IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING PRINTING SURFACES to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: We DUNCAN MACNAUGHTAN of No 44 Radnor Street, Chelsea in the County of
Middlesex, Librarian, WILLIAM SPEIRS SIMPSON of No 47 Battersea Park Road in
the County of Surrey Mechanician, and GEORGE SMITH of N° 151 Strand,, London,
in the County of Middlesex, Saddler, do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING PRINTING SURFACES to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to a method of obtaining or reproducing Pictures
Drawings Designs etc etc in a cheap quick and easy manner and to enable a more
free and easy line to be drawn than could be obtained from the wood or copper
block.
Our improved method consists in obtaining these results by taking a sheet of
lead or tin foil of equal degree of thickness and quality, placing it upon a hard
smooth plane surface, a plate of glass for example, and then with a pencil of
desired shape and material (by preference Burnished steel or Iron) either drawing
on the lead or tin foil the subject desired; or if the sketch or subject is drawn upon
paper of thin texture, we may place it upon the face of the lead and draw each
line as it were a second time, producing a corresponding impression upon the lead,
which, when the paper sketch is taken off, may be worked up by Artist to a
finished point. We may then take a mould of the design from the lead and
therefrom produce a stereotype, or we may harden the lead and print direct
therefrom.
In order to render our meaning more clear we will now proceed to give an
example.
When the lead is placed upon the before mentioned plate, and the design or
drawing is drawn upon the lead, the action of the pencil makes a groove which
varies in degree of depth according to the desire of the operator, but which
meeting with a hard smooth surface gives a degree of flatness and smoothness to
the face line point and makes the line ridge to stand boldly out from the surface of
the lead. The said action of pencil in forming a groove displaces a part of the
matter, forming as it were ridges on each side of the groove, and yet raising the
whole surface of the lead to a degree of height corresponding to the degree of
thickness of lead employed, or according to the pressure used by operator, or upon
the degree of angle in pencil. The sheets of lead may be varied in thickness
according to the degree of fineness or boldness of line desired, the result being a
raised type on one side and a sunken impression on the other side. For instance

page_text: a sheet of lead 1-64 of an inch thick will produce a much higher ridge of line than
a sheet of lead one half thinner,-but the thinner sheet would produce lines in
greater number and of a greater degree of fineness than it would be possible to
obtain from the thick sheet, yet the absolute face line would be equally sharp in
both sheets and printed impression.
We may gain, Dot, stipple,-Grain, or other well known artistic effects, by using
coarse, fine or other grain surfaces.
When we have made upon the lead the design or drawing desired, we remove in
a careful manner, the sheet of lead or tinfoil drawn upon & we then well back it
up by fine plaster of paris or by any composition desired; or we may without
removing the lead from its original position do the same process of backing up by
plaster or other composition and allow it to harden in its place.
When the plaster or other composition is sufficiently hard we can then take a
sterotype or Electrotype from it in the usual way, or we may get the face of it
hardened by Electric deposit, or otherwise, or if desired a number of proofs may
be taken from the original without material injury:
If for newspaper illustration or work, the sheet or sheets of lead upon which the
design or illustration has been made may be backed up by suitable material, then
placed on a wooden or other suitable block, and put in the type case to be
sterotyped in the ordinary manner.
An important phase of our invention is, that we may increase the ease of
working the pen or pencil point and also add in a great degree to the hardness of
the line face by in a manner burnishing or scraping it smooth, thereby giving it a
more cohesive quality or degree of hardness, such as it would derive from pressure.
For printing in colours (such as paper hangings) we may use separate plates, for
each colour tracing down the lines necessary for one colour only and repeating the
same operation according to the number of colours required.

