IMPROVEMENTS IN BLANKETS USED FOR PRINTING CALICOES AND OTHER FABRICS, AND IN THE MODE OF WASHING OR CLEANING THE SAME
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLANKETS USED FOR PRINTING CALICOES
AND OTHER FABRICS, AND IN THE MODE OF WASHING OR CLEANING THE SAME."
A communication from abroad by Seth W. Baker, of Providence,
Rhode Island, in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on.
the 5th October 1859.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents; 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLANKETS USED FOR PRINTING
CALICOES AND OTHER FABRICS, AND IN THE MODE OP WASHING OR CLEANING THE
SAME," to be as follows:-
The endless blankets heretofore and now commonly used in machines for
printing calicoes and other fabrics consist of a sheet or band of rubber,
having a smooth surface, and it is customary and necessary to use printing

page_text: cloths called "grays," placed between the said rubber, blanket, or band, and the
"white," or fabric to be printed, to prevent the coloring matter deposited upon
the said blanket by the printing rollers (which are wider than the piece to be
printed) from flowing back upon and blurring the edges of the "white." But
the use of these "grays" is troublesome and expensive, as they are employed
but once for this purpose, and are then bleached into "whites," and after-
wards printed, thus requiring the keeping on hand of a large stock of "grays"
and printed goods; it is, therefore, very desirable to avoid the use of the
"grays," and yet prevent the coloring matter from flowing back upon the
edges of the print, and for this reason it has often been attempted, though
unsuccessfully, to use an elastic blanket alone, without a "gray" interposed
between it and the fabric to be printed, especially as the rubber blanket
affords an elastic bearing surface to the print, and one which is peculiarly
susceptible to the action of the engraved printing rollers, thereby causing the
fabric to receive every line, even the most delicate, from the rollers with great
distinctness.
The first part of the present Invention, by which I am enabled to use an
elastic blanket, and dispense with the use of ". grays" between it and the
fabric to be printed, consists in forming a new kind of india-rubber, or gutta
percha, or other elastic blanket, having either its edges or margins or the
whole of its surface sufficiently roughened to prevent the colouring matter
received by it from the printing rollers from running or flowing back upon the
edges of the fabric being printed. This enables me also, as such a blanket can
be made without seams or joints, to avoid the bad effects produced by the
seam of the "grays" heretofore used necessarily, as herein above stated, which
consist of strips sewed together, the said seams causing an impression upon
the print. The compositions of which the improved blanket is made can, of
course, be varied, but good results may be obtained by using the following
ingredients, viz., 8 lbs. of rubber or gutta percha, 4 lbs. of zinc, lb. of
sulphur, and lb. of magnesia. These substances are to be mixed or ground
together, and the composition rolled into a sheet in any of the modes well
known by rubber manufacturers. The ends are to be united so as to form an
endless band; the sheet may then be cured or vulcanized in the usual manner.
A roughened selvage is then formed upon the blanket; the whole surface may
be roughened by any suitable means, such as by the use of emery wheels, or
in any other proper manner. The roughened surface may of course vary in its
coarseness, or it may be formed by lining or by "scoring" it, but it should be
of such a nature as to slightly absorb the coloring matter, or sufficiently to
prevent the colors from running or flowing upon the blanket.

page_text: It will be obvious that these new printing blankets may also be applied to
the printing of wall and other papers.
The second part of the improvements consists in the arrangement of suitable
apparatus by which the endless gum elastic or vulcanized india-rubber or
other bands or cloth, after passing through the printing machine and receiving
the surplus coloring matter upon them, are made to pass over rollers and other
convenient contrivance revolving in water, and thence between two smooth
squeezing rollers, one of which has a doctor or scraper attached to it. The
effect is to remove the coloring matter from the cloth while the rollers and
scrapers partially dry it, and remove from the surface any thread or lint which
may still adhere, and the band or blanket thus cleansed returns to the
printing machine in a condition to perform its portion of the work without
imperfection.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward 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 BLANKETS USED FOR PRINTING
CALICOES AND OTHER FABRICS, AND IN THE MODE OF WASHING OR CLEANING THE
SAME," being a communication from abroad by Seth W. Baker, of Providence,
Rhode Island, in the United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature

page_text: 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 William Edward 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
The endless blankets commonly used in machines for printing calicoes and
other fabrics consist of a sheet or band of caoutchouc or india-rubber having
a smooth surface, and it is customary and necessary to use printing cloths
'called "grays," placed between the said india-rubber blanket or band, and the
""white" or fabric to be printed, in order to prevent the colouring matter depo-
sited upon the said blanket by the printing rollers (which are wider than the
piece to be printed) from flowing back upon and blurring the edges of the
"white." But the use of these "grays" is troublesome and expensive, as they
are employed but once for this purpose, and are then bleached into "whites"
and afterwards printed, thus requiring the keeping on hand of a large stock of
66 grays "and printed goods. It is therefore very desirable to avoid the use of
the "
grays "and yet prevent the coloring matter from flowing back upon the
edges of the print, and for this reason it has often been attempted, though
unsuccessfully, to use an elastic blanket alone without a " gray" interposed
between it and the fabric to be printed, especially as the rubber blanket affords
an elastic bearing surface to the print and one which is peculiarly susceptible
to the action of the engraved printing rollers, thereby causing the fabric to
receive from the rollers every line (even the most delicate one) with great
distinctness.
-The first part of the present Invention by which I am enabled to use an
elastic blanket and to dispense with the use of ". grays "between it and the
fabric to be printed; consists in forming a new kind of india-rubber, or gutta
percha, or other elastic blanket, having either its edges or margins or the
whole of its surface; sufficiently roughened to prevent the colouring matter
(received by it) from the printing rollers from running or flowing back upon
the edges of the fabric which is being printed. This enables me also, as such
a blanket can be made without seams or joints, to avoid the bad effects pro-
duced by the seam of the." grays." heretofore used, and which seams cause an
impression on the print.
The compositions of which the improved blanket is made can of course be

