An Improved Process for Facilitating the Reproduction of Litho- graphic Pictures, Designs, or Delineations, which Invention Comprises Improved Compositions and Paper for. Use in such Donad
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 20th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 20th Jan., 1888
An Improved Process for Facilitating the Reproduction of Litho-
graphic Pictures, Designs, or Delineations, which Invention
Comprises Improved Compositions and Paper for. Use in such
Donad
I, LOUIS BERTLING, of The Aloes Lennard Road, Penge, in the County of Surrey,
Lithographic Artist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the art of lithography, and comprises an improved process
also improved compositions and paper to be employed therein.
The object of the said invention is to provide means whereby one or more
impressions of any picture, drawing, design writing or other matter taken from a
lithographic stone upon which the same has been produced in an ordinary or well
known manner may be rendered capable of subsequent reproduction upon a litho-
graphic stone so that copies can be obtained therefrom in the usual manner, thus
avoiding the necessity either for keeping the design or other work upon the first
stone for future use, or (when the said design or other work has been removed
therefrom) for re-drawing or preparing the same design again whenever further
copies thereof may be required.
It is well known to lithographers and others that considerable difficulty is constantly
experienced by reason of the fact that no means have heretofore been known whereby
a picture or design produced upon a stone could be preserved for any great length of
time in a condition for future lithographic reproduction, otherwise than by retaining
the same upon the stone itself, and that consequently many designs have to be
destroyed by removal from the stone after the number of copies required at first have

page_text: "
been pulled" although there is often a probability that more copies will be sub-
sequently required. And this removal has to be effected because it is practically
impossible to keep more than a limited number of stones "locked up or out of use
in this manner. On the other hand it is frequently essential that certain designs
should be kept ready for reproduction from time to time, and moreover in the case of
very expensive work it is obviously frequently important that it shall not be destroyed
by removing it from the stone, the reproduction by the artist being either impossible
or impracticable. Consequently it is always the case in lithographic establishments
that a very large number of stones are thus constantly locked up or inoperative,
which is a matter of considerable importance both with respect to the storage room
required and to the increased capital which is necessary to provide a sufficient
quantity of stones for the current work.
But by means of my invention this difficulty is entirely obviated, as I am thereby
enabled to obtain an impression upon paper which is capable of being retained for
years in such a condition that it can be transferred to stone whenever required so as
to be printed from in the ordinary manner practised in lithography. Therefore by
the employment of my said invention every lithographic stone can be released for
further use immediately the requisite number of copies have been "pulled " that is to
say the design or drawing may be removed, and yet at the same time one or more
copies thereof can be retained in convenient form, viz. upon a sheet of paper, and in
such a condition as to be capable of reproduction at a future time, if required.
My improved process consists in taking an impression of the design, drawing, or
other work from the lithographic stone upon transfer paper prepared in the manner
hereinafter described, and then dusting over the impression so obtained a fine dry
transfer powder rich in fatty materials and made of the ingredients hereinafter
specified. The greasy character of the said powder renders the design to which it is
.applied upon this paper capable of being transferred to stone at any subsequent time
within a period of years (say five or ten years) and yet the dryness of the powder is
such that there is no danger of the design being destroyed by rubbing off through
contact with paper or other material with which it may be placed when stored for
future use.
The said transfer powder, which constitutes the most important feature of my
invention, is composed of spermacetti, sperm oil, and finely powdered charcoal
combined in the following manner, that is to say, I take 2 lbs. of spermacetti, 2 lbs. of
charcoal, and 8 ounces of sperm oil and treat them as follows that is to say, I melt
the spermacetti in a suitable vessel, preferably by putting the latter into boiling
water for this purpose. When the spermacetti is completely melted I add thereto the
sperm oil and powdered charcoal stirring the whole for about ten minutes, after
which I pour the mixture upon a slab of stone, marble or other material to allow the
same to cool. During the time in which this cooling is taking place I break or cut
the mass into small pieces with a palette knife or other suitable instrument for the
purpose of facilitating the subsequent pulverization. When the mixture is quite cold
I pulverize it in any suitable manner so as to reduce the same to a very fine powder,
and then I pass it through a fine sieve or through muslin. The powder thus produced
is then put into boxes or other receptacles for use as hereinafter explained.
I prefer to use vegetable charcoal, but animal charcoal might be employed although
I do not consider it so advantageous for the purpose. Instead of spermacetti, I may
use mutton suet and instead of sperm oil I may employ palm oil but the composition
so made would not effect the purpose of my invention so advantageously.
