A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR PRINTING OR TRANS- FERRING DESIGNS OR REPRESENTATIONS ON TO WOOD, PAPER, AND OTHER SURFACES, AND FOR THE PREPARATION OR PRODUCTION OF THE PRINTING SURFACE TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Powley Alexander, of 14, Southampton Buildings,
in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, for the
Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS FOR PRINTING OR TRANS-
FERRING DESIGNS OR REPRESENTATIONS ON TO WOOD, PAPER, AND OTHER
SURFACES, AND FOR THE PREPARATION OR PRODUCTION OF THE PRINTING
SURFACE TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN." A communication from abroad by
Ludwig Zweig and Adolph Tischler, both of Vienna, Austria.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Powley Alexander
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th September 1878.
EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER, of 14, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent. "A NEW OR IMPROVED PRO-
CESS FOR PRINTING OR TRANSFERRING DESIGNS OR REPRESENTATIONS ON TO WOOD,
PAPER, AND OTHER SURFACES, AND FOR THE PREPARATION OR PRODUCTION OF THE
PRINTING SURFACE TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN.' A communication from abroad by
Ludwig Zweig and Adolph Tischler, both of Vienna, Austria.
This Invention relates to a peculiar process for transferring wood imitations
or any other designs on to wood, paper, stuccoed brickwork, plaster, or other
surfaces.
In order to produce cheap matrices to be used in the said process I employ a
peculiar metallic "positive" representation of the design to be copied, and I obtain
this by first producing the design to be copied in relief on a zinc plate by galvanic
acid treatment. For this purpose a zinc plate is covered with a coating or
grounding" in which the design is drawn by an engraving tool, and the plate
thus prepared is then used as the "positive electrode of a galvanic dissolving
cell.
"

page_text: "
A second zinc plate of the same size as the first serves as the "negative elec-
trode, it being kept at a convenient distance from the first-named plate and placed
with it in the same cell.
I employ as the battery, say, from eight to ten Daniel's clements, but their
number will vary according to the size of the plate. By the acid treatment by
means of the galvanic current, clear and clean representations in relief can be
obtained much more economically than by engraving.
When the galvanic current has acted long enough on the zinc plate the said
plate is to be removed from the dissolving cell and washed with alkaline lye in
order to remove the remaining parts of the coating. The lines in relief will be
found to be all of the same depth, which is not suitable for the cleanness and sharp-
ness of the transfer of the said design from a pliable printing surface produced by the
aid of the relieved plate, as herein-after described, inasmuch as together with the
fine raised portions particles of the grounding not destined for printing may be
carried over on to or printed on the grounded surfaces.
In order to obviate this objection it is necessary to clean the zine plate with a
rag to wipe it dry, and then to cover completely all the recessed or relieved parts
with a composition such as is used for the making of printing rollers so as to render
the surface of the plate uniform. This is with the special object of preventing the
tin used in soldering from entering the relieved places. The parts of the surface
which are more distant must then be more or less raised by means of tin so as to
appear recessed in the matrix.
By placing the plate in hot water the composition may be removed and the
dissolved parts are made even and uniform by the aid of a scraper. From this
finished plate the matrix or surface employed for printing is obtained in the
following manner :-
The zinc plate is placed on the hollow bed of a press capable of being heated by
steam and cooled by water; on the oiled surface of tho said zine plate there is
poured the above-named printing roller composition, or any other equivalent soft
and pliable composition, the upper plate of the press over which is stretched a piece
of canvas of the size of the zinc plate is then brought down on to the plate beneath.
The lower press plate or bed must be made perfectly true in order that the zinc
plate may bed equally all over it, and it is provided on all sides with slightly
raised ledges for determining the depth of the layer of the composition, any
surplus quantity being pressed or squeezed out, whilst the upper press plate is
pressed down, cold water is made to flow through the bottom plate for the more
quickly solidifying the composition which adheres to the canvas, which canvas
becomes loosened from the plate and has adhering to it the composition with the
rnised impress of the design of the zinc plate. The surface of the matrix is then
coated with an india-rubber varnish when it will be ready for making impressions
or transfers.
The printing from the raised design produced on the pliable composition surface
is simply effected by passing a coloring or inking roller over the matrix, and then
carefully and gently pressing it by means of a brush against the surface of wood,
paper, or other material to be decorated, whether the same be flat, curved, or
angular. The design thus transferred or printed is fixed by the application of a
coat of varnish.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edwin Powley Alexander in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th March 1879.
EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER, of 14, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent. "A NEW OR IMPROVED
PROCESS FOR PRINTING OR TRANSFERRING DESIGNS OR REPRESENTATIONS ON TO
WOOD, PAPER, AND OTHER SURFACES, AND FOR THE PREPARATION OR PRODUCTION
OF THE PRINTING SURFACE TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN." A communication from
abroad by Ludwig Zweig and Adolf Tischler, both of Vienna, Austria.
