IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED IN THE OPERATIONS OF ENGRAVING OR ETCHING COPPER AND OTHER CYLINDERS OR SURFACES FOR CALICO PRINTING
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Edmondson, of the Firm of Edmondson Brothers,
of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engraver to Calico Printers, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED IN THE OPERATIONS
OF ENGRAVING OR ETCHING COPPER AND OTHER CYLINDERS OR SURFACES
FOR CALICO PRINTING."
Seȧled the 24th January 1879, and dated the 16th November 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left. by the said James Edmondson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th November 1878.
JAMES EDMONDSON, of the Firm of Edmondson Brothers, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engraver to Calico Printers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
USED IN THE OPERATIONS OF ENGRAVING OR ETCHING COPPER AND OTHER
CYLINDERS OR SURFACES FOR CALICO PRINTING.
The first part of my Invention consists in a machine for reducing the pattern
previously enlarged by the ordinary process and tracing it on a zinc or other
metal plate previously coated with resist varnish. This machine consists of a
tracing point which is traversed by the attendant over the enlarged pattern, and
this motion of the first tracing point is transmitted to a diamond tracer at the
opposite end of the machine. After having been reduced to the extent required by
travelling carriages actuated by inetal bands passing over pulleys of different
diameters, the diamond tracer makes the pattern on the zinc or other metal
plate, which plate is then etched and ready to be transferred to the pentagraph
machine.
This machine may be modified to produce two or more figures on the zinc plate
from one figure on the enlarged pattern, the said figures being placed in different
positions as may be required.
In this arrangement the diamond tracers are actuated by the attendant from the
tracer point by carriages and by metal bands passing around carrier pulleys, and
these bands are connected to the diamond carriers which are thus moved in opposite
directions.

page_text: Another modification consists in mounting the tracer point and the diamond
tracer on the same bar, which swivels to give the side motions and moves to and
fro on a carriage.
Another modification consists in connecting the tracer point and the diamond
tracer to the same bar as before, but this bar is supported on two carriages which
travel on antifriction rollers; two or more diamond points can be used to multiply
from one object any number required on the zinc plate.
Another modification consists in a set of levers mounted on a common centre and
jointed to each other, the tracer point being at one end and the diamond point at
the other.
The second part of my Invention consists in certain improvements upon the
pentagraph machines, for which former Letters Patent were granted to me in con-
junction with William Edmondson and Frederick William Edmondson on the 8th
day of April 1870, No. 1033, and on the 12th day of July, 1871, No. 1828.
In my present arrangement I place the large diminution pulleys below the
travelling bars instead of above them as before, by which means I reduce the height
of the machine and obtain space for a larger cylinder; I am also enabled to work
the machine with greater variety of diminutions or to the exact size of the
pattern.
Another part of my Invention consists in supporting the diamond tools on a bar
which is connected by trunnions to the ordinary diamond bar. At one or both ends
of this bar is fixed a cross piece, which when acted upon by the treadle lifts all the
diamond tools off the cylinder. The diamond holders are connected to a plate fixed
to the above bar by a screw; on the plate are two centre points fitting into holes in
the lower part of the tool holder; between the centre points is a stud fixed to the
plate, which stud fits in a slot in the bottom of the tool holder; in the stud is a slot
to receive a steel bridle resting on the curved part of the tool holder, and at the
upper part of the stud is a nut to hold the whole together.
Another part of my Invention consists in the use of two double diamond holders
acting on the same cylinder; one holder bas a diamond to act on the top of the
cylinder and another below, and the other holder acts in the same manner on the
two sides of the cylinder, all four diamonds being actuated simultaneously by the
attendant tracing from one pattern, and lifted off and lowered at the same time
by the treadle. These double holders can be applied to any single bar machine.
My Invention consists also in an improved combination of machinery for im-
parting a zig-zag motion to the diamonds when tracing lines in the circumference of
the cylinder, also to give motion to the tracing carriage to enable the attendant
to raise the diamond points and lower them according to the requirements of the
pattern. The machinery consists of a shaft at the back of the machine; this shaft
is driven by a band and pulley and toothed wheels; on the shaft is a bevel wheel
gearing into a pinion on an upright shaft on which is placed an eccentric for giving
the vibrating notion to the tool bar and from it to the diamonds. On the said back
shaft is a pinion for driving by a train of wheels the mandril on which the cylinder
is placed; this pinion also drives the tracing carriage by another train of wheels and
a rack, each train of wheels can be brought into or out of gear by a clutch box
regulated by the attendant acting on the treadle.
