The hundreds of line of types used in the printing of one page of newspapers are all wedged or locked into the chase or page format. The printing here is done on an 1887 Wharfdale Flat Bed Printer.
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Above you can see the hundreds of "lines of type" locked or wedged into a page format. Note the straight wooden page edges, and at the bottom front, metallic triangular wedges ( termed quoins ) used to jam the page tightly together.
You can see above the number 1s represent a feature story of how to become a journalist written by an ex employee, the number 2 represents the lines of type for an advertisement for the World's Largest Grapevine, planted in 1867, and number 3 is a feature on the Chiltern Kindergarten.
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At Chiltern, on the Wharfdale Flat Bed Printing Press, the pages are locked up two at a time. The pages move back and forth under the ink rollers, and then a paper is is rolled and pressed into the surface of the pages, and then pushed out of the press. This machine prints four pages at one time, ( numbers 1 - 4 ) and of course, with only one colour ink, newspaper black.
Used "lines of type" can be placed back into the furnace and melted back to liquid metal, which is then used to make a new line of type.
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Above Merv , who commenced his printing trade at the Border Morning Mail Newspaper in Albury in 1949, is feeding paper, sized 36 inches by 25.5 inches into 2 brass alignments, upon which the paper is grabbed by 6 grippers and pulled onto the tympym, ( the large roller with the newspaper around it ), which goes down onto the inked type which forces an impression onto the paper. The machine then feeds the printed paper out.
The machine prints four pages at a time on one side of the paper. The paper is then reversed and is printed on the other side. The finished paper is then cut in half and folded. The result is two four page newspapers from the one sheet.
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The photo above shows inside the Federal Standard building, with the Wharfdale printing press, and Merv Death standing in front of the Linotype machine.
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The above photo shows Merv holding up the finished product, a four page newspaper, with exactly the same heading or name, The Federal Standard, as it had in 1859.
Visitations
The Federal Standard is classified by the National Trust, and the building is opened on certain occasions, such as the Chiltern Ironbark Festival in October of each year.
The building and the machinery can be inspected by interested people or groups, and a working display is possible.
Contact the Chiltern Tourist Information Centre on 0357 261 611
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