IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING PRINTING. AND EMBOSSING SURFACES
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, EDWARD
PALMER, of Newgate Street, in the City of London, Philosophicalment
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Tier
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifteenth day of January, in the fifth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Palmer, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Edward Palmer, my exors, adñors, and signs, or such
others as I, the said Edward Palmer, my exors, adiñors, or ass, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at al mes during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Erick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING PRINTING. AND
EMBOSSING SURFACES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a pro
that I, the said Edward Palmer, shall cause a particular description or the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Edward Palmer, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention relates, first, to a mode of obtaining surfaces for relief
printing by means of the electrotype process, or by casting, by causing the 1
subject to be etched or engraved through a white or light-colored composition
placed on a blackened or darkened surface.
Secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of obtaining metallic printing
surfaces, with the design thereon, to be printed from in the ordinary manner of
line or sunk engraved surfaces.
Thirdly, my Invention relates to a mode of obtaining printing surfaces for
relief printing from engraved plates or surfaces by repeated applications of a
composition in a similar manner to the ordinary inking process, to build up
surfaces partaking of the etched or engraved subject on the plate.
And, fourthly, my Invention relates to a mode of obtaining embossing sur-
faces by the eletrotype process, or by casting from engraved or sunk surfaces
produced on a prepared surface of plaster of Paris, as hereafter explained.
And in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to explain the means pursued by me in
carrying out my Invention.
In carrying out the first part of my Invention, I take a smooth metal plate,
by preference of German silver or brass, and having blackened or darkened
the surface, I then apply a composition having a white or light-colored surface,
which can be readily cut through by a graver or other proper tool. I prefer
such as are made from round or eleptical metal in place of angular metal.
The plate may be blackened or darkened with any suitable material, but I
prefer to immerse the plate in a weak solution of chloride of platinum or
hydrosulphuret of ammonia, until sufficiently darkened; and for the white or
light surface I prefer to use the following composition:-One ounce of the
clear part of Burgundy pitch, one ounce of rosin, two ounces of white wax,
one ounce of spermaceti; these being carefully melted and mixed, a thin layer
is to be laid on to the blackened or darkened plate, according to the depth it
is desired to have the printing surface in relief. When the plate and com-
position thereon are cold, I dust over the surface fine powder of sulphate of

page_text: rag.
lead, and rub the same gently in with a piece of clean soft linen
I warm
the composition till the sulphate of lead sinks into it, and when cold I again
dust on sulphate of lead in very fine powder, as before, and repeat the opera-
tion till the composition is as white as is desired for the ground. The plate will
then be ready for use, and the subject is to be etched in by the cutting through
the white or light-colored composition, when the black or dark sub-surface
will appear, and the artist will readily judge of the progress of his work,
because the surface, where cut away, will shew the subject clearly, and will be
similar to the eye at a short distance to an impression afterwards taken from
the electrotype, or cast surface obtained from the etched or engraved surface
prepared by the artist. When the engraving or etching has been thus per-
formed, those parts of the subject where a greater depth is required, as in
cases of broad lights, are to be further built up, and this may be conveniently
accomplished by using some white wax dissolved in spirits of turpentine, and
applied by a brush till the desired extent of building up is obtained. And it
may be remarked, that the object of using a black or dark sub-surface and a
light upper surface is, that the artist should be able to judge of his work, and
that the work as it progresses should have the appearance of a printed impres-
sion of the subject, and thus the artist will in fact produce on the plate the
same effect which he wishes to have produced on the printed impressions taken
from an eclectrotype or cast surface taken from the engraved surface, and
such means will be found to be far superior to those which have been hereto-
fore attempted. And I would remark, that I am aware that it has been pro-
posed to apply a black or dark composition on to a white or light sub-surface
of metal, and then to etch or engrave the surface, and then to obtain an
electrotype surface therefrom; but in such case, the artist in working out his
subject produces an effect on the plate used the very reverse to that which is
obtained in an impression printed from the electrotype surface, for it will be
evident that in consequence of having a white or light sub-surface and black
or dark upper surface, the artist in etching or engraving the prepared surface
will produce lights where darks, and darks where lights are required, and the
eflect which will be produced by a printed impression taken from an electro-
type surface produced in this manner cannot be well judged of. I do not
therefore claim the use of compositions placed on metal surfaces to be engraved
or etched through generally, nor do I confine myself to the precise composi-
tion mentioned, so long as it offers a white or light upper surface, having a
black or dark sub-surface, as above explained. The surfaces thus prepared
are then to be electrotyped, as is well understood; but I prefer to place the
etched surface into the metallic solution before the ground has been rendered

