IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNAMENTING OR PRODUCING DESIGNS UPON TIN-PLATES AND OTHER METAL SHEETS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Nind Hopkins partner in the firm of J. H.
Hopkins and Sons of Granville Works Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Tinplate Workers and Japanners and Thomas Baker and Thomas
William Burt both in the employment of the said firm for an invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Nind Hopkins,
Thomas Baker and Thomas William Burt at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents on the 14th June 1882.
ALFRED NIND HOPKINS, partner in the firm of J. H. Hopkins and Sons, of
Granville Works Birmingham in the County of Warwick, tin-plate workers and
japanners, and THOMAS BAKER and THOMAS WILLIAM BURT, both in the employ-
ment of the said firm "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNAMENTING OR PRODUCING DESIGNS
UPON TIN-PLATES AND OTHER METAL SHEETS,"
Letters Patent dated 29th November 1SS1 No. 5209 were granted to the said
Alfred Nind Hopkins for an invention entitled " Improvements in coating the
surface of tin-plate and other metal sheet and of articles made therefrom," and
persons interested in the present invention are referred to the specification filed in
pursuance of the said Letters Patent as rendering the following specification the
more easily to be understood.
The object of this invention is to employ rollers, having their rolling surfaces
formed of vulcanized india rubber or other suitable yielding material of corre-
sponding or otherwise suitable smoothness of surface, for the purpose of producing
designs or patterns upon tin-plates and other metal sheets, instead of simply
coating the same uniformly as described in the specification referred to.
_
We carry this object into effect by this invention according to two methods.
First We employ a machine operating substantially as one of the machines
described in the specification before referred to, that is to say, we carry a roller,

page_text: constructed in the manner before described, in suitable bearings, and supply the
coating material consisting of Ink, Varnish, Lacquer, Japan (or other similar
coating materials) either alone or mixed with suitable colors or stains, as desired,
to the said roller by passing under or otherwise in contact therewith, and with
sufficient pressure, a flat surface, suitably charged with the coating material, and
afterwards lay the coating material on to the tin-plate or other metal sheet to be
coated, by carrying the said tin-plate or other metal sheet on a suitable table or
backing and passing it under suflicient pressure with the surface to be coated
under or otherwise in contact with the said roller. In order however to produce
the design or pattern upon the tin-plate or other metal sheet, instead of simply
coating it over, a lithographic stone, zinc plate, or other suitable equivalent for the
purpose, has either the groundwork or else the pattern drawn or inarked thereon
in any suitable manner practised for lithographic or similar purposes, and the
stone or plate thus prepared acts as the flat surface, aforesaid, for supplying the
coating material to the roller. The coating material is charged to the said stone,
zinc plate or equivalent, in any suitable manner employed for lithographic or
siinilar purposes. As the stone, zinc plate, or equivalent, is passed under or
otherwise in contact with the roller, the latter takes up therefrom either the
groundwork material of the design and deposits such material very smoothly and
evenly upon the tin-plate or other metal sheet, afterwards passed under or other-
wise in contact with it, and only as the groundwork of the design or pattern, thus
leaving the pattern uncovered and producing the appearance of metal work inlaid
within a groundwork of Ink, Varnish, Lacquer, Japan or other similar coating
material or materials, as aforesaid; or else the roller takes up the pattern material
and deposits such material upon the tin-plate or other metal sheet and as the
pattern only, leaving a groundwork of metal; or the material may be deposited
to form the pattern upon a plate or sheet previously coated in the manner described
by the former specification.
An ordinary lithographic machine may be employed for holding the roller and
carrying the lithographic stone or equivalent, and the table for supporting the tin-
plate or other metal sheet to be decorated; or a machine may be employed in
which the roller is made to pass over or otherwise in contact with the lithographic
stone or equivalent, and also over or in contact with the tin-plate or other metal
sheet to be decorated.
Second We employ a roller constructed as before described but which, in
addition thereto, has the pattern or design engraved or otherwise sunk or recessed
in its surface, or has the pattern or design embossed leaving the groundwork sunk
or recessed. The coating material, as aforesaid, is taken up on to the roller from
a flat surface in the manner referred to as described in the said former specification,
or in any convenient manner, or is supplied from a roller or series of rollers which
are themselves charged from a flat surface or from a hopper or bath substantially
in the corresponding manner described in the said former Specification for sup-
plying the coating material to the plain coating roller or rollers. The roller takes
up the coating material only on to the parts of its surface which are not engraved
or not otherwise sunk or recessed, or on to the parts which are embossed (the
engraved, sunk, or recessed parts, or the groundwork, in the case of an embossed
roller, not being affected by the coating material) and consequently coats either
the groundwork of the design only, or the pattern only, on to the tin-plate or other
metal sheet, thus producing either of the appearances before described; or an
embossed roller may be employed to lay the pattern upon a sheet or plate
previously coated in the manner described in the said former specification.
