A type holder is a device to permit type to be used in tooling. They are relatively recent innovation in the bookbinding world. Until the early Twentieth century, handle letters were the only way to hand tool the titles on books. Although purists object to their use, type holders have a place in hand binding.
Because type, particularly foundry type, is so inexpensive, a type holder is an affordable way to learn to tool bindings. In addition, the marginal cost of acquiring more fonts and sizes is much lower than with handle letters. A type holder also ensures that all of the letters in a line of text are even with one another (though not necessarily in line with the binding).
For the finest bindings, however, bibliophiles maintain that a type holder produces too even and mechanised a result.
Structurally, a type holder is a rectangular metal frame (usually brass) mounted perpendicular to a wooden handle. Thumbscrews on two sides can be tightened to grip the type firmly in two dimensions. The entire assemblage can then be heated up to perform the actual tooling.
Top View
___
/ \ _ <- type face
| _____ | | |
| |_____| |NNNN| | <- thumbscrews
|_________________| |_|
| | \
| | |
| | | brass shaft
| | | approximately
| | | 10 cm / 4 inches long
| | | 10 mm / 1/2 inch in diameter
| | |
| | |
/___\ /
| | \
| | |
| | | wooden handle
| | | approximately
| | | 15 cm / 6 inches long
| | | 25 mm / 1 inch in diameter
| | |
| | V
Front View
_
|#|#||:|\:|:|| | | |
|#|#||:|:\|:||NNNN|NNNN| | <- tighten across
| Z | |_|
Z
Z
|_____| /|\
| tighten up
KEY
_ ________
|#| -> space |:|\:|:|
|#| |:|:\|:| -> type ("N")