IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRINTING SURFACES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS. PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
ר
D.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
-
Petition, on the 25th January 1853.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRINTING
SURFACES" to be as follows: -
This Invention refers, firstly, to a mode of obtaining stereotype
plates from printing types; and, secondly, to preparing printing
surfaces containing autograph writings, drawings, and other like
works.
In manufacturing the moulds in which the stereotype plates are
to be cast, a preparation is made, consisting chiefly of fine silica,
paper pulp, clay, and molasses. The preparation which is to form
the foundation of the mould is spread out flat; and over it is placed
a layer of plastic material, composed chiefly of clay, paper pulp, and

page_text: plaster of Paris, which material is to form the face of the mould.
A piece of cotton cloth is laid over the surface of this composition, and
it is then laid with the cloth downwards on the form of types to be
copied that, having been previously coated with oiled silk, or thin
sheet gutta percha, to prevent the moisture of the composition
reaching its surface, pressure is then applied, and, when the compo-
sition is partially dried, the cloth is carefully removed and pressure
is again applied. To obtain the transference of the sharpness of
the type to the mould, the gutta percha or oiled silk coating -is
removed, and the mould is brought into contact with the naked
type, and pressure is applied as before. To make the stereotype
plate, a composition consisting chiefly of siliceous sand, (or its
equivalent,) gum shellac and tar, is employed. A thin sheet of this
composition is placed in the mould, formed as above described, and
heated to expel all moisture therefrom, and on the sheet a piece of
stout grass cloth is placed, which is itself covered by a second layer
of the composition thick enough to make up the required thickness
of the stereotype plate; heat is now applied to render the composi-
tion plastic; and the whole is then submitted to pressure until cool;
when cold, the stereotype plate is removed from the mould, and
flattened and finished off as required.
: The mould for writing or drawing upon with a style or pen is
made of clay and plaster of Paris mixed into a paste with water
and spread on a smooth plate, upon which it is dried and made to
imbibe bees wax.
While the plate is still warm, the surface is covered with olive
or other oil, until as much is added as the clay coating will absorb.
When perfectly cool, a thin coating of fine clay in the form of a
dilute paste is laid on to absorb the remaining oil, and to give a
good surface for writing or drawing upon. When the matrix is
perfectly dried, the writing or drawing is made by means of a
printed tool or other suitable instrument for making sharp and
clear cuts in the clay coating.
When the writing or engraving is executed, the next thing is to
fill up for relief. First dust over the plate with fine silica in

page_text: powder, so as to fill in the work, and wipe off the surplus with the
ball of the thumb, or with gutta percha film over cotton.
Now put
on, by means of a brush, a moistening material composed of
molasses and water, and dust over fine plaster of Paris, which
brush off as soon as convenient with the softest brush. Then clean
out the work, using for this purpose a brush and bellows, and dust
in powdered clay to fill the cuts again. Damp again and again,
dust on plaster, and so on. After building up sufficiently, put on a
thin paint to glaze the surface and fill up the pores.
LITHOGRAPHIC PROCESS.
Spread on a plate as before a coating of clay, and, when dry and
warm, put on a very slight coating of wax. The object of the wax
is to harden the coat. The outline of the object is lightly drawn
with the pencil. The cutting is done with suitable tools.
The operation is principally one of scraping out the material.
The deeper the shade. desired, the deeper must be the depression
formed by scraping, regard being also had to the direction of the
light falling upon the object. The blanks are now to be filled
up with a mixture of silica, clay, and molasses, and the plate cast as
usual
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great
Scal Patent Office on the 25th July 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the county of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of January
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three,
in the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent

page_text: Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF PRINTING SURFACES," being a communication from
abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):
Various attempts have been made to find a substitute for type
metal in the process of stereotyping, and also a material and process
that should economically replace those now used in the production
of the moulds. It does not, however, appear that any of these
attempts have resulted in any thing of public utility.
Some of the materials employed by the Inventor of the following
detailed improvements have been used by previous experimentors,
but, from not having been mixed in the right proportions, or
tempered by the addition of other substances which are essential to
success, nothing practical or useful has been the result.
The nature of the present Invention, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, consists in the employment of a mixture of
fine silica, paper pulp, clay, &c., for making the matrices or moulds,
and a composition of silica or fine siliceous sand and shellac or
other suitable cement for making the stereotype plates, by which

