The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-09

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ferry companies; in fact, they do all kinds
of iRe engraving from . postage stamp to
9 $780, 900 bond.
will endenvor to describe. very briefly
md clearly, the process of making 4 bank
note. FIRST of all, q model is made, partly
in India ink and partly by pasting together
Impressions of small pieces of leather work
and cycliodal designs. This is almost an
exact representation of what the bank note
is to be; something after the fashion that
an architect makes his plans for a build
ing, only it is made on heavier paper and
executed with the brush. These designers
nre 30 clever in their art that you might
well mistake some Of their designs for the
enRravings themselves.
bank bill is never engraved by one man.
but by q number of men. Each .engravsr is
skilled in his wi particular branch of the
work; one man may be expert In engraving
portraits, another in making the old Eng
lish and other fancy letters you see on the
bills. another in the script or writing
style of letter phrases like: twill pay the
bearer or payable to the bearer on de-
mnnd."
The eneravers all start on their respect
i've kinds Of work 30 as to finish about the
same time, very much in the same style
as a railroad is built. Several gangs Of
men, working simultaneously on different
sections of the road, complete the enterprise
sooner than one gang OF laborers engaged
Oh the whole route. So each engraver is
given a small part of the bill to execute.
He engraves it on a piece of steel known us
die steel, not quite as large as q postal
card. Each piece is hardened and after
ward taken up on the periphery Of . soft
steel cylinder, known as u roll. This, in
turn, il hardened like q razor and the com
pleted not is then made up from these rolls.
The rolls, by great pressure, are impressed
onto a large plate which, when finished, be-
comes the bank note that you are accus-
toned to see.
A very curious machine used by engrav-
ers in their work il called the geometric
lathe. II ID with the MD OF this machine
thnt the peculiar and intricate lace-work
patterns 50 familiar on our paper money
are made. It5looks very much like a scroll
saw, with a revolving bed and numerous
little cogs, pins and thumb-ScreWs Pro-
iecting oven the bed is m arm carrying a
finely tempered steel grayer. Still more
curious is it that it is impossible for the
operator on this instrument to reproduce
exactly the cutting he has made, Of which
combination; if one Of the thumb-screws
il turned the hundredth part Of al inch it
changes the entire design.
After the engravers have finished their
work upon the die it goes to the hardening
room, where, by means of furnace heat and
certain chemicals. it is made SO hard that
even 4 file will not scratch it. Then the die
ia put on the transfer press, and an exact
impression is made on the circumference of
a soft roll of steel. This is hardened SINH
lar to the die, and transferred to the print
snff,bp s FIRST pl.te-p,in.ina presses, and
those in general use to-day, consisted of
two metal rollers, between which is a slab
of iron running on four guide wheels. The
press looks something like a four-armed
windmill.
In using this press the printer first puts
digger" rolls over the surface of the plate
with ink, removing the surplus with a piece
of mosquito netting and the remainder
with his hand. Then he polisnes the
plate by rubbing it over with the soft
part of his hanu covered with whiting. He
does this till it shines like a mirror, leav-
ing the engraved lines full of ink. His
tory informs us that bank notes were first
printed by tho Chinese 2697 B. G., and,
even in that early day, plates were polished
by the palm of tho hand in the manner just
e1scribed.
But now the Chinese are trying to learn
the art of bank note engraving from Ameri-
cans. Some time aimee | assisted in fur
nishing tho Japanese government with an
outfit which, in time, will enable them 10
become expert bank nota engraverG. The
Japanese, being naturally artistic, will not
make the poorest engrayers in the world.
Altar the plate has been polished the
printer places it in the press. where it re-
ceives a Sheet of paper placed by n female
assistant. Then he gives q hard pull, the
plate paper between the cylinders and the
impression ia made.
bank note sheets after being printed are
taken to tho drying-room, where the steam
heated temperature is $50 degrees above
zero. They remain here one night. In tho
morning the sheets are examined for inn
Projections. Imperfect and torn sheets are
thrown aside. Perfect sheets are put up in
packages of 1000 with a slip Of paper to in-
dicate each hundred, are then put between
mill-boards and pressed in an hydraulic
press. Then the bills are numbered by tho
automatis numbering machine. Postal
notes go Though a similar process, with
the difference that they are printed on a
steam-plats~ printing machine.
by n single movement the plate is auto
matically mixed, wiped off and polished.
ana the sheet is printed, counted, delivered,
nnd laid bstwaen tissue sheets. A piece of
clean cloth passing over the wiping and
polishing apparatus is fed into tho machine,
and a corresponding amount of soiled rag
similar to a mosquito net is taken up: tho
labor of but one person is required to feed
the press.
The profession OF an engrayer is n good
vocation for a boy, provided, of course, he
has tho genius for the work. 1t Ia consid-
cred q privilege to learn the business, and
tho ranks of the profession are largely aup-
piled by the sons and relatives OF engrav-
ers themselves. | have seen as many an
thi &c generations in a family-father, son
md grandfather--all working in an estah-
lishment at thc same time.
10 DO n successful engraver a boy must
have good ideas Of perspective. and mnst be
pninstaking. patient, and clever in both
writing and drawing. He will commence
To learn the art ut the age of Is, and until
he Is OF age will recaiye but small compen-
sutton. AT frst he is only an assistant to
the regular workmen. After a time he will
be allowed to make small drawings. Ii no
shows \ special fitness for letter work, he
will be given general phrases to cory, such
us United States OF America - Estate OF
New 70 X" state Of Ohio or such set
phrases AZ "sstlO.n ''$s1 ,O0p.' . etc.
Most of tho boys who are engaged in this
work In New York attend tho clauses ut tho
Cooper Union inatitute in the evening
whore they study in the art GLASS and after
ward attend the art league. Working,
practically, ut their profession during tic
day and studying ut their ciasscs in the
evening they have every chance OF becom.
ing skillfui enRravers.
The pay OF engrayers ranges from Sec to