The Lafayette gazette., 1894-04-07
eAsliNo PApeR MONEY.
Unel~ aan's Expert Gsgsavors NJ Thees
tSs- st3t VH0g1Is

~ MAv%uN0 sWAveeW WuOvN8Ue
Uaeia asa's Expere esgsavsrs n Thsn
sfSs-s 8stat W0g1E.
If you viii look st The pictures upon
portrait OF Martha Washington or OF
Stanton 10 composed altogether OF
curved or straight lines-the only kind
Of engraving that 10 allowed 70 be done l
in the bureau; becouse un1ess II IL done
In this manner, and unless the ltnee
are cut very deep. the engravings cam
not be used. Now this portrait vss
engraved in piece Of steel by the use |
of very sharp little instrument known
as a graver.
Every little scratch on the steel plate
will, in printing. show q black line, &C
you will see how very careful the en-.
zraver has to be that he shall not
make any false scratches, and that the
lines shall be just 20 long and just sc
broad.
Now, steel-engraving is the direct
opposite to wood-engraving. The
scratches and cuts made on a wooden
block will be white in the print, and it
that print black; while on the steel the
unscratched portion leaves the paper
white.
When a design has been cut on q
steel plate, and it is ready to be print
ed, the ink is put on the plate or block.
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, it sinks into
the lines; and when it is taken off it
draws the ink out with it, and thus the
picture is printed on the paper.
1t takes an engraver about six weeks
or two months to complete one por.
trait, and a man who engraves the por-
traits never does any other kind of en-
certain portion of the work on a note:
no one is permitted to engrave an en-
tire note; SO that besides tho portait
engravers, there are some who do moth
ing but engrave the figures, the seal,
the lettering. the border, etc. In this
graver to make a complete engraving
for his own use, if he were dishonest
enough to do such a thing.
Besides this manual work, come OF
the engraving is done by machinery,
as, for example, the background of the
shading of the letters-this 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 and 1ace-worls
around the figures on the face and the
DaCK Oh the nOlC is lOnc Oy a "OuueT'
full machine known as the geometric
lathe. This machine consists of a large
number of wheels of all sizes and in all
sorts of arrangements. together with a
complicated mechanism of eccentrics
and rods, all of which is Incompetent.
sible to anyone but an expert lnachin-
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
s.nc!s more speed than could be done
by hand; anC. hence this delicate and
intricate part of the engraving is one
of the gre atcst obstacles with which
the counterfeiter has to contend, for he
finds it next to impossible to initiate il
correctly.
Fortunately fcr Uncle Sam, the geo
metric lathe is a very complicated a nd
very expensive machine. and the coun-
terfeiter is generally a poor man; and
even if he did manage to lay up enough
money to buy the lathe, it is hardly
likely he would live long enough to use
1t properly; for there are only four men
in the world who understand how to
operate it.
Indeed, the man who now has charge
cf 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
Sa ms big govcrnment.-Centu
You can easily fill the public eye If you