The Washington times., 1903-08-09
SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE STIHOTYIPNG GRAF IS
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ments. among which was the formation
of wax molds by pressure. The credit of
first making known the use of piumbag0
by which non-conducting surfaces are
made conductive is due 10 Robert Muir
ray, of England. His discovery proved
of great value to those who desired 20
make a practical business OF electro
tipping. without the aid of this sub
stance il is doubtful whether the art
would have gone beyond the bounds OF
experiment.
Later Improvements.
The scheme of oxidizing the mold be-
fore placing it in the depositing tank
was first employed by Silas Knight, Of
New York. Murray's suggestion made
it possible to coat a non-conducting sur
face, while knights plan, used in con-
nection with the pIumbago film, mate
rally reduces the time of deposit. The
chemical batteries used by the pioneer
electrotypers have entirely given way 10
dynamo machines. BY the old system Of
chemical batteries it required from eight
TO ten hours to deposit a copper she'll
upon the wax mold.
The first dynamo machine invented not
only reduced the time of depositing the
she'll but also reduced the cost There
the market which are guaranteed TO de-
posit in half an hour a shell OF sufficient
thickness TO stand thirty thousand i'm
pressions- While the Improvement OF
the dynamo machine has been one OF the
most important in the electrotype art,
the manufacture of machinery for mold
Ing and finishing plates Is In the hands
of men who are bringing 1t to the very
highest point of development
The Stereotypers Art.
The Importance OF papier-mache stere-
otyping in the progress OF newspaper
printing is so well known at the present
time that il requires ne further mention.
For years this art was almost entirely
unknown to all not directly connected
newspaper. The fact that practical
stereotypers have neither the time nor
the inclination for literary pursuits may
account for the reason of there being no
books or manuals treating on this pro-
cess, and again the secrets OF the art
have been so carefully guarded from the
time of its discovery until a few years
ago, that IL has been impossible 70 learn
the full details OF the best methods OF
stereotyping in any other manner than
by serving a regular apprenticeship 20
the trade.
The time since his first application
OF papier-maehe stereotyping to news
paper work covers a period Of less than
half a century.
Experiments by Vanqui and Della
CANA In London, and by Charles Crsske
in New York, resulted in the papier-
mache process being first adopted by
many newspapers in this country and
England.
The rotary press owes its existence to
this invention, whose flexible matrices
permit the casting of curved plates.
and the rapid manner in which these
plates are reproduced for duplicate
presses provide a means by which
number of presses may be started al
most simultaneously, and the largest
editions of the metropolitan newspapers
printed in few hours.
England Versus Italy.
But IL is not only the metropolitan
newspapers that are benefited by the
art of stereotyping- Many country
daily owes its existence TO this inven-
ton, and nearly all the smaller dailies
throughout the towns and cities Of the
country are glad to avail themselves OF
the advantages which it places within
their reach, and which. through the
products of plate supply houses. fur
nish them with the means of procuring
news of the day and variety OF matter
used in newspapers in plate form at an
expense which seems tr1fing when COM
pared with the cost Of providing the
same service single-handed-
The inventor of papier-maches stereo-
tipping Is not positively known, but the
system undoubtedly originated in
France. An italian by the name or
Vauonf was credited with having intro
duced this process in England In 1915,
but the records of the English patent
ofice show that a patent was granted 10
Moses Poole in 1910 for improvements
for casting for printing purposes,
which, from descriptions given, was
fully as practical as methods employed
by Vanoni, and. excepting for new ma
chinery and improvements in. the ma.
terials and drying apparatus. ty which
the time for drying the matrix has been
reduced from two hours to six minutes
or less, the process described by Poole
is the same practically as that used &C
the present time.