River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-03-08
MAKING PAPER MONEY.
Uncle SANS Expert Engravers at Their
Work.

--~~~ ~ $500
II you will look at the pictures upon
one-dollar bill you will see that the
portrait of Martha Washington or of
Stanton is composed altogether of
curved or straight lines-the only kind
of engraving that is allowed TO be done
in the bureau; because unless IL is done
in this manner, and unless the lines
are cut very deep, the engravings can
not be used Now this portrait was
engraved i piece of steel by the use
of a very sharp little instrument known
as a graver.
Every little scratch on the steel plate
will, i'm printing. show black line, so
you will see how very careful the en-
graver has to DE that he shall not
make any false scratches. and that the
lines shall be just so long and just so
broad.
Now, steel-engraving is the direct
opposite to wood-engraving. The
scratches and cuts made on wooden
block will be white in the print. and il
is only the uncut portions of the block
that print black: while on the steel the
unscratched portion leaves the paper
white.
When design has been cut on a
steel plate, and it is ready to be print
ed, the ink is put on the plate or block,
and all the cuts and scratches become
filed with ink. Then the ink is care
fully rubbed off of the surface, so that
none remains except what is in the
lines. When piece Of dampened pa
per is placed on the plate and subjected
to very heavy pressure, IL sinks into
the lines; and when IL is taken off il
draws the ink out with 1t, and thus the
picture is printed on the paper.
II takes an engraver about six weeks
or two months TO complete one pOi-
trait, and man who eEgraves the por-
traits never does any other kind of en-
craving. Each engravor does only
certain portion of la. work on a note;
no one is permitted II engraye an en-
tire note; so that besides the portrait
engravers, there are some who do moth
ing but engrave the figures, the seal.
the lettering, the border, etc. In this
way it would be impossible for an en-
graver 10 make a complete engraving
for his own use, il he were dishonest
enough TO do such a thing.
Besides this manual work, some OF
the engraving is done by machinery.
as. for example, the background Of the
portrait and of the borders. and the
shading of the letters-tliis being done
by what is known as the ruling ma
chine. which can rule several hundred
perfectly straight lines within an inch.
The intricate scroll aud lace-worlS
around the figures on the face and the
back Of the note is done by wonder
full machine known as the jmetric
lathe. This machine consists o. large
mum Der of wheels of all sizes and in all
sorts of arrangements, together with
complicated m schanism of eccentrics
ana rods. all of which is Incompetent
sible To anyone but an expert machin-
list.
by proper adjustment Of its parts.
the delicate diamond point that moves
about over the face OF the steel is made
TO work out perfect and artistic
pattern with greater accuracy and
much more speed than could be done
by hand; and hence this delicate and
intricate part of the engraving is one
the counterfeiter has to contend, for he
finds it next to impossible to initiate it
correctly.
Fortunately for Uncle Sam, the geo.
metric lathe is a very complicated and
very expensive machine, and the coun-
terfeiter is generally poor man; and
even if he did manage tolay up enough
money To buy the lathe, il is hardly
likely he would live long enough to use
il properly; for there are only four men
in the world who understand how to
operate il.
Indeed, the man who now has charge
of the geometric lathe at the bureau of
engraving and printing is the only one
in the United States at the present
time who knows how to manage it; and
If anything should happen to him, it
might tangle matters up for awhile in
this important branch of our Uncle
Sans big government Century.