Improvements in Educational Globes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Apr., 1889
*Complete Specification Left. 13th Jan. 1890-Accepted, 15th Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Educational Globes.
I,' THOMAS RUDDIMAN JOHNSTON of 26 Charterhouse Square, in' the County of
Middlesex, Map Publisher, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
"The globes at present in use in schools and families are made of papier-maché,
coated with a plaster composition, which having been reduced by mechanical means
to the exact size necessary, and so as to have a smooth surface, has made to adhere
to it, the printed, cut out, and pasted paper gores, representing portions of the heavens,
or of the earth's surface, the completed globe being afterwards varnished and mounted
in a suitable stand. These globes, from their process of manufacture, are costly
and exceedingly liable to be broken. Being also bulky, their cost of carriage is
excessive.
Professor Alexander Crum Brown of Edinburgh in the year 1877 invented and
patented a globe having an exterior skin of a cloth, on which the outlines of a
terrestrial or celestial globe were drawn, and an interior of an inflatable rubber-ball,
practically a foot-ball. This globe however never came into use, the exterior and
interior skins both being too expensive, and no method being given by which the
printing of the globe could be conducted, or the cloth afterwards made to fit the
surface of a sphere.
My invention has also a rubber ball for an interior, but instead of being made of
Macintosh or other heavy material, I use very thin rubber, in fact a ball similar to a
child's rubber balloon. I also prefer to print the globe on thin paper, and having
damped and stretched thin muslin over the surface of the section of a rigid and
perfect sphere, I cut out the paper globe gores, damp them, and then accurately paste
them on this muslin surface. The muslin with its adherent gores is then removed
from the section of the sphere, trimmed, and joined to the next lot of gores, and so
on until the globe is completed, a portion representing the South Polar regions,
filling up the space otherwise appearing there. These globes can be folded up, and
when required for use, assume a truly globular form, when the rubber ball is inserted
at their northern aperture, and afterwards inflated.
Dated this 11th do of Anvil 1990
THOMAS RUDDIMAN JOHNSTON.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Educational Globes.
I, THOMAS RUDDIMAN JOHNSTON of 26 Charterhouse Square, in 'the County of
Middlesex, Map Publisher 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 :-
The globes at present in use in schools and families are made of "papier-maché"
coated with a plaster-composition, which having been reduced by mechanical means
to the exact size necessary, and so as to have a smooth surface, has made to adhere
to it, the printed cut out and pasted paper gores, representing portions of the heavens,
or of the earth's surface, the completed globe being afterwards varnished and mounted
in a suitable stand. These globes from their process of manufacture, are costly,
and exceedingly liable to be broken. Being also bulky their cost of carriage is
excessive.
'

page_text: •
Professor Alexander Crum Brown of Edinburgh in the year 1877, invented and
patented a globe having an exterior skin of a cloth, on which the outlines of a terrestrial
or celestial globe were drawn, and an interior.ofaan inflatable rubber-ball practically
a foot-ball. This globe however never came into, use, the exterior and interior skins
both being too expensive, and no method being given by which the printing of the
globe could be conducted or the cloth afterwards made to fit the surface of a
sphere.
"
My invention has also a rubber ball for an interior, but instead of being made of
Macintosh" or other heavy material I use very thin rubber, in fact a ball similar
to a child's rubber baloon. I also prefer to print the globe on thin paper and having
damped and stretched thin muslin over the surface of the section of a rigid and
perfect sphere, I cut out the paper globe gores, damp them, and then accurately
paste them on this muslin surface. The muslin with its adherent gores is then
removed from the section of the sphere, trimmed and joined to the next lot of gores,
and so on until the globe is completed, a portion representing the South Polar Regions,
filling up the space 'otherwise appearing there. These globes can be folded up and
when required for use assume a truly globular form when the rubber ball is inserted
at their northern aperture and afterwards inflated.
And in order that my said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings more fully to
describe the same.
I will first describe the method I adopt in the manufacture of a 12 inch .globe.
I prepare a block or mould a of any suitable wood to the shape of a quarter of a
sphere as represented in end view at Figure 1. and in side view at Figure 2. and I
fix to each flat side thereof a piece of wood b about 6 inches by 4 and an inch thick.
I take a piece of thin, muslin of suitable size, damp it thoroughly and stretch it
tightly over the curved surface of the block or mould shown at Figures 1 and 2,
tacking it down as shown at c on the flat surfaces of the block or mould a near the
edges thereof. The pieces b of wood allow the block or mould a to be on a table
or bench so that the tacks shall be free of the surface of the said table or bench.
