The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-08-07
How Wall Paper is Made.

One of the effects OF the general intro
duction of automatic machinery into the
various industrial and artistic processes is
to make common, by cheapening the cost
of production, things that are not consid-
cred as among the necessities of life. This
is illustrated by the manufacture of wall
paper, the process of which is as follows:
The plain paper which is used comes to
the factory in large rolls from the manu-
facturer, and in different grades, to serve
the different purposes, some of 1t being
destined to leave the factory in rolls of eight
yards, worth twelve dollars per roll, while
some of it will be sold at twenty-five cents,
or even less per roll.
The first operation through which the
paper passes in the process of converting
it from the plain roll to the artistically fin
ished product is one in which the surface
receives the ground or neutral tint. This
is done in machine through which the
paper passes direct from the large rolls,
two widths simultaneously. The color,
whatever the design may call for, is appli-
ed to the paper as it passes rapidly through
the machine by large roller brush, the
color being in the trough below the brush,
and is distributed evenly by series of
brushes at the circumference of a large
cylinder, in advance of the roller brush.
These brushes are, by suitable mechanical
appliances, given a vibratory motion, so
that as the paper leaves the machine the
ground color is regularly laid.
As the paper leaves the grounding ma
chine it is caught up in long loops or fes-
toons and carried slowly by an endless
chain movement, distance of some hun
dreds of feet, over steam drying pipes, by
which time it is thoroughly dried and is
again wound in rolls ready for printing.
To machine for printing in twelve or
less different colors next goes the roll of
paper upon which the ground is finished
Each of the colors to be printed requires a
separate roller upon which the particular
part of the design to be printed in the col
or represented by that roller is worked in
brass or bronze. Each of these rollers is
provided with trough containing the re-
quisite color, which is distributed to the
roller in its revolution. The paper from
the roll is fed into the machine and over
largefoller, in its progress coming success
sively in contact with each of the small
pattern rollers which adds its special part
of the color and pattern, so that when it
leaves the machine the pattern is completed.
Since, in complicated designs, one roller
will add little of its color and figure here
and there, which. to complete the whole,
must be supplemented by colors and fig
ures of succeeding rollers so as TO exactly
Join and correspond, some idea of the ex-
actness of the feed and tension of paper as
well as the skill required in engraving and
arranging the rolls may be seen. From
this machine the printed paper is carried in
tho Same way as from the grounding ma
chine, and upon arriving at the end of the
endless chain movement the sticks which
support it are mechanically thrown out,
and the paper, now finished and dry, falls
upon rack ready for being wound in small
rolls for USE Sometimes the design calls
for gold or other metal in the pattern, in
which case that particular part is printed
in varnish, and in the progress of the paper
over the drying pipes and at point where
the colors are sufficiently dry not to attract
the dust it is applied and is taken up by
the varnish, which is not yet dry.
Hand printing is employed to some ex-
tent on special patterns where the quantity
wanted will not warrant the expense of
constructing the costly rollers necessary
for its production. 1t is of interest as rep
resenting the advantage of the use of ma
chinery in this industry. In hand print
ing the design is made on fiat blocks. The
paper to be printed is passed over form;
the operator applies the face of the block
to sheet upon which the color is distrib-
uted and then applies the block to the pa
per, pressing it down firmly by means of a
foot lever; and SO on with one color, re-
peating the entire operation with each
color used. Very fine work is done in this
way, although it would be difficult to con-
ceive of a greater contrast than that be-
tween the uncertain and repeated motion
of paper in hand printing, resulting in.
costly product, and the rapid and certain
motion in machine printing, resulting in
artistically designed and colored products at
small cost.-American Mdchiaist
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