IMPROVE- MENTS IN MEANS FOR AND METHODS OF PRODUCING DESIGNS UPON PAPER OR PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION OTHER FIBROUS OR SOFT MATERIAL OR UPON METALLIC SURFACES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Brown, Robert William Barnes and Joseph Bell,
all' of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MEANS FOR AND METHODS OF PRODUCING DESIGNS UPON PAPER OR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Brown, Robert
William Barnes and Joseph Bell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 14th July 1883.
RICHARD BROWN, ROBERT WILLIAM BARNES, and JOSEPH BELL, all of Liverpool
in the County of Lancaster "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR AND METHODS OF
PRODUCING DESIGNS UPON PAPER OR OTHER FIBROUS OR SOFT MATERIAL OR UPON
METALLIC SURFACES
"
Our present invention relates more especially to improvements on. Inventions for
which Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent were granted to Walter Bentley
Woodbury, dated July 22nd A.D. 1878 and numbered 2912 for "Improvements. in
Means for and Methods of Producing Designs upon Paper, Cloth, or other Fibrous
or Soft Material;" and dated September 19th A.D. 1879 and numbered 3760; for
"Improvements in Means for and Methods of Producing Designs upon Metallic
Surfaces" respectively; the Specifications of which Letters Patent described
methods of producing designs upon the surface of Paper, Cloth, or other fibrous or
soft Material or upon flat metallic surfaces, by means of similar designs. first
obtained in relief by the action of light upon sheets of gelatine or gelatinous
material rendered sensitive to light in the way well understood and practised.
It is found that when such impressions are produced upon the surface of paper
by the method described, they are liable to disappear and become, obliterated by
the action of water or moisture, and the first part of our present invention has for
its object the prevention of such action of moisture upon the paper. For this
purpose we coat the surface of the paper, either before or after the impression.has
been produced upon it, with a waterproof solution consisting preferably of shellac
dissolved in spirit, the proportion of shellac being variable according to the
character of the paper or the degree of damp to which it is likely to be exposed!
It has also been found, when designs obtained in relief by the action of light
upon sheets of gelatine or gelatinous material rendered sensitive to light in the
way well understood and practised are used for the purpose of impressing and
reproducing the designs upon the surface of paper or other fibrous or soft material
Prine 11

page_text: '
or upon metal, as described in the specifications of the Letters Patent already
herein before referred to, that such gelatinous reliefs are rapidly destroyed and
worn away so that it is impossible to reproduce a sufficiently large number of
impressions from them; and another part of our present invention consists of a
novel method of preparing the relief surface by which the 'designs are produced, so
that it is very durable and effective and easily prepared and used.
We take a gelatine or gelatinous picture in relief of any desired animate or
inanimate subject obtained by the action of light in the ordinary well known way,
and from this gelatinous relief picture we form a mould or intaglio by forcing it
into the surface of a sheet of lead or other suitable metal or material, or by making
from it a cast in plaster or other equivalent material in the ordinary well
known way.
From the intaglio thus prepared, we then obtain a relief printing surface either
by casting from it a plate of ordinary stereotype metal, or by making an electro-
type from the intaglio and backing it with stereotype metal or other material of
sufficient toughness and hardness.
The relief printing surface so obtained may be cast or fitted upon the surface of
the cylinder of a cylinder printing machine of any of the well known kinds, so
that a large number of impressions of the kind required upon paper, cloth, or other
fibrous or soft material, or upon thin metal sheets, may be quickly and easily
produced without too rapid destruction or wear of the printing surface. Or, the
printing surface may be left flat and used in any ordinary press printing by
direct pressure.
Instead of using a gelatine or gelatinous relief in order to obtain in the way
described a relief printing surface from which the impressions upon paper, cloth,
or other fibrous or soft material, or upon thin metal sheets are produced, the relief
printing surface to produce such impressions may be obtained in a similar way
from ordinary type, or from woodblocks, zincoblocks, or other relief surfaces of the
like kind.
The surface of the printing relief produced as described may be electro-plated
with steel or other metal to obtain greater durability.
Sometimes we coat it with a thin coating of solution of gelatine and bichromate
of potash, prepared in the well known way, which serves as a protection to the
surface and can be readily washed off and renewed when requisite.
In printing designs of the kind and in the way described upon sheet metal such
as tin-foil, where it is desired that some parts of such metal shall be left bright
and others dead or "mat," we sometimes use. as a pressure plate to impress the
design as described a sheet of metal, preferably zinc, upon which the design has
been produced in relief by coating, the sheet with a material, such as bitumen,
which is capable of becoming insoluble in its ordinary solvent, benzine for example;
after having been exposed to light.
The sheet so prepared having been exposed to light under a transparent
photograph, has the unaffected parts of the bitumen first dissolved off, and is then
put into relief by dissolving the parts so exposed in a suitable acid until they are
eaten away through the whole or part of the thickness of the plate. The bitumen
being then removed from the remainder of the surface of the plate, the latter can
be used to impress the design in the way already described upon the surface of the
tin foil, and by interposing between them a thickness of paper, silk, cloth, or other
fabric, plain or ribbed, the texture of such material is reproduced upon the parts
of the tin foil which are impressed by the plate, while the other parts remain
bright.
J
In this way very varied and effective results can be, obtained, quickly, and at

