IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING AND ORNAMENTING METAL
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PRINTING AND ORNAMENTING METAL." A communication from abroad by
Legrand Blair Smith, of New York, in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st February 1876.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING AND ORNAMENTING METAL." A com-
munication from abroad by Legrand Blair Smith, of New York, in the United
States of America.
This Invention relates to certain improvements in printing and ornamenting
metal, and has for its object the production of a metallic sheet with an imprint
directly upon it of any desired figure, or word, in lines and tints, or in a combina-
tion or multiplication of the same equal in fineness and delicacy to those which can
be produced upon paper or other similar fabric.
Heretofore metal has been directly printed upon, but the result has been imperfect
and the metal has not been able to take a clear tint or a fine line. Also, metal has
been subjected to a surface coating of any desired nature, such, for example, as
paint, varnish, and the like, and then such coating has been made the ground work
of the subsequent embellishment; but this latter process is objectionable from the
great liability of this coating to peel off or scale consequent upon the sheet being
bent or worked up into specialities.
The inability to pick up a pattern is well recognized in both of these processes,
the present Invention obviates these disadvantages and produces a definite outline
and a clear color.
The improved process consists in printing directly upon a roughened metallic
sheet. The manner of such roughening is immaterial; it may be effected by the
well-known sand blast or by other appropriate means, the Invention being based
upon the principle that evenly roughened sheet metal will pick up a pattern readily
and accurately. The only requisite to this process is such a surface roughened or
abraded metallic sheet which shall be passed through a printing press in the
ordinary manner of passing printings upon paper,

page_text: This process is easy and expeditious in its accomplishment, whilst its product can
be applied in many of the different branches of industry and be utilized in a variety
of ways, since from the metal thus prepared all the different metallic articles of
manufacture can be made in the same manner as at present, while the result will
be greatly improved in the feature of their ornamentation or printing.
:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
August 1876.
A com-
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING AND ORNAMENTING METAL."
munication from abroad by Legrand Blair Smith, of New York, in the United States
of America.
The said Invention relates to certain improvements in printing and ornamenting
metal, and has for its object the production of a metallic sheet with an imprint
directly upon it of any desired figure, or word, in lines and tints, or in a com-
bination or multiplication of the same equal in fineness and delicacy to those which
can be produced upon paper or other similar fabric.
Heretofore metal has been directly printed upon, but the result has been
imperfect, and the metal has not been able to take a clear tint or fine line. Also,
metal has been subjected to a surface coating of any desired nature, such, for
example, as paint, varnish, and the like, and then such coating has been made the
groundwork of the subsequent embellishment ; but this latter process is
objectionable from the great liability of this coating to peel off or scale consequent
upon the sheet being bent or worked up into specialties.
ور
.
The inability to "pick up a pattern is well recognized in both of these pro-
cesses, whilst the present Invention obviates these disadvantages and produces a
definite outline and a clear color.
The improved process consists in printing directly upon a roughened metallic
sheet. The manner of such roughening is immaterial; it may be effected by the
well-known sand blast, or by other appropriate means, the Invention being based
upon the principle that evenly roughened sheet metal will pick up a pattern
readily and accurately. The only requisite to this process is such a surface
roughened or abraded metallic sheet, which is to be passed through a printing press
in the ordinary manner of passing and printing upon paper.
Such slight mechanical changes as adapting the press to the enlarged form of
the metal over that of paper and the like will be readily understood by those skilled
in the art without further explanation.
This process is easy and expeditious in its accomplishment, whilst its product can
be applied in many of the different branches of industry, and be utilized in a
variety of ways, since from the metal thus prepared all the different metallic
articles of manufacture can be made in the same manner as at present, while the
result will be greatly improved in the feature of their ornamentation or printing.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said In-
vention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The method or process, herein described, of ornamenting sheet metal
plates, consisting in first roughening the face of the plate and then printing
directly upon it in the usual manner of printing upon paper, as and for the purposes
herein-before described.
Second. As a new article of manufacture a sheet metal plate with roughened

page_text: surface having any suitable design of one or more colors imprinted directly upon
its roughened surface, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Speci-
fication set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of August One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-six.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)