page_text: means a cheap and durable stereotype plate may be produced. In
carrying on this manufacture, ordinary printer's types set as when
used for printing are employed, there being no necessity to use, as
is now commonly done in stereotyping, spaces, quadrats, leads, &c.
of peculiar character, fit only for stereotyping, and unsuitable for
ordinary printing purposes. The following details will enable others
skilled in the art to carry out the present Invention.
Firstly, the matrix or mould is of such a composition as to give
a tenacious body easily spread upon and moderately adherent to a
solid surface, yielding and plastic to a high degree, but readily giving
up its moisture when moderately heated, and not liable to crack in
drying. Furthermore, it is capable of receiving a sharp permanent
impression from the type, and in the dry state it possesses the
degree of hardness requisite to sustain the pressure which forces
the stereotyping material into its minutest cavities: it is also casily
separated from the stereotype plate.
The material used for the plates is of such a nature as to possess, at
all ordinary temperatures, a great tenacity and a high degree of
hardness capable of resisting the rubbing and pressure to which
stereotype plates are subjected; while at a more elevated temperature,
it is sufficiently yielding to be spread or rolled into sheets, and to be
forced under pressure into the cavities of the matrix or inould.
The materials of tablets for autograph writing, drawing, and
similar work, which is intended to be stereotyped, are of a character
which, while they give a smooth surface of the finest texture, are
free from any fibrous or granular substances which might interfere
with the smooth strokes or cuts of a style, pencil, or graver, and
afford little resistance to the writing instrument.
In forming the matrix or mould for stereotyping the forms of
types, wood-cuts, &c., two several mixtures are employed in the dif-
ferent stages of the process. The first, which I call mixture A, is
made up of fine plastic clay two parts, of fine silica one part, and
paper pulp one twelfth by bulk of the mixture, and to a quart of this
compound is added about half a gill of inolasses. This mixture is to
form the foundation of the matrix, and, when spread on a plate of

page_text: metal, is to constitute an even surface to which the faces of the
types are intended to reach, but into which they are not to penetrate.
The second, which I call mixture B, is made up of fine clay ninc
parts, paper pulp one part, and fine dehydrated plaster of Paris
three parts by bulk. The clay and paper pulp are first well mixed
and incorporated together with water sufficient to constitute a thin
paste. These proportions may be slightly varied without essentially
altering the nature of the mixture; and the same is true of mixture
A. The plaster of Paris is to be added only at the time the.
mixture is to be used, otherwise the tendency of the plaster to set
would render the mixture to unyielding for its purposes.
This is to form the top or finishing coat of the mould.
To form the stereotype plate I make a mixture C, composed of
two and a half parts of fine siliceous sand (the purer and the finer
the better), one pound of gum sliellac, and three ounces of tar, mixed
in a kettle or other suitable vessel, and well kneaded while hot. It
is then rolled out into sheets of the proper thickness for use.
The
sand may be such as is found in nature, or it may be produced
by pulverizing certain crumbling siliceous rocks, or, for the finest
and most delicate work, it may be precipitated and purified silica.
The matrix for writing or drawing upon with a style or pen
(which is composed of what I call mixture D) is made of a peculiar
clay not liable to crack in drying, or clay and plaster of Paris mixed
into a paste with water, and spread with a guage upon a metallic
or other suitable plate, upon which it can be dried and heated
sufficiently to soften the stereotyping material C. In the heated
state it is partly saturated with melted bees wax, which gives a
greater degree of toughness, hardness, smoothness, and consistency.
to the clay; and then, while the plate is still warm, but not very hot,
the whole surface is to be covered with olive or other oil, until as
much is added as the clay coating will absorb. The surface should
be wiped to make sure that no excess of oil remains. When per-
fectly cool, paint on a thin coating of fine clay in the form of a dilute
paste is laid on the plate with a brush in order to absorb the
remaining oil and to give a good surface for writing or drawing

