IMPROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH PRINTING MACHINES WITH CYLINDERS, ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER ANALOGOUS MACHINES FOR PAPER STAINING AND COLOUR PRINTING."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Nelson, of the Firm of T. Nelson & Sons,
Printers and Publishers, Edinburgh, William Inglis, Foreman, and Joseph
Train Gray, Cashier, both to the said Firm, all of the County of Edinburgh,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH
PRINTING MACHINES WITH CYLINDERS, ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER ANALOGOUS
MACHINES FOR PAPER STAINING AND COLOUR PRINTING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Nelson, William
Inglis, and Joseph Train Gray at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 5th April 1879.
THOMAS NELSON, of the Firm of T. Nelson & Sons, Printers and Publishers,
Edinburgh, WILLIAM INGLIS, Foreman, and JOSEPH TRAIN GRAY, Cashier, both to
the said Firm, all of the County of Edinburgh, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS
CONNECTED WITH PRINTING MACHINES WITH CYLINDERS, ALSO APPLICABLE TO
OTHER ANALOGOUS MACHINES FOR PAPER STAINING AND COLOUR PRINTING."
This said Invention has reference to certain improvements in or means and
mechanism suitable for being applied to what are termed and known as perfecting
or two cylinder printing machines, for. printing letter-press and wood engravings
(or it may be lithographic work) on both sides of the sheets of paper before leaving
the press, that is, presses in which the one side of the sheet is printed on or under
the first cylinder, and then removed and turned over and delivered on to the
second cylinder with the first printed side resting on its surface, and with the clean
side of the sheets outwards so as to be printed under this second cylinder, from the
back of which the sheets are delivered printed on both sides all as usual. But in
doing so the pressure of printing the second side or impression on the second form
of type presses the fresh un-dried ink or colour of the first impression on to the
surface of the second cylinder, making a faint cast or impression on it termed in the
trade a "set-off," which after a number of sheets or impressions have been printed
off' becomes so black with ink or thick with colour as to "set-off" and smear or blur
the first side or impressions of the subsequent copies or sheets being printed off. And
the improvements of this Invention are for the purpose of preventing the said great
ID 71

page_text: inconvenience arising from the fresh undried first impression made on the surface of
the second cylinder "setting off," smearing, or blurring the subsequent impressions
and sheets.
In order to overcome this defect several expensive, troublesome, and unsatisfactory
means or plans have been heretofore adopted; thus for letter press printing lard
oiled sheets of paper have been used as a covering on the second cylinder which
answers for about an hour or two at most, under the first impressions, but these
sheets after the printing of four reams or so begin to "set-off" and are therefore
incapable of further use, so that they require to be renewed. When wood
engravings or electrotypes of them have to be printed on one side of the sheet they
are always arranged to be printed from the form under the second cylinder, which
is covered with a lard oiled blanket so as to reduce the said casting or "setting off"
of the type to a minimum, then when wood engravings and such like work are
arranged to be printed on both sides of the paper indiscriminately, the said oiled
slip and oiled blanket coverings have failed to prevent the impressions of the cuts
or engravings on the first side from casting or "setting off," and to prevent this
loose slip sheets have heretofore been fed in by a boy from a regularly constructed
feeding table or apparatus for the purpose, each slip sheet being slipped in between
the side first printed and the surface of the second cylinder, so that these slip sheets
(which thus take on the cast-off ink "set-off" impression) have to be removed
from the second cylinder at its delivery side separate from the printed sheets. In
some cases, and for some kinds of printing, a continuous roll of paper which is called
a revolving slip, is also used to prevent the said "setting off" of the ink or colour
of the first impression while printing on the second cylinder, but it is rarely found
more convenient or economical than the " slip-sheets." For this printing with
loose slip sheets two boys are required, one to put on and the other to take off these
sheets, and a ream of ordinary paper after being thus used as slip sheets for about
sixty reams of printing (that is after being passed sixty times through the
cylinder) becomes so smeared and soft that it is no longer fit for this protecting
purpose.