For coating with an engraved, sunk, or recessed roller, or with an embossed
roller, a machine similar to that herein before first described may be employed, the
flat surface charged with the coating material being of course in this case quite
plain as it does not require any design or pattern to be marked upon it; or one
such roller may be carried (for instance) as the top roller, in a machine substantially
as illustrated by the drawing accompanying the said former specification, and fed

page_text: from the lower rollers in the manner therein shewn, or a pair of such rollers
may be carried in a similar machine the upper one being fed from a roller or rollers
above it.
Tin-plates or other metal sheets ornamented in any manner as before described
are stoved in the usual manner and preferably at a high temperature, and may be
afterwards made up into articles, or further ornamented or otherwise treated, as
desired, previously to being made up.
If the groundwork material is first coated in varnish, size or similarly suitable
material for the purpose, gold leaf, metal leaf, gold powder, brouze or color may be
laid on or dusted over it to give the desired effect.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alfred Nind Hopkins, Thomas Baker, and Thomas William Burt
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th December 1882.
ALFRED NIND HOPKINS, partner in the firm of Messieurs J. H. Hopkins and
Sons, of Granville Works Birmingham in the County of Warwick, tin-plate
workers and japanners, and THOMAS BAKER and THOMAS WILLIAM BURT both in
the employment of the said firm IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNAMENTING OR PRODUCING
"
DESIGNS UPON TIN-PLATES AND OTHER METAL SHEETS
"
Letters Patent dated the 29th day of November 1SS1 Numbered 5209 were
granted to the said Alfred Nind Hopkins for an invention entitled "Improvements
in coating the surface of tin-plate and other metal sheet and of articles made
therefrom" and persons interested in the present invention are referred to the
specification filed in pursuance of the conditions of the said former Letters Patent
as rendering the following specification more easily to be understood.
The object of this invention is to employ rollers having their rolling surfaces
formed of vulcanised india-rubber, or other suitable yielding material of corre-
sponding or otherwise suitable smoothness of surface, for the purpose of producing
designs or patterns upon tin-plates or other metal sheets, instead of coating the
same uniformly as described in the specification referred to.
The style of decoration which it is our chief object to effect by this invention is
that which consists of a groundwork coated with the desired material in such a
manner as to leave the surface of the metal exposed throughout the part forming
the design or pattern, the appearance being that of a groundwork inlaid with
metal. This invention may be employed however to effect a modified style of
decoration to that just described.
That the exact meaning of this specification may be clearly understood we wish
to explain that in distinguishing the parts of the decoration produced by this
invention we use the words "
pattern and " design as meaning that part only
which is distinct from the groundwork.
"
We carry our invention into effect according to two methods, by the former of
which we can coat either the pattern or the groundwork, but by the latter of
which we coat the groundwork only.
First We employ a machine operating substantially as one of the machines
described in the previous Specification before referred to, that is to say, we carry a
roller, constructed in the manner before described, in suitable bearings, and supply
the coating material consisting of Ink, Varnish, Lacquer, Japan, (or other similar
coating materials) either alone or mixed with suitable colors or stains, as desired,
to the said roller by passing under or otherwise in contact therewith, and with
sufficient pressure, a flat surface, suitably charged with the coating material, and
afterwards lay the coating material on to a tin-plate or other metal sheet to be
coated, by carrying the said tin-plate or other metal sheet on a suitable table, or
backing, and passing it, under sufficient pressure, with the surface to be coated
under or otherwise in contact with the said roller. In order however to produce
the design or pattern upon the tin-plate or other metal sheet, instead of simply
coating it over, a lithographic stone, zinc plate or other suitable equivalent for the
purpose has either the groundwork or else the pattern drawn or marked thereon
in any suitable manner practised for lithographic or similar purposes, and the
stone or plate thus prepared acts as the flat surface aforesaid for supplying coating
material to the roller. The coating material is charged on to the said stone, zinc
plate or equivalent in any suitable manner employed for lithographic or similar

page_text: purposes. As the stone, zine plate, or equivalent, is passed under or otherwise in
contact with the roller, the latter takes up therefrom either the material lying
upon the groundwork of the design (in the case of the stone or equivalent having
been prepared for the groundwork only) and deposits such material very smoothly
and evenly upon the tin plate or other metal sheet, afterwards passed under or
otherwise in contact with it, and only as the groundwork of the design or pattern,
thus leaving the pattern uncovered and producing the appearance of a metal
pattern inlaid within a groundwork of Ink, Varnish, Lacquer, Japan or other
similar coating material or materials, as aforesaid; or else the roller takes up the
material lying upon the pattern (in the case of the stone or equivalent having been
prepared for the pattern only) and deposits such material upon the tin-plate or
other metal sheet and as the pattern only, leaving a groundwork of metal; or the
material may be deposited to form the pattern or the groundwork upon a plate
or sheet previously coated in the manner described by the former Specification
referred to, or by hand, in which case the previous coating forms the groundwork
only or the pattern only as the case may be.
