IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO- MAGNETIC ENGRAVING MACHINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Butler Julius Carter of Edith Road, West Kensington, in
the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-
MAGNETIC ENGRAVING MACHINES" A communication to him from abroad by
George McKendree Guerrant of New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Butler Julius Carter at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd September 1882.
4
BUTLER JULIUS CARTER, of Edith Road, West Kensington, in the County of
Middlesex IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGRAVING MACHINES" [A
communication to him from abroad by George McKendree Guerrant of New York,
United States of America.]
This invention relates to electro-magnetic machines for engraving or cutting
letters, figures or other characters on wood, metal, or other material, and comprises
various improvements hereinafter described.
In these machines as heretofore constructed, a carriage is movable longitudinally
upon suitable slide ways fixed to a bed-plate, and a second carriage is movable
transversely upon the lower carriage in a similar manner. For engraving with
curved or wave lines a small plate is attached to the upper movable carriage; this
plate at one edge is made with the required curved or wave line, and the said edge
is pressed against a fixed pointer by means of a spring, the article to be engraved
being fixed upon the said plate.. This arrangement is inconvenient because the
article must be removed in order to change the said plate for one of different shape.
According to one part of the said invention I obviate this inconvenience by
attaching the article to be engraved to a third carriage, capable of a slight
to-and-fro motion in the one below it, and at one side of the said carriage I provide
screws or other suitable means for attaching a plate having one edge of the required
curved or other shape; the said edge of this plate bears against a pointer, and the
said carriage is arranged to be acted upon by springs to retain the said plate
against the pointer, the carriage itself moving to and fro. in the second carriage
according to the shape of the said. plate. By these means I facilitate. the

page_text: attachment of the article to be engraved and afford means for changing the said
plates to alter the curvature or shape of the line engraved by the cutting tool.
According to another part of the said invention, I provide an improved
pantograph or means for adjusting the size of the engraving relatively to that of
the type or pattern to be copied. For this purpose I employ an additional
bed-plate or an extension of the bed-plate on one side of the machine. To the
lower carriage, upon the same side of the machine, I fix an arm projecting from
the same at a suitable angle and having its outer end made preferably with a
curve. To the outer end of the said fixed arm is attached a movable arm having a
longitudinal slot to enable it to slide and turn freely upon a set-screw which
attaches it to the end of the fixed arm. This movable arm is provided with a series of
holes each adapted to receive one of two or more pins or studs upon another
movable arm.
The latter is capable of adjustment near one end by means of
a series of slots or recesses adapted to pass over a screw-threaded pin carried by a
rod projecting from a slide rack. To this rod the said arm is secured by means of
a thumb-nut. The said rack is free to slide in the lower carriage and has a
movement in the opposite direction to that of the middle or second carriage, which
is provided with a similar rack, the said racks being operated by means of a pinion
and shaft in the ordinary manner. At one end of the machine is adjustably fixed
another arm having a slot in which is free to slide a pin or stud fixed in the end of
a bar. This bar is fitted in dovetail or other grooves in the first named movable
arm in such a manner that the said arm is capable of a to-and-fro longitudinal
motion relatively to the said bar. By these means the tracer is made to move in a
straight line and the pantograph is maintained at the proper level and cannot get
out of position. This arrangement also enables me to reproduce the pattern in full
size or to reduce it to any desired extent, either in height or width, or in both
height and width.
The said slide rack is kept in its place by means of adjustable pieces, which
form one side of the guide for the said rack. The said pieces are attached to the
lower carriage by means of screws passing through elongated holes in the said
pieces, and they are each adjusted by means of a screw. bearing against one end
thereof.
