Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 24th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 28th Sept., 1888
1 DAVID GILMORE of 60 High Street Belfast in the County of Antrim Ireland,
Grocer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a cheap and simple stamp and label affixor
that will not go out of order, or require any attention save to supply it, when needed,
with water or mucilage. It may be made of any suitable material, such as glass,
vulcanite or metal. It consists of a hollow handle, flat at one end so as to stand on
end when not in use; one end of this handle is inserted in a socket, and attached to
the end of this socket is a flat piece, which may be same size and shape of the stamps
or labels, for pressing upon them while being affixed. A shallow vessel containing a
pad the exact size and shape of the stamp or label is attached to the edge of this
affixing piece, and lying at a proper angle to it, that only the pad or affixing piece can
be pressed on an article at once. A tube, which holds a wick in it, is attached to the
pad vessel, and passes down the centre of the socket and handle. The wick conducts
by capillary force the water or mucilage from the handle to the pad.
When labels are of such shape or size as to render it inconvenient to have the
damping-pad and affixing-piece at the same end of the handle, the pad-vessel may be
attached at one end and the affixing-piece at the other.

page_text: I DAVID GILMORE of 60 High Street Belfast in the County of Antrim Ireland,
Grocer, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple and cheap stamp and label
affixer that will not go out of order nor require any attention save to supply it when
needed with water or mucilage.
It may be made of any suitable materials, such as glass, vulcanite or metal. It
consists of a hollow handle A, flat at one end so as to stand upright when not in use.
When the handle is made of glass--as shown in Fig. 1-or any substance not metallic,
its open end is inserted in a socket which also forms part of the handle. Attached to
the end of this socket is a flat piece E, which may be the same size and shape of the
stamps or labels, for pressing them with to affix them. A damping arrangement D,
composed of a shallow vessel containing a pad the exact shape and size of the stamps
or labels used is joined to the edge of the piece E and also to the socket and set at
such an angle to E that only the pad or affixing-piece can be pressed upon an article
at one time. One end of a tube B, which holds a wick C in it, is attached to the
pad-vessel the other end terminating near the bottom of the handle. The water or
mucilage in the handle rises by capillary attraction through the wick to the felt pad
keeping it constantly moist. When the handle A is made of metallic tube the
pad-vessel and affixing-piece may be connected to it without a socket as shown
in Fig. 3.
A feed screw attached to the end of the handle serves to supply it with water or
mucilage.
When labels are of such size or shape as to render it inconvenient to have the
damping part and affixing-piece as arranged in Figures 1 and 3, I use instead of a
flat affixing-piece a roller E attached to the pad-vessel as shown in Fig. 2.
The instrument may be greatly varied in its form without infringing the principle
of the invention. The affixing roller E' may be employed for any shape or size of
stamps or labels for those who prefer that arrangement.
The instrument is used as follows:-To affix postage or other perforated stamps ; a
row is seperated from the sheet; the damping pad of the affixer is pressed upon the
article where the stamp is to be stuck, which damps the place sufficiently; the gummed
side of the first stamp on the row is then laid on the wetted place; the affixing-piece
is then pressed upon the stamp affixing it and holding it down whilst the person tears
off the other stamps from the one affixed; or the damping pad may be rubbed over
the gummed side of the whole row, or the required number, of stamps, and