page_text: We DUNCAN MACNAUGHTAN of No 44 Radnor Street Chelsea London in the
County of Middlesex Librarian WILLIAM SPEIRS SIMPSON of N° 47 Batterse
Park Road Battersea London in the County of Surrey Mechanician and GEORGE
SMITH of, N° 151 Strand London in the County of Middlesex Saddler do herëby
declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING PRINTING
SURFACES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our Invention relates to a method of obtaining or reproducing Pictures
Drawings Designs & & in a cheap quick and easy manner and to enable à more
free and easy line to be drawn than could be obtained from the wood or copper
block.
Our improved method consists in obtaining these results by taking a sheet of
lead or tin foil of equal degree of thickness and quality placing it upon a hard
smooth plane surface, a plate of glass for example, and then with a pencil of
desired shape and material, by preference Burnished Iron or steel, either drawing
on the lead or tin foil the subject desired; or if the sketch or subject is drawn upon
paper of thin texture we may place it upon the face of the lead and draw each
line as it were a second time producing a corresponding impression upon the lead,
which when the paper sketch is taken off may be worked up by Artist to a
finished point. We may then take a mould of the designs from the lead and
therefrom produce a stereotype, or we may harden the lead and print direct there-
from. In order to render our meaning more clear we will now proceed to give an
example:
When the lead is placed upon the before mentioned plate and the design or
drawing is drawn upon the lead the action of the pencil makes a groove which
varies in degree of depth according to the desire of the operator, but which meeting
with a hard smooth surface gives a degree of flatness and smoothness to the face
line point and makes the line ridge to stand boldly out from the surface of the
lead. The said action of pencil in forming a groove displaces a part of the matter,
forming as it were, ridges on each side of the groove, and yet raising the whole
surface of the lead to a degree of height corresponding to the degree of thickness
of lead employed, or according to the pressure used by operator, or upon the
degree of angle in pencil. The sheets of lead may be varied in thickness according
to the degree of fineness or boldness of line desired, the result being, a raised type
on one side and a sunken impression on the other side. For instance a sheet of
lead 1: 64th of an inch thick will produce a much higher ridge of line than a
sheet of lead one half thinner, but the thinner sheet would produce lines in greater
number and of a greater degree of fineness than it would be possible to obtain from
the thick sheet, yet the absolute face line would be equally sharp in both sheets
and printed impression.
We may gain dot, stipple, grain or other well known artistic effects by using
coarse, fine or other grain surfaces.
When we have made upon the lead the design or drawing desired, we remove, in
a careful manner, the sheet of lead or tinfoil drawn upon, and we then well back it

page_text: up by fine plaster of paris or by any composition desired; or we may without
removing the lead from its original position do the same process of backing up, by
plaster or other composition and allow it to harden in its place.
When the plaster or other composition is sufficiently hard, we can then take a
stereotype or electrotype from it in the usual way, or we may get the face of it
hardened, by electric deposit of steel or other metallic deposit, or otherwise or, if
desired, a number of proofs may be taken from the original without material injury.
If for newspaper illustration or work the sheet or sheets of lead upon which the
design or illustration has been made may be backed up by suitable material, then
placed on a wooden or other suitable block and put in the type case to be
stereotyped in the ordinary manner.
An important phase of our Invention is that we increase the ease of working
the pen or pencil point, and also add in a great degree to the hardness of the line
face by in a manner burnishing or scraping it smooth, thereby giving it a more
cohesive quality or degree of hardness, such as it would derive from pressure.
For printing in colours (such as paper hangings) we may use separate plates for
each colour tracing down the lines necessary for one colour only and repeating the
same operation according the number of colours required.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is
1. The method of reproducing a picture drawing or design of any kind upon
lead or tin foil by placing the plate or sheet of metal upon a hard surface and then
tracing or drawing the design thereupon, substantially as described.
2. Taking a plate or sheet of lead or tinfoil upon which a design has been
obtained in the manner herein before described and backing it upon either side
with plaster of paris or other suitable material so that a stereotype may be taken
therefrom as herein before described.
3. Scraping or burnishing the plate or sheet of lead before obtaining the design
thereupon, for the purpose herein before specified.