IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN MEANS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ROLLERS FOR PRINTING, EMBOSSING, OR IMPRESSING PAPER, TEXTILE FABRICS, AND LIKE MATERIALS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, FRANK EDWARD ELMORE, of the Electro-Metallurgical Company, of Charlotte
Street, Blackfriars, in the county of Surrey, Electrical Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN MEANS FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF ROLLERS FOR PRINTING, EMBOSSING, OR IMPRESSING PAPER,
TEXTILE FABRICS, AND LIKE MATERIALS, to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object improvements in and in means for the manufacture
of rollers used in printing, embossing, or impressing paper, textile fabrics, floor cloth,
linoleum, millboard, leather, compositions of cork, india-rubber, and the like.
Rollers used for this purpose are at present expensive to make and engrave.
My present invention is designed to produce eleectro-deposited rollers in a
simple, effective, and economical manner whereby clear, sharp, or well-defined and
regular patterns are obtained.
My invention consists in depositing copper or other metal by electrolytic action
on the interior of a perfectly true cylinder of copper or other metal in the following
manner; such cylinder being made and manipulated as follows.
Having decided on the diameter and length of the roller to be produced, I cast
a number of pieces of copper or other metal semi-circular or segmental in shape
and these I have turned and shaped so that when two pieces are joined together by
studs, pins, or screws they form a perfectly true ring of the diameter inside which
I desire my roller to be outside when finished.
The rings as herein. described are divided in two, but they may be composed of
any number of sections.
I also provide means such as pins, studs, or screws to fix the rings one upon
another so that by so doing produce a cylinder of any length, composed of a
number of split rings, the two halves or other parts of which are joined and which
split rings are securely fastened or locked one to another.
I prefer to form the two end rings with exterior lugs or flanges to receive.
bolts clamping the whole series of rings together.
The rings are of course carefully turned on all sides to ensure accurate fitting.

page_text: To build up a roller 1 take one ring, lay in the pattern on that and plumbago
the whole. I then place another ring on this one, and insert more pattern and so
proceed ring by ring till my mould is built up when the whole is clamped
together.
•
The mould is then taken to the bath and copper or other metal deposited on the
interior till a cylinder or roller is formed having a pattern incised on its periphery;
or, I may give the mould a preparatory coating of nickel, steel, or any other
durable metal, and proceed to deposit copper or a like metal on this facing.
When the cylinder or roller is of proper thickness, the mould is taken from the
bath and the clamping device removed, when the rings can be taken away in halves
separately without in any way injuring the deposited surface of the roller.
To produce a pattern I have the same embossed, and then electrotype a reverse
from this and bend it into the shape of the roller and case it at the back and then
pour in the gutta-percha, wax, or like composition so that by this means I produco
the pattern ready bent and run no risk of distorting it by bending it with the
fingers.
Or I may have the pattern modelled in wax, clay, &c and a repitition cast
from it and placed in the rings, but, I prefer to emboss and mould them as
described.
Dated this 29th day of July 1884
POPPLEWELL, COLTON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I FRANK EDWARD ELMORE of the Electro-Metallurgical Company, Charlotte
Street Blackfriars, Surrey, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN MEANS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
ROLLERS FOR PRINTING EMBOSSING OR IMPRESSING PAPER, TEXTILE FABRICS, AND
LIKE MATERIALS" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularlý
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
My invention has for its object improvements in and in means for the manu-
facture of rollers used in printing embossing, or impressing paper textile fabrics,
floor cloth, linoleum millboard, leather, compositions of cork india rubber and the
like.
Rollers used for this purpose are at present expensive to make and engrave.
My present invention is designed to produce electro-deposited rollers in a simple,
effective, and economical manner whereby clear, sharp and well defined and regular
patterns are obtained.
My invention consists in depositing copper or other metal by electrolytic action
on the interior of a perfectly true cylinder of copper or other metal in the following
manner; such cylinder being made and manipulated as follows:-
Having decided on the diameter and length of the roller to be produced I cast
a number of pieces of copper or other metal semicircular or segmental in shape
with exterior lugs and end flanges and these pieces I have turned and shaped so
that when two semicircular pieces or otherwise the segmental pieces are joined
together, by studs, pins, or screws, through their exterior lugs and flanges, they
forin a perfectly true ring of the diameter inside (internally) which I desire my
roller to be outside (externally) when finished.
The rings for the mould cylinders for large rollers may conveniently be divided
in two parts, but they may be composed of any number of sections for instance
three sections to each ring is convenient for producing rollers of small diameter.
I also provide means such as pins, studs or screws to fix the rings one upon
another end to end so that by so doing I produce a cylinder of any length composed
of a number of pieced up rings the two halves or other segmental parts of which
are joined and which pieced up rings are securely fastened or locked one to
another.
I form the two end rings in some cases with exterior lugs or Hanges to receive
bolts clamping the whole series of rings together.
