Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-12-01
MAKING STAMPS.
.,, WHICH Is INTRICATE AND
aBII NTSRBSfING.

ca.l,r l->--- A-. .',i-~' u
gs3.rj by Bal G1s-ThaPW-
Machine and Gs
Tta i Caused.
rii p.-ads-r.
any manufactured article is
rs-,slly used than the postage
100000 being consumed
but the process of manufac-
va To- but few. Some Of the
most bitterly contestedlawsuits
..re arisen in relation TO diGer-
Employed in the manufacture
andan immense amount Of in
been expended in bringing
printing them rapidly and
present perfection. Postage
used IN nearly al civilized
but almost an are manufactured
.ion. Paris OF New York.
American contenent some
.es and many of the South
-.sa-, supplied with stamps from
rl the whole supply OF the
-s government is manufactur-
rcsa bank note company of
Tne government itself on
one occasion made estimates
...- 10 war..-o turing It's own
hr- wnerc.ur red with the bids
l-r- +.. h.rs note company. the
v... f..rf .o t- excessive, and the
-r r.st.ec retained by the bank
- company
rI.ING THE DIES.
s.er u the manufacture Of
. uasc the die. The device,
las generally been the head Of
-usled public man, is settled
--- ..e government, and the draw
The service of the engraver
-V -.grll An engraving I'm deep
made upon steel, which has
rol 6y % peculiar process Of
ror The device is cut, and
-lc border which is g more or
Gated scroll The steel is then
hr conformation. and the in
technically know as the female die,
0- use. The next step is % make
he. known as the male die or
Acgbe of soft steel is pressed by
ram upon the eutagio engrav-
sitter DO has been forced into all
ss.ons ssightiy touched up with
rr a. cameo counterpart of the
lus formed, and from these
made by pressing the harden
upon the softer metal The dis
The process of s0ftening the
working and hardening 10 for use
mDiicd the task of printing
formerly but one pair Of dies
owing 20 the eos, Of engrav-
The practical impossib.iity Of
hand 8 number of exactly sim
es. and the process Of printing
m was therefore very slow and eX
one.
PRINTING THE sIANHs
dies are arranged in q press. each
ISL producing q sheet of 200 stamps.
el this shce, is ready Tor issue it is
90 iu two, the stamps furnished the
masters coming in half sheets. The
ger is supplied blythe government daily
reluisiu0n from thc manufacturer, a
.g record being KEEP. of the amount Of
issue, and the company must return
81. number of stamped sheets that
-r. been issued gus,amped. The sheets
- -ccd iu the press and by an ingen-
iovict are fed t0 the dies and count
The paper rests upon the female die,
oh alone is linked, the punch coming
r1 up0u 60 and pressing the paper upon
lked surface. The printing IS true
engraving. the process being exactly
-te from that employed in printing
m vpe the lower surface receiving
iee0 color and the upper one being
An American stamps are printed
one color, but in the English stamps
tFr are used A peculiar invention, the
patent right 90 which Ted 90 much luga-
- IS employed I'm giving the two colors.
closely set line of steel points are raised
tr machinery through intersticcs made
.I--assIvin the dies and the second c0.oris
1ted from these This apparatus rs
sely Co -et ont of order and has never
||I'|n.|H.
-.-,.,-,.- .--,. -.,rg-s
Tlenext step is 90 gum the stamped
..et- mis- Was l0rmerlydone by hand,
M. brushes being used. but p more
.T.otive method has been devised by
which 81 roller is passed over the sheets
M machinery. applying the gum evenly
-er the entire ,urface. Great care IS
ken nthe preparation of this glue. as it
necessary to give the sheet a coating
win not become soft and sticky
trough eo0sure t0 q moist atmosphere
-l which win be sufficiently adhesive to
Gwen. Inc possibility Of tine stamps be
'oour tatched from the letters to
W-.c. .1.r are affixed. An entire issue of
c. ,u0s. those printed in blue and
bearing Inc figure of locomotive had to
retired because of the impcrteclon of
mined surface. The cost to- the
ment amounted to- tens OF thou
~ dollars and tle inconvenience 10
public was extreme as lne stamps