page_text: varied, but good results may be obtained by using the following ingredients,
vizt., eight pounds of india-rubber or gutta percha, four pounds of zinc, three-
quarters of a pound of sulphur, and half a pound of magnesia. These
substances are to be mixed or ground together and the composition rolled into
a sheet in any of the modes well known by india-rubber manufacturers. The
ends are to be united so as to form an endless band, and the sheet may then
be cured or vulcanized in the usual manner. A roughened selvage is then
formed upon the blanket, or the whole surface may be roughened, by any
suitable means, such as by the use of emery wheels or in any other proper
manner.. The roughened surface may of course vary in. its coarseness, or it
may be formed by lining or by "scoring" it, but it should be of such a nature
as to slightly absorb the colouring matter or sufficiently to prevent the colors
from running or flowing upon the blanket. It will be obvious that these new
printing blankets may also be applied to the printing of wall and other
papers.
The second part of the improvements consists in the arrangement of suitable
apparatus by which the endless gum elastic, or vulcanized india-rubber or
other bands or cloth, after passing through the printing machine and receiving
the surplus coloring matter upon them, are made to pass over rollers and other
convenient contrivances revolviug in. water, and thence between two smooth
squeezing rollers, one of which has a doctor or scraper attached to it. The
effect is to remove the coloring matter from the cloth, while the rollers and
scrapers partially dry it, and remove from the surface any thread or lint which
may still adhere, and the band or blanket thus cleansed returns. to the
printing machine in a condition to perform. its portion of the work without
imperfection.
.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn one, mode of carrying out
this Invention. In Sheet I., Fig. 1 represents a top view of a portion of a
printing blanket; Figures 2 and 3 are sections of the same, showing different
forms of surface; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a printing machine with the
endless india-rubber blanket and machine for washing and cleansing the
india-rubber blanket attached thereto.
..
In Sheet II. Fig. 5 is a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 6 is a similar
view showing the india-rubber blanket passing through the machine. The
frame of, the printing machine is seen at A, and the endless india-rubber
blanket at B. This latter passes through a machine C for the purpose of
washing and cleaning it; D, D, are drying cylinders; E a screw arrangement
for adjusting the tension or strain on the blanket; F is the roll of white cloth
to be printed, and G is the printed cloth passing to the drying apparatus.

page_text: The endless gum elastic cloth or vulcanized india-rubber band or other kind
of endless blanket marked B, B, nearly encircles the cylinder H of the printing
machine; (I, I, are the engraved copper rollers.) The endless india-rubber
blanket enters the printing machine at J, passes round the cylinder H, and
becomes partially covered with the coloring matter, and this colored portion of
the band is marknd B³. In order to cleanse the endless band, it is directed
over guide rollers K, K, placed in an upper story, or at a convenient distance
from the printing machine, and near to which is a box or vessel L containing
warm or cold water; within this box or vessel is placed a number of rollers
M, M, M, smooth or covered with cloth, or with bristles or otherwise.. These
rollers are immersed about one-third their diameter, and revolve by suitable
connections with the motive power. Over these rollers the endless blanket or
cloth thus covered with coloring matter, passes for the purpose of being
cleansed. The blanket or cloth B2 leaves the water at the extremity of the
box or vessel L, (the coloring matter having been wiped off or disengaged by
the washing rollers, M.) The cloth or band B passes over and around two
pressure and drying rollers D, D, which compress and partially dry it; these
rollers are also made to revolve by means of any suitable mechanical connection
with the motive power.
In printing certain styles, or using certain kinds of colors, it is sometimes
found advantageous to place a metal scraper or doctor in close contact with
and across the gum, band, or blanket, in order to remove the threads and lint
which may adhere to it. A thin metal plate or doctor is placed in contact
with the roller N, and all threads or lint caught upon the roller in its revolu-
tion from the cloth or blanket are thus scraped from the roller at each revo-
lution, thus the blanket or cloth is washed and dried, and cleaned. This
blanket or cloth then, by appropriate rollers, returns thus prepared or cleansed
to the printing machine.
The arrows in the Drawings indicate the direction of the movement of the
apron or endless blanket during the operation of printing and washing.
Having thus described the Invention of "Improvements in Blankets used
for Printing Calicoes and other Fabrics, and in the Mode of Washing or
Cleaning the same," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and
explaining the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent as
aforesaid is,-
First, the use of an india-rubber or gutta percha, or other elastic printing
band or blanket, having either roughened selvages or margins, or the whole
of its surface roughened as herein above set forth.

page_text: Second, I claim the arrangement of machinery herein shewn and described,
or any mere modification thereof, for washing the india-rubber bands or other
endless blankets used in calico or other printing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)