Hand mould

Hand mould

A Hand mould is a two-part mould used for casting small metal objects that could be operated by hand. In particular, it refers to a system for casting movable type, pioneered by Johannes Gutenberg, which was widely used in the early era of printing in Europe (15th-16th century).

In this method, the type was made by punching a letter-shaped cavity in a "matrix" made of some soft metal (typically copper). Then this matrix would be held in the lower part of the mould, the upper part would close on it, and molten type metal would be poured into the cavity. Using the hand mould, the printer could quickly make any additional type he might need.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • hand-mould — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Mould — Mold Mold, Mould Mould, n. [OE. molde, OF. mole, F. moule, fr. L. modulus. See {Model}.] [For spelling, see 2d {Mold}, above.] 1. The matrix, or cavity, in which anything is shaped, and from which it takes its form; also, the body or mass… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • hand-build — verb make without a potter s wheel This famous potter hand builds all of her vessels • Syn: ↑handbuild, ↑coil • Hypernyms: ↑shape, ↑form, ↑work, ↑mold, ↑mould, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Movable type — For the weblog software, see Movable Type. Part of a series on the History of printing …   Wikipedia

  • Type casting (typography) — Type casting is a technique for casting the individual letters known as sorts used in hot metal typesetting by pouring molten metal into bronze moulds called matrices.Although using matrices was a technique known well before his time, Johann… …   Wikipedia

  • Johannes Gutenberg — Infobox Person | name = Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg other names = caption = birth date = circa 1398 birth place = Mainz, Electorate of Mainz death date = death date|1468|2|3|mf=y death place = Mainz, Electorate of Mainz death… …   Wikipedia

  • Printing press — For the history and technology of movable type, see Movable type. Printing press from 1811, exhibited in Munich, Germany …   Wikipedia

  • Printing — is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing.HistoryWoodblock… …   Wikipedia

  • Matrix (printing) — Individual matrices, or mats, part of a font of characters loaded into a matrix case. A …   Wikipedia

  • Book — A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf, and each side of a leaf… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”