The nature and novelty of this Invention therefore consists in the application to
the outer circumference or surface of the calico, blanket, or other covering of the
second printing cylinder of such printing machines of a very thin rolled, rubbed, or
brushed on layer of a viscous mixture of mineral oil with paraffin, wax dissolved,
or bees' wax, or other essential drying oil dissolved in naptha or spirit, not too
volatile, so as to retain the viscous state during its application and yet produce a
stearine or waxy enamel on the surface of the second cylinder when laid on to this
as stated. One means or new arrangement of mechanism for automatically spreading
on this very regular and thin coating on the surface of the second printing cylinder
or its coverings consists of a small portable frame formed of two light side cheeks
tied together by cross stays mounted over one longitudinal side of the second
printing cylinder, so as to reciprocate or rise and fall in guides actuated by any
suitable mechanical motion and mechanism, such as vertically reciprocating bars or
levers at each side of the main frame of the printing machine and end of the said
second cylinder and moved at suitable regular, but it may be distant, intervals, as
required, by cams or other equivalent on the shaft of the cylinder or other slower
revolving or reciprocating shaft as found necessary. This portable rising and falling
frame is formed with journal bearings near the top of its side cheeks, carrying two,
three, or more long small diameter distributing rollers, all working in contact with
or against each other, covered with ordinary paper-makers' felt-blanket or other
suitable covering ranged right across the whole surface of the second printing
cylinder, and served with the said viscous preparation from a narrow gutter or
from a revolving or hand brush or hollow or soft covered roller, either of which
could contain sufficient of the said semi liquid substance, and serve it on to the first
or upper side receiving and spreading roller, so that this would spread a thinner and
more regular thickness on to the second distributing roller which, when there are
three, would in turn spread and deliver a still finer and more regular dressing of the

page_text: viscous waxy substance on to the lowest roller, which each time the roller frame is
lowered by its motive mechanism would come in contact with the upper surface of
the second printing cylinder at the pressing parts or surface desired (where the ink
or colour of the first impressions produced on the sheets of paper under the first
cylinder smears the second cylinder), so as to rub up and coat or enamel the cloth
pressing surface of the cylinder in a manner to take or dry up a portion of the
smeared ink and cover it over, having also a third roller to take off any loose
ink or matter left on the cylinder by the second roller, which prevents all
re-" setting off" from the covering of the second cylinder on to the first impressions
or sides of the subsequent sheets being printed off. Thus by these improvements
enabling this perfecting or double cylindrical class of printing machines to go on
printing wood engravings and other illustrated or illuminated sheets for book work
for long intervals, or the whole day without stopping, no change being required
until it is found requisite to renew the covering cloth of the second printing
cylinder, which may be done in the evenings when the machines are not at work,
after one or more day's work as found desirable, and all at a mere fraction of the
expense required for the said usual under coverings of the cylinders and loose slip
protection sheets, and the loss of time and labour and complication heretofore
required of feeding in these to and removing them from the printing cylinder under
the sheets being printed off, saving also the great loss of time the printing machines
have heretofore required to be stopped to clean or renew the " Betting off" surfaces
and complicated appliances connected therewith on such printing machines as
heretofore constructed. These small service coating rollers may be driven by a
cord or band passed over a pulley on one of their spindles from a pulley on any of
the driving shafts or of the cylinder, or they may be actuated by their own frictional
contact while the lower one is rolling and rubbing on the circumference of the
cylinder somewhat in the manner that the ink serving rollers are worked over the
inking plate and the surface of the type form. In printing in colours it is found
almost impossible to print two colours on the top of each other while the first is
wet; for example, yellow is often printed on the top of blue to produce green; for
producing yellow, blue, and green, from two printings, and to enable this double
printing to be done on the surface of the paper before it leaves the machine, a
coating or wash of colourless spirit or other equivalent drying material (with or
without some resinous or body matter) may be laid and rolled on to the surface of
the first printed surface while the sheet is passing round on the circumference of
the first or second cylinder by laying on rollers in an equivalent manner to that
described for laying on the enamel surface on the cylinder covering before referred
to, but so that it would have no rubbing or injurious effect upon the colour of the
first printing, so that the sheet could be delivered on to the second cylinder and
there printed with the second colour before leaving the machine. Or a central third
cylinder or roller might be used, not for printing but for passing the paper over
after the first colour is printed on it, and for laying on the said coating of drying.
