A Machine for Pointing Wires for the Manufacture of "Process* Printing Blocks.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 1st Mar., 1897-Accepteri, 1st May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION...
A Machine for Pointing Wires for the Manufacture of "Process*
Printing Blocks.
We GEORGE EDWARD BRISCOE EYRE, WILLIAM HUGH SPOTTISWOODE
and CYRIL ANDREW SPOTTISWOODE trading under the firm or style of Eyre
and Spottiswoode of 6 Middle New Street, London E.C., H. M. Printers and
EDMUND JOHN PASSINGHAM, of 56 Clarence Square, Brighton in the County of
Sussex, Photographer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to the production of process blocks by imposing and
locking up fine pointed pins upon a photographic relief surface forming a stereo or
clectrotype duplicate thereof and grinding off the points to a common plane so as
to form a graduated stippled or mezzotint surface.
The present invention consists of a machine for accurately pointing the wires
to form the pins. For the purposes of the above mentioned process a very large
number of pins formed of. steel wire of very fine gauge and finely pointed in the
form of right cones of uniform pitch are required and the object of the invention
is to provide a machine whereby the grinding of the wires may be expeditiously
performed with the utmost accuracy.
The machine comprises one or more pairs of reciprocating slides moving oppositely
at equal speeds between which the wires lying parallel and side by side are gripped
and rolled so as to be rapidly revolved alternately in the one and other direction
each about its own axis without change of position, the wires passing through
guides by which their parallelism is maintained. Reciprocating motion is imparted
to the slides from opposite crank pins on a revolving shaft or rock lever or by other
mechanical motion and there may be several superposed tiers of wires each tier
passing between a pair of slides of which the intermediate ones may be double
faced so as to form the upper member of one pair and the lower member of the next
above. To enable the slides to grip the whole of the wires uniformly without slip
they are specially faced and it is found that metal slides faced with a veneer of
hard wood on a backing of paper gives the combination of hardness and elasticity
required but the invention is not limited to that material.
The guides through which the wires pass terminate at an oblique face plane set
at the angle or pitch of the cone to be produced at which plane the ends of the
wires meet and revolve in contact with the face of an oil-stone which is caused by
hand or by mechanical motion to revolve or reciprocate in an eccentric or variable
orbit or path so as to vary the points of contact of the wires with the stone and by
distributing the wear uniformly maintain a true plane grinding surface. Provision
is made for progressively feeding up towards the grinding surface the wires and the
reciprocating slides by which they are gripped, or for advancing the grinding
surface and the face plate against which it is constantly pressed, towards the work
as the formation of the cone proceeds; when the grinding operation is terminated
the wires are cut off to length by a gauge and the operation repeated.
Dated this 29th day of May 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Machine for Pointing Wires for the Manufacture of "Process"
Printing Blocks.
We, GEORGE EDWARD BRISCOE EYRE, WILLIAM HUGH SPOTTISWOODE,
and CYRIL ANDREW SPOTTISWOODE, trading under the firm or style of Eyre
and Spottiswoode, of 6, Middle New Street, London, E.C. Her Majesty's Printers,
and EDMUND JOHN PASSINGHAM of 56, Clarence Square, Brighton, Sussex,
Photographer, 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 :-
This invention relates to the methol of producing process blocks by imposing
loosely and then locking up in a chase very fine conically pointed pins upon a
photographic relief surface so that the points of the pins follow the cameo and
intaglio of the photographic surface, obtaining a matrix therefrom and then
forming a stereo or electrotype duplicate of the pointed reproduction and grinding
off the points of the duplicate to a common plane so as to form a graduated stippled
or mezzotint printing surface which represents by the graduated character of the
stipple the lights and shadows of the photographic original.
The present invention consists of a machine for accurately pointing the wires to
form the pius. For the purposes of the above mentioned process a very large
number of pins formed of steel wire of very fine gauge and finely pointed in the form
of right cones of uniform pitch are required and the object of the invention is to
provide a machine whereby the grinding of the wires may be expeditiously
performed with the utmost accuracy.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein
Figure 1 represents a plan and Figure 2 a longitudinal sectional elevation of the
machine.
