Ludlow is Alive!

Hello, Ladies,

Well! Finally my Ludlow is wired in and working. I’m now an old hand at it, having cast a grand total of four lines….

Reality check; I know next to nothing about it, and am learning as I go, so it is a slow process, but really much easier to tackle than the Linotypes I used to have. If anyone has *any* sort of manual for a Ludlow, I’d love to have a copy. I have four cabinets full of mat-filled drawers, some beautiful faces, and am working my way toward familiarity with the innards of the machine itself. Anyone have experience operating a Ludlow? Please, please contact me—-I don’t want to harm such a neat machine during my learning curve!

Thanks Ladies,

Barb

Barb, would a scan of a manual be of help?  I have a manual, it’s my only, as I am also in the process of obtaining a Ludlow.  It’s gonna be a protracted endeavor, because down here, it seems that turn-key operations are unobtainum.  I have to get a Model M here, mats there, mat cabinets over across the state, ludlow sticks over in Portland, pigs over in Baltimore, Ludlow cleaning tools (which Dave Seat informs is about as important as the machine itself) from eBay……Ach!   But as it is, so far I’ve gotten sticks, this manual, and I may have a line on a Ludlow in the Tampa Bar area….maybe…

The manual is 150-odd pages, and while it might be a bit arduous to scan each and every page, I could scan and post some of the key elements of the manual, if you would wish.  It wouldn’t be immediate in that I have a ton of stuff, but if there are particulars you are needing immediately, email me at paperwrenpress@gmail.com.  I’ll see if I can identify where in the manual it is, and scan those pages.   If it’s helpful to you.

gary johanson

Paper Wren Press

http://www.paperwrenpress.com

Hi Gary,

I would be in your debt forever! I have an assembly/parts list but it is for a newer model Ludlow, and has no actual operational information.  What I need are the basic steps from locking in the stick on the machine, through casting the line, and removal  of the stick. Seems simple enough, but there are a bunch (!) of safety features built in, and I haven’t even begun to track them all down, make certain they are working, and properly lube them.

It might be interesting if Ludlow people could find one another and pool resources. For example, I have about 70 drawers of mats and (once I get my C&P balanced and operational) I could pull proofs for polymer plates. On the other hand, I have no cleaning tools at all, other than leftovers from when I had Linotypes.

Mainly right now, though, I need operating information. If you can help with that, I will certainly cover whatever costs are involved, and as I mentioned, be in your debt.

Many Thanks,

Barb     >BritbikerBarb@yahoo.com<  

Hi Gary,

I have a couple of duplicate sticks, if that helps. I’ve been playing with the Ludlow and **LOVE** it!! SO much handier than a Linotype! Not, of course, as fast, but quick enough for hobby-shop use, and nice faces. I’ve got the machine to produce good, solid type, and blank filler slugs, and repeat lines as needed. I’m going to use four duplicate blank square rule slugs to level my C&P bed to the platen, so things are going wonderfully, and I thought I’d just share the good news! (Barb is a happy girl this afternoon!)

Barb

Ok, it’s taken a while, but here it is:  I photographed in fairly high rez all the pages of my Ludlow manual, about 155-odd pages.  My PDF maker choked on the images, so these are .jpg images at about 8 mB per image, in a zip file, which I uploaded to my site.  You can download it here.

If that link didn’t come through, try this:

http://www.gjohanson.com/Homesite/ZIP/ludlow.zip

Allow about 3 to 4 minutes download time, depending on your connection.  Again, this is a Zip file.

I included cover shots, front and rear.  All parts, images, and text are included.  The Manual dates to 1986, so in the big scheme of things, it is not an old manual.  Also, you might see that I wrote David Seat’s phone number on the front cover.  David is the one to contact about set up and maintenance of these machines.  If that number isn’t right, let me know, I’ll correct it for you.

Hope this helps you, Barb, and whoever else may benefit from this.

gary johanson

Paper Wren Press

http://www.paperwrenpress.com

http://www.paperwrenpress.blogspot.com

paperwrenpresjs@gmail.com

#printshopinapigeonhole

Hi Gary,

Many, many thanks! It looks like it will be very helpful, and it is just the sort of guidepost I needed to keep me from the usual pitfalls—which, of course, involve broken bits and/or crunched fingers.

When you need composing sticks, let me know and if I have duplicates, one is yours, with appreciation!

Thanks again,

Barb

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