spirit before the sheet is conveyed on to the second cylinder for printing the second
colour before leaving the machine, thus saving much time over the mode heretofore
in use of only printing one colour at a time and laying past the sheets for some
days before printing the second colour. It will be understood that these improve-
ments are equally applicable to hand driven as well as motive power printing
n.achines for printing wood or other engravings in black or colours, and for paper
staining and such machines in which cylinders are used for carrying the paper being:
printed or stained.
:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Nelson, William Inglis, and Joseph Train Gray in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th October 1879.
THOMAS NELSON, of the Firm of T. Nelson & Sons, Printers and Publishers,
Edinburgh, WILLIAM INGLIS, Foreman, and JOSEPH TRAIN GRAY, Cashier, both to
the said Firm, all of the County of Edinburgh, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS
CONNECTED WITH PRINTING MACHINES WITH CYLINDERS, ALSO APPLICABLE TO
OTHER ANALOGOUS MACHINES FOR PAPER STAINING AND COLOUR PRINTING."
Our said Invention has reference to certain improvements in or means and
mechanism suitable for being applied to or overcoming certain evils or defects in or
connected with the use of what are termed and known as perfecting or two cylinder
printing machines for printing letterpress and wood engravings (or it may be litho-
graphic work) on both sides of the sheets of paper before leaving the press; that is,
presses in which the paper is printed first on one side of the sheet on one cylinder,
and then is delivered on to a second cylinder with the first printed side resting on
its surface and with the clean side of the sheets outwards so as to be printed on this
side also on this second cylinder, from which the sheets are delivered printed on
both sides all as usual. Now in printing with this class of printing machines the
pressure of printing the second side or impression on the second form of type
impresses the fresh un-dried ink or colour off the first impression on to the surface
of the second cylinder, making a faint "cast" or impression on it, termed in the
trade a "set off" or "setting off," which after a number of sheets or impressions
have been printed off becomes so coated with ink or colour as to "set off," smear,
or blur the first side or impressions of the subsequent copies or sheets being
printed off.
The improvements of this our Invention consist in certain new or improved
modes and means or appliances for the purpose of preventing or overcoming the
said great inconvenience arising from the fresh undried first impression made on the
surface of the second cylinder, "setting-off," smearing, or blurring the subsequent
impressions and sheets, and which improvements are more inexpensive and save
much time and trouble over the modes and means heretofore in use for overcoming
the said evils of "setting off."
In order that the nature and novelty of our said Invention and the mode and
means of performing or putting it into effect or practice may be properly under-
stood we shall now describe and refer to the two Figures on the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto appended for that purpose, in contra distinction to the modes and means
heretofore employed of overcoming the said evils.
"
Figures 1 and 2 represent the side elevation and a partial end section
respectively of sufficient of the central part of a "perfecting printing machine"
and its two printing cylinders 1, 1, and 2, 2¹,, and essential connections,
shown as fitted with one arrangement of the new or improved mechanism
for carrying out our Invention or improvements to such like printing machines;
the like reference figures or numerals and letters represent the same parts
where shown in both Figures, and the arrows indicate the direction of motion
of the revolving parts and bands guiding the paper to be printed where shown.
