AN. IMPROVED METHOD OF PREPARING ROLLERS AND BLOCKS NOW USED FOR CALICO PRINTING
Year: 1810

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JONATHAN
RIDGWAY,. of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Plumber and Glazier,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the. Sixth day of. April, in
the fiftieth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said Jonathan
Ridgway, during the term of fourteen years, His spécial licence. that I, the
said Jonathan Ridgway therein. mentioned,. should and lawfully might use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "AN. IMPROVED METHOD OF PREPARING ROLLERS AND
BLOCKS NOW USED FOR CALICO PRINTING;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso, obliging.me,, the said Jonathan Ridgway, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two months
after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Jonathan Ridgway, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are herein-after particularly
described and ascertained as follows, referring to the Drawings in the margin
of these presents, that is to say :-
Figure 1 represents an iron axle with two collars a, a, of brass or any other
hard metal.
Figure 2 represents a hollow cylinder of tin plate, sheet iron, brass, copper,
or any other hard metal, which is to be riveted or soldered to the collars a, a,
so as exactly to fit the same, and which cylinder is to be well tinned, and
secured and closed at each end, so as to prevent the lead afterwards cast
thereon from running into the inside of the cylinder. This cylinder may be
supported, if thought necessary, by additional collars, placed between the two
collars a, a. Upon the ends of the two outside collars a, a, are flanges of a
diameter as much larger than the collars themselves as the thickness of the
lead intended to be run upon the cylinder as herein-after mentioned, and
which must exactly fit the moulds B, in Figure 3. At the bottom of the
moulds B, in Figure 3, is a foot with a hole to admit the pivot end of the axle
in Figure 1, and at the top of the said mould is cut a gateway for the melted
lead to fall under the flange of the collar a.
Figure 3 represents the iron frame containing the mould B, one part of
which m, m, is screwed fast, and the other part n, n, is fixed to a slide, which is
opened and closed at pleasure by a screw C.
Figure 4 represents the hollow cylinder (Figure 2) fixed to the axle
(Figure 1). This cylinder being so fixed and well tinned, as before mentioned,
must be heated until the tinning thereon is near melting, and then a little
rosin is to be dusted thereon, or a little tallow rubbed over it, after which it is
placed in the mould B (Figure 3), which is to be sufficiently heated to cause
the lead to run more free; melted lead is to be then poured into the mould,
which becomes united or soldered to the hollow cylinder. In the same way
lead may be soldered to iron axles or centers. The cylinder being now covered
with lead, the pins, shapes, stamps, types, and impressions for printing, being
first well tinned, are driven into the lead. The whole cylinder being now made
into a roller is then placed in a carriage E (Figure 5), which consists of four
wheels, the axles of which are connected together by an iron rod running
under the center of the roller, the wheels running on two slips of iron o, o,
screwed to the inside of an iron pipe q, q, fixed in the furnace F. C is a
handle with a socket which fits into the end of the roller D, by which the

page_text: carriage is moved in and out of the iron pipe at pleasure; the pipe 9, 9, being
made red hot, the roller is run in and turned round until the tiuning upon the
pins, shapes, stamps, types, and impressions, (which have been previously dusted
with fine powdered rosin or rubbed over with tallow,) is melted down into the
lead; the roller is then drawn out and continued to be turned round until the
tinning is set. Heat inay be applied in any other way, so as to reduce the
tinning of the pins, shapes, stamps, types, and impressions into the lead.
Figure 6 represents an apparatus for the purpose of tinning and covering
such cylinders with lead as may be thought too large to cast upon in the
manner before set forth. H is a half circle iron pot; I, an iron plate chipped
and filed to a streight face; K, the door of a fire-place; L, the ash-hole.
In order to cover such cylinders as may be thought too large to have the
lead run upon them, as before mentioned, lay a sheet of lead on the plate I,
sheaved, cleaned, and touched with tallow, and pour fine plumber's solder on it
till it is brought. to a wiping heat. The plate I must be placed at such a
distance from the pot H that the flue running under will keep the solder iu
a wiping state. The cylinder (such as in Figure 2) must be well tinned in
pot H, then taken out of the pot and placed square upon one end of the sheet
of lead, and then rolled a little; on closing the end of the lead thereto, a wet
cloth is then thrown over that part of the lead which is attached to the
cylinder, which will set the solder, and thereby fasten the end of the lead to the
cylinder. If the solder is not sufficiently hot upon the lead, a hot iron must bo
drawn over it. The cylinder is then rolled along, pressing it to the lead, so as
to squeese out the superfluous solder, or by means of a roller being placed
under the edge of the lead, between the pot H and the plate I, and the
cylinder being placed on pedestals over the roller, the lead may be rolled
through and lapped round the cylinder, by which means the superfluous solder
is squeezed out and the lead sufficiently attached, or if the cylinder and the
lead have been previously tinned, the lead may be lapped round the cylinder
cold, and with a hot mandrel, or by any other mode, the inside of the
cylinder may
be heated till the solder between the cylinder and the lead is
melted, and the lead is then hammered or pressed to the cylinder, and when it
is cold the cylinder and lead will be fast together. The cylinder when covered
with lead by any of the methods described for large rollers is afterwards
rivetted or soldering to an axle (such as in Figure 1), or by any other mode by
which the soldered of the lead to the solid axle or cylinder may be effected,
whether for the purpose of hollow or solid rollers. The print blocks consist of
plate iron, brass, or copper, which are to be timed in the pot H (Figure 6).

