Improvements in Producing Lettering, Figuring, and Designs in Relief upon Sheets of Ductile Metal, and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Apr., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 4th Jan., 1889.
.Complete Specification Accepted, 6th Apr., 1889
Improvements in Producing Lettering, Figuring, and Designs in
Relief upon Sheets of Ductile Metal, and in Apparatus therefor.
I, JOHN MORRIS NEWTON, of Clarence Street, Stalybridge in the County of
Lancaster Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention is designed chiefly for application to the making of sign and notice
plates name tablets and the like such as tradesmans shop signs, street name tablets,
large name plates for warehouse or office doors and railway stations or other signs
or plates, its principal object being to produce in an expeditious manner tablets or
plates on which the lettering will stand out in relief though it is applicable and may
be applied to the figuring or ornamenting of ductile metal plates with any suitable
ornamental designs.
Hitherto such sign boards, plates, or tablets with the letters standing upon the
surface have been made by screwing separate letters to a wooden board or metal
plate, by casting letters and plate in one piece, or the letters have been stamped out
by a press or beaten out by hand all of which methods of production are slow and
consequently costly.
This invention consists essentially in producing in relief upon sheets or strips of
ductile metal lettering, figuring or ornamental designs by rolling the sheets or strips
between rolls carrying the dies upon their peripheries and of apparatus comprising
rolls carrying dies of the letters, figures, or designs to be reproduced, the rolls
revolving synchronously so that the complementary dies will always approach together,
and when under pressure exactly coincide.
In carrying out the invention the dies are carried on the periphery of two rolls
geared together one set of dies on the periphery of one and the complementary set on
the periphery of the other. These dies may be made of any convenient size or shape
according to the letter, figure, or design to be produced, but should not exceed in
width the roll on which they are set. In the case of lettering where a limited number
of each sign tablet or plate will be required to be produced it becomes necessary to

page_text: make the dies movable and readily interchangeable. This may be done and the dies
secured in position in a variety of ways. I propose however to make each roll
divided in two parts radially, one of the parts of each roll preferably permanently
fixed on the shaft or axle on which it revolves and the other part to have a sliding
play on the said shaft or axle longitudinally thereof and the shaft or axle preferably
of square, hexagonal, or octagonal section except at the bearings so as to allow of the
roll sliding thereon and at the same cause it to revolve with its shaft or axle. The
separate parts may be drawn to or from together on the shaft or axle on which they
revolve by means of screws and hand wheels or other mechanical contrivance. One
or both of the faces of the divided roll that come together areidished or recessed to
receive a disc between them. The dies may be of cast steel and are curved to the
are of a circle corresponding with the periphery of the roll upon which they are
carried and are formed with a tang projecting from their under or inner surface
by means of which they are secured in position. A plate or disc preferably in two
halves with parallel slots is provided for each divided roll to which each die is
attached separately by a bolt or similar device passing through one of the slots on
the disc and also through a corresponding slot in the tang of the die. Each half
of the disc is then placed in position between and secured by the separate parts of
the roll, the tang of the disc projecting beyond the disc to the periphery of the roll.
When in position the under surface of each die lies or rests upon the periphery of
its roll and the projecting tang is tightly gripped between the two parts of the roll
which are tightly compressed or gripped together by clamp, screw, spring, or other
device. When the dies are thus in position the sheet to receive the lettering or
figuring is passed between the rolls in either a hot or cold state as may be found most
suitable.
Preferably at both back and front of the rolls are placed guides to give proper
direction to the sheets or strips in passing in and out of the rolls, and to prevent them
curving or curling and turn them out in the state of a flat plane as regards the body
or ground upon which the lettering is produced. If desired a moulding or border
may also be produced on the lettered signs or tablets simultaneously with the lettering
to be produced thereon by a simple arrangement of suitable dies, though probably it
will be found more advantageous to have this border or moulding if required produced
before the lettering by passing the sheet or strip through the ordinary grooved rolls
for that purpose.