To the aforesaid bar I attach a pivotted yoke or forked piece for carrying the
tracer, which is constructed with a wire passing through a block of insulating
material in the ordinary manner. This insulating block is fixed in the said yoke
in any suitable manner, a piece of india-rubber band or tube being inserted between
the said block and the part surrounding it. In order to adjust the wire I fix the
same, at its upper end, to a spring, through which is passed a set-screw fitting into
a screw-threaded hole in the said yoke. I also provide a spring pivotted to the
said bar, which spring can be placed so as to press upon the yoke and keep the
tracer in contact with the type or pattern.
Upon the aforesaid additional bed-plate I place a stand or holder for the type or
pattern to be copied. This stand or holder is made with grooves on its underside
fitting on to corresponding ribs or projections upon the said bed-plate, upon which
it is free to slide in a direction parallel to that of the lower carriage. The position
of the said stand or holder is regulated in the following manner, that is to say,
against one end thereof bears a bar, or rod, which is coupled to one end of a lever
the fulcrum of which consists of a screw-bolt. This screw-bolt can be inserted in
one of a series of holes in the said lever and screwed into one of a series of tapped
boles in the said bed-plate, so that the fulcrum of the said lever can be adjusted as
required. The other end of the said lever is connected, by means of a link,
to a rod projecting downward from the lower carriage and insulated from the
said link.
The lower carriage is provided with a ratchet-wheel and pawl for feeding the
same forward, similar to that in the machines heretofore constructed; the said
ratchet-wheel fits into a bearing in the lower carriage and has an internal screw-
thread fitting on to the feed screw in the ordinary manner, but in order that the.
.

page_text: said carriage may be moved in either direction by the aforesaid hand-wheel, I
place an elastic washer of leather or other suitable material between the said
ratchet wheel and the plate against which it bears. The end of the feed-screw to
which the said hand-wheel is attached is carried in a bearing in a bracket. This
bracket is provided with a pin or stud which fits into a hole in the bed-plate, and
the said bracket is secured to the bed-plate by means of screws.
The shaft carrying the pinion for imparting motion to the middle or second
carriage is preferably made in one piece with the said pinion, and at one side of the
latter the said shaft is provided with a tube fitting over it and into a bearing in
the said carriage; this tube is kept in place by a hand-wheel fixed on the end of
the shaft.
In the machines made according to this invention the electro-magnet and parts
connected therewith for actuating the cutting tool, are, in some cases, arranged so
that the action of the electro-magnet causes the cutting tool to operate upon the
article to be engraved, and by this means I provide for engraving to a greater depth.
than is effected by the machines usually employed. For this purpose I arrange
the electro-magnet above the armature, which is attached to a pivotted frame or
bracket carrying the tool holder, so that the said magnet will bring the tool down
upon the article to be engraved instead of raising it therefrom.
In order to reverse the current of electricity when changing from ordinary
surface engraving to cutting at a greater depth, as above described, I employ a
switch pivotted to the bed-plate (but insulated therefrom) or to any suitable part
of the machine.
When metal type or patterns are used I connect the conducting wire to a set-
screw on the stand or holder, and when the said type or pattern is not wholly of
conducting material I connect the said wire to the upper or conducting part of the
same, so that I am enabled to employ the ordinary electro-types mounted on
wooden backing.
To provide means for automatically raising the cutter during its return stroke, I
employ a rod carried in suitable bearings on the lower carriage in the ordinary
manner, but I connect a conducting wire with the aforesaid switch and divide the
same into two branches, one of which is connected to a pin passing through one of
the bearings but insulated therefrom, the other being connected to an insulated pin
fixed to an adjustable stop on the said rod. To prevent the circuit being completed
through the frame work or other parts of the machine, I employ a spring or other
suitable device between the said bearing and stop, so that the said pins are
prevented from coming in contact with each other or with the said bearing
or stop.
The machine above described can, if desired, be employed to engrave upon
articles placed on a spindle or the like rotated by steam or other power.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Butler Julius Carter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd March 1883.