The rings are of course carefully turned and finished to ensure accurate fitting
and on the adjacent surfaces V. pieces fitting V grooves or curved edges or beads
fitting curved grooves are provided so as to prevent any movement of the parts
sideways in relation to each other.
To build up a roller mould I take one ring, lay in the modelled moulded or
prepared patterns on that and plumbago the internal surface that is metallize the

page_text: internal surface with plumbago or bronze powder. I then place another ring on
this one (end to end) and insert more pattern (continuation of pattern) and so
proceed ring by ring till the mould is built up when the whole will be clamped
together and the internal surface of the pattern (mould) so formed is bronze
powdered or plumbagoed.
The mould is then taken to the metal solution bath, and copper or other metal
as the case may be is deposited on the interior until a cylinder or roller or shell is
formed having a pattern incised on its periphery, or I may give the mould a pre-
paratory coating of nickle, steel or any other durable metal and further proceed
to deposit copper or a like filling or backing metal on the inside of this facing or
the produced shell may have a finishing coating or deposit of harder metal upon
the surface.
When the cylinder or roller is of proper thickness, the mould is taken from the
bath and the clamping devices removed and then the ring pieces can be taken away
in parts separately without in any way injuring the surface of the deposited roller
shell.
To produce a pattern, I have the same embossed modelled or moulded and then
electro type a reverse from this and bend it into the shape of the roller and case it
at the back and then pour in the gutta-percha, wax or like composition so that by
this means I produce the pattern ready bent and ruu no risk of distorting it by
bending it with the fingers.
Or I may have the pattern modelled in wax clay etc, and a repetition cast from
it and placed in the ring pieces.
In order that the said Invention may be well understood I have hereunto
annexed a sheet of drawings illustrative thereof wherein :-
Fig. 1, is a plan, of mould ring piece made in two sections.
Fig. 2, a side view of Fig 1.
Fig. 3, a horizontal section at line y y, of Fig 2.
Fig. 4, a side view showing the adjacent faces of one of the semicircular ring
pieces Fig 1.
Fig. 5, a plan of mould ring piece made in three segmental parts.
Fig. 6, is isometrical view of cylindrical mould built up shewing portions of a
pattern in position.
Fig. 7, a screw bolt with hooked end for clamping the whole cylinder together.
and providing for hanging the cylinder in the metal solution bath."
A, is the ring portion of the mould cylinder, B, the side lugs, C, flanges, b, are
bolt holes of lugs and b¹ bolts, c, bolt holes of flanges of ring pieces, D lugs with
holes d, for reception of tie bolts Fig. 7. On the end ring pieces of mould
cylinder E, are vertical Vees, on adjacent faces of the lugs B, of segments of ring
pieces, and F, are concentric Vees upon adjacent faces of the flanges of the ring
pieces."
I prepare the cylinders on the inside of which I intend to deposit the roller as
follows-I have a number of pieces of iron, copper etc, made roughly (by
hammering, bending, or by casting) the radius of the inside curve of which pieces,
is sufficiently less than the external curve of the finished cylinder to allow of their
being turned or bored, but previous to this turning or boring I first have two side
faces B¹, Fig 4, made with Vees E, male and female, or beads and grooves, planed
or shaped true and one or more holes b, drilled, through the lugs B, to which holes b,
I fit the smooth shank of bolts b¹; I then lay on another segment which has been
similarly treated and by means of nuts which engage the threaded end of the
bolts b', I secure these segments together. I also turn the end faces C, of these
rings, which form flanges to the ring, and these flanges (of which there are
two to each ring) I drill with several holes c, to which I fit bolts and nuts as
before; I then fit a sufficient number of these rings A, together to produce a
cylinder slightly longer than is to be the length of the roller which I propose to
make.

page_text: I then have this cylinder or tube turned or bored throughout its inner surface
to the diameter which I require the outside surface of my roller to be, taking care
that the surface left by the turning or boring tool shall be very smooth and
bright.