Another part of my Invention consists in the application of the expanding pulley
described in the Specification of the Letters Patent above referred to of the 8th day
of April 1870, No. 1033, to increase or reduce the motion of the tool bar, also in
the application of right and left handed screws to open or close the bars that carry
the tool bars.
The last part of my Invention consists in supporting each end of the mandril on
a segment vibrating from a centre, and in applying antifriction rollers to prevent
the mandril from moving laterally.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Edmondson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th May
.1879.
JAMES EDMONDSON, of the Firm of Edmondson Brothers, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engraver to Calico Printers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
USED IN THE OPERATIONS OF ENGRAVING OR ETCHING COPPER AND OTHER
CYLINDERS OR SURFACES FOR CALICO PRINTING."
My Invention consists, firstly, in machines for reducing the pattern previously
enlarged by the ordinary process and tracing it on a zinc or other metal plate pre-
viously coated with resist varnish.
My Invention consists also in certain improvements upon the pentagraph machines
for which former Letters Patent were granted to me in conjunction with William
Edmondson and Frederick William Edmondson on the 8th day of April 1870, No.
1033, and on the 12th day of July 1871, No. 1828.
Secondly. In supporting each end of the mandril of the cylinder to be engraved
on a segment vibrating from a centre, and in applying antifriction rollers to prevent
the mandril from moving laterally.
Thirdly. In supporting the diamond tools on a bar which is connected by trun-
nions to the ordinary diamond bar.
Fourthly. In the application of the expanding pulley described in the Specification
of the Patent above referred to of the 8th day of April 1870, No. 1033, to increase
or reduce the motion of the tool bars.
Fifthly. In the application of right and left handed screws to open or close the
bars that carry the tool bars.
Sixthly. In an improved combination of machinery for imparting a zig-zag
motion to the diamonds when tracing lines on the circumference of the cylinder,
and,
Lastly. In the use of twe double diamond holders acting on the same cylinder.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood I will proceed to
describe the accompanying five Sheets of Drawings.
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a view from the back; and Fig. 3, a
plan of a machine for reducing patterns for the use of calico printers. a is a tracing
point which is moved by the attendant over the enlarged pattern to be reduced.
This tracing point is hinged to the longitudinal bar b, which is secured to the cross
bars b' and 6, the ends of which are secured to the slide bars 63, 63; these bars form
the top carriage and they run on antifriction rollers as in ordinary pentagraph
machines, and the centre barb runs on rollers 65, connected to the cross bar 6. The
top carriage is connected by steel bands to the large pulleys c and d, to the axles of
which are fixed the smaller pulleys c¹ and d³, which are connected by steel bands to the
lower carriage consisting of the two longitudinal bars e, e, and the cross bars e¹ and e², to
the latter of which the diamond tracer f is jointed; this tracer acts on a zinc or other
metal plate previously prepared with resist varnish, and it is lifted off its work by the
counter-weights g, on the treadle levers g', which are connected by the links g² to the
double levers g; to the upper arms of these levers are jointed the inner ends of the
rods g, the outer ends of which are jointed to the levers go. Above the rods g' is
a cross shaft es, supporting antifriction rollers which run on the rods g, and this
cross shaft es is connected to the cross bar e² of the lower carriage. As long as the
machine is at work the attendant keeps the treadle down, but as soon as the treadle
is released the diamond tracer f is raised by the action of the weights g. The lon-
gitudinal motion of the tracer point a, after being reduced to the required extent
by the pulleys c and d, is transmitted to the diamond tracer f, and the traversing

page_text: motion is obtained by the bar b acting on the flanges of the friction rollers bo, and
the cross bar 64, to which are connected the ends of the metal bands acting on the
pulley c', which traversing motion is reduced by the pulley d', and the metal bands
passing around it.
The pulleys c, c', and d, d', are shewn in the Drawing in the proportion of two
to one, and consequently the pattern etched by the diamond tracer on the zinc or
other metal plate is one half of the size of the original pattern over which the
tracing point a is moved by the attendant. It is however evident that by varying
the relative proportions of the pulleys c, c', and d, d', the pattern can be reduced to
a greater or less extent. If the pattern does not require to be reduced the band
pulleys are not required, and the diamond tracer f is then secured in the slotted
bracket bo at the end of the bar b.
The zinc or other metal plate with the reduced or other pattern upon it is then
etched, and is then ready to be transferred to the pentagraph machine.
Fig. 4 is an elevation, Fig. 5 a plan, and Fig. 6 a front view of part of a machine
for transferring or reducing and multiplying patterns. In these views bs are the
slide bars forming part of the top carriage, and e² is a cross bar forming part of the
lower carriage, as described in reference to the previous Figures; e is an additional
cross bar. To the cross bar e² are hinged three or other convenient number of
diamond tracers f, and to the cross bar e³ are hinged a corresponding number of
diamond tracers f¹.
