St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-04-21
MAKING PAPER MONEY.


MAKING VAWeU sON6ss
ussss Sans EzDsrt Essssvsfs q 1Ass'
II you will look 1t the pictures upos
Q one-dollar bill yoa will zee that the
portrait Of Marths Warrington Or Of
stanton il composed altogether Of
curved or straight lines-the only kind
of engraving that b allowed 10 Be done
in the bureau; beosuse unless 1t ID done
In this manner, and unless the lines
are cut very deep, the engravings can
not be used. Now this portrait was
engraved in = piece Of steel by the use
Of avery sharp little instrument known
ss graver.
Every little scratch on the steel plate
will, in printing. show = black line, &c
you will see how very careful the en-.
graver has to be that he shall not
make any false scratches. and that the
lines shall be just 50 long and just q
broad.
Now, stcel-engraving is the direct
opposite to wood-cngraving. The
scratches and cuts made on a wooden
block will be white in the print, and II
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 q
steel plate. and it is ready to be print.
ed. the ink is put on the plste or block,
and all the cuts and scratches become
filled with ink. Then the ink is care.
fully rubbed on 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 il is taken of il
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 cngraves the por.
traits never does any other kind of en-.
craving. Each engraver does only .
certain portion of the work on note;
no one is permitted to engrave an en-
tire note; SO that besides the portait
engravers. there are some who do noth.
ing but engrave the figures, the seal,
the lettering. the border, etc. In this
way it would be impossible for an en-
gravcr to make . complete engraving
for his own use, If he were dishonest
enough to do such thing.
Besides this manual work, come OF
the engraving is done by machinery.
as, for example. the background of the
portrait and of the borders, and the
shading Of the lettcrs-this being done
by what is known rs the ruling ma
chine, which can rule several hundred
perfectly straight lines within an inch.
The intricate scroll and lace-work
around the figures on the face and the
back of the note is done by q wonder.
full machine known as the geometrie
lathe. This machine consists of 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 IN expert machin.
list.
BY q 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 ID one
Of the greatest obstacles with which
the counterfcitcr has to contend, for he
finds it next to impossible to initiate il
correctly.
Fortunately for Uncle Sam, the geo
metric lathe is . very complicated and
very expensive machine. and the coun.
tcrfeiter is generally poor man; and
even il he did manage tolay up enough
money to buy the lathe, itis 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 it
Indeed, the man who now has charge
If the geometric lathe 1T the bureau Of
engraving and printing il the only one
In the United States at the present
time who knows how 70 manage it; and
If anything should happen TO him, Il
might tangle matters up for awhile in
this important branch Of our Uncle
Sans big government-Century.