"
BUTLER JULIUS CARTER, of Edith Road, West Kensington, in the County of
Middlesex, "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGRAVING MACHINES A
communication to me from abroad by George Mc Kendree Geurrant, of New York,
United States of America
My invention relates to electro-magnetic machines for engraving or cutting
letters, figures or other characters on wood, metal, or other material, and comprises
various improvements hereinafter described.
.
In the accompanying drawing
:
"Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine constructed. in accordance with my.
invention.
:
"
Figure 2 is a side elevation,
Figure 3 a plan, and
Figure 4 a central longitudinal section of the said machine.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the drawings.
a represents a carriage which is movable longitudinally upon the slides or guide-
ways on the bed-plate c; a second carriage d is movable transversely upon the
slides or guide-ways b¹ on the carriage a in a similar manner. In machines of this
class as heretofore constructed, when it is required to engrave curved or undulating.
lines, a small plate is attached to the upper movable carriage; this plate, at one
edge, is made with the required curved or wave line and the said edge is pressed
against a fixed pointer or guide-pin by, means of a spring, the article to be engraved
being fixed upon the said plate. This arrangement is inconvenient because the
article must be removed in order to change the said plate for one of different shape.
According to one part of my said invention I obviate this inconvenience by
attaching the article to be engraved to a third carriage e capable of a slight to-and-
fro motion in the guide-ways b² on the carriage d, and at one side of the said
carriage I attach, by screws for other suitable means, a plate g having one edge of
the required curved or other shape; this edge of the plate g bears against a pointer,
or guide-pin h and the said carriage is arranged to be acted upon by the springs. i
as hereinafter described to retain the edge of the plate g against the guide-pin
and cause the carriage e to move to-and-fro in the carriage d according to the shape
of the said plate, that is to say, I fix pins i¹ to the carriage e and upon the ends of
these pins I secure plates 22 which are made with apertures to receive the guide
pins upon which the springs i are placed: In some cases, I employ a roller fitted
on a pin or stud, instead of the guide pin h. The object of the detachable plate g
is to facilitate the attachment of the article to be engraved and to permit of
changing the said plates, to alter the curvature or shape of the line to be engraved
by the cutting tool without removing the said article.
According to another part of my said invention I provide an improved pantograph
or device for increasing or diminishing the size of the engraving relatively to that
of the type or pattern to be copied. For this purpose I employ an additional bed-
plate (or I may form an extension on the bed-plate c) on one side of the machine.
To the lower carriage a upon the same side of the machine, I fix an arm
projecting from the carriage at a suitable angle and having its outer end made
preferably with a curve as shown at l¹. To the outer end of the arm is attached
a movable arm m having a longitudinal slot m' to enable it to slide and turn freely
upon a set-screw n which secures it to the end of the fixed arm l. This movable

page_text: arm m is provided with a series of holes m³ each adapted to receive one of two or
more pins or studs o¹ upon another movable arm o. The latter arm is capable of
adjustment near one end by means of a series of slots or recesses o² adapted to
receive a screw-threaded pin p carried by a rod p¹ projecting from a slide-rack p².
To this rod p¹ the arm o is secured by means of a thumb-nut p³. The rack p² is free
to slide in the lower carriage a and has a movement in the opposite direction to
that of the carriage d, which is provided with a similar rack p¹, each of the said
racks being operated by means of a pinion o̟ and shaft q¹ in the ordinary manner.
The rack p³ actuates the pantograph and motion is imparted to the carriage d by
means of the rack pt. At one end of the machine is adjustably fixed another arm 7
having a slot in which is free to slide a pin or stud fixed in the end of a bar r²;
this bar is fitted in grooves in the movable arm m in such a manner that the said
arm is capable of a to-and-fro longitudinal motion relatively to the said bar. By
these means the tracer 8 is caused to move in a straight line and the pantograph is
maintained at the proper level and cannot get out of position. This arrangement.
also enables me to reproduce the pattern in full size, or to reduce or enlarge it
either in height or width, or in both height and width.