I make the transfer paper hereinbefore referred to in the following manner, that
is to say, I take good printing paper which is not too hard (say about sized) I
coat the same on one side with a strong solution of boiled starch which must be of such
a consistency as to work freely. When this coating material is dry I apply a second
coating of the same but of a thinner consistency so as to ensure a smooth surface.
This second coating having become dry I apply a third coating which consists of a
very weak thin solution of gum arabic which has therein some gallic acid, the pro-
portion of the ingredients being about half an ounce of the acid to a gallon of the

page_text: gum solution. When this third coating is dry the paper is to be well rolled upon
both sides thereof, and is then ready for use whenever required.
The production of the transfers to be retained for future use which is the essential
object of my invention is effected in the following manner, that is to say, The picture,
design drawing or other work of which lithographic copies are required having been
produced upon the stone in any well known manner, I pull one or more transfers
therefrom in the ordinary manner excepting that they are taken upon the specially
prepared transfer paper hereinbefore_described. In this operation ordinary litho-
graphic transfer ink may be used but I prefer to employ the specially prepared ink
hereinafter described. Having thus obtained one or two impressions (or whatever
number may be required to be stored away for future reproduction) I apply thereto
some of the transfer powder herein before described by dusting the transfers all over
therewith and then I remove any surplus powder with a soft camel-hair brush and
then wipe carefully with a soft rag so as not to leave any of the powder loose upon
the sheet. The transfer is then in a condition to be packed away for future use and
when the number of copies of this particular design required at the time have been
pulled from the stone the latter may be cleaned and used at once for other work, the
design having been preserved for reproduction as explained. It is preferable to pull
these transfers for future use before pulling the ordinary copies required at the time,
but if desired such ordinary copies may be pulled first and the special transfers
afterwards.
When one of my prepared paper transfers obtained as above described is to be
used for reproducing the design or picture upon a lithographic stone, I proceed
as follows, that is to say, I fit a perfectly clean and polished lithographic stone in the
press and warm the stone by applying boiling water to the same, and whilst the stone
is damp I place the said paper transfer upon the same and pull it through the press
as quickly as possible. Then I damp the paper with hot water and pull through the
press again and repeat the same operation until the paper can be removed easily from
the stone. The latter must now be allowed to dry without washing off the composition
which has been transferred thereto from the paper, as this will answer the purpose of
preparing the stone. If the transfer is not a very old one, that is to say one which
was obtained a long time previously, the stone will now be ready for "rubbing up"
with a fatty or greasy rag and for "rolling up" in the usual manner.
Should the
transfer be an old one it would be desirable to expose the stone for a short time to a
gentle heat before a fire after the picture or design has been transferred thereto, or the
heating may be effected by passing the flame of a spirit lamp over the stone several
times or by any other suitable means. The stone will then be ready for use and
lithographic copies may be obtained therefrom in the usual manner. Transfers may
also be obtained from this stone on my prepared paper as hereinbefore described for
future use.
Although as above stated, ordinary lithographic transfer ink may be used when
taking the impression upon my transfer paper for future use, I prefer to use an ink
which is of a more greasy or fatty character than is desirable in the transfer ink to
be used for ordinary lithographic copies, as the more greasy ink is better adapted for
the reception of the powder which has to be applied (as hereinbefore described) after
the impression has been obtained, I therefore provide a special ink for this purpose
which contains the following ingredients in the proportions (or substantially so) named
below viz. :
Mutton suet
47 11
D
-
-
4 ounces
5

page_text: In making this ink I first melt the mutton suet, wax and spermacetti and when the
mixture is sufficiently hot I ignite the same, and while it is burning add the curd
soap, then I extinguish the flame and add the shellac stirring the mixture con-
tinuously until all is well mixed. This having been effected the sperm oil, Litho'
varnish and vegetable black are introduced and the whole well stirred together. The
mass should then be poured into tins for use when required.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: An Improved Process for Facilitating the Reproduction of Litho-
graphic Pictures, Designs, or Delineations, which Invention
Comprises Improved Compositions and Paper for Use in such
Process.
I, LOUIS BERTLING, of The Aloes, Lennard Road, Penge, in the County of Surrey,
Lithographic Artist, 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:-
My invention relates to the art of lithography and comprises an improved process
and also improved compositions and paper to be employed therein.