Referring to these Figures 1 and 2 the first and second printing cylinders 1, 1,
and 2, 2', are each mounted to revolve by their shafts and end journals 111
and 211 in bush bearings at the upper ends of their carrying and their vertically
reciprocating carrying frames 1 and 211, mounted in their respective slide guides
3, 3, secured to the fixed or stationary main side frames 4 of the machines. The
frames 1 and 2 with their cylinders 1, 11, and 2, 2', are mounted and carried on
by their end springs 311 to rise and fall alternately from and on to their respective
"forms" of type by reciprocating togle links 3111 on each side at their lower ends
through rocking shafts 5, 5¹, and reciprocating frame 511, actuated by the cam and

page_text: shaft 5 driven by the wheels 61, 61, from the main common motive shaft 6, all so
that the cylinders 1, 1', and 2, 2¹, are raised and depressed at different sequential
times respectively and alternately as required to print the paper on the opposite
sides while passing round on them over their respective forms of set up type, fixed
on the reciprocating printing or pressure table 7 below these cylinders, which are
geared together by large spur wheels 8, 8, on their shafts 1 and 2 at one side so
as to revolve in unison and at the same speed, driven by an intermediate wheel 8¹
carried on one of the rising and falling cylinder frames 1111, and actuated from a
pinion 8 on the said main shaft 6. The cylinders 1, 11, and 2, 2', are mounted
nearly close together, but so as not to touch each other, and have rather more than
half of their circumference turned truly parallely or cylindrically, and covered with
printing web, blanket, or other equivalent soft material at the parts marked 1, 1,
and 2, 2, over which the paper is laid to be printed, but cut away to a slightly
smaller diameter at 11, 1', and 2¹, 21, to clear the type where the printing does not
take place, and has a part of this cut away right into the interior of the cylinders
at 1, 2, within which at the advanced edge of the printing blanket surface a set
of griping clips a and a¹ are mounted on spindles a", al, actuated by pinions and
segmental wheels a¹¹, a¹¹¹, from a second spindle a³ within each cylinder for each
set of clips, and actuated by a lever and anti friction roller b on the end of each
spindle a² outside the end of each cylinder at one side of the machine, so that these
clips are closed by a strong spring inside, and opened by the levers b acting on cam
plates 6, 6, 1, 6, and a rocking frame 63 brought into action at the proper
times to grip each sheet of paper as it is served to their respective cylinders, and
carry it round therewith to be printed on one side on the first cylinder 1, 1¹, by
the form of type below it, and on the other side on the second cylinder 2, 2¹, by
the form of type below it. The paper is fed by hand forward to the front edge 9
of the table 9, 91, one sheet at a time to the cylinder 1, 1, here it is caught by
its clips a and carried right round with it so as to be printed, as stated, and about
a fourth of the circle further until these clips a come opposite the clips a¹ of the
second cylinder 2, 21, at 1*, 2*, where the clips of the first cylinder open and allow
the clips of the second cylinder to catch the front projecting edge of the sheet and
grip it on to the advanced edge of the printing surface 2, 2, of the second cylin-
der 2, 21, round or under which it is carried, to be there printed on the second
form of type under this cylinder, between the guiding delivering tapes or bands c,
c', c¹¹, on the other or second side of the sheet which was next the surface of the
first cylinder. Each sheet as so printed is delivered at the back of this cylinder 2, 2¹;
as its clips a¹ are there opened through between and by the tapes c, c¹, c¹¹, over
their rollers to the delivery table 10, where the attendants receive and arrange
them.
It will thus be seen that each sheet so delivered to and printed on the second
cylinder 2, 2', had the fresh or wet surface just printed on the first cylinder laid
next the blanket surface 2, 2, of the second cylinder, which has the said great
defect before stated of making a slight "set off" of ink or colour on to the blanket
surface 2, 2, of this second printing cylinder. In order to overcome this defect
several expensive, troublesome, and unsatisfactory means or plans have been here-
tofore adopted, involving much loss of time and waste of material.
