The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-18
OUR GERMAN LETTER.

lennian AbrOnd.
European Correspondence OF the Bul'ctin.l
LEIPZIG, March %, 1875.
Among all classes of musicians, ladies o.
gentlemen, amateurs or professionals, there is
not, perhaps, one ia thousand who has the
fantest idea Of how their music is printed.
They admire the elegant design of a toned
and colored title-page, and the precise and
admirable manner in which the no.c3 and
lines are printed, but few ever give thought
to the subject OF how such neat work IL done,
and fewer still could form any conception OF
the process if they should chance to think OF 1t
at all, but i. is fair to presume that any intel
li2ent musician, even among the fashionable
lady pianists Of society, vii! be interested IN
learning something of the mechanical details
Of an art to which all ara indebted for the
possession Of quantities Of cheap and elegantly
printed sheet music.
Such music is published all over the civil
lied world, and nowhere in better style than
in America, but our largest Boston and New
York establishments seem small and their
business very limited as compared with a
mammoth institution OF similar nature
which | have just visited IN Leipsis. This
prodigious establishment 0 YES its existence
to the enterprise of Mr.. g. G. J; eder, who I
suppose must be sole proprietor. as there is
no mention Of any company in the style OF
the firm. Wishing to make tour of ihspec-
ton through the building with double view
OF acquiring information and gratifying my
curiocity, / obtained card OF introduction
from d leading American manufacturer in
Leipsis, and in presenting myself at the
Office was very politely received by the gentle
men in charge, who readily granted permits
sion to see the establishment, and sent one of
the under managers with mo to show and
explain.
Accompanying this ob!ig;ng aud intelligent
guido was first ushered into the ground floor
department, in which the rougher operations
OF the process are conducted Here saw a
number of ponderous machines, oil hard at
work grinding the stones for HthOoraphing.
This work is done by hand in many places,
the plan being to lay one stone on top of
another, and then boy or some other en-
ployee, with low wages, rub5 the upper block
back and forth over the face of the lower one. |
which the two opposing surfaces are at length |
brought to n proper degree of smoothness, |
bat in Mr.. Roeder's house the stone is fast |
ened upon bed-plate aud q revolving disc of
iron is made to pass repeatedly over its sur
face, being supplied with the requisite sand |
and water, by an attendant, SO that by |
means Of these labor-saying machines !
the work is done with much
greater economy and rapidity than would be |
possible by the slow hand process just de- |
scribed. Passing little further along we en-
tored small room where the metallic plates |
used for engraving music arc cast. The man. |
rer in which this casting is done is very sim |
pie and ingenious. OF course it is desirable to |
have the plates smooth Oh the surface and OF a |
uniform thickness il order to print from them
and the plan by which they are produced is |
as follows:
The metal, which is soft composition like |
pewter, is melted in a large basin in the cor
ner and the mould is simply O tong, smooth |
board, covered with linen. ana having little
ledge running along on each side to prevent |
the liquid metal from running eff.
There is wooden box tina! Just fits over
these lodges, and when the operative is ready
to cast sheet he places this box at one end
OF the mould fills it with tue molten compo-
sition, and then with one sweeping motion,
carries it to the other end, by which bril-
|
inches breadth and six feet in length is spread
upon the board. This is next cut into smaller
plates which after being drawn beneath q
knife to give plain surface and to obtain the
proper thickness. are ready for the engraver.
Thus on the first floor the plates and stones
are prepared On the same floor my guide
also showed me number OF large cylinder
presses quite similar to those used for news
papers, except that they print from stones
,,,Et IrfS kun
These are presided over by girls. who seem.
by the way, to be very exten ,ively en- plOyed
in all branches of industry here, as we'll as in
stores and shops. Ascending one flight OF
steps, we found ourselves in the department
where the finest colored title pages are exc
cuted. This work is most all printed ty
hand, as no machinery has yet been contrived
which is capable OF doing it with the requisite
degree Of nicely and precision. The most
elegant designs ara engraved on the face Of
the stone with fine steel or diamond point,
and to print from them, the operator rubs m
ink ball across the surface 40 as to fill the
lines with ink after which ho takes moist
rag and rubs the supeltuO,,s ink from the I'M
engraved portions of the surface and then
LAYING the paper on very carefully with piece
Of smooth pastebolrd on top. he runs the
whole through the press by hand, SO that the
ink held by the engraved lines is transferred
|
by which the design is drawn on the stone
in a peculiar kind OF ink, and the whole
afterward treated with somo corrosive acid.
by which the bare places Of the stone are
eaten away. leaving the drawing in relief,
from which an impression can be printed
much in the same manne- as nn ordinary wood
engraving, the difference beng that after
every impression the face Of the stone mus.
be moistened with water in order to prevent
the ink from adhering TO the blank portions
OF. the surface, for this ink being Of an oily
composition will not stick to- wet surface,
and the water on the other hand will not we.
the ink lines of the design. so that by going
over the stone al ern,tely with water and with
ink, the proper result is obtained. On another
floor We saw the process Of engraving and
drawing. The plan pursued With their oper-
atoms is rs follows:
page Of manuscript music TO be printed is
placed before an engraver. who takes plate
ata1