page_text: upon.
When the matrix is perfectly dried, the writing or drawing
is made by means of a pointed tool or other instrument suitable for
inaking sharp and clear cuts in the clay coating.
'
Besides the above described mixtures for the occasional filling of
the backs of stereotype plates, another, which I call mixture E, is
employed. This is made of silica seven parts, clay one part, mixed
up into a suitable paste with equal parts of water and alcohol.
For filling up parts of the matrix, with the view of increasing the
depths of blanks in the stereotype plates, a mixture, which I call F,
is used. This is composed of silica six parts, clay one part, mixed
with water to the consistence of cream, and about two teaspoonsful
of molasses to a gill of the mixture.
The several mixtures being prepared as herein-before described,
the operator should proceed to form first tlie matrices, and then
the stereotype plates, in the following manner: -
First. A metallic plate is provided of somewhat larger dimensions
than the page or form to be stereotyped. Upon this plate is spread,
by means of a gauge or straight edge, a coat of mixturé A, to the
thickness of about one thirtieth of an inch, and is allowed to dry. :
Second. A piece of cotton cloth, of dimensions about equal to or
rather larger than those of the page or form to be stereotyped, is
first oiled, and then on it is spread evenly a coat of mixture B, pre-
pared as above. stated, the thickness of coating being not greater
than the depth from the face to the shoulder of the type; or, in lieu
of these two mixtures A and B, the mixture B alorie inay be used
for the matrix, in which case the molasses, mentioned above as an
ingredient of mixture A, is required with the mixture B. The
paper pulp may also be dispensed with under certain circumstances
without detriment to the
process.
Third. The form to be copied is placed within a suitable frame
or chase, of which two opposite sides are exactly of the height of the
types, and having guide pins to match holes or cavities in the matrix
plate. After oiling the form of types, a thin film of gutta percha,
guin elastic, oiled silk, or other thin substance, impermeable to
water, and large enough to cover the whole form, being previously

page_text: oiled on both sides, is then placed over the face of the type; the
piece of cloth containing the second coating is then laid cloth
downwards upon the gutta percha film..
Fourth. Upon the end bars of the chase are to be placed thin
gauge strips or bearers, to prevent the types from being forced too
.deeply into the mould. On these gauge strips the first coating of
the plate containing the matrix rests. The strips will, when well
pressed down, vary in thickness with the size of the type. The
depth from the face to the shoulder of large type is greater than
that of small ones, and for this difference allowance is to be made
both in the thickness of the second coat of matrix material and in
the thickness of the gauge strips which determine the depth of the
impression first made by the type, cloth, and gutta percha. The
metallic plate containing the first matrix coating, now dry, is
inverted, and placed clay coat downwards upon the fresh coating
lying on the cloth upon the gutta percha and types. The position
of the plate over the type is determined by the guide pins in the
chase, and by holes in the matrix plate. The chase, together with
the type covered with gutta percha, oiled cloth, fresh mixture, dry
coat, and matrix plate, is then taken to a suitable press, and a
moderate force applied sufficient to press the type up into the soft
fresh coat carrying with them the gutta percha and cloth, by which
means a general but not a minute reversed fac simile of the page
is produced. The purposes answered by the dry coating are to
hasten the drying of the second coating by absorbing its moisture,
and by its hardness to force the soft coating into the cups of the
type; also, by its porousness, to give way under pressure while moist
to the material displaced by the type, and to make it dry evenly.
The part of the first coating which extends to the ends of the
matrix plate extends beyond the fresh or second coating, and con-
sequently remaining dry, rests upon the gauge strips at the ends
of the chase, and thus serves to gauge the distance to which the
press can force down the matrix plate. When at a subsequent
stage of the process all the gauge strips are removed, the first coat
at the ends of the matrix plate comes down directly on the ends

page_text: of the chase, when the final pressure is given which completes the
matrix; and as the chase is of "type height," the faces of the type
are thereby limited in sinking into the coatings to the distance of
the original surface of the first coating.
The advantage of spreading upon a cloth the second matrix
coating is, that the soft material does not come into contact with
the dry coating till the same instant in which it receives its re-
quired shape by pressure, which facilitates the drying of the mould.
The gutta percha filin prevents the moisture of the mould froin
reaching the types.
.
The pressure applied to the mould while the cloth is between the
gutta percha and the fresh coat is called the first impression. Its
purpose is to fasten the second coating firmly to the first, and to
give the general form to the mould. After the first impression has
been made, the whole is taken from the press. There are springs
in the corners of the. chase which at once lift the mould plate up:
from the type. The plate is immediately lifted off, and turned
mould side up, and is then allowed to rest for a short time before
removing the cloth, which now adheres to the partially formed
mould. The purpose of the delay in removing the cloth is to allow
time for the first coating to absorb the moisture of the second, and.
get it sufficiently dry to permit of the cloth being drawn off (be-
ginning at one end) without bringing away any parts of the mould.
After removing the cloth the mould must be left to dry, but not so
thoroughly as to become whitish. The gauge strips or bearers are
then to be removed from the ends of the chase, except, perhaps, a
single very thin piece at each end.
Fifth. To take the second impression. After carefully sponging
or wiping off any moisture which may have reached the type at the
first impression, lay over the form a thin film of gutta percha oiled
on both sides. Lay over this the partially formed matrix. Place
the whole under the press, and give the second impression. Then
remove the form iminediately from the press, and draw off the gutta
percha film.
Sixth. To take the third and last impression, oil the type with a