I cut out neatly 12 globe gores, each gore being equal to 30° longitude and extending
from 85° North to 80° South.
I damp and paste these gores and burnish them down on to the muslin which is
on the block or mould a, beginning to place them from the equator which is marked
on the block or mould a and is with each 10° Latitude marked on a zinc or other
plate d, as represented at Figure 3, which I stand perpendicularly and under, which
can revolve the block or mould a the latter being provided with polar pins truly
centred for this purpose which polar pins rest. in bearings d formed for them in the
feet or supports d' of the plate d.
This plate serves as a template or guide to enable the gores to be pasted on the
muslin on the block or mould a in proper position.
When the globe gores are all pasted on the muslin on the block or mould a I
dry them by placing them in a hot chamber, or in any other suitable manner I
then size them with animal size, thin glue, or other suitable, preparation, dry again,
and then apply paper varnish.
The portion of the globe cover thus prepared is removed from the block or mould. a
and neatly trimmed round.
The other three quarters of the globe are prepared in a similar manner to that above
described.
To join the quarters together 1 take a. band or strip of very smooth cotton. or other
suitable fabric about half an inch wide, glue or cement it, lay it on a curved stripe
of metal, preferably brass, rather longer than the gores and one end of which strip is
held in any convenient way such as in the jaws of a vice as represented at Figure 4.
I then press the vertical edges of two quarter globes against the cemented strip or
band of cotton or other fabric, bringing the edges neatly together and repeat this
operation until all the quarters are joined together finally removing the metal.strip.e
from the partially completed globe by one of the polar apertures,

page_text: At the South Pole I now add a piece to complete it, this piece having been mounted
on muslin separately on a corresponding segment of a sphere sized, varnished and
trimmed as before described with respect to the main portion of the globe. The
addition is made by cementing a strip of cotton or other fabric to the southern
edges of the gores of the globe and fixing accurately to it the South Polar part.
This strip of cotton or other fabric is slit if required at intervals to enable it to fit
the curve to which it is applied.
To assist in this operation I use a stick g with a curved end piece glas represented
at Figure 5. which I introduce and withdraw from the North Polar aperture.
To the North Pole end I now stitch or cement a little silk mouth piece to which
ribbons or cords are attached so that when the rubber ball is introduced, inflated
and tied it can be enclosed and thereby rendered invisible.
I will now describe the method I adopt in making a 36 inch globe.
Instead of employing only 12 gores and a South Polar portion as above described
with respect to the 12 inch globe I use for the 36 inch globe 72 half gores and a
South Polar portion. Each half gore extends from the equator to 85° North or
South and comprises 10° of longitude.
Instead of employing a block or mould a consisting of a quarter of a turned
solid wooden sphere in the manufacture of this sized globe I build one up of any
suitable wood and form grooves a¹ on its flat sides to receive the tacks cas
represented at Figure 6 which is an elevation of the flat side of one of the blocks
or moulds and as it is thus too unweildy to handle freely for removal to a drying
chamber I cover it with thin copper so that after mounting the muslin and the gores
thereon they can be dried without removal of the block or mould by a hand iron with
a suitably curved surface.
In this case the muslin is stretched over the block or mould a as before but instead
of driving the tacks into the flat sides thereof I drive them into the grooves a¹ so that
their heads shall be below the said flat sides and 1 dispense with the pieces of wood b,
this will enable me to place one block or mould a against another as shown at Figure 7.
to see that the half gores are accurately placed.
The quarter globes are sized, varnished and trimmed and also joined together in
siinilar manner to the 12 inch globe. The South Polar portion is also inserted in a
similar way.
The quarter globes may be joined and South Pole piece added before sizing and
varnishing or before varnishing only and the globe finished after the junctions
are made.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An educational globe made by mounting thin muslin on a block or mould in the
form of a segment of a sphere and cementing on such muslin covered block or mould
globe gores printed on thin paper, then, after removing such globe segments from the
blocks or moulds, connecting them together and fitting in a South Polar segment, and
fitting to the North Pole, a silk mouth piece tied with ribbons or cords, substantially
as herein described.
2. A folding globe such as that herein described in combination with a very thin
inflated india rubber ball, substantially as herein described.
3. An educational globe, made of globe gores printed on thin paper and mounted
on globe segments of thin muslin, so as to form when connected together, a perfectly
true sphere, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 12th day of January 1890.
T. RUDDIMAN JOHNSTON.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.