To produce the pattern on the inside of this cylinder, which I require to be
produced on the face of the embossing roller, I proceed as follows:-having obtained
the design of the pattern, I have a modeller to produce this in wax clay or com-
position, or if the material to be produced by the embossing roller is to represent
wood carving I have a wood carver, to carve the design in relief on wood, or if it
is to imitate "repoussé" work in metal I have an embosser to emboss the design,
and so on always retaining an artist skilled in his particular branch or art to
produce designs most suited to his special class (not producing imitations of carved
wood, marble, modelled wax, clay, and tapestry effects by the same artist, as is
arbitrary by the process of engraving the pattern in reverse by the old process of
band work engraving of such rollers). Having obtained the pattern in relief I can
take a mould of it in plaster, wax, gutta-percha, or preferably a copper matrix, by
the electro-type process, and having so obtained the mould it is bent approximately
to the shape of the cylinder (that is the reverse of the roller) so that the shells
taken therefrom are bent to the shape of the cylinder and are not liable to be
distorted. Having obtained a cast of my pattern I proceed to break it up, that is
to divide it into as many parts as is convenient, always endeavouring to avoid
cutting or defacing any vital part of the design, by dividing it as much as possible
by the stems of flower and such like lines of the design which join the more
important parts of the pattern together; having so divided it I proceed to take my
cylinder in half, that is that is taking out all the side bolts, I then have a tracing
(or perforated sheet) made of the general outline of the design and cut this down
the centre and place (or powder) one half the design in. each half of the cylinder
first placing between the cylinder and the tracing paper a sheet of carbonised or
other transfer paper, in the case of the tracing, so that by pressing a pointer along
the outline of the tracing it leaves an imprint "in outline" of the design on the
surface of the cylinder; this having been done it shows me where each piece of
the moulded or prepared design has to fit in and I can now proceed to take my
cylinder to pieces to a much greater extent than otherwise possible, and the number
of parts will depend to a great extent on the nature of the design. I then proceed
to lay the wax or gutta percha casts, into the cylinder, always keeping them within
the lines of the design traced or produced on the inside of the cylinder, and bolt
the cylinder together as I go on, and complete or repair the joints of the casts by a
modelling tool and a little wax or material of the kind, and effect the adherence of
each piece of the cast to the cylinder with soft wax or cement; I also grease the
surface of the cylinder between the parts of the cast slightly, or otherwise prepare
it, so as that when it is deposited upon the deposit will be non-adherent to the
metal of the cylinder, and I metallize the surface of the cast or pattern by bronze
powder, nitrate of silver, or plumbago, or any of the well known methods, so
proceeding until I have completed the design by laying in all the cast, and bolting
together all the parts of the cylinder; I then paint over the outside of the cylinder
with wax or some other substance which will prevent the copper or other metal
depositing thereon.
The cylinder is then hung in the depositing solution of copper or other metal of
which I desire to make my roller and an anode of that metal or an insoluble anode
of as large a surface as possible will be hung inside it, it is then connected to the
negative pole or cathode pole of a dynamo machine of very low electromotive power
or to the pole of a battery, the anode being connected to the positive pole of the
same source of electricity.
It is advisable also to suspend a small bag of the salts of the metal of which the
bath is composed above or close to the cylinder, as the cathode surface being larger
than the anode it robs the solution of its metal faster than the anode replenishes it ;
or the same result can be obtained by hanging a soluble anode in the solution and

page_text: hanging a cathode inside a porous cell filled with liquid which may be dilute acid
or alkali according to the nature of the depositing solution, this porous cell is hung
into the depositing solution close to the anode and both are connected to the same
source of current, the anode supplies metal to the solution and the porous cell
prevents the cathode from being deposited upon or taking metal from the solution.
Or I may proceed as follows-where the design has to be modelled I take my
cylinder in two pieces longitudinally as before and transfer an outline of the design
on to its surface; then split either one or both halves into half rings and let the
artist model direct onto the cylinder, and placing one half or segment of ring upon
the other and preparing it as he proceeds until he has modelled, and prepared the
whole design and bolted together all the segments when the cylinder is treated as
before; this is applicable when the design has to be modelled.
The cylinder is left in the solution until a sufficient thickness has been deposited
generally from to of an incli, the cylinder is then removed from the depositing
vat and well washed in water the bolts removed and I have roughly the shell of
my embossing roller-This is placed in boiling water, lye or potash to remove all
the wax and grease and the ends are then sawn or turned off to remove the ridge of
botryoidal crystals and lumps which are deposited at the edge. The inner
surface of the roller is then tinned and the roller is fixed inside a cast iron
case and inside the roller is placed with a space of from to 1 inch intervening a
sleeve piece or mandril which is to carry it in the rolling machine, the mandril or
sleeve ought to have slots or grooves cut longitudinally on its surface to prevent
the roller with its backing from slipping round; the whole are fixed together with
accurately fitting end caps one of which has an aperture left in it. The whole
construction of roller is placed in an oven or furnace and made hot and when it has
reached a sufficiently high temperature a fusible metal or alloy is poured in and
when it has filled the space between the roller and the sleeve or mandril the whole
is allowed to cool slowly, and as soon as the cooling has taken place the roller.is
removed from the casing and when the ends are trimmed off ready for use, or
the metal may be deposited so thickly that it can be simply bed out to fit the
mandril.
The anode when hung within the cylindric mould is enveloped in textile material
(canvas or flannel) and care is to be taken that the solution of the depositing bath
shall not be such as to attack the metal of which the mould cylinder is made, and
the mould cylinder will be made of such metal as will not be effected by the
solution to be employed in the electro-depositing bath.
.. Having now described the nature and particulars of my said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
The improvements in and means for the manufacture of rollers for printing,
embossing, or impressing, paper, textile fabrics, floor cloths, linoleum, millboards,
leather, artificial leathers, and like piece materials, as herein set forth and shown by
the drawings.