Not all machines on the market were new. Old or broken machines were often bought by a company, which would 'rebuild' the machine. Even Linotype itself was doing so. Other companies who rebuild the machines often replaced the nameplate on the top, with another one carrying their own name.
FWS was one of the many factories that rebuild Linotype machines. But as can be seen on the photo, the final result resembles the original machine.
Photos: A typesetter carrying the FWS logo at the carpe plumbum buchdruck-grafik-letterpress studio, Leipzig, Germany.
Before Intertype produced its own linecasting machines, it sold Linotype machines that it had rebuild, often with parts from its own design. It advertised those parts as being from a better quality than the original Linotype parts. It kept this marketing during its existence (read here). At least some of the rebuild Linotypes were sold as the Intertype Model X or Intertype Model Z.
Figure: The Intertype advertisement for its rebuild Linotypes, named Model X and Model Z (Intertype Corporation, n.d.).
Renotype was a company buying Linotypes, refurbishing them, and then selling and distributing them throughout the Czech Republic.
Figure: Drawing of the Renotype nameplate, in the collection of the National Technical Museum of Prague.
Victorline was another company that rebuilt linotypes. Nothing is known about it. The machine below is situated at the Museum of the Printing Arts Leipzig.
Figure: A Victorline nameplate, in the collection of the the Museum of the Printing Arts Leipzig.
Information about the Renotype Factory came from Pavel Polreich from the National Technical Museum of Prague.
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