The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-06-15
AT THE CENTENNIAL.
A Description OF the Process OF Printing
watt Paper.

A Description Of tho Process OF Printing
.- watt Paper. .-.,..- ...
One of tho most interesting exhibits
in Machinery hall, says correspondent
OF the New York Times, is machine
for the purpose OF displaying the pro-
cess OF printing wall paper. The frame
OF the machine is about ten feet high
and about the same in length. Midway
IN this frame an iron cylinder, six feet
in diameter, revolves. It is jacketed
with cotton tapping and an endless rub
Der blanket, making perfectly true and
cushioned surface to receive the imprint
of the printing rollers as they revolve
against it. The massive frames of the
machine, one on each side, form large
segments of an arc; its arms, to which
are secured the necessary bearings for
the numerous rollers and color boxes,
encircling the cylinder to the top. For
printing in this wall paper business, the
material on which the figure to be
printed is generally secured is well sea-
soned maple wood; though some made of
metal are now being introduced. The
design being sketched on the roller, it is
outlined with sheet brass driven firmly
into the wood, and this is filed in tightly
with species of compact felting, made
to adhere by a peculiar composition.
This is called raised or surface printing,
in contradistinction to calico printing,
in which the figure is etched out of the
copper shell. These printing rollers
have iron cones at each end, and are so
arranged that, when in position on the
print-shaft which carries them, they
cannot get out of place. Each printing
roller, being set truly against the cylin-
der spoken of, is supplied with the color
which it is to print on the paper by
means OF an endless wooden sieve-cloth
stretched over set of brass rollers,
against the upper part of which the
printing roller revolves, the lower part
being in contact with another roller,
running in shallow box or pan, filed
with the color, which that printing roller
is to imprint on the paper.
A plate OF brass, called the DOCTOR"
being set against the sieve cloth, scrapes
off all surplus color and regulates the
quantity delivered to the printing roller.
1t may be said briefly that the arrange
ment of the geared wheels in the ma
chine, of which there are many, is such
that everything must run at a definite
and uniform speed. The motion is i'm
parted by stout shaft running under
the cylinder gear, with large toothed
wheel attached to it and to the master
print wheel, which, in turn, drives the
smaller print wheels on the shaft of each
printing roller. BY means of lever and
chain, the entire cylinder is easily rails
ed, great gain over the old method, by
which similar result could only be OBJ
tanned by lowering all the rollers. These
machines are SO made that the position
of the shaft carrying the printing roller
can be changed in various ways, so as
to regulate the fit without having to
stop the machine for the purpose. At
the back of the machine is the unrolling
machine, by which the roll of paper as
it comes from the mill is unwound and
delivered to the machine, passing, of
course, between the print rolls and gum
blanket.
The hanging up arrangements, by
which two rim wheels, in which notches
are cut, receive the lowest of pile of
flat sticks and bear it on to pair of
belts provided with small buttons to
prevent it slipping, which belts bear it
in turn to the rack further on, the paper
being formed iuLu loops, doLoi luiuod by
the distance of the sticks one from an
other. On account of having but linn
tied space for drying, these racks are
made into three lines by means of a re-
turn arrangement. Arriving on the
rack, the sticks holding the loops pass
on to endless triangular betting or end
less chain-both are used-which runs
over sheave wheels and conveys the pa
per to the end of the line. In the mean
time the paper has been dried by expo
sure to the heat from continuous line
of steam pipes. On arriving at this
point it is ran out on table eight yards
in length, that being the recognized
length of roll of white paper. 1t is
cut every sixteen yards by serrated-
edged knife at the top of the table or
slide, something in the same way that
postage stamps are divided.
The main points in the machine used
for rolling the paper into rolls, are a
large toothed wheel, gearing with an
other, which is exceedingly small by
comparison, to which the spindle is at
tached, giving the latter great speed.
So much skill do the roller boys acquire
that they can keep a machine running
at it's full speed for ten or more consecu-
tive hours, cutting out all imperfections,
and making in that time from 5000 to
5000 pieces of eight yards. After the
roll is made, the end is turned over and
it is placed in machine which smooths
and hardens it. The rollers are after
ward placed on horse, provided with a
broad leather band and lever, by which
they are tightly compressed while being
tied up for the store. The above pro-
cess only describes the printing on the
raw or blank paper as it comes from the
mill. If the print is to be on shaded
ground, without lustre, or, if highly
polished satin ground is wanted, they
are, of course, made for the purpose.
Considering the number of colors which
fall wet one on another, it is surprising
how the papers are so perfectly printed.