Figure 3 shews a cross sectional elevation of the reciprocating slides for rotating
the wires and Figure 4 shews an end view of the oblique plane at which the ends of
the wires are exposed to the grinding action.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The machine comprises two or more reciprocating slides A four such slides
(forming three operative pairs) being shewn in the drawing, the said slides being
mounted between upper and lower pairs of pressure rollers B B whereof the upper
pair is mounted in a spring pressed follower C capable of applying regulated
pressure and guided vertically in a standard D by which the slides A are also
guided in their reciprocating motion. Reciprocating motion is imparted to the
slides A in a direction at right angles to the wires by means of two cams EE
(preferably heart-shaped so as to produce a uniform motion of the slides throughout
the stroke) oppositely fastened to shaft F, motion being transmitted from said
cams through friction rollers g to rods G whose ends are fastened to sliding
crossheads H working in suitable guides. To the crossheads are fastened the
rods a of the slides A, alternate slides being coupled to one crosshead the others
being coupled to the other crosshead. The rods a engage with the crossheads by
means of pins a¹ fastened to the rods a and passing through slots in the crossheads.
Between each two oppositely moving slides A is placed a row of parallel wires I of
steel of very fine and absolutely uniform gauge, the wires lying side by side and
passing through vertical slots in adjustable plates J.
As the oppositely moving slides A have equal velocities the wires gripped
between them roll against the oppositely moving faces of the slides and are thereby
slowly revolved each about its own longitudinal axis without change of position.
When four such slides are used there may be three tiers or rows of wires operated

page_text: on simultaneously as in the example illustrated. To enable the slides to grip the whole
of the wires uniformly they are faced with slips of hard and yet elastic material for
which purpose celluloid is found most suitable. The celluloid is used in the form
of thin facing strips which need not be attached to the slides and should be renewed
daily or oftener if necessary, oil being plentifully supplied to these surfaces when
working, care being taken to keep them and the wires and guides free from grit.
The wires pass on leaving the reciprocating slides A, through guide holes k in a
block K whose face K¹ is a plane oblique to the direction of the wires, the angle
of obliquity corresponding to the angle or pitch of the cone to be produced. The
guide holes & extend through the block K to the oblique plane K¹ at which the
ends of the wires slightly project so as to meet and be revolved in contact with
the face of an oil stone L which is pressed and reciprocated by hand against said
face K¹, the motion of the stone being in a slightly circular or eccentric orbit so as
to vary the points of contact of the wires with the stone in such a way as to
distribute the wear of the stone and maintain a uniformly true grinding surface.
The block K is fitted to slide in guides upon the base plate in the direction of the
length of the wires and is movable in its guides by lever or screw adjustment to
enable the grinding surface to be fed up to the work as the formation of the cone
proceeds.
The guide holes are preferably formed by what is known as "bushing" wire
being tubular brass wire. The lengths of bushing wire are soldered together side
by side to form a plate having a row of holes in it and the plates for the different
rows or tiers of wires are firmly clamped between the sections of which the block K
is built up. The ends of the bushing wires where they emerge at the face K¹ might
be jewelled and to save the jewels being cut by the burr on the rough ends of the
wires at the beginning of the operation the face K¹ might be covered by a false
face plate having holes corresponding to those of k through which the rough ends
of the wires would protrude so as to enable the rough burr to be taken off and the
wires nearly pointed by a Turkey stone, after which the false face plate would be
removed and the points finished by grinding with an Arkansas stone applied against
the jewelled face K'. When the grinding operation is terminated the pressure on
the wire operating slides A is relaxed, the pointed ends of the wires are fed
forward, the wires cut off of uniform length to a gauge, and the wires and slides
re-adjusted for repeating the grinding operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The herein described machine for conically pointing wires and consisting
essentially in the combination of one or more pairs of oppositely reciprocating
spring pressed slides between which the wires are gripped and rolled about their
own axes and of guide holes for the wires terminating in an oblique plane against
which a grinding surface is pressed and moved in contact with the exposed ends of
the rotating wires substantially as described.
2. The herein described machine for conically pointing wires, consisting in the
combination of one or more pairs of oppositely reciprocating spring pressed slides
between which the wires are gripped and rolled about their own axes and of guide
holes for the wires formed through a block free to slide in the longitudinal direction
of the wires and provided with means of adjustment, the guide holes opening through
a plane surface oblique to the wires at which the exposed ends of the wires revolve
in contact with a grinding surface pressed against and moved in contact with the
oblique face substantially as described.
Dated this 1st day of March 1807
. A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.