page_text: soft brush, and, as soon after as convenient, replace the mould on the
naked type, put the form into the press, and give the finishing
pressure. This is of course done without any bearers being inter÷
posed between the ends of the chase and the first coating of the
mould. The second impression may be omitted when the second
coating is of the exact thickness required, the types perfectly clean,
and when the mould has been dried to exactly the right point; but
without the fulfilment of these conditions, the material of the mould
will (when the attempt is made to finish with only two impressions)
be likely to stick to the types. It is best, therefore, to give the
impression with the gutta percha film, to deepen the first impression,
and give form to the letters before the final impression is made,
which then leaves a beautiful polish and clean surface on the face
of the letters.
.
Seventh. The mould may now be dried, and may be kept for
any length of time.
•
Eighth. To prepare for casting, lay at the sides of the form which
has been moulded and on the beds formed by the furniture metallic
strips designed to form the bevels at the sides of the stereotype
plate. Heat the mould till the moisture is completely expelled, and
at the same time heat a smooth metallic plate oiled on one side.
While the mould is warm, lay upon it a thin coating of the stereo-
typing mixture C, thick enough to form the letters, and upon that
a piece of stout grass cloth of loose texture, not quite so large as
the page, and on the cloth another coating of the stereotyping
mixture C, enough to give the required thickness to the stereotype
plate, which thickness is determined by gauge bearers laid upon
the
first coating near the ends of the plate, and where it has not been
covered with the second coating. The mould and stereotyping
material are now to be heated till the material is in a plastic state,
the oiled plate of metal is then laid over it, oiled side down, and the
whole is placed under a press, which is brought to act upon the
upper plate and gradually to bring it down to the bearers. The
whole remains under the press until cooled to about one hundred

page_text: degrees Fahrenheit. Should it not be found necessary to strengthen
the plate the grass cloth may be omitted.
Ninth. To finish the stereotype plate, it is detached from the
matrix plate by tapping the latter on the back, which detaches the
mould, and the stereotype plate is then immersed in water, and the
material of the mould washed off with a brush or otherwise; the
plate is then oiled and trimmed for use. When the plates arc
cooling, they may be found to have acquired a little irregularity of
thickness in different parts, and the face may not be perfectly level
or plane. This is owing to the unequal rates of cooling of the se-
veral parts. To remove from the plates all effects of of warping, and
to give them an equal thickness throughout, they are laid back
downwards on a warm metallic plate, which makes them slightly
yielding; they are then inverted, and placed face downwards upon a
cold smooth marble or metallic surface, and a weight or other gentle
pressure is applied to the back; and thus the face of the plate is
brought to a common level, and all the inequality of thickness is
made to appear in the back. To fill up the cavities of the back, and
restore the plate to a uniform thickness, a coating of mixture E is
spread by a gauge over the back. The alcohol in this mixture has
the effect of slightly softening the surface of the plate, and thereby
making the backing mixture permanently adhere to the back of the
plate. A little alcohol may also be used separately to moisten the
back of the plate before applying the backing mixture.
WRITING PROCESS.
1. Spread a coating of clay as thick as will dry without cracking.
The thickness must be sufficient to allow all required swell of letters
and lines in the cut. A general idea of the thickness may be taken
from a lead six to longprimer; if a thicker coat is wanted, add
pluster to prevent cracking.
2. Dry by heat up to the boiling point or nearly so, and the plate
must be very dry to prevent blistering in waxing; this will be suf-