It is also obvious that single letters or figures may be produced as herein described
by first rolling them in a sheet or strip and then cutting or shearing them into lengths
according to the size of the letter. Letters thus formed formed will have a flat margin
all round through which holes may be drilled or punched for the purpose of attaching
them to boards or plates. Such letters will possess the advantage of extreme lightness
as compared with solid letters of cast metal or other heavy material now extensively
used.
It is well known that letters, figures, and designs in relief have been produced upon
ductile sheet metal by stamping or by beating or hammering by hand and such forms
no part of my invention nor does printing with any prepared ink or colour upon a
surface from a type carrying or engraved roller or cylinder.
D
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester,
Patent Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Producing Lettering, Figuring, and Designs in
Relief upon Sheets of Ductile Metal, and in Apparatus therefor.
I, JOHN MORRIS NEWTON, of Clarence Street, Stalybridge, in the County of
Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, 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 :-
This invention is designed chiefly for application to the making of sign and notice
plates, name tablets, and the like, such as tradesinan's shop signs, street name tablets,
large name plates for warehouse or office doors and railway stations or other signs
or plates, its principal object being to produce in an expeditious manner, tablets or
plates on which the lettering will stand out in relief; though it is applicable and
may be applied to the figuring or ornamenting of ductile metal plates with any suitable
ornamental designs.
Hitherto such sign-boards, plates, or tablets, with letters standing upon the surface,
have been made by screwing or otherwise attaching separate letters to a wooden board
or metal plate; by casting letters and plate in one piece; or the letters have been
stamped out by a press or beaten out by hand all of which methods of production are
slow and consequently costly.
This invention consists essentially in producing in relief upon sheets or strips of
ductile metal, lettering, figuring, or ornamental designs by rolling the sheets or strips
between rolls carrying the dies upon their peripheries and of apparatus comprising
rolls carrying male and female dies of the letters, figures, or designs to be produced,
the rolls revolving synchronously so that the complementary dies will always approach
together, and when under pressure exactly coincide.
The invention will be fully described with reference to the annexed drawings.
Fig. 1, is an elevation of the apparatus.
Fig. 2, sectional elevation on line v. w. fig. 1.
Fig. 3, side elevation of centre of rolls showing dies in position and in section on
line xyz fig. 4.
Fig. 4, extended plan of the male dies for the name F. BRABY & CO. as they
would appear when removed from the roll and placed edge to edge on a horizontal
plane (each letter and punctuation mark or stop being a separate die).
Fig. 5, longitudinal section of top roll, through the dies F and O fig. 2.
The rolls D and E which carry the dies are mounted on shafts & journalled in
bearings on any suitable framing or housing, the bearings of the top roll being
movable vertically in the housing or framing. The rolls D and E are geared together
and the dies H are fixed or attached to the rolls with the back of each die resting
on the periphery of its roll. One set of dies, preferably the male dies are carried by
the top roll D, and the complementary set, preferably the female dies are carried by
the other or lower roll E.

page_text: The dies H may be made of any convenient size or shape according to the letter,
figure, or design to be produced, but should in length not exceed the width of roll
upon which they are set. No disadvantage will arise through the dies being shorter
than the width of the roll, as is the case shown in the drawings, but the same roll
can thus serve for dies or letters of different lengths.
The dies H as shown are made separately and are movable and readily interchange-
able. Each die is made with a curved face to correspond with the periphery of the
roll on which it rests and has a tang projecting from the back by which it is secured
to the roll and to the slotted disc P which carries it into position.
Each roll is divided transversely into two parts, between which the tangs of the
dies pass and are clamped. One part of each roll preferably the half nearest to the
driving gear is fixed rigidly on the shaft G, and the other half while fixed to rotate
with the shaft has a sliding movement upon it so that it can be caused to approach
to or recede from the fixed part. The movable part of each roll may be moved on
the shaft G by means of screws or other mechanical contrivance on the shaft or
carried by a disc revolving with it. The disc I is keyed or otherwise secured to the
shaft and forms a support or fulcrum for two screws K which move the movable half
of the roll to and fro on the shaft. The end of each screw K passes through a
bracket or bridge L and abuts against the side of the roll. At its end each screw
carries a collark which, when the screw is withdrawn, bears against the inner side of
the bracket L, which is screwed to the roll and draws back the movable part. N is a
collar on the shaft G to prevent lateral movement of the fixed part of roll. The rolls
are set to any guage required by means of the raising and depressing screws 0.
