The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1894-03-03
How Paper Money Is Made.
From st. Nicholas.


IF you look at the pictures upon a one
dollar bill, ynu will see that the portrait of
Martha Washington or of Stanton is COM
posed altogether of curved OF 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 engraving can
not be used Now this portrait was en-
graved in II piece of steel by the use of
very sharp little instrument known as
graver.
Every little scratch on the steel plate
will, in printing, show black line, so you
will see how very careful the engraver has
TO be that he shall not make any false
scratches. and that the lines shall be just
50 long and just 50 broad.
Now, steel-engraving is the direct oppo-
site Of wood-engraving The scratches and
cuts made ON wooden block will be white
in the print, and it is only the uncut por-
tons 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 printed, the ink
is put on the plate or block, and all the
cuts and scratches become filled with ink.
Then the ink is carefully rubbed off of the
surface, so that none remains except what
is in the lines. When piece of dampened
paper 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 portrait, and a
man who engraves the portraits never does
any other kind of engraving. Each en-
graver does only certain portion Of the
work on note no one is permitted to
engrave an entire note so that, besides the
portrait engravers, there are some who do
nothing but engrave the figures, the seal,
the lettering, the border, etc In this way
it would be impossible for an engraver to
make complete engraving for his own
use. if he were dishonest enough to want
to do such thing.
Besides this manual work, some of the
engraving is done by machinery, as for ex-
ample the background of the portrait and
of the borders, and the shading of the let
ters-this being doue by what is known as
the ruling machine, which can rule several
hundred perfectly straight lines within an
inch. The intricate scroll and lace-like
work around the figures on the face and
the back of the note is done by wonder
FIJI machine known as the geometric lathe.
This machine consists of large number of
Engagements. together with complicated
mechanism of eccentrics and rods. all of
which is incomprehensible to any one but
an expert machinist.
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 of the greatest obstacles with which
the connterfeiter has to contend, for he
finds it next 10 impossible to initiate it cor
rectly.
Fortunately for Uncle Sam, the geo
metric lathe is very complicated and very
expensive machine, and the counterleiter is
generally 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 learn how to use it proper
ly, for there are only four men in the world
who understand how to operate it.
Indeed. the man who now has charge of
the geometric lathe at the Bureau of En-
craving 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 tansle mat
tiers up fora while in this important branch
of our Uncle Sans big government.