page_text: A loose plate of iron filed and made smooth is laid on the plate I, with a sheet
of lead prepared with solder in the manner before described in making large
rollers. The plates are then taken out of the pot H, and placed in regular
order upon the sheet of lead, and each of them is weights so as to squeeze the
superfluous solder from under them; all' the superfluous solder is then to be
wiped from the plates, and the lead between each plate is then to be cut with
the point of a sharp knife, and the whole loose iron plate is to be lifted from
the plate I, and suffered to cool. When cold, the blocks are to be separated
and dressed, or the plate being tinned as above described, may be placed in
moulds, so as to leave a cavity for heated lead to be run upon the face of the
plate; the moulds and plate having been heated till the tinning' is near
melting, as described of Figure 4; then lead must be poured in the moulds;
such handle as 'may be most approved of may be soldered thereto; the pins,
shapes, stamps, and impressions' are, then: to be driven into the lead, having
been previously tinned, and the blocks with the lead side up are applied to the
under side of an heated iron plate till the tinning upon the pins, shapes, stamps,
types, and impressions is melted down into the lead, as has been observed of the
rollers. The rollers and blocks constructed according to this method are to be
used in printing calicoes, shawls, and other goods, in the same manner as 'the
wooden and solid lead and iron rollers and blocks hitherto in use for that
purpose, and are to be cleaned in the same way.
The advantage which rollers and blocks so constructed possess over the
rollers and blocks now in use is, that they are not liable to the same defects
as those made in part or in all of wood, or those made of solid iron and lead
are subject to, the former of which require frequent washing, cleansing, and
drying in hot stoves, which tends to swell and warp the wood; the latter of
which are heavy and inconvenient, and are 'apt by their weight and pressure to
displace and loosen the pins, shapes, stamps, types, or impressions fixed therein.
In the improved roller and block the following material objects are attained;
the roller is equally strong with any of the former, and will not warp or become
irregular; the weight will be less than one-half of the solid lead roller, and the
lead being firmly attached to the roller, will not give place by use, or even
hammering, and the lead being soldered to the iron requires no greater depth
of lead than will be sufficient to fasten the pins, shapes, stamps, and impressions
intended to be driven in; and such pins, shapes, stamps, types, and impressions
as are sufficiently firm in this lead, without being soldered therein, may be
drawn out, the holes hammered up, and by being lightly skimmed over 'in a
lathe be rendered.equal to new 'rollers, and fresh pins, shapes, stamps, types,

page_text: and impressions may be placed and fixed therein, which cannot be done on the
lead roller not soldered to iron, as by hammering such rollers the lead becomes
loose from its cylinder or axle. The improved roller and block when rendered
useless for printing will be worth half the original price as old metal.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and ten.
JONATHAN RIDGWAY. (L.S.)
Signed and sealed by the within-named
Jonathan Ridgway, in the presence of
MARY CARDWELL.
MARY CARDWELL.
JANE DRAND.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-ninth day of
May, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Jonathan Ridgway came
before our Lord the King in Ilis Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.