One or both (preferably both) of the interior faces of the divided roll are recessed or
dished as shown.
A plate or disc P with a series of slots p is fitted into the recesses formed between
the right and left parts of the roll. This plate or disc P is preferably made in two
parts so that it can readily be placed in position around the shaft G. In the tang of
each die is formed a slot through which a bolt is passed to fasten it to the disc P.
All the dies are thus separately fastened radially to the disc P. Each half of the
disc is then placed in position between and secured by the separate parts of the roll,
the tang of the die projecting beyond the disc to the periphery of the roll. When in
position the under surface of each die lies or rests upon the periphery of its roll and
the projecting tang is tightly gripped between the two parts of the roll.
It will be obvious that the rolls may be made with a number of flats or sides, one
for each die to rest upon instead of cylindrical in which case the back of the dies
would be flat instead of curved and the face of the dies curved to such arc as to com-
plete a given circle when all are in position also that the dies may be attached to the
rolls in a variety of ways but I prefer the arrangement shown; also that the two
parts of each roll may be clamped together by means of screws or springs or a com-
bination of screws and springs arranged in any
other convenient manner.
At the back and front of the rolls guide rollers S or other guides are placed to
to give proper direction to the sheets or strips in passing in and out of the rolls, and
to prevent them buckling or curling. The guide rollers at the delivery side of the
rolls are preferably made to grip the edge of the plate as it passes out so as not to.
press or flatten the lettering which has been impressed upon it.
When the dies are secured in position on the rolls and the rolls set to the requisite
guage the sheet to receive the lettering or figuring is passed between the rolls in either
a hot or cold state as may be found most suitable.
If desired a moulding or border may also be produced on the lettered signs or
tablets simultaneously with the lettering to be produced thereon by a simple arrange-
ment of suitable dies, fixed on the rolls though preferably it will be found more
advantageons to have such a border or moulding if required, produced before the
lettering by passing the sheet or strip through the usual rolls for the purpose.
It is also obvious that single letters or figures may be produced as hereinbefore
described by first rolling them in a sheet or strip and then cutting or shearing them
into lengths according to the size of the letter. Letters thus formed will have a flat

page_text: margin all round through which holes may be drilled or punched for the purpose of
attaching them to boards or plates. Such letters will possess the advantage of
extreme lightness as compared with solid letters of cast metal or other heavy material
now extensively used.
It is well known that letters, figures, and designs in relief have been produced
upon ductile sheet metal by stamping or by beating or hammering by hand and such
forms no part of my invention nor does printing with any prepared ink or colour
upon a surface from a type-carrying or engraved roller or cylinder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The method of producing lettering, figuring, or designs in relief upon sheets of
ductile metal, which consists in passing or rolling the sheets between rolls carrying
dies upon their peripheries substantially as described.
2. An apparatus for producing or impressing upon sheets of ductile metal, lettering,
figuring, or designs in relief, having dies of the letters, figures, or designs required,
mounted or carried upon the periphery of rolls substantially as described.
3. An apparatus for impressing letters, figures, or designs in relief upon ductile
metal sheets, having die carrying rolls divided transversely to receive and secure the
tangs of the dies substantially as described.
4. In an apparatus for impressing letters, figures, or designs in relief upon ductile
metal sheets, the use or combination with divided rolls which secure the dies, of a
disc or plate to which the tang of each die is attached in the interior of the rolls
substantially as described.
5. An apparatus for producing or impressing lettering, figuring, or designs in
relief upon sheets of ductile metal constructed and arranged substantially as described
and shown.