An Improvement in Mounting Blocks for Printing Plates.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 12th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Mounting Blocks for Printing Plates.
I EDWARD BADOUREAU of Poppins Court, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Electrotyper and Stereotyper, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction of mounting blocks for stereotype,
electrotype and zinc printing plates and has for its object to combine the resistance
of a solid metal block with the facility afforded by a wooden block for fixing the
plate or plates.
The invention consists of a combined metal and wood mounting block, being a
metal block having parallel bars of wood embedded in the thickness of the metal in
such manner as to be wholly enclosed thereby so that whilst the said bars of wood
admit of the pins or screws for fastening the stereotypes being driven in, they are
wholly protected by the enclosing metal from becoming moistened and being
thereby caused to swell so as to disturb their relation to the metal portion of
the block. The wooden bars may be either diagonal or parallel to one side,
and the invention comprises the method of embedding them in the operation of
casting the metal block for which purpose the bars are suitably supported in
the casting box or mould so that the metal will flow entirely around and
between them and form an apparently solid inetal block with the wood bars
embedded in the interior of its mass. The thickness of the wood bars would
be about half or rather more than half the whole thickness of the metal block,
the layer of metal covering the bars and forming the upper face of the block,
being comparatively thin and being united by the intervening bars with which
it is cast in one with the thicker layer of metal forming the underside or base
of the block. Suitable guide marks would be cast or otherwise formed on the
edges or face of the block to indicate the positions of the wooden bars into
which the pins or screws holding the stereo or other plates would be driven
through the upper layer of metal.
Dated this 19th dow of Tenue 1800
E. BADOUREAU.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Mounting Blocks for Printing Plates.
I, EDWARD BAdoureau, of Poppin's Court, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Electrotyper and Stereotyper, 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 construction of mounting blocks for stereotype,
electrotype, and zinc printing plates, and has for its object to combine the
resistance of a solid metal block with the facility afforded by a wooden block
for nailing or screwing the plate or plates thereto.
The invention consists of a combined metal and wood mounting block, being
a metal block having parallel bars of wood embedded within the metal in such
manner as to be wholly enclosed thereby, or wholly enclosed except at the ends,
so that whilst the said bars of wood admit of the pins or screws for fastening the
stereotype being driven in, they are wholly protected by the enclosing metal from

page_text: becoming moistened and being thereby caused to swell so as to disturb their relation
to the metal portion of the block. The wooden bars may be either diagonal or
parallel to one side or end, and the invention comprises the method of embedding
them in the operation of casting the metal block, for which purpose the bars are
suitably supported in the casting box or mould so that the metal will flow entirely
around and between them and form an apparently solid metal block, with the wood
bars embedded in the interior of its mass. The thickness of the wood bars would
be rather more than half the whole thickness of the metal block, the layer of metal
covering the bars and forming the upper face of the block, being comparatively
thin and being united with the thicker layer of metal forming the underside or base
of the block by the metal intervening between the wooden bars. Suitable guide
marks would be cast or otherwise formed on the face of the block to indicate the
positions of the metal strips intervening between the wooden bars, in order to guide
the workman in driving the fastening pins or screws through the upper layer of
metal into the wooden bars. In practice it is not found necessary that the ends of
the wooden bars should be enclosed by the metal as the small area of their surface
which is exposed and the fact that they are exposed at the edges of the mounting
block so reduces their liability to absorb moisture as to render this objection of no
material consequence.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification, Figure 1
represents a face view and Figure 2 a section on line 1-1 of Figure 1 of a metal
mounting block having wooden bars embedded therein as above described.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section, Figure 4 a plan (with the upper side removed)
of a casting box and Figure 5 is an end view of the intermediate frame shewing
the means adopted for holding the wooden bars in position during the casting
operation. Figure 6 shews a detail.
The same letters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.
a are the wooden bars, preferably of mahogany and about half an inch square in
section, b is the uppermost layer, 6 the undermost layer, and 6* the strips of metal
intervening between the bars a and uniting the two layers bb', and all formed in
one casting enveloping the wooden bars except at the ends as hereafter described.
The bottom layer b₁ is preferably about 3nds of an inch thick, whilst the upper
layer bis about 3nds of an inch thick so as, together with the wooden bars, to
make the mounting block of the standard height. The bars are represented as
being parallel to one side of the mounting block, but it will be readily understood
that they may be more or less diagonal, and parallel to one another as before,
equivalent means to those hereafter described being employed to hold them in
position during the operation of casting the metal around them.
Referring to Figures 3 to 6, c is the upper plate, d the lower plate, and e the
intervening frame, of an ordinary casting box such as now used for casting stereo-
mounting blocks of metal, the under plate being pivoted on gudgeons fin a
supporting frame, the upper plate pivoted to the lower plate at g, and the plates
and frame being clamped together by a pressure screw h, all as usual.
I will now describe the means of holding the wood bars a in position during the
casting. In the cross-bar e¹ of the frame e recesses are provided wherein the ends
of the bars a are held, and to the side members of said frame e, a cross bar i is
adjustably fixed by means of sockets sliding on said frame e and secured thereto
by set screws. Upon this cross-bari are fixed pins or distance pieces k corre-
sponding in thickness to the desired intervals between the bars a and in the spaces
between these distance pieces are laid the ends of the bars a which project beyond
the intended dimensions of the mounting block and which are secured in position
by a covering strip 1, Figure 6, secured to the sockets by binding screws.
position of the cross-bari with regard to the casting box and the holes in the other
end of the frame e are such that the bars a will be held in the desired position
between the plates c d and to ensure this I thread a cross-wire m through them at
about the middle of their length and fix upon the upper and under faces of certain
of them distance pieces n of wood of the proper thickness. These distance pieces
The

page_text: will of course not be embedded in the metal but the area of absorbent surface
which they expose is insignificant. The bars a having been thus held in position
in the casting box, the latter is turned up to a vertical_position and the usual type
metal poured in at the spout p in the usual manner. The casting is then removed
from the box and the projecting ends of the bars a are trimmed off flush with the
edges of the metal block which after being planed on its faces as usual may after-
wards be cut up to the required size. Figure 1 are guide lines cast or planed
on the upper face of the mounting block to indicate the position of the bars 6. is
the stereotype and t the nails by which it is fastened. If it be desired to enclose
the wooden bars also at their ends within the metal of the mounting block, the barg
would be made of rather less length than the intended dimensions of the block and
would be supported in position in the casting box by metal pins driven into the
ends of the wood bars and projecting sufficiently therefrom to rest in corresponding
holes in the fixed and adjustable end bars e, i, of the frame e, a space being left
between the said bars and the ends of the wood bars a for the metal to flow into, so
as to enclose the ends of the bars a leaving only the metal pins exposed, the excess
length of which would be afterwards trimmed off. In this case the mounting block
would be cast of the intended size for use as it would not be possible to cut up the
mounting block to smaller sizes without exposing the ends of the wooden bars.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
1. The construction of mounting blocks for printing plates of metal having spaced
wooden bars wholly enclosed or embedded therein, save at their ends, as and for
the purpose described.
2. The construction of mounting blocks for printing plates of cast metal having
spaced wooden bars embedded in the thickness thereof in the operation of casting
so as to be enclosed, wholly or save at their ends, in the thickness of the metal, as
and for the purpose specified.
DL: 101 1000
E. BADOUREAU,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.