The slide rack p² is held in its place by means of adjustable pieces 2 which
form one side of the guide for the said rack. The pieces p³ are attached to the
lower carriage a by means of screws passing through elongated holes in the said
pieces and they are each adjusted by means of set-screws bearing against one of
their ends.
To the aforesaid bar r I attach a pivotted yoke or forked piece ³ for carrying
the tracer 8 which is constructed with a wire t passing through a block of insulating
material in the ordinary manner. This insulating block is fixed in the said yoke
in any suitable manner and I insert a piece of india-rubber or other suitable elastic
insulating material between the said block and the part of the yoke surrounding
it, thereby facilitating its attachment to the yoke and ensuring its being held firmly
therein. To permit the adjustment of the wire t'I provide an arm t¹ through which
I pass a set-screw t2 which is slightly tapered and split at its lower end to receive the
wire t, so that by turning the set screw in one direction it is caused to hold the
wire, and by turning it in the other direction the wire is released. In some cases I
pass the wire through a hole in the set-screw t2 I also provide a spring u pivotted
to the bar which spring can be so placed or adjusted as to press upon the yoke
and maintain the tracer 8 in contact with the type or pattern.
Upon the additional bed-plate k I place a stand or holder v for the type or
pattern to be copied. This stand or holder is made with grooves on its underside
fitting on to corresponding ribs or projections upon the said bed-plate, upon which.
the said holder is free to slide in a direction parallel to that of the lower carriage a.
The adjustment of the said stand or holder is effected in the following manner, that:
is to say, against one end thereof bears a bar or rod v¹ coupled to one end of a
lever v2, the fulcrum of which consists of a screw-bolt 3; this screw-bolt can be
passed through one of a number of holes v' in the lever v2 and be screwed into one.
of a number of tapped or screw-threaded holes in the bed-plate k, so that the
fulcrum of the said lever can be adjusted as required. The other end of the.
lever v2, is connected by means of a link w to a rod w¹ projecting downward from
the lower carriage a and insulated from the said link.
The lower carriage a is provided with a ratchet-wheel x and pawl x', for feeding.
the same forward similar to that in the machines heretofore constructed; the ratchet-.
wheel x fits into a bearing a² in the said carriage and has an internal screw-thread
fitting on to the feed-screw y in the ordinary manner, but in order that the said.
carriage may be moved in either direction by the hand wheel y', I attach the plate
3 at each end to the carriage a and through the central part of this plate the
screw y passes as shown. Between the said plate and the ratchet-wheel x I place
an elastic washer x, of leather or other suitable material, the object of which is to
cause sufficient friction between the ratchet-wheel and the plate ³ to allow the:
carriage a to be moved to and fro by turning the hand-wheel y'. The end of the

page_text: feed-screw y to which the hand-wheel y¹ is attached is carried. in a bearing in the
bracket y. This bracket is provided with a pin or stud y³ which fits into a bole
in the bed-plate, and the said bracket is secured to the bed-plate by means
of screws.
The shaft q carrying the pinion q for imparting motion to the carriage d and to
the pantograph is preferably made in one piece with the said pinion and at one
side of the latter the said shaft is provided with a tube q' fitting over it and into
a bearing in the said carriage; this tube is. kept. in place by a hand-wheel q³ fixed
on the end of the shaft
In the machines made according to my present invention, the electro-magnet and
parts connected therewith for actuating the cutting-tool are, in some cases, arranged
so that the action of the electro-magnet causes the cutting tool to operate upon
the article to be engraved, and by this means I provide for engraving to a greater
depth than is practicable by the machines usually employed. For this purpose I
arrange the electro-magnet so that it can be fixed either above or below the
armature, which is attached to a pivotted frame or bracket carrying the tool-holder,
so that the said magnet when fixed above the armature will bring the tool down
upon the article to be engraved instead of raising it therefrom.