page_text: a conductor of electricity, in order to fill up the etched parts with metal. I
then rub the ground or surface with plumbago, and again submit the surface
to the electrotype process. Or, in place of using the electrotype process for
obtaining the printing surface, I can take a cast in plaster of paris of the
etched or engraved subject (on the prepared surface above described), and
then it will not be necessary to build up the "lights," as before directed,
for the parts where they come may be readily cut away from the plaster cast,
and then by rubbing the surface of the plaster cast with a lather of soap.
and taking a reverse cast in plaster, I obtain a mould from which a printing
surface may be obtained by stereotype or casting, as is well understood.
When cold, mako
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which relates to
obtaining printing surfaces for printing in a similar manner to line or other
sunk engraving. It is well known that in engraving plates for line or sunk
engraving it is usual to cut the metal more or less deep, according to the effect
desired to be obtained. For this purpose I obtain electrotype surfaces
according to one of two modes, which I will now describe. This part of the
Invention consists in forming electrotype plates in the line or other manner of
engraving, or in imitations of etchings by drawings made upon prepared
surfaces of plaster of paris, or any other suitable soft composition. The
tablets for drawing on may be prépared as follows:-For wax or composition,
mix equal parts of sulphate of lead and white wax together in a mortar, in
which it should be melted and well rubbed together. Pour a very thin
coating of this over a plate of metal of the size required.
a border round it, and pour on a sufficient quantity of white wax, into which
enough of black lead or other coloring matter, has been stirred, to render it
of a very dark color. When cold, let a stream of cold water run upon the
back of the plate, and it will come off, and be ready for use, As every line
made upon this kind of tablet pierces through the thin white surface into the
dark or black ground, every mark will be seen as though drawn with black,
and the artist can work at pleasure, only taking notice that the piece will print
rather darker than it appears in the drawing, and any burr left upon the sur-
face or sticking to it must be carefully removed, as it will be accurately copied
by the clectrotype process, and will be much more troublesome to remove when
formed in metal. Any false lines or indentations of any kind can be removed
from the first reverse, in which they will be raised above the surface, and
the more free this reverse is from blemishes the better. Having com-
pleted the drawing upon the wax, it is to have a reverse taken from it
in metal, as is well understood, by the electrotype process, from which
reverse as many printing copies as required can be taken. The other method
•

page_text: which I use, and which I much prefer on account of the freedon with
which it is worked, is as follows:-I take a polished plate of metal or glass,
and having slightly oiled it, make a border round it, and take a cast
from it in plaster of paris, by which I am enabled to obtain a smoother
and more level surface in plaster of paris than by any other means. If
the cast will not readily leave the plate, I immerse it in water, and it
will come off instantly. This cast of plaster is to be carefully and gradually
dried. I trace or sketch in the outline on the smooth even surface with a
soft blacklead pencil, and then with an engraver's etching needle, or other
convenient instrument, I proceed to make the design with all the freedom
of an etching, or with more claborate finish, and in the usual style of an
engraving. While working I keep a small quantity of finely scraped or
powdered charcoal or other dark powder dusted into the lines; this may be
used with a camel hair pencil, brushing it over the piece as I proceed, and it
will fill up the work and make it look black or dark, while it will sweep off
from the white surface and allow of the effect being scen. If I wish to sce
the effect particularly well at any time, having filled the work with charcoal
dust and swept the surface, I take a piece of soft linen rag and go gently over
the whole, which will bring the surface very clean and bright, and the effect
produced be very clearly shown. In this, as well as in the former process,
the delicate parts of the work will print rather darker than it appears in the
drawing, but this will be rectified by the burnisher in the cleaning up of the
plate. From this a cast in wax (or in a composition consisting of five parts
rosin and one part white wax) may be taken, which cast, by means of the
electrotype, will furnish a metallic plate, which will be a printing surface; ^
a metallic cast may be obtained by electrotype, from which any number of
printing metal surfaces may be obtained by the electrotype process.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention, which relates to a mode
of obtaining surfaces for surface printing by electrotype, which consists in a
mode of obtaining blocks for surface printing from ordinary engraved copper
or other plates. The process is as follows:-Having the plate (from which I
desire to obtain a surface block) free from all grease or dirt, I use a letter-.
press printer's composition roller, and having spread upon a stone slab or plate
of metal a small quantity of printer's ink or other suitable composition, mixed
with a very large portion of driers or Brunswick black, with the inking roller
very carefully spread a thin but close and firm coating over the whole
ubject, taking especial care that none of the light work is filled up; over this
[sift some very fine oxide of iron and litharge, mixed together in about equal
roportions, or two parts iron and one part litharge. The plate should now
[

