An Improved Process for Facilitating the Reproduction of Lithographic Pictures, Designs, or Delineations, and Improved Compositions and Paper for use in such Process.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 6th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process for Facilitating the Reproduction of
Lithographic Pictures, Designs, or Delineations, and Improved
Compositions and Paper for use in such Process.
I, LOUIS BERTLING, of Osborne House, Brockley Park, Forest Hill, in the
County of Surrey, Lithographic Artist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :—
My invention relates to the art of lithography, and comprises an improved
process and also improved compositions, and paper to be employed therein.
The object of the said invention is to provide means whereby one or more
impressions of any picture, drawing, design, writing or other matter taken from a
lithographic stone upon which the same has been produced in an ordinary or well
known manner, may be rendered capable of subsequent reproduction upon a litho-
graphic stone, so that copies can be obtained therefrom in the usual manner, thus
avoiding the necessity either for keeping the design or other work upon the first
stone for future use, or (when the said design or other work has been removed
therefrom) for re-drawing or preparing the same design again whenever further
copies thereof may be required.
It is well known to lithographers and others that considerable difficulty is
constantly experienced by reason of the fact that no means have heretofore been
known whereby a picture or design produced upon a stone could be preserved for
any great length of time in a condition for future lithographic reproduction, other-
wise than by retaining the same upon the stone itself, and that consequently many
designs have to be destroyed by removal from the stone after the number of copies
required at first have been "pulled," although there is often a probability that more
copies will be subsequently required. And this removal has to be effected, because
is practically impossible to keep more than a limited number of stones "locked
up" or out of use in this manner. Moreover it is frequently essential that certain
designs should be kept ready for reproduction from time to time; and, moreover, in
the case of very expensive work, it is obviously of great importance that such work
shall not be destroyed by removal from the stone, the reproduction by the artist
being either impossible or impracticable. Consequently, there is always, in
lithographic establishments, a very large number of stones thus "locked up' or
inoperative, which is a matter of considerable importance both with respect to the
storage room required and to the increased capital which is necessary to provide a
sufficient quantity of stones for the current work.
But by my invention this difficulty is entirely obviated, as I am thereby enabled
to obtain an impression upon paper which is capable of being retained for years in
such a condition that it can be transferred to stone whenever required so as to be
printed from in the manner ordinarily practised in lithography. Therefore, by the
employment of my said invention, every lithographic stone can be released for
further use immediately the requisite number of copies have been "pulled," that is
to say, the design or drawing may be removed, and yet at the same time one or
more copies thereof can be retained in convenient form, viz. :-upon a sheet of
paper, and in such a condition as to be capable of reproduction at a future time, if
required.
My improved process consists in taking an impression of the design, drawing, or
other work from the lithographic stone upon transfer paper prepared in the manner
hereinafter described, and then dusting over the impression so obtained, a fine dry
transfer powder rich in fatty materials and made of the ingredients hereinafter

page_text: specified. The greasy character of the said powder renders the design to which it
is applied upon this paper capable of being transferred to stone at any subsequent
time within a period of years (say five or ten years) and yet the dryness of the
powder is such that there is no danger of the design being destroyed by rubbing off
through contact with paper or other material next which it may be placed when
stored for future use.
The said transfer powder, which is the most important feature of my said inven-
tion, is composed of spermaceti, sperm-oil, charcoal, resin, and lamp-black or the
like combined in the following manner, that is to say, I take 10 lbs. of spermaceti
wax, 1 lb. of fine charcoal and 1 oz. of sperm-oil, and melt the whole over a slow
fire; when the ingredients are well mixed 1 pour the mixture on a slab of slate or
stone or other suitable material and allow it to cool; when quite cold I reduce the
mixture to fine powder in any convenient manner. I also make another composition
by melting together 20 lbs. of resin and 5 lbs. of lamp-black or the like; when the
whole is well mixed and cooled, I reduce the mixture to powder. I then mix the two
powders thoroughly together and pass this mixture through a very fine silk sieve,
the powder then produced may be put into tins or boxes.
