IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING POLYCHROMATIC PRINTS
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Lorentz Albert Groth at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th February 1881. A communi-
cation from abroad by Gustav Schwarzwald, of New York City, United States
of America.
LORENTZ ALBERT GROTH, K.G.V., Civil Engineer and Proprietor of the
Scandinavian Patent Office, under the Firm of L. A. Groth & Co., 97, Finsbury
Pavement, London, and 20, Forhaabningsholms Allee, Copenhagen. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING POLYCHROMATIC
PRINTS." A communication from abroad by Gustav Schwarzwald, of New York
City, United States of America.
This Invention has reference to an improved machine and method of producing
designs in any desired colors on a dark or light ground of paper, wood, metal, or
other suitable fabric, whether in straight lines or in variously formed patterns for
the purpose of obtaining polychromatic effects which were heretofore not obtainable
in the printing or lithographic arts.
The Invention consists in applying to any object which has been partly or
entirely covered with a layer of adhesive material pulverised colors by means of
a vertically. moveable distributer.
The distributor is constructed of perforated shelves which support a series of
color tubes that are arranged according to any suitable design and closed at their
lower ends by bolting cloth. The finely pulverised colors are deposited by the
sudden concussion of the distributer with a pattern frame placed upon the object
and distributed evenly, either mechanically by properly constructed brushes or
sweeps, or pneumatically by air pressure. By a repetition of this process a variety
of colors and any desired blending of the same may be obtained.
The supporting frame is provided with longitudinal top rails on which is guided
a reciprocating carriage, the carriage being operated either by hand or power as
described.
a
Upon the carriage the platen of the machine is arranged and the paper or other
object to be produced in colors placed upon the platen, the paper having first been
covered either partly or entirely with a layer or covering of any suitable fatty ink
or any adhesive substance; this layer forms the ground upon which all the colors
are laid on in succession.

page_text: Upon the carriage and the paper or other object to be printed is placed a pattern
frame composed either of parallel bars which taper towards their upper narrow
edge or of angular oblong curved strips.
The pattern frame with straight strips is employed whenever the colors are to
be laid on in right lines, a pattern frame with angular or curved strips whenever
a special design is to be produced.
The pattern frame is secured by clamp screws or otherwise to an open frame,
which is hinged at one side to the carriage and provided at the opposite side with
a handle for readily raising or lowering the pattern frame in removing and inserting
the paper to be printed upon.
To facilitate the working of the open frame in inserting and removing the paper,
it may be fulcrummed by a knife edged pivot to a fixed side bearing and balanced
by a counterweight at the end of a sideways extending lever frame.
The supporting frame is extended above the carriage and supports either a
bracket shaped arm or a braced top part, which serve to guide and support the
vertically moveable rod of the color distributer which is applied to the lower end
of the rod by suitable adjustable fastening devices. This color distributer forms
an essential element of the Invention and is worked either by a hand lever and
weight or by a lever and treadle connection, or by power and suitable working
mechanism, so as to be quickly lowered upon the pattern frame of the carriage or
raised therefrom.
The color distributor is constructed of two perforated shelves in the holes of
which a series of color tubes are supported. The lower part of the color tube is
made conical shape, and the upper provided with a rim or funnel shaped portion
by which the tubes are held steadily in the holes of the shelves.
The color tubes are preferably made of glass, of round or flat cross section, closed
at their lower ends by bolting cloth, wire gauze, or other fabric, and filled with
finely ground color.
These color tubes are disposed of in the shelves of the distributor according to
the design to be produced, they being placed closer to each other or further apart
according to the size of the surface to be colored, so that any desired tint can be'
produced.
.
The color tubes may also be made of elongated shape and of sheet metal with
transverse partitions to be used whenever larger surfaces are to be colored.
These color tubes are supported on correspondingly slotted shelves of the
distributor. They are used to advantage whenever larger surfaces of certain colors
are required so as to facilitate their disposition in the distributor.
By lowering the color distributor on the pattern frame a small quantity of color
is dropped on to the paper on the platen by the concussion of the distributor with
the pattern frame.
After the color is thus deposited within the strips of the pattern frame the
distributor is raised by the lifting mechanism away from the frame.
As the quantity of color discharged by each color tube is very small and
deposited in such a manner as to cover only a small part of the surface of the paper,
the next step is to produce the uniform distribution of the colors over the entire
surface.
This is accomplished either mechanically by means of brushes or sweeps which'
are operated by hand, or by suitable mechanism, or pneumatically by air pressure.
For the latter purpose the color distributor is colored at the top & so as to form
an air chamber which is connected by its hollow guide rod and a suitable hose
with a fan or other air compressing device. The air is allowed to enter the
distributor or is shut off by a valve of the guide rod so as to put on or interrupt
the air pressure. The lower part of the color distributor bears by a felt or other
elastic facing tightly upon the pattern frame, the open frame of which is also lined
with felt so as to bear tightly upon the strips of the pattern frame. The air is
evenly distributed in the air chamber above and conducted through the holes of
the shelves not taken up by color tubes into the spaces enclosed between the strips -

page_text: of the pattern frame, the bottom of the color distributor, and the paper on the
platen.
The air acts upon the colors deposited from the tubes by the concussion
distributing them uniformly over the entire surface of the paper between the straight
or carved strips of the pattern frame.
When the method of distributing the colors by brushes or sweeps is used the
brushes employed for the purpose are covered with beaver fur which is again
covered at those portions which are not required for spreading the colors with
bands of paper, leather, or other suitable fabric. The brush is drawn by hand once
or twice over the open frame and locked after use to retaining hooks or clasps of
the hinged pattern frame, so as not to get detached therefrom when the frame is
thrown up for placing another sheet in position.
The soft fur of the beaver skin not only takes up the surplus colors so as to use
them for the next sheet, but it produces also a perfectly even distribution of the
color over the surface of the paper.
Any surplus color not taken up by the brushes is swept by the same into a
series of receiving boxes arranged alongside of the platen.
If desired, the distribution of the colors may also be produced by fur covered
revolving brushes which are set into a perforated frame, which perforations
correspond with those of the shelves of the distributor, the brushes being rotated
by reciprocating rack bars which mesh with small pinions at the upper ends of the
brush spindles.
For most purposes however the fur brushes operated by hand are sufficient,
though for larger manufacturing purposes the brushes may be so constructed that
they can be worked by power.
After the colors are laid on the carriage is drawn sideways, the hinged pattern
frame thrown up and the paper removed, a new sheet is then placed in position
and properly registered thereon, the pattern frame brought down on the paper and
carried with the carriage into position below the distributor.
The color is then deposited by lowering the distributor, and finally evenly
distributed over the surface to be colored by the brushes as described. In this
manner a variety of tints in right or intersecting lines in any desired pattern and
in plain or blended colors may be produced, and thus an infinite variety of
polychromatic designs for fancy labels, checks, and other purposes obtained.
The advantage of the apparatus consists mainly in the fact that any number of
different colors can be laid on with a perfect register by one operation, and thereby
a more variegated effect be obtained.