The nature and novelty of our Invention consists in the application to the surface
of a calico, blanket, or other covering, or for other prepared surface 2, 2, of the
second printing cylinder 2, 21, of such printing machines, of a very thin rolled,
rubbed, or crushed on layer of a substance which will be herein after specified and
termed "spirit mixture." This preparation (which is to be thinly and regularly
rubbed or coated on to the printing surface 2, 2, of the second cylinder) is com-
posed of refined block paraffin or paraffin wax, bees' wax, or a mixture of these
added to spirit, paraffin, or mineral naphtha, or other mineral oil, and thereby
dissolved (either with or without a small portion of soft or black soap) to a viscous
or stearine consistency, not too volatile, so as to retain a soft lardy working con-
sistency during its application to the surface of the roller for wiping off or erasing

page_text: the "set off" ink or colour, and producing a waxy enamel or varnish surface for
resisting the adhesion thereof, or it might be other equivalent mixtures of drying
spirits and oils. The following are two of the best mixtures we have found suitable,
the first for type printing work, and the latter for fine book printing, with wood
engravings, and colour work, namely:-
11
First Mixture. We take 2 lbs. of block paraffin, with a melting point at 125 to
130 degrees, and place this in 1 gallon of pure spirit of paraffin of 110 to 120
degrees, and about 815 spec. gravity; to this is added, for ordinary printing
papers, 1/2 lb. of bees' wax, and 3/4 lb. of black soap, and the vessel containing the
whole is then placed in water at 140° Fahrenheit, and when the mixture is dissolved
it is immediately cooled by being transferred to cold water.
Second Mixture.-We take 2 lbs. of finest block paraffin wax with melting point at
125 to 130 degrees, grated or otherwise reduced to as small or fine particles as pos-
sible; then dissolve this in one gallon of pure spirit of paraffin of 112 to 120 degrees,
815 spec. gravity, to which is added a small quantity of bees' wax, less or more,
as required by the quantity of size in the paper used. A small quantity of essential
oil, as citroline, is added to either of these mixtures in order to make it more
pleasant for working with, although it is in no way necessary to its efficiency.
A second part of our Invention or improvements consist in the spreading on of
the said mixtures in a very thin coating upon the printing surface 2, 2, of the
second printing cylinder 2, 21, regularly and automatically, and in an arrangement
of mechanism applied to these perfecting printing machines and to their cylinders,
one modification of which is shown in these Figures 1 and 2.
This new or improved arrangement of mechanism consists of three service
rollers A, B, C, preferably formed of wood on iron spindles, with a few plys of
paper makers' blanket or felt round their outer circumference. These rollers A, B, C,
are considerably longer than the surface on which the job or sheet of paper is
printed round the large cylinder 2, 2', over which they are mounted by end
journals on their spindles in sliding bushes A¹, B¹, C¹, in strong slide frames D, D,
mounted by their parallel stems D¹ in slide guides E secured at E¹ to the fixed
frames 12 at each end of and over the cylinder 2, 21, and resting on their bearing
frames 3111 so as to rise and fall with these and their cylinder 2, 2¹. The first
roller A has an outer felt bag or covering well impregnated or saturated with the
spirit mixture drawn over it, so as to rest on and be turned by the roller B below it,
to which it serves the mixture. So that this roller B, which rests on the pressure
or printing surface 2, 2, of the cylinder 2, 2', transmits or rubs a small portion of
the mixture on to it as it is turned by the friction of its own weight rolling on the
cylinder. The upper roller A in this application is made about 21 inches in
diameter, and the lower roller B about 41/2 inches in diameter, but other sizes may be
used.
The pressure of the upper roller on the lower roller is regulated or tempered for
the serving of the spirit mixture on to the latter by the screws and screw nuts A¹¹
attached to its sliding bushes A', and actuated at the top ends of the frame D
over the journal brushes A', which they raise and lower.
Another roller C is mounted on its sliding bearing C in the frames D, so as to
rest and roll on the surface 2, 2, of the cylinder just behind and similar to B, but
clean of it so as not to touch it, but slightly rub and clean the printing surface 2, 2,
of the cylinder 2, 21, and erase the "set off" impression just before it reaches the
serving roller B; the pressure of this third roller C on the cylinder being also regu-
lated by screws and nuts C", attached to its bushes C¹ at the top of the slide
frame D. This arrangement of service rollers thus works on the printing surface
2, 2, of the second cylinder 2, 21, so as to brush off the "set off" marked on it by
the sheets of paper printed on the first cylinder 1, 1', and at the same time coats
the surface 2, 2, very thinly with the spirit mixture in so thin a coating that the
spirit evaporates, and leaves a fine waxy enamel surface which resists the adhesion
of the "set off," which is thus easily removed by the roller C.