The said Invention relates to a peculiar process for transferring wood imitations
or other designs on to suitably grounded or prepared surfaces of wood, paper,
plastered brick work or masonry, or other like surfaces, and consists as follows:-
In order to produce inatrices or engravings for points in an economical manner
it is proposed to employ peculiar metal positive points of the designs to be copied,
which are to be obtained by producing at first in low relief work the design to be copied
on a zinc plate by etching the latter by galvanic action. For this purpose the zinc
plate to be etched is covered with a body colour or coating in which the design to
be transferred is traced by means of a tracer or graver, and the thus prepared
plate is then used as a positive electrode of a galvanic decomposing cell.
A second zinc plate being of the same size as the plate to be etched and serving
as the negative electrode will be placed together with the positive plate, but at a
proper distance from it into the decomposing cell.
As galvanic battery I take eight or ten Daniel's elements, increasing or reducing
the number, according to the size of the plate to be etched. By etching by a
galvanic current I am enabled to produce very sharp and clear designs in low
relievo work, this mode of proceeding being preferable to the engraving process on
account of its cheapness.
After the galvanic current has sufficiently operated upon the zinc plate which is
placed in a solution of sulphate of zinc mixed with sulphuric acid, the etched plate
is to be taken out of the decomposing cell and washed in a bath of potash or soda
lye in order to remove the remainder of the body colour. But the fact that all
the engravings appear to be of the same depth is prejudicial to the clearness and
sharpness of the transfer of the said designs from a flexible printing plate or sur-
face, produced by the aid of the etched plate, since besides the fine raised parts,
some parts also of the ground which are not intended for printing may be trans-
ferred or reproduced.
To obviate this objection it is necessary to clean the zinc plate with a
rag to dry it off, and then to cover entirely all the low etched places with a
'mass or composition such as is used for printing rollers, and composed chiefly
of glue, glycerine, and syrup, by which operation the plate becomes per-
fectly even and plain. This is done for the purpose of preventing the tin from
entering into the low etched places during the process of soldering. After this the
widely veined parts must be more or less heightened with tin to the effect that
they may appear deepened or recessed in the matrix, and that the blank or unveined
places cannot be printed at once when the designs are transferred upon wood.
The composition is then removed by putting the plate in warm water and the
parts thereby dissolved are made even with a scraper. From the metal plate thus
prepared the printing matrices are obtained in the following manner :—
The zinc plate is placed on the hollow bottom plate of a powerful press, which
plate can be heated by steam and cooled by cold water. The before-mentioned
composition or composition of a similar character, to which the required softness is
imparted by adding some solution of hygroscopic salts, such as chloride of calcium,
chloride of zinc, or chloride of aluminium, is poured upon the oiled zinc plate, and
the upper pressing plate, covered with a piece of linen of the same size as the zinc
plate, is pressed down. The lower pressing plate which must be perfectly plain and

page_text: even in order to enable the zinc plate to bed evenly and equally in all parts, is
provided on its four sides with raised borders of the height of above 1/10th to
th of an inch, by which the thickness of the composition to be pressed upon the
linen fabric will be regulated, the pressure of the upper pressing plate causing any
surplus quantity to be pressed or squeezed out.
During the time the upper pressing plate is being pressed down cold water is
caused to flow through the bottom plate, whereby the setting or solidifying of the
composition adhering to the linen fabric is much expedited. The linen together
with the composition firmly adhering thereto and representing in relief the sunk
parts in the zinc plate, discharges itself from the composition and a matrix is thus
obtained which is to be conted with a caoutchouc varnish, in order to render the
said matrix more resistable. The matrix is now ready for producing prints.
The prints of relief designs will be made in the following simple way:-
The matrix is passed over by inking rollers coated with any desired colour, and
is then gently pressed against the surface to be decorated, whether of wood, paper,
or plastered wall surfaces, by means of a brush, and finally carefully removed from
the said surface.
The designs now appear to be transferred on to the grounded or prepared surface;
and for the purpose of fixing them nothing further is required than to varnish them
as is done in hand work.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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. Making the plate negative by the galvanic method, such plate having its
etchings of perfectly uniform depth and its widely veined parts more or less
heightened by tin, in order that they may appear sunk in the matrix.
Second. Printing the matrix at first upon a plain plate or thin flexible surface
of printing roller composition in lieu of placing the matrix directly upon the
grounded surface, and then transferring the prints or designs by means of the said
thin and perfectly flexible transferring plate on to the grounded surface, whereby
the engraved matrix is not only better preserved but the slight elevations aro
prevented from being injured or squeezed, whilst at the same time the peculiar
advantage of being enabled to work perfectly clean on curved surfaces in corners
and the like is secured.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Powley Alexander, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
Witness,
FRED. J. RAPSON,
Clerk to E, P. Alexander.
EDWIN P. ALEXANDER. (L.S.)