IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ORNAMENTING AND EMBOSSING WOOD, LEATHER, LAMAR A MANEDIATO
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Clayton, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ORNAMENTING AND EMBOSSING WOOD, LEATHER,
LAMAR A MANEDIATO"
Scaled the 21st April 1857, and dated the 19th February 1857..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Clayton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th
February 1857.
I, THOMAS CLAYTON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature, of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ORNAMENTING AND EMBOSSING WOOD,
LEATHER, PAPER, AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
Instead of the machinery or apparatus patented by me and Robert Harrop,
dated the 26th of September 1854, for ornamenting wood, which I have found
O by practical experience to be ineffectual and unsuited for, the purpose, being
described and represented in the Specification thereof as worked by, hand, and
the rollers and, dies heated by a furnace,, which processes are perfectly
impracticable, I therefore intend- this Patent to supersedo..the former,.as. if it
had never existed. The construction of this my improved machine or
apparatus will be clearly understood by reference to the accompanying outline
Drawing and the letters, of reference thereon; in which Fig. 1 is a front view
of my improved machine, and Fig. 2 a side view of the same. a represents

page_text: the frame of the machine; b, an additional frame to support the conical
pulley c, which is driven by the strap d from the conical pulley or drum c¹.
e, a fork, acted upon by the screw f to move the strap d, and regulate the
speed of the machine; 9, a shaft with the handle g', the turning of which
acts upon the screw f, by means of the bevil wheels h, h, giving the operative
power to regulate the speed with ease and certainty, as he can thus move the
strap from one extremity of the cone pulley to the other in either direction
according to the way which the screw f is turned; i is a worm, fixed on tho
same shaft as the pulley c, from which it receives motion and communicates
motion to the wheel j, which also transmits it to the shaft k, on the extremity
of which is fixed the roller 1, on which the design to be reproduced is
engraved; m, a pipe which conducts gas to the pipe n, on which are fixed gas
burners for directing and distributing flames of gas in the interior of the
engraved roller, to give it sufficient heat to act upon the wood or other
material, the intensity and regularity of the heating being regulated by
direction of the gas burners. The pipe n to which the burners or jets arc
fixed is placed in such a manner that the flame on proceeding from the
burners will strike the lower part of the roller in a slightly angular direction,
as shewn at o, so that the flame having struck this place will ascend in contact
with the interior of the roller, the part p first undergoing the action of the
heat, which becomes hot before it reaches the point o; in fact, the gas acts
on this part of the roller at the time it is going to operate, which prevents all
waste of caloric. q is a roller, the shaft of which slides in the slide boxes
fitted in the frame b and moveable frames, and also rests on the lever r,
which works at the part on the fulcrum t, which allows it to remain at a
fixed point, but still giving it sufficient play. A weight is put on this lever to
give the necessary pressure. If it is desired to obtain very deep impressions,
as mouldings in imitation of sculpture or carving, the design on the roller
must be more deeply engraved and greater pressure must be used than in
working designs on a smooth surface. The moveable bearing s on the main
frame can be shifted to the necessary distance for using longer or shorter
rollers, and then fixed by a stud or screw. The fulcrum t on which the
lever rests slides on the adjustable frame u, by means of a nut fitting
the screw u, so that the said fulcrum may be forced as required into any
suitable place, so that the roller q will give way to the inequalities caused by
the hardness or thickness of the wood or material to be operated upon. The
modus operandi is as follows:-The engraved or other pattern roller having
been made fast on the shaft k by means of the screw for the purpose, I
introduce gas to give it the necessary heat, as already explained.

page_text: The wood or material to be operated upon being placed between the rollers
7 and 9, I put the necessary weight on the lever, taking care that the pressure
is properly regulated by the moveable fulcrum t; the machine is put in
notion and its speed regulated by the conical pullies c. It is evident the
slower the machine is worked the greater will be the action of the heat on the
material to be ornamented, by which darker or lighter shades and lighter or
deeper impressions will be made. I also employ flat dies hollowed or
engraved, as the work may require, the lower die or matrix being heated by
gas, which is distributed through ordinary burners on the under side. Tho
upper die is fixed to a screw, by means of which the desired pressure upon the
work is obtained, and a perpendicular motion is procured by guides in tho
usual manner. In order to operate upon the work it is sufficient when
the dies have been fixed and heated to put the wood to be operated upon
between the dies and then subject it to pressure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Clayton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
CLAYTON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs. and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Clayton, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Clayton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Clayton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ORNAMENTING AND EMBOSSING WOOD,
LEATHER, PAPER, AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Clayton, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal; should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and