The object of the said invention is to provide means whereby impressions of
pictures, designs, writings or other matter may be taken in transfer-ink from a
lithographic stone upon which they have been produced in a well known manner, and
may be so treated that, at any subsequent period, they may be reproduced upon, or
transferred to a lithographic stone from which copies can then be obtained in the usual
manner, thus avoiding the necessity either for keeping a design or other work upon a
stone for future use, or (when the said design or other work has been removed from
the stone) for re-drawing or again preparing the same design whenever further copies
thereof may be required.
33
It is well known to lithographers and others that considerable difficulty is
frequently experienced by reason of the fact that no means have heretofore been
known whereby a picture or design produced upon a stone could be preserved for any
great length of time in a condition for future lithographic reproduction, otherwise
than by retaining the same upon the stone itself; and that consequently many designs
have to be destroyed by removal from the stone, after the number of copies at first
required have been "pulled," although there is often a probability that more copies will
be subsequently required. And this removal has to be effected because it is practically
impossible to keep more than a limited number of stones "locked up or out of use
in this manner. Moreover it is frequently essential that certain designs should be
kept ready for reproduction from time to time, and in the case of very expensive work
it is obviously important that it shall not be destroyed by removal from the stone, the
reproduction by the artist being either impossible or impracticable. It is therefore
generally the case in lithographic establishments that a very large number of stones
are thus constantly "locked up" or kept with the designs or the like upon them,
which is a matter of considerable importance both with respect to the storage room
required and to the increased capital which is necessary to provide a sufficient quantity
of stones for the current work.
دو
By my invention this difficulty is entirely obviated, as I am thereby enabled to
obtain an impression upon paper which is capable of being retained for years in such
a condition that it can, when required, be transferred to stone so as to be printed

page_text: from in the manner ordinarily practised in lithography. Therefore by the employ-
ment of my said invention every lithographic stone can be released for further use
immediately the requisite number of copies have been "pulled," that is to say, the
design or drawing may be removed, whilst retaining one or more copies thereof in
convenient form, viz., upon a sheet of paper, and in such a condition as to be capable
of reproduction or transference to stone at a future time, if required.
My improved process consists in taking an impression of the design, drawing or
other work from the lithographic stone upon transfer-paper prepared in the manner
hereinafter described, and then dusting over the impression so obtained a fine dry
transfer-powder rich in fatty materials and made of the ingredients hereinafter
specified. The greasy character of the said powder renders the design to which it is
applied upon this paper capable of being transferred to stone at any subsequent time
within a period of years (say five or even ten years) and yet the dryness of the
powder is such that there is no danger of the design being injured or destroyed by
rubbing off, through contact with paper or other material with which it may be placed
when stored for future use.
When
The said transfer-powder, which constitutes an important feature of my invention, is
composed of spermacetti, sperm-oil, and finely powdered charcoal combined in the
following manner, that is to say, I take two pounds (2 lbs.) of spermacetti, two
pounds (2 lbs.) of charcoal and eight ounces (8 oz.) of sperm-oil. I melt the sperma-
cetti in a suitable vessel, preferably by putting the latter into boiling water.
the spermacetti is completely melted I add thereto the sperm-oil and powdered
the mixture
charcoal, stirring the whole for about ten minutes, after which I
pour
upon a slab of stone, marble or other, suitable material and allow the same to cool.
While this cooling is taking place, I break or cut the mass into small pieces with a
palette-knife or other suitable instrument for the purpose of facilitating the subsequent
pulverization. When the mixture is quite cold I pulverize it in any convenient manner
and thus reduce it to a very fine powder. I then pass it through a fine sieve or through
muslin. The powder thus produced is put into boxes or other receptacles for use as
hereinafter explained.
I prefer to use vegetable charcoal in making the said transfer-powder; animal
charcoal may, however, be employed, although I do not consider it so advantageous for
the purpose.
Moreover, I may with less advantage use mutton-suet instead of
spermacetti, and palm-oil instead of sperm-oil.
I make the transfer-paper herein before referred to in the following manner, that is
to say,
I take good printing paper which is not too hard (say about sized). I coat
the same on one side with a strong solution of boiled starch which must be of such
a consistency as to work freely. When this coating is dry I apply a second coating
of the same material but of a thinner consistency so as to ensure a smooth surface.
This second coating having become dry, I apply a third coating consisting of a very
weak or thin solution of gum arabic having mixed therewith some gallic acid, the
proportion of the ingredients being about half an ounce of the acid to a gallon of the
gum solution. When this third coating is dry, the paper is to be well rolled upon
both sides thereof and is then ready for use.