In order to reverse the current of electricity when the relative positions of the
magnet and armature are reversed to change from ordinary surface engraving to
cutting at a greater depth, as above described, I employ a switch. A. pivotted to the
base-plate or stand x (but insulated therefrom) or to any suitable part of the
machine.
:
When metal type or patterns are used I connect the conducting wire to a set-
screw B on the stand or holder v and when the said type or pattern is not wholly
of conducting material I connect the said wire to the upper or conducting part of
the same, so that I am enabled to employ the ordinary electro-types mounted on
wooden backing.
'
To provide means for automatically raising the tool or cutter previous to its
return stroke and bolding it up during its return stroke, I employ a rod C carried a
in suitable bearings on. the lower carriage in the ordinary manner, but I connect a
conducting wire D with the switch A and divide the same into two branches one
of which is connected to a pin E passing through the bearing F but insulated
therefrom, the other being connected to an insulated pin E¹ fixed to an adjustable
stop G on the rod C. To prevent the circuit being completed through the frame: 3
or other parts of the machine, I employ a spring H or other suitable device
between the bearing F and.stop G so that the said pins are prevented from coming
into contact with each other or with the said bearing or stop.
The machine above described can, if desired, be employed to engrave upon
articles placed on a spindle or the like, rotated by steam or other power.
To permit the adjustment of the cutter post 1, which is screw-threaded, I form
upon one end of the arm 2 projections or lugs 3 provided with apertures of such
diameter as to allow the post 1 to slide freely, therein, a spline or key being provided
to prevent the said post from turning. A thumb nut 4 is fitted between the lugs
or projections 3 and has a screw-thread corresponding with that on the post 1. 4
By turning the nut 4 in one direction or the other the said cutter post will be
correspondingly raised or lowered. The tool-holder 5 is screwed to the lower end
of the cutter post 1 and is prevented from turning thereon by a pin 6 passed
through the said tool-holder and cutter post.
: .
For the purpose of holding the work to be engraved I provide clamps d² which 5
can be forced down upon the article to be engraved by means of screw-bolts d³
and thumb-nuts d' the lower ends or heads of the said bolts being capable of
movement toward, or from, each other in guide-ways d' upon the carriage e.
Having thus fully described the said invention as cominunicated to me by my
foreign Correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood 5
that I claim In an electro-magnetic engraving machine..
Eirst. The carriage e capable of to-and-fro motion in the carriage d and adapted

page_text: to receive the article to be engraved, in combination with a detachable plate having
a curved or undulating edge arranged to bear against a guide-pin or roller,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Second. The improved pantograph or device for increasing or diminishing the
size of the engraving relatively to that of the type or pattern to be copied,
constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.
Third. The adjustable pieces attached to the lower carriage a and forming parts
of the guide for the slide rack, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Fourth. The employment of the india-rubber or other elastic material between
the yoke and the insulating block of the tracer, substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The set-screw t2 constructed and arranged substantially as described to
hold the wire of the tracer and permit its adjustment as above set forth.
Sixth. The spring pivotted to the bar and adapted to press upon the yoke,
and maintain the tracer uniformly in contact with the type or pattern,
substantially as set forth.
Seventh. The adjustable stand or holder for the type or pattern to be copied,
constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.
Eighth. The employment of a leather or other elastic washer between the
ratchet wheel and the plate 3 substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth,
Ninth. The construction and arrangement of the electro-magnet and parts
connected therewith in such a manner that the attraction of the said magnet will
force the tool down upon the article to be engraved, substantially as set forth.
Tenth. The employment of the switch for reversing the electric current,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Eleventh. The improved means for automatically raising the tool or cutter and
maintaining the same in its raised position previous to, and during, its return stroke,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Twelfth. The improved means for adjusting the cutter post according to the
height of the article to be engraved, substantially as described.
Thirteenth. The mode of connecting the electrical conductors to the post.
carrying the magnet, substantially as set forth.
In Witness whereof I the said Butler Julius Carter have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twentieth day of March in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.