page_text: cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Clayton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
'statement (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention (which is an improvement on the Invention
for which Letters Patent were granted to myself and Robert Harrop, dated
the 26th September 1854, No. 2070,) is to give ornamentation to inferior
woods, paper, or similar articles, giving them an artificial veining in imitation
of hard and choice woods, such as oak, rosewood, maohogany, and others,
and also to ornament them with various figures or designs of fruit, flowers, &c.,
or imitations of inlaying, which I accomplish by passing the inferior woods
through or between heated metal rollers, the said rollers being engraved so as
to represent the reverse or counter-proof of the vein or design to be reproduced
either sunk or in relief; they are hollow, and raised to the desired temperature
by the introduction of burning gas or other suitable means, and as the wood
or other material to be ornamented passes through or between the said rollers
I give the requisite pressure to make the impression of the design thereon.
When necessary I subject the woods to ordinary dye stuffs to obtain the
color required, either before or after the operation of the machine. The
construction and operation of my said improved machine or apparatus will bo
clearly understood by reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and
the letters of reference thereon, in which Fig. 1 is a front view of the machine;
and Fig. 2 a side view of the same; Fig. 3 is an elevation of a machine for
flat dies; and Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7, are detached views of some of the parts.
A represents the frame of the machine; B, an additional frame to support the
conical pulley C, which is driven by the strap D from the conical pulley or
drum C; E, a fork, which is acted upon by the screw F to move the strap D
and regulate the speed of the machine; G, a shaft with the handle g', tho
turning of which acts upon the screw F, by means of the bevil wheels H, H;
giving the operative power to regulate the speed with ease and certainty, as
he can thus move the strap from one extremity of the cone pulley to tho
other in either direction, according to the way which the screw F is turned.
I is a worm, fixed on the same shaft as the pulley C, from which it receives
motion, and communicates the samo to the wheel J, which also transmits it
to the shaft K, on the extremity of which is fixed the hollow roller L, on
which the design to be reproduced is engraved. M is a pipe which conducts
gas to the pipe N, on which are fixed gas burners, to direct and distribute

page_text: flames of gas in the interior of the engraved roller L, to give it sufficient heat
to act upon the wood or other material, the intensity. and regularity of the
beating being regulated by the direction or distribution of the gas burners.
The pipe N, to which the burners or jets are fixed, is placed in such a
manner that the flame on proceeding from the burners will strike the lower
part of the roller L in a slightly angular direction, as shewn at o, so that the
flame having struck this place will ascend in contact with the interior of the
roller, the part P first undergoing the action of the heat becomes hot before
it reaches the point O. In fact the gas acts on this part of the roller at tho
time it is going to operate, thus preventing waste of caloric. And to increase
the intensity and regularity of the flame I introduce an air pipe in a position
to strike the flame, so as to form a blast. Q is a roller, the shaft of which
slides in the slide boxes fitted in the frame B and the moveable frame S, and
also rests on the lever R, which works at the part Z on the fulcrum T, which
allows it to remain at a fixed point, but still giving it sufficient-play. I placo
a weight on this lover to give the necessary pressure.
If it is desired to obtain very deep impressions, as mouldings in imitation
of sculpture or carving, the design on the roller must be more deeply engraved
and greater pressure must be used than in working designs on a smooth
surface.
The moveable bearing S on the main frame can be shifted to the necessary
distance for using longer or shorter rollers, and then fixed by a stud or
screw. The fulcrum T, on which the lever R rests, slides on the adjustable.
frame U, by means of a nut which fits the screw V, so that the said
fulcrum may be forced, as required, into any suitable place, the roller Q
giving way to the irregularities caused by the hardness or thickness of the
wood or material to be operated upon. The modus operandi is as follows:-
The engraved pattern roller having been made fast on the shaft K, by
a screw for that purpose, I introduce burning gas to the interior of the roller,
to give it the necessary heat, as already explained. The wood or material to
be operated upon being placed between the rollers L and Q, I put tho
necessary weight on the lever, taking care that the pressure is properly
regulated by the moveable fulcrum T, the machine is then put in motion and
its speed regulated by the conical pulleys C and C. It is evident the slower
the machine is worked the greater will be the action of the heat on the
material to be ornamented, by which darker or lighter shades and lighter or
deeper impressions will be made.
I also employ flat dies, as shewn in Fig. 3, hollowed or engraved, as the
work may require, the lower die or matrix being heated by gas, distributed

page_text: through ordinary burners on the under side, the upper die being fixed to a
screw, by means of which the desired pressure upon the work is obtained, and
a perpendicular motion is procured by guides, in the usual manner.
In order to operate it is sufficient when the dies have been fixed and heated
to put the wood or material to be ornamented between the dies, and then to
subject it to the necessary pressure.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly
understood that I do not confine myself to the exact details herein set forth,
as such may be varied or modified without departing from the principle 1
thereof; but I claim the general arrangement and construction of machinery
or apparatus for ornamenting wood, paper, or similar articles, as herein
described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Clayton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord 1
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
THOMAS CLAYTON. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-named
Thomas Clayton, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.