An ordinary lithographic machine may be employed for holding the roller and
carrying the lithographic stone or equivalent and the table for supporting the tin-
plate or other metal sheet to be decorated; or a machine may be employed in
which the roller is made to pass over or otherwise in contact with the lithographic
stone or equivalent and also over or in contact with the tin-plate or other metal
sheet to be decorated.
:-
Second We employ a roller constructed as before described, but which, in
addition thereto, has the pattern or design engraved moulded down or otherwise
sunk or recessed in its surface. The coating material, as aforesaid, and for the
groundwork only, is taken up on to the roller from a flat surface in the manner
referred to as described in the said former specification, or in any convenient
manner, or is supplied from a roller or series of rollers which are themselves charged
from a flat surface or from a hopper or bath substantially in the corresponding
manner described in the said former specification for supplying the coating
material to the plain coating roller or rollers. The roller takes up the coating
material only on to the parts of its surface which are not engraved or moulded
down or not otherwise sunk or recessed (the engraved sunk or recessed parts not
being affected by the coating material) and consequently coats the groundwork of
the design only on to the tin-plate or other metal sheet, thus producing the
appearance of a groundwork inlaid with metal. The engraved sunk or recessed
roller may be employed also to lay the groundwork material on to a tin-plate or
other metal sheet previously coated over in the manner described by the previous
specification referred to, or by hand, in which case of course the pattern or design
appears in the color and material of the previous coat
For coating with an engraved, sunk, or recessed roller, a machine similar to that
herein before first described may be employed, the flat surface charged with the
coating material for the groundwork only being of course in this case quite plain
as it does not require any design or pattern to be marked upon it; or one such
roller may be carried (for instance) as the top roller, in a machine substantially as
illustrated by the drawing accompanying the said former specification and fed from
the lower rollers in the manner therein shewn, a pressure roller being placed
above such top roller to press the tin-plate or sheet upon the recessed roller as the
plate or sheet is passed over it, or a pair of such rollers may be carried together in
a similar machine, the upper one being fed from a roller or rollers above it whilst
the lower one is fed from the roller or rollers beneath it, both sides of a plate or
sheet being thus decorated at one operation.
Tin-plates or other metal sheets ornamented in any manner as before described
are stoved in the usual manner and preferably at a high temperature, and may be
afterwards made up into articles or further ornamented or otherwise treated as
desired previously to being made up.
If the groundwork or pattern is Grst coated in varuish, size, or similarly

page_text: suitable material for the purpose, gold leaf, metal leaf, gold powder, bronze or color
may be laid on or dusted over it to give the desired effect.
The roller used according to the first modification of this invention is cleaned
with turpentine immediately after coating a tin-plate or other metal sheet, and
previously to taking up fresh material from the lithographic stone or equivalent;
but this is of course not necessary with the recessed roller used according to the
second modification described.
It will be seen that the roller employed according to either modification of this
invention may, if desired, be operated as a loose roller by hand. The employment
of such rollers however in machines as described is much to be preferred as enabling
the work to be accomplished with greater rapidity and accuracy.
Having thus stated the nature of our said invention and particularly described
and ascertained the manner of performing the same, we declare that we claim as
our invention and desire to secure by the herein-before in-part-recited letters
patent which have been granted unto us :-
:-
First Producing permanent ornamentation upon tin-plates and other metal
sheets by first taking up the coating material to form the design or the ground-
work thereof on to a roller, constructed as first described, from a lithographic stone,
zinc plate, or other suitable equivalent having the design or the groundwork
thereof drawn or marked thereon, and then printing such design or groundwork
from the roller on to the tin-plate or other metal sheet, and afterwards stoving in
the usual manner and preferably at a high temperature, substantially as herein-
before described.
:-
Second Producing permanent ornamentation upon tin-plates and other metal
sheets by first laying on the groundwork of the design by means of a roller or
rollers constructed as first-described and having in addition thereto the design or
pattern engraved moulded down or otherwise sunk or recessed therein, (thus
leaving the surface of the metal or the surface of a previous coating exposed to
form the design or pattern), and afterwards stoving in the usual manner and
preferably at a high temperature, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof I, the said Alfred Nind Hopkins, for myself and on
behalf of the said Thomas Baker and Thomas William Burt have hereunto
set my hand and seal this 8th day of December in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
Witness
STEPHEN WATKINS Assoc. M. Inst C.E.
Office for Patents
Wolverhampton.
ALFRED N HOPKINS (L.S.)