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Richard. Brown, Robert William Barnes and Joseph Bell in the
Patent Office on the 14th January 1884.
RICHARD BROWN, ROBERT WILLIAM BARNES and JOSEPH BELL, all of Liverpool
in the County of Lancaster "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR AND METHODS OF
PRODUCING DESIGNS UPON PAPER OR OTHER FIBROUS OR SOFT MATERIAL OR UPON
METALLIC SURFACES
"
">
Our present invention relates more especially to improvements on inventions for
which Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent were granted to Walter Bentley
Woodbury, dated July 22nd A.D. 1878 and numbered 2912 for "Improvements in
means for and Methods of Producing Designs upon. Paper, Cloth, or other fibrous
or soft material" and dated September 19th A.D. 1879 and numbered 3760, for
Improvements in Means for and Methods of Producing Designs upon Metallic
Surfaces" respectively; the specifications of which Letters Patent described
methods of producing designs upon the surface of Paper, Cloth, or other fibrous
or soft material or upon flat, metallic surfaces, by means of similar designs first
obtained in relief by the action of light upon sheets of gelatine or gelatinous
material rendered-sensitive to light in the way well understood and practised.
When such impressions are produced upon the surface of paper by the method
described, it is found that they are liable to disappear and become obliterated by
the action of water or moisture, and the first part of our present invention has for its
object the prevention of such action of moisture upon the paper. For this purpose
we coat the surface of the paper, either before or after the impression has been"
produced upon it, with a waterproof solution consisting preferably of shellac
dissolved in spirit, the proportion of shellac being variable according to the
character of the paper or the degree of damp to which it is likely to be exposed.
Instead of shellac any other solution capable of producing a waterproof surface
may be used.
It has also been found; when designs obtained in relief by the action of light
upon sheets of gelatine or gelatinous material rendered sensitive to light in the
way well understood and practised are used for the purpose of impressing and
reproducing the designs upon the surface of paper or other fibrous or soft material
or upon metal, as described in the specifications of the several Letters Patent
already hereinbefore referred to, that such gelatinous reliefs are rapidly destroyed
and worn away so that it is impossible to reproduce a sufficiently large number of
impressions from them before they become deteriorated; and another part of our
present invention consists of a novel method of preparing the relief surface by
which the designs are produced, so that it is very durable and effective and easily
prepared and used for the purpose required.
In order to put this part of our invention in operation, we take a gelatine or
gelatinous picture in relief of any desired animate or inanimate subject obtained
by the action of light in the ordinary well known way, and from this gelatinous
relief picture we form a mould or intaglio by forcing the relief into the surface of
a sheet of lead or other suitable metal or material, or by making from it a cast in
plaster or other equivalent material in the ordinary well known way, and from
the intaglio thus prepared, we then obtain a relief printing surface either by
casting from it a plate of ordinary stereotype metal, or by making an electrotype
from the intaglio and backing it with stereotype metal or other material of
sufficient toughness and hardness.
The relief printing surface obtained in the manner described may be cast or
fitted upon the surface of the cylinder of a "cylinder" printing machine of any of

page_text: the well known kinds, so that a large number of impressions of the kind required,
upon paper, cloth, or other fibrous or soft material, or upon thin metal sheets, may
be quickly and easily produced without too rapid destruction or wear of. the
printing surface.
Or, the printing surface.may be left flat and used in any ordinary press printing.
by direct pressure.
Instead of using a gelatine or gelatinous relief in order to obtain in the way
described a relief printing surface from which the impressions upon paper, cloth,
or other fibrous or soft material, or upon thin metal. sheets. are produced, the relief
printing, surface to produce such impressions may be obtained in a similar way
from ordinary printing type, or from woodblocks, zinco-blocks,, or other relief
surfaces of the like kind ordinarily used.
The surface of the printing, relief produced in the manner described may be
electro-plated with steel or other metal to obtain greater durability. And some-
times we coat it with a thin coating of solution.of gelatine and bichromate of
potash, prepared in the well known way, which serves as a protection. to the
surface and can be readily, washed off and renewed when requisite.
In order to impress designs of the kind and in the way described upon sheet
metal such as tinfoil, where it is desired that some parts of such metal shall be
left bright and others dead or "mat," we sometimes use as a pressure plate to
impress the design as described, a sheet of metal, preferably zinc, upon which the
design has been produced in relief by coating the sheet with a material, such as
bitumen, which is capable of becoming insoluble in its ordinary solvent, benzine
for example, after having been exposed to light.
The sheet so prepared having been exposed to light under a transparent photo-
graph, has the unaffected parts of the bitumen first dissolved off, and is then put
into relief by dissolving the parts so exposed in a suitable acid until they are eaten
away through the whole or part of the thickness of the plate. The bitumen being
then removed from the remainder of the surface of the plate, the latter which is
then in relief can be used to impress the design in the way already described upon
the surface of the tinfoil, and by interposing between tliem a thickness of paper,
silk, cloth, or other fabric, plain or ribbed, the texture of such material is repro-
duced upon the parts of the tin-foil which are impressed by the plate, while the
other parts remain bright.
In this way very varied and effective results can be obtained, quickly, and at
little cost.
Having now described our invention and the manner in which it is to be
performed, we claim :-
The method of preserving from oblitération designs produced upon paper by
pressure,, by treating them with a waterproof solution, substantially as herein
described.
Also, the novel metliods of producing metal relief surfaces substantially in the
manner and for the purposes herein described.
Also, the method of preparing and using metal relief surfaces for impressing
designs upon sheet metal such as tinfoil, where it is desired that some parts of
such metal shall be left bright, and others dead or "mat," substantially as herein
described.
In witness whereof I, the said Richard. Brown, on behalf of myself and the said
Robert William Barnes and Joseph Bell, have hereunto set iny, land and seal this
14th day of January in the year of our Lord 1884.