IMPROVEMENTS IN STEREO AND ELECTRO MOUNTING BLOCKS AND CATCHES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN HENRY CLAYSON of 20 Gellatly Road Nunhead in the County of Surrey
Compositor do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEREO AND ELECTRO MOUNTING BLOCKS AND CATCHES to be as follows :-
This Invention relates to improvements in the "blocks" upon which stereo and
electro plates are mounted for printing from and in the "catches" used for holding
the stereo plates in position.
The means at present employed for the above purpose have many disadvantages
and the object of my Invention is to save time in "making up" and "making
ready."
The old "French block" is very defective in its "catch" and after numerous
taps of the hammer when the "under laying" is done to keep the plates down
soon becomes useless.
Other methods have been tried and failed causing the cutting of tapes, loss of
time in making register and being otherwise complicated and expensive.
Wood mounts so much used are not good on account of the wood swelling by
unavoidable contact with moisture, the underlaying also by being under the blocks
instead of under the plates is very objectionable.
Now my improved grooved blocks and continuous sliding catches will not only
effect a saving in time but will also afford the means of protecting the beveled
edges of the plates owing to the holding surface of the catches being continuous.
The ordinary small catches after being used for a number of reprints wear the
stereo or electro plates at certain points thus causing risk of their drawing up by
the rollers whilst printing.
The object of my improvements is to obtain a perfect combination of blocks and
catches and by making them in series of several sizes (advantageously a series of
three in three sizes) they can be so arranged as to make up or be combined for any
size of plate.
The averago dimensions have been taken of 80 and 4to pages and will also make
up for 32
By arranging the blocks and catches for each size in this manner any ordinary
compositor can readily make them up as the variations can be casily made with
realet and loads.

page_text: When the blocks are made up (which should be the exact size of the plate) they
will present a continuous groove round their sides ready to receive the catches.
Great saving of time will be effected by a key-sheet showing the pieces required
for the average size plates.
Should the catches be so extended as to cause an opening of 4 "cms" between
the catches a dummy one is employed to fill up the space thus keeping a true edge
so essential for registering and also when the blocks and plate mounted thereon are
locked up the whole become perfectly rigid and easy to lift.
The open corners and space between two catches in my improved arrangement
offer facilities for inserting the scissors or bodkin to removo the stereo plates for
underlaying and thus save them from the risk of being damaged.
The advantages offered by my improved method of mounting stereo and electro
plates in saving time are very great particularly when mounting 4to plates when
large blocks are used.
If desired a longer catch can be substituted for the two continuous ones but for
economy a series of 3 catches in 3 sizes as previously stated will be found 'suitable
for working out all that is required and will bring all the material into use.
I, JOHN HENRY CLAYSON of 20 Gellatly Road, Nunhead in the County of Surrey,
Compositor do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEREO AND ELECTRO MOUNTING BLOCKS AND CATCHES" and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following Statement :-
This Invention relates to improvements in the "blocks"
upon which stereo
plates are mounted for printing and in the "catches" used for holding the
stereo plates in position.
The means at present employed for the above purpose have disadvantages and
the object of my invention is to save time in "making up" and "making ready."
The old "French-block" is very defective in its "catch" and after numerous
taps of the hammer when the "under laying" is done to keep the plates down
soon becomes useless. The ordinary small catches now in use damage the bevelled
edges of the stereo or electro plates at certain points thus causing danger of their
drawing up by the rollers whilst printing when reprints are required..
Now my improved grooved blocks and continuous sliding catches will not only
effect a saving in time but will also afford the means of protecting the bevelled
edges of the plates owing to the holding surface of the catches being continuous.
The object of my improvements is to obtain a perfect combination of blocks and
catches and by making them in a series of several sizes (advantageously a series of
1

page_text: three in three sizes) they can be so arranged as to make up or be combined for any
size of plate as represented by the drawings hereto annexed which show blocks
and catches mado and arranged in accordance with my invention.
By arranging the blocks and catches for each size in this manner any ordinary
compositor can readily make them up as the variations can be easily made with
reglet and leads.
When the blocks a a a are made up their sides will presont a continuous
groove a ready to receive the catches b which are formed by means of a tongue b¹
to slide in the groove a¹ formed in the sides of cach block a and can be placed in
any position. In order to prevent the possibility of the catches b blacking whilst
printing where blanks occur on the plate dummy catches c are used.
The dummy catch c is advantageously of type motal of the same body as the
brass catches with a tongue.c' and placed at corners or any position required thus
keeping a true edge so essential for "register" and also when the blocks and
plates mounted thereon aro locked up the whole becomes perfectly rigid and easy
to lift.
The advantages offered by my improved method of mounting stereo and electro
plates in saving time are very great particularly when mounting 4to plates when
large blocks are used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
The improved method of forming stéreo and electro mounting blocks a with
grooves a and the catches b, with tongues 61 to slide in the grooves a' of the
blocks such blocks and catches being arranged to act in combination substantially
in the manner and for the purpose herein before described and represented in the
drawings annexed.