I make the transfer paper hereinbefore referred to, in the following manner, that
is to say, I take good printing paper which is not too hard (say about sized) and I
coat the same on one side with a strong solution of boiled starch which must be of
such a.consistency as to work freely. When this coating material is dry, I apply a
second coating of the same substance but of a thinner consistency so as to ensure a
smooth surface. This second coating having become dry, I apply a third coating
which consists of a very weak thin solution of gum arabic in which a small quantity
of loaf sugar has been dissolved. When this third coating is dry, the paper is to be
well rolled upon both sides thereof, and is then ready for use whenever required.
The production of the transfers to be retained for future use, which is the
essential object of my invention, is effected in the following manner, that is to say,
the picture, design, drawing or other work of which lithographic copies are
required, having been produced upon the stone in any well known manner, I pull
one or more transfers therefrom in the ordinary manner, excepting that they are taken
upon the specially prepared transfer paper herein before described. In this
operation, ordinary lithographic transfer ink may be used, but 1 prefer to employ
the specially prepared ink hereinafter described. Having thus obtained one or two
impressions (or whatever number may be required to be stored away for future
reproduction), I apply thereto some of the transfer powder hereinbefore described,
by dusting the transfers all over therewith and then I remove any surplus powder
with a soft'camel-hair brush and then wipe carefully with a soft rag so as not to
leave any of the powder loose upon the sheet. The transfer is then in a condition
to be packed away for future use and when the number of copies of this particular
design required at the time have been pulled from the stone, the latter may be
cleaned and used at once for other work the design having been preserved for
reproduction as above explained. It is preferable to pull these transfers for future
use before pulling the ordinary copies required at the time; but, if desired, such
ordinary copies may be pulled first and the special transfers afterwards.
When one of my prepared paper transfers obtained as above described is to be
used for reproducing the design or picture upon a lithographic stone, I proceed as
follows, that is to say, I fit a perfectly clean and polished lithographic stone in the
press and warm the stone by applying boiling water to the same, and, whilst the
stone is damp, I place the said paper transfer upon the same and pull it through 5
the press as quickly as possible. Then I damp the paper with hot water and pull
through the press again and repeat the same operation until the paper can be
removed easily from the stone. The stone must then be washed quite clean with
water to remove the composition left by the paper, and fanned dry; I then dust the
design with powdered resin and etch with a very weak solution of nitric acid, gum 5
and water, then wash off the acid and gum the stone in.
When dry I wash the gum off and roll up in the usual manner; after carefully

page_text: rolling up,
give the stone a stronger etching, after which the stone is ready for
printing.
Although as above stated, ordinary lithographic transfer ink may be used when
taking the impression upon my transfer paper for future use, I prefer to use an ink
which is of a more greasy or fatty character than is desirable in the transfer ink to
be used for ordinary lithographic copies, as the more greasy ink is better adapted
for the reception of the powder which has to be applied (as hereinbefore described)
after the impression has been obtained. I therefore provide a special ink for this
purpose which contains the following ingredients in the proportions (or substantially
so) named below, viz. :-
Mutton suet
Yellow bees' wax
White curd soap
Shellac
Vegetable black
Middle litho varnish
Spermaceti
6 ounces.
ounces.
4 ounces.
-
6 ounces.
-
20 ounces.
-
3 pounds.
-
4 ounces.
In making this ink I first melt the mutton suet, wax and spermaceti, and, when
the mixture is sufficiently hot, I ignite the same, and while it is burning add the
curd soap, then I extinguish the flame and add the shellac, stirring the mixture
continuously until all is well mixed. This having been effected, the litho varnish
and vegetable black are introduced and the whole well stirred together. The mass
should then be poured into tins for use when required.
Dated this 17th day of July 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process for Facilitating the Reproduction of
Lithographic Pictures, Designs, or Delineations, and Improved
Compositions and Paper for use in such Process.
