Improvements in or appertaining to the Manufacture of Impressed Lettering in Metal Surfaces, such as Name Plates and the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 9th May, 1890-Accepted, 5th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to the Manufacture of Impressed
Lettering in Metal Surfaces, such as Name Plates and the
like.
I, GEORGE ROBERT SMITH, of Park Square, Ossett, in the County of York, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
In the manufacture of name-plates and other articles the letters at the present
time are either cast on the plate and worked afterwards or engraved, or else each
letter separately stamped or cut in the plate. If the letters are cast on the plate the
effect is generally very bad. If they are engraved or separately cut, the work is
very expensive, while if they are separately stamped they are almost certain to be
more or less out of truth as it is exceedingly difficult to stamp them absolutely in
line the one with the other and evenly spaced.
To get over this difficulty, I form dies like type capable of being set in a single
frame having a firm solid metallic backing, the type being set in this frame with
their backs against the perfectly flat back of the frame, they are screwed up tight
in position, the frame is then placed on the plate to be stamped and stamped by a
heavy blow or pressure on the back, the type being all of exactly even height and
the blow or pressure being conveyed to the type or a central point on the frame, or
else through two or more points equally distant from the centre, the indentation is
exactly even. To still further ensure the depth of the indentation being the right
depth all over, I place four wide surfaced studs at each corner the required height to
stop further penetration or I regulate the height of the type beyond a fixed broad
surfaced frame or margin, by means of lining plates or otherwise. Should, however,
by any chance, one side be slightly more cut than the other, the type is again placed
in position and pressed or struck rather more on the side which had previously
received the least force. In this way a perfectly even cutting is secured. The
metal, however, will be found raised up round the letters as it having been struck on
a smooth anvil the metal could not be forced downwards and so had to spread out
laterally. These projections are therefore filed and burnished off. The result is an
exceedingly neat name-plate, the letters of which can be filled up with black paint or
varnish or other composition if required or can remain exactly as punched.
Dated this 8th day of August 1889.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to the Manufacture of Impressed
Lettering in Metal Surfaces, such as Name Plates and the
like.
J, GEORGE ROBERT SMITH, of Park Square, Ossett, in the County of York, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
In the manufacture of name-plates and other like articles, the letters at the present
time are either cast on the plate and worked afterwards, or engraved, or else each

page_text: letter is separately stamped or cut in the plate. If the letters are cast on the plate
the effect is generally very bad. If they are engraved or separately cut, the work
is very expensive, while if they are separately stamped they are almost certain to be
more or less out of truth as it is exceedingly difficult to stamp them absolutely in
line the one with the other and evenly spaced.
This invention is designed mainly to overcome the latter difficulty, its object being
to manufacture name-plates and the like by stamping the whole, or a number, of the
letters at once, so that their alignment is perfect.
The invention may be described as follows, reference being had to the accompanying
drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is an elevation of a convenient form of press for stamping the plates.
Figure 2 is a plan of the underside of the die-box.
Figure 3 is an end view of the die box.
A A A are a series of dies formed like type, with the letters or characters in relief
and all the same length. The dies are set up in a die-box or frame B having a rigid
and perfectly flat metallic back b, and are held tightly in position by wedges C.
Pieces of wood packing (2 may be inserted, when necessary, between the sides of the
dies and the box.
Dis the frame of an ordinary fly-press, E the screw spindle thereof, and F the
weighted operating lever. G is the bed of the press. Upon this is placed, by
preference, a loose iron plate G¹ which is surmounted by a sheet G² of lead adapted
to support the plate to be stamped and to form a plain and very slightly yielding
anvil therefor.
The die-box, with the dies projecting beyond the face thereof, is placed upon the
plate H to be worked upon as shown in Figure 1 and the said plate is then stamped
by a heavy blow on the back of the die box from the end of the screw E. The faces
of the type being level ono with the other and the blow or pressure being delivered
on a central point on the die-box, or through two or more points equidistant from
such central point, the indentation produced in the plate H is very even in depth.
Also the letters are formed exactly in line.
To still further ensure the indentation being of the right depth throughout, I place
four wide surfaced studs g at each corner of the bed G and of such a height that the
die-box and dies are arrested in their descent as soon as the proper amount of indenta-
tion has been effected. Or I may provide the sides of the die box with a fixed broad
margin whose surface is adapted to come in contact with the bed G, and I may
regulate the distance of the type face from such surface by means of lining plates or
otherwise.
Should one side of the lettering, however, be slightly more indented than the other,
the die-box is again placed in position and pressed or struck rather more on that side
which had previously received the least pressure.
It will be found that, in some cases, the effect of the blow is to slightly raise the
metal of the plate up around the letters. These projecting parts are therefore filed
and burnished off. The result is an exceedingly neat name-plate, the letters of which
can be filled up with black paint or varnish or other composition if required, or they
can remain exactly as punched. Where the indentations are very shallow, the plates
do not require to be filed as above described after stamping. It will be obvious that
machines other than the kind shown in the drawing could be employed for imparting
the requisite blow or pressure to the die-box. Also the invention is applicable for
impressing lettering and the like upon metal surfaces other than those intended to be
used as name-plates.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The improvement in the manufacture of impressed lettering in metal surfaces,

page_text: which consists in laying the plate upon a plain anvil and stamping its upper surface
by means of a series of separate type-like dies held securely together in position
within a rigid die-box, to the back of which the requisite blow is given or pressure
applied by any suitable machine, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of May 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, and London, Patent Agents.