To the slide bars 63 are fixed the studs for the pulleys h, which are connected by
metal bands to the cross bars e² and e¹. By this arrangement when the bar e with
its diamond tracer is moved in one direction a corresponding motion in the opposite
direction is communicated to the bar e and its diamond tracers. The apparatus for
lifting the diamond tracers when the machine is not at work is similar to that
shewn in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
On Sheet 2, Fig. 7 is an elevation and Fig. 8 a plan of another modification of the
machine shewn in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. In this arrangement the tracer point a is
hinged to the slide bar b, which travels on antifriction rollers mounted in the cross
bars b' and 62; these cross bars travel on antifriction rollers mounted on the transverse
rails c¹ and c. At the other end of the slide bar b one or more diamond points
are attached to multiply from one object any number required on the zine plate.
To the under side of the slide bar b is attached an inclined bar 66, the object of
which is to lift the diamond points when the treadle gl' is depressed. The inclination
of the bar be causes the diamond points to be lifted to the same extent in all positions
of the slide bar. In this arrangement the pattern produced on the zinc plate is of
the same size as the original pattern.
Fig. 9 is an end view, and on Sheet 3 Fig. 10 is a back view and Fig. 11 a plan
of a pentagraph machine constructed partly in the ordinary manner and partly in
the manner described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me in con-
junction with William Edmondson and Frederick William Edmondson on the 8th
day of April 1870, No. 1033, and on the 12th day of July 1871, No. 1828, to which
my present improvements are applied. a, a, are the frame sides; b, the table sup-
porting the design; c, the cylinder to be etched or. engraved, mounted on the
mandril c; these parts are made as usual.
The ends of the mandril are supported on the segments or quadrants h vibrating
from the centres h', and they are prevented from moving laterally by the antifriction
rollers h².
The tool holders d are fixed to the tool bars e, which rest on trunnions fixed to
the lower bars e', which travel upon antifriction bowls e², supported by the rails f.
The object of these trunnions is to enable the tool holders to be adjusted to their
proper position before being placed upon the machine, thereby economising
time.
At one or both ends of the tool bars c is fixed a cross piece e³, in which are
adjusting screws e¹. These screws are acted upon by the beaters g, which are raised

page_text: and lowered by levers and rods connected to the ordinary treadle. By this means
all the diamond tools are lifted off the cylinder when required.
The diamond holders shewn detached in Fig. 12 are connected to the plate es
fixed to the tool bar e, and on this plate are two centre points fitting into holes in
the lower part of the tool holder d. Between the centre points is a stud fixed to
the plate e, which stud fits in a slot in the bottom of the tool holder d. In the stud
is a slot to receive the steel bridle e resting on the curved part of the tool holder, and
at the upper part of the stud is a nut to hold the whole together. The cross rail j
and the side travellers j¹ are connected by screws and supported by antifriction
rollers in the ordinary manner, and the large diminution pulley is placed below
the side travellers j¹ instead of above them as heretofore customary, to reduce the
height of the machine, and to obtain space for a larger cylinder.
This improved arrangement also enables me to work the machine with greater
variety of diminutions or to the exact size of the pattern.
The tool bars e and e¹ are traversed to and fro in the following manner:-The
tracer is attached to the end of the slide bar m travelling on antifriction rollers on
the central transverse bar m³, which imparts by steel bands motion to the large
diminution pulley k, to the axle of which is fixed the smaller pulley . This pulley
by means of a band drives the pulley ², see Fig. 9, and on the axle of the pulley k²
is fixed the expanding pulley ³, which is constructed in the manner described in
the Specification of the Letters Patent above referred to, and dated the 8th day of
April 1870, No. 1033. The steel bands from the expansion pulley are connected to
the brackets e fixed to the tool bars e', thus imparting the requisite lateral to and.
fro motion to the diamond tools, and the rotary motion is imparted to the cylinder
by the action of the side travellers j¹ before described. The slide bar m is screwed
to the traveller bar m², which is supported on antifriction rollers bearing upon the
cross rail j. The rails are moved nearer together or further apart by the right
and left handed screws n. By this means the rails are moved simultaneously, thus
facilitating the setting of the diamond tools to the size of the cylinder to be
engraved.
The machine above described is more convenient to work, affords greater facility
for changing the pattern, and is less costly than any machine possessing the same
advantages at present in use.