The side frames D, D¹, carrying this arrangement of service rollers being in this

page_text: case mounted by their stems D¹ on the frames 2111 rise and fall with the cylinders,
so that the rollers B, C, always run on the raised surface 2, 2, of the cylinder 2, 2¹.
But it will be understood that these frames D, D¹, for other printing machines
when required might be mounted and tied together by cross stays as a portable
frame, and made to rise and fall in guides actuated by any suitable mechanical
motion and mechanism, such as vertically reciprocating bars or levers at each side
of the main frame of the printing machine and end of the said second cylinder,
and moved at suitable, regular, but it may be distant, intervals, as required, by cams
or other equivalent on the shaft of the cylinder or the slower revolving or recipro-
cating shaft, as found necessary.
Although only three rollers have been described, one serving roller A and two
rubbing and dressing rollers B and C, it will be understood that for some kinds of
work and printing more rollers might be used as a following roller (after the roller B
dresses the surface) to more effectually rub up the surface of the cylinder and take
off any loose ink or matter which might still remain on it, thus practically
removing or preventing all "setting off" on to the cylinder, and consequently
"resetting off" on to the first impressions or clean sides of the subsequent sheets
being printed off. And although these dressing rollers B and C have been described
as turned by their rolling friction on the cylinders, it will be understood that they
might be driven by a cord or band and by a pulley at different speeds on their
spindles.
These improvements thus enable this perfecting or double cylinder class of
printing machines to go on printing letterpress, wood engravings, or other illus-
trated or illuminated sheets for bookwork for long intervals or for the whole day
without stopping, no change being required until it is found requisite to clean and
saturate the covering cloth of the serving roller A, or renew the felt or enameled
web of the second printing cylinder, which may be done when the machines are
not at work, as found desirable.
Although the "spirit mixture" has been described as supplied to the roller A
by the renewal of an outer saturated felt or bag covering at intervals when
required,―
It is to be understood that it might also, when desired, be supplied in other ways,
as from a small supply trough fitted along the upper surface of the rollers, closed
in by a lid above to prevent evaporation of the volatile spirit, and so supply the
mixture in a small regular quantity of the same uniform consistency, much the
same as the ink and colour are supplied to the printing forms of type and
engravings; and that revolving brushes might be used for one or more of the
cleaning and dressing rollers B and C. In the latter part of our Provisional Speci-
fication we described certain modes and means of applying our Invention or
improvements to the coating of the surface of the sheet of paper with a pure
colourless spirit mixture while passing through or over the printing cylinder of
double colour printing machines, after the first printing of one colour to fix this
before printing the second colour over the first while passing again round the
cylinder; but as we have not found these to answer and succeed we have not
therefore included them in this Specification, and do not now consider them as
forming any part of our Invention or improvements.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the mode and means
of performing or putting the same into effect or practice, we have to state that we
do not confine ourselves to the precise details we have had occasion to describe and
delineate, as many variations may be made therefrom without departing from this
substance and main features of the Invention; but what we consider to be novel
and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
-
First. The application and use of a spirit mixture for cleaning and coating the
pressure surface of the second cylinder of two cylinders perfecting printing machines,
and the mode and means or mechanical appliances (indicated by the capital letters
A to E inclusive) for automatically doing so, all substantially as and for the

page_text: purposes herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings
or any mere modification thereof.
Second. The preparation of a spirit mixture or mixtures as and for the purposes
of cleaning and coating the "set off" pressure surface of the cylinders of perfecting
printing machines, all substantially as herein described or any mere modification
thereof.
Third. The construction or arrangement and application of special rollers (as
A, B, C,) for serving a spirit mixture to the pressure surface of the second cylinder
of two cylinder perfecting printing machines, substantially as and for the purposes
herein described or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Nelson, William Inglis, and Joseph
Train Gray, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirtieth day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy
nine
THOS. NELSON.
W. INGLIS.
(L.S.)
(LS.)
JOS. TRAIN GRAY. (LS.)
THOS. NELSON.
(L.S.)
WM. INGLIS.
(LS.)
JOS. TRAIN GRAY. (LS.)