page_text: e heated over a charcoal fire, or by other means, to dry the ground, an
afficiently cold, the powder may be brushed off the plate with a soft brush.
then apply a second ground in the same manner, and so on with several
oats, until the ground is of sufficient thickness above the surface of the plate
o form a proper and sufficient depth in the reverse for being printed from as a 5
aised surface, without the ink reaching the bottom of the work. As soon as
his part of the process is completed, the iron and litharge is to be well and
carefully brushed out of the work, and if any of the lighter work should be
found to be filled up, it must be carefully cleared out with the point of a needle,
which is fixed in a handle, which will be found to be a very convenient: 1
instrument for this purpose. The lights are now to be built as before directed.
The whole should now be well blackleaded, to render it conducting for the
process of electrotype. Having obtained a reverse from the above in metal by
electrotype, a flat piece of water of Ayre, commonly called smake stone, or
other stone, is to be used to rub off all that part of the surface which filled up:
the engraved work of the original plate, in order to get the full breadth of the
lines of the engraving. Some parts will perhaps want darkening by widening
the work; the burnisher will do a little towards this, but as it rounds the edge
of the work, it must be used sparingly; but the desired effect may be accom-
plished by carefully striking upon the face of the work with a small watch-
maker's hammer, and if I find that I cannot use it without damaging the work
with its edges, the interposition of a thin piece of steel will be found useful.
Or, in place of obtaining the printing surface by electrotype, it may be obtained
by plaster casts, as before described, and the printing surface obtained by
steriotype or casting, as is well understood, observing to scrape off or remove
the angular edges to the lines of the cast taken from the engraved built-up
plate before taking the second cast in plaster, in order that the lines or raised
parts of the printing surface produced may print their full breadths.
I will now describe the fourth part of my Invention, which consists i
engraving or sinking the subject to be embossed into a smooth surface c
plaster of paris, obtained in the manner described under the second part of m
Invention. The artist having sunk or engraved the subject on such surfac
of plaster of paris, a cast is to be obtained in wax if it is intended to t
electrotyped, and the wax impression is to be rendered conductive of electrici
and electrotyped, as is well understood; or, if the embossing block is to
made by steriotype or casting, then the cast is to be made in plaster of par
and cast or stereotyped, as is well understood.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
*which the same is to be performed, I do not confine myself to the prec

page_text: details as hercin described, so long as the peculiar character of either part of
my Invention be retained. But what I claim as the Invention secured by the
above in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the mode of obtaining surfaces for relief printing, by means of the
electrotype process or by casting, by causing the subject to be etched or
engraved through a white or light-colored composition placed on a black or
dark surface, as above described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of obtaining metallic printing surfaces, with
designs thereon, to be printed from in the ordinary manner of line or sunk
engraving, by engraving or etching on a prepared surface of plaster of paris
or other soft substance, and then electrotyping or taking casts, and obtaining
therefrom printing surfaces by the electrotype process, as above described.
Thirdly, I claim the mode of obtaining surfaces for relief printing, by
employing engraved or etched metal plates or surfaces in the manner above
described.
And, fourthly, I claim the mode of obtaining embossing surfaces by
engraving or sinking the subject in a prepared surface of plaster of paris, and
then, by obtaining a cast therefrom, to produce an embossing surface by the
electrotype or by casting, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Palmer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord une
thousand eight hundred and forty-two.