page_text: with a swab partially saturate the conting with wax, so that when
all is absorbed the coating may be of a dark yellow or brownish
color.
4. Now with another swab (while the plate is still warm, but
not too hot) cover the whole surface with lard oil or sweet oil,
putting on as much as it will absorb in ten or fifteen minutes; no
danger of too much. Now wipe off the surface with a cloth while
the plate is still warm.
5. When perfectly cold, paint on a thin coating of the clay men-
tioned in No. 1, with a broad fine camel's hair brush. The object
of this clay coating is to absorb the remaining oil; when the paint
is dry, sift on fine clay in powder (brushing off the surplus), for the
purpose of further absorbing oil, and to give a fine surface for
marking and for the work of the tool. These plates are the better
for being laid aside a day or two, and will bear being thus left for
months before using.
After the writing or engraving is executed, the next thing is to
fill up for relief.
First dust the plate over with silica in fine powder, so as to fill
in the letters, and wipe off the surface with the ball of the thumb or
with gutta percha filin over cotton. Now put on by means of the
brush (which must be large in proportion to the work) the moisten-
ing material composed of molasses and water, not so thick as to be
too sticky, but so stiff that the brush begins to feel the stiffness: if
too thin it will be likely to fill up the cuts. Put on no more in
quantity of the fluid than is necessary to make every part take; too
much has a tendency to fill up the cuts. Now dust over plaster of
Paris bolted through a Florence silk sieve, and brush off as soon as
convenient with the softest brush. (The plaster of Puris should not
be used immediately after calcining, but after having been exposed
to the air a little.) Then clean out the cuts and lines of the writing
or engraving, using for this purpose a brush and bellows, and dust
in powdered clay to fill the cuts again. Damp again with the
moistening material, and dust on plaster, repeating the operation
until a sufficient thickness is obtained. After building up sufficiently,

page_text: put on, by the same means as before was used with the molasses and
water, a thin paint of No. 1, not dusting after it. This is to give a
glazed surface, and to fill up the pores. For great depths' fill-up
with mixture F. Now dry by heat and cast at once, or this ope-
ration may be delayed for any length of time.
LITHOGRAPHIC PROCESS.
.
Spread on the usual coating of clay, and, when dry and warm, put
on a very slight coating of wax; let the plate be hot enough to melt
the wax; the object of the wax is to harden the coat. The outline
of the object is lightly drawn with the pencil; the cutting is done
with suitable tools; the operation is principally one of scraping out
the material. The deeper the shade desired the deeper must be the
depression formed by scraping, regard being also had to the
direction of the light falling upon the object. The blanks are now
to be filled up with mixture F, and the plate cast as usual.
Having now described the Invention of improvements in the
manufacture of printing surfaces, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I wish it to be understood that under the
above in part recited Letters Patent, I do not claim making moulds
for stereotype plates of a mixture of clay, sand, flour, and charcoal,
mixed with water, either with or without the addition of plaster of
Paris; neither do I claim making them of a composition of pipe-clay,
chalk, or burnt clay, and starch mixed with water; nor do I claim
covering the types with cloth or other similar substance for the
purpose of giving to the mould the embryo form of the types
preparatory to taking the last impression, from the types them-
selves; neither do I lay claim to making stereotype-plates of
shellac spread upon a metallic plate, as these processes have all been
essayed. before.. But. what. I do claim is,
-
First, making stereotyp matrices of the mixture A, in combina-
tion with the mixture B, orwith. either one of them applied and
treated substantially as herein described.
Secondly, I claim the use of a cloth or analogous substance on

page_text: which to spread the second cont for the purpose of placing the said
second coat, after being evenly formed on the cloth, upon the first
coat of the matrix plate, and to receive the first impression given by
the types to the matrix plate.
Thirdly, I claim the employment of the gutta percha film for
covering the face of the type, and preventing the moisture of the
fresh coating from reaching the surface of the type; the advantage
of gutta percha over other materials for this purpose being that it
does not readily retract on being relieved from the pressure so as to
displace or disturb the face of the mould.
Fourthly, I claim the use of the mixture C, for forming stereo-
type plates, and as a substitute for type metal; the hard mineral sub-
stances of the said mixture giving durability by their power to
resist crushing, corrosion, and abrasion when used for printing, and
the shellac and tar constituting a cement, and giving a power of
yielding slightly on heating, and affording toughness to prevent
liability to fracture.
Fifthly, I claim the clay coating in combination with wax and oil
substantially as set forth, for preparing tablets suitable for writing
or drawing upon, and for being used as matrices for producing
stereotype plates or casts.
Sixthly, I claim the manner substantially as herein described of
giving elevation to the spaces between the lines of the writing on
the tablet for the purpose of affording the requisite relief to the
letters in the cast.
Seventhly, I claim the lithographic processes herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of
July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-three.