I, LOUIS BERTLING, of Osborne House Brockley Park, Forest Hill in the
County of Surrey, Lithographic Artist do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to the art of lithography, and comprises an improved
process and also improved compositions and paper to be employed therein.
The object of the said invention is to provide means whereby one or more
impressions of any picture, drawing, design, writing or other matter taken from a
lithographic stone upon which the same has been produced in an ordinary or well
known manner, may be rendered capable of subsequent reproduction upon a litho-
graphic stone, so that copies can be obtained therefrom in the usual manner, thus
avoiding the necessity either for keeping the design or other work upon the first
stone for future use, or (when the said design or other work has been removed
therefrom) for re-drawing or preparing the same design again whenever further
copies thereof may be required.
It is well known to lithographers and others that considerable difficulty is
constantly experienced by reason of the fact that no means have heretofore been
known whereby a picture or design produced upon a stone could be preserved for
any great length of time in a condition for future lithographic reproduction,
otherwise than by retaining the same upon the stone itself, and that consequently
many designs have to be destroyed by removal from the stone after the number of
copies required at first have been "pulled," although there is often a probability
that more copies will be subsequently required. And this removal has to be

page_text: "
effected because it is practically impossible to keep more than a limited number of
stones "locked up'
or out of use in this manner. Moreover it is frequently
essential that certain designs should be kept ready for reproduction from time to
time; and, moreover, in the case of very expensive work, it is obviously of great
importance that such work shall not be destroyed by removal from the stone, the
reproduction by the artist being either impossible, or impracticable.
sequently there is always in lithographic establishments, a very large number
of stones thus "locked up or inoperative, which is a matter of considerable
importance both with respect to the storage room required and to the increased
capital which is necessary to provide a sufficient quantity of stones for the current
work.
"
Con-
But by my invention this difficulty is entirely obviated as I am thereby enabled
to obtain an impression upon paper which is capable of being retained for years in
such a condition that it can be transferred to stone whenever required so as to be
printed from in the manner ordinarily practised in lithography. Therefore, by the
employment of my said invention, every lithographic stone can be released for
further use immediately the requisite number of copies have been "pulled " that is
to say, the design or drawing may be removed, and yet at the same time one or
more copies thereof can be retained in convenient form viz. :-upon a sheet of
paper, and in such a condition as to be capable of reproduction at a future time, if
required.
My improved process consists in taking an impression of the design, drawing, or
other work from the lithographic stone upon transfer paper prepared in the manner
hereinafter described and then dusting over the impression so obtained a fine dry
transfer powder rich in fatty materials and made of the ingredients hereinafter
specified. The greasy character of the said powder renders the design to which it
is applied upon this paper capable of being transferred to stone at any subsequent
time within a period of years (say five or ten years) and yet the dryness of the
powder is such that there is no danger of the design being destroyed by rubbing off
through contact with paper or other material next which it may be placed when
stored for future use.
The said transfer powder, which is the most important feature of my said
invention, is composed of spermaceti, sperm-oil, charcoal, resin, and lamp-black or
the like combined in the following manner, that is to say,. I take 10lbs. of
spermaceti wax, 1lb. of fine charcoal and 1 oz. of sperm-oil, and melt the whole
over a slow fire; when the ingredients are well mixed I pour the mixture on a
slab of slate or stone or other suitable material and allow it to cool; when quite
cold reduce the mixture to fine powder in any convenient manner. I also make
another composition by melting together 20 lbs. of colophony or resin and 5 lbs. of
lamp-black or the like; when the whole is well mixed and cooled, I reduce the
mixture to powder. I then mix the two powders thoroughly together and pass
this mixture through a very fine silk sieve, the powder then produced may be
put into tins or boxes. In some cases I use the second powder alone, but I prefer
the mixed powders made as above described.
I make the transfer paper hereinbefore referred to, in the following manner, that
is to say, I take good printing paper which is not too hard (say about sized) and
I coat the same on one side with a strong solution of boiled starch which must be
of such a consistency as to work freely. When this coating material is dry,
I apply a second coating of the same substance but of a thinner consistency so as
to ensure a smooth surface. This second coating having become dry, I apply a
third coating which consists of a very weak thin solution of gum arabic in which a
small quantity of loaf sugar has been dissolved. When this third coating is dry,
the paper is to be well rolled upon both sides thereof, and is then ready for use
whenever required.
The production of the transfers to be retained for future use, which is the
essential object of my invention, is effected in the following manner, that is to say:
The picture, design, drawing, or other work of which lithographic copies are

page_text: required, having been produced upon the stone in any well known manner, I pull
one or more transfers therefrom in the ordinary manner, excepting that they are
taken upon the specially prepared transfer paper hereinbefore described. In this
operation, ordinary lithographic transfer ink may be used, but I prefer to employ
the specially prepared ink hereinafter described. Having thus obtained one or two
impressions (or whatever number may be required to be stored away for future
reproduction), I apply thereto some of the transfer powder herein before described,
by dusting the transfers all over therewith and then I remove any surplus powder
with a soft camel-hair brush and then wipe carefully with a soft rag so as not to
leave any of the powder loose upon the sheet. The transfer is then in a condition
to be packed away for future use and when the number of copies of this particular
design required at the time have been pulled from the stone, the latter may be
cleaned and used at once for other work the design having been preserved for
reproduction as above explained. It is preferable to pull these transfers for future
use before pulling the ordinary copies required at the time but if desired, such
ordinary copies may be pulled first and the special transfers afterwards.
When one of my prepared paper transfers obtained as above described is to be
used for reproducing the design or picture upon a lithographic stone, I proceed as
follows that is to say, I fit a perfectly clean and polished lithographic stone
in the press and warm the stone by applying boiling water to the same, and, whilst
the stone is damp, I place the said paper transfer upon the same and pull it through
the press as quickly as possible. Then I damp the paper with hot water and pull
through the press again and repeat the same operation until the paper can be
removed easily from the stone. The stone must then be washed quite clean with
water to remove the composition left by the paper, and fanned dry; I then dust
the design with powdered resin and etch with a very weak solution of nitric acid,
gum and water, then wash off the acid and gum the stone in.
When dry I wash the gum off and roll up in the usual manner; after carefully
rolling up, I give the stone a stronger etching, after which the stone is ready for
printing.
Although as above stated, ordinary lithographic transfer ink may be used when
taking the impression upon my transfer paper for future use, I prefer to use an
ink which is of a more greasy or fatty character than is desirable in the transfer
ink to be used for ordinary lithographic copies, as the more greasy ink is better
adapted for the reception of the powder which has to be applied (as hereinbefore
described) after the impression has been obtained. I therefore provide a special
ink for this purpose which contains the following ingredients in the proportions
(or substantially so) named below, viz. :-
Mutton suet
Yellow bees-wax
White curd soap
-
Shellac
Vegetable black
-
Middle litho varnish
Spermaceti
6 ounces.
-
3 ounces.
-
4 ounces.
-
6 ounces.
-
20 ounces.
-
3 pounds.
4 ounces.
In making this ink, I first melt the mutton suet, wax and spermaceti, and, when
the mixture is sufficiently hot, I ignite the same, and while it is burning add the
curd soap; then I extinguish the flame and add the shellac, stirring the mixture
continuously until all is well mixed. This having been effected, the litho varnish
and vegetable black are introduced and the whole well stirred together. The mass
should then be poured into tins for use when required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The herein described method, or process of preparing lithographic

page_text: transfers, consisting in first taking an impression from the stone upon transfer
paper such as I have hereinabove described, and then dusting over the impression
thus obtained a fine transfer powder composed essentially of the ingredients above
specified.
Second. The transfer powders consisting essentially of the above named
ingredients mixed substantially in the manner above described in, or about in,
the proportions specified.
Third. The improved transfer paper prepared as hereinbefore described.
Fourth. The improved transfer ink consisting essentially of the above named
ingredients mixed substantially in the manner above described in or about in the
proportions specified.
D
1 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.