On Sheet 4 Fig. 13 is an elevation, Fig. 14 a plan, and Fig. 15 an end. elevation ;
and Figs. 16 and 17 are detached views of an improved machine for imparting a to
and fro motion to the diamond tools which, combined with the rotary motion of the
cylinder, produces the requisite zig-zag lines of the pattern on the cylinder c, the
tool holders d are supported on the bar e which moves to and fro on antifriction
rollers on the bar e', which travels on antifriction rollers on the rail f. The square
shaft o is supported in centre points, and is driven by a band passing around the
pulley P; to this pulley is fixed a friction cone fitting in a friction box p¹, to which
is fixed the toothed wheel p² gearing into the wheel o² on the shaft o.
wheel o' slides on the shaft o, and gears into a pinion fixed on the axle of the
eccentric q, which in revolving acts on antifriction bowls supported in the bracket
q' fixed to the tool bar e. The axle of the eccentric is mounted in the bracket q²
attached to the bar e'. As the eccentric revolves, it imparts the requisite to and
fro motion to the diamond tools.
The bevel
At the end of the square shaft o is the spur pinion o³ which gives motion to a
train of wheels, the last of which is fixed on the shaft r, which is also supported on
centres. To the shaft r is fixed the rack pinion r³, gearing into the racks which is
attached to the side traveller j' connected to the slide bar m to which the tracer is
hinged.
+
On the shaft is another pinion 2, which by a train of wheels imparts the
requisite rotary motion to the mandril of the cylinder c, and to the shaft r is also
fixed the friction clutch box, the cone of which is acted upon by the levert con-
nected by bands to the treadle.

page_text: .
The friction cone connected to the band pulley p is acted upon by the lever u,
mounted on the shaft u', on which is the balance lever u² connected by bands to
the treadle.
The mode of operation is as follows:-When the operator depresses the treadle,
the lovers t and u put their respective friction cones into gear, thereby imparting
the to and fro motion to the diamond tools and the rotary motion to the cylinder;
these motions continue until the attendant releases the treadle, the time for lifting
the treadle depending upon the pattern that is being traced on the cylinder.
On Sheet 5, Figs. 18, 19, 20, and 21, represent my improved arrangement of
compound diamond holders for tracing the patterns on four parts of the cylinder at
the same time. In Figs. 18 and 19 d are the tool holders fixed to a tool bar as
usual, the bracket d' is hinged to d, and the diamond point is fixed to the segment
d. To a prolongation of the holder d is fixed the bracket d³, to which the segment
d holding the other diamond point is hinged.
In the bracket d' is the regulating screw do, the tail end of which is raised or
lowered by the treadle bar d When the screw d5 is raised or lowered, the small
screw d' acts on the projection from the segment d*, and moves the diamond point
simultaneously to or from the cylinder.
In Figs. 20 and 21, the tool holders d are fixed to a tool bar as before, the
brackets d' are fixed to the holder d, and the diamond points are fixed in the
segment d² and flat bar d, the regulating screw do passes in this case through the
bar d¹.
When the treadle is raised or lowered, the treadle bar acting on the screw d³
moves the diamond points either to or from the cylinder as before described, the
spindle ds with its adjusting screw forming the connection between d² and d. The
brackets d' can be raised or lowered according to the size of the cylinder to be
engraved. The tool holders above described may be fixed to the same tool bar or
to separate tool bars.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner of
performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
Firstly. The machinery shewn and described in reference to Figs. 1 to 8, for
reducing or copying and multiplying the pattern previously enlarged, and tracing it
or them on a zinc or other plate.
Secondly. Supporting the ends of the mandril of the cylinder to be engraved on
segments, and retaining the same laterally by antifriction rollers, as shewn and
described in reference to Figs. 9, 10, and 11.
Thirdly. Supporting the diamond tools on a bar connected by trunnions to the
ordinary diamond bar, as shewn and described.
Fourthly. The improved apparatus shewn and described for lifting the diamond
tools off the cylinder.
Fifthly. The improved diamond holders shewn and described in reference to
Fig. 12.
Sixthly. Placing the large diminution pulleys below the traveller bars instead of
above them as heretofore customary, as and for the purposes described.
Seventhly. The application of the expanding pulley described in the Patent of
the 8th day of May 1870, No. 1033, to increase or reduce the motion of the
diamond tool bars, as shewn and described.
Eighthly. The application of right and left handed screws for setting the tool
bars, as shewn and described.
Ninthly. The improved combination of machinery for imparting a zig-zag motion
to the diamond tools, as shewn and described in reference to Figs. 13, 14, 15, 16,
and 17, and,
Lastly. The use of two double diamond tool holders acting simultaneously on the

page_text: cylinder, and the improved mode of constructing the same as shewn and described
in reference to Figs. 18, 19, 20, and 21.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Edmondson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of May, One thousand eight hundred
and seventy nine.
JAMES EDMONDSON. (L.S.)