The production of the transfers to be retained for future use, which is the main
object of my invention, is effected in the following manner, that is to say ;-The
picture, design, drawing or other work of which lithographic copies are required
having been produced upon the stone in any well-known manner, I pull one or more
transfers therefrom in the ordinary manner excepting that they are taken upon the
specially prepared transfer-paper hereinbefore described. In this operation ordinary
lithographic transfer-ink may be used, but I prefer to employ the specially prepared
ink hereinafter described. Having thus obtained one or two impressions (or
whatever number may be required to be stored away for future reproduction),
1 apply thereto some of the transfer-powder hereinbefore described, by dusting the
transfers all over therewith, and then I remove any surplus powder with a soft
camel-hair brush and then wipe carefully with a soft rag so as not to leave any of
the powder loose upon the sheet. The transfer is then in a condition to be packed

page_text: away for future use. When the number of copies of this particular design required
at the time have been pulled from the stone, the latter may be cleaned and used at
once for other work, the design having been preserved for reproduction as above
explained. It is preferable to pull these transfers for future use before pulling the
ordinary copies required at the time; if desired, however, such ordinary copies may
be pulled first and the special transfers afterwards.
When one of my prepared paper transfers obtained as above described is to be
used for reproducing the design or picture upon a lithographic stone, I proceed as
follows, that is to say, I fit a perfectly clean and polished lithographic stone in the
press and warm the stone by applying boiling water to the same, and, whilst the
stone is damp, 1 place the said paper transfer upon the same and pull it through
the press as quickly as possicle. Then I damp the paper with hot water and pull
through the press again and repeat the same operation until the paper can be removed
easily from the stone. The latter must now be allowed to dry without washing off
the composition which has been transferred thereto from the paper, as this will
answer the purpose of preparing the stone. If the transfer is not a very old one,
that is to say, one obtained a long time previously, the stone will now be ready for
'rubbing up" with a fatty or greasy rag and for "rolling up" in the usual manner.
Should the transfer be an old one, it will be desirable to expose the stone for a short.
time to a gentle heat before a fire, after the picture or design has been transferred
thereto, or the heating may be effected by passing the flame of a spirit lamp over the
stone several times, or by any other suitable means. The stone will then be ready
for use, and lithographic copies may be obtained therefrom in the usual manner.
Transfers may also be obtained from this stone on my prepared paper as hereinbefore
described for future use.
66
Although, as above stated, ordinary lithographic transfer-ink may be used when
taking the impression upon my transfer-paper, I prefer to use an ink which
is of a more greasy or fatty character than ordinary transfer-ink, as the more
greasy the ink, the better it is adapted for the reception of the powder which has to
be applied, as hereinbefore described, after the impression has been obtained.
I therefore provide a special ink for this purpose which is produced by combining
sperm-oil and spermacetti with ingredients such as are ordinarily used in the manu-
facture of lithographic transfer-ink. The ink which I prefer to use contains the
following ingredients in, or about in, the proportions stated viz :--
Mutton-suet
Yellow Bees' wax
White curd soap
Shellac
Vegetable black
Middle Litho' varnish
Sperm-oil
Spermacetti
-
4 ounces
-
3 ounces
-
3 ounces
-
6 ounces
20 ounces
-
3 pounds
4 ounces
3 ounces
In making this ink, I first melt the mutton-suet, wax and spermacetti ; and, when
the mixture is sufficiently hot, I ignite the same, and while it is burning add the
curd soap, then I extinguish the flame and add the shellac, stirring the mixture con-
tinuously until all is well mixed. This having been effected, the sperm-oil, Litho'
varnish and vegetable black are introduced and the whole well stirred together. The
mass should then be poured into tins for use when required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it understood that
I claim :-
First The improved process for obtaining lithographic transfers, consisting in
taking from the stone upon which the picture or design has been produced an
impression thereof upon the specially prepared paper herein described and then

page_text: applying thereto a composition in the form of powder composed of spermacetti and
sperm-oil (or their equivalents) combined with charcoal, all substantially as, and for
the purpose, above set forth.
Second-The composition in the form of powder, consisting of spermacetti and
sperm-oil (or their equivalents) combined with charcoal in, or about in the proportions
herein set forth, for the purpose specified.
Third The manufacture of transfer-paper as above described and for the purpose
specified.
Fourth-The improved lithographic transfer-ink produced by combining, with
ingredients ordinarily used in the manufacture of such ink, sperm-oil and spermacetti,
as, and for the purpose, herein before described.
Dated this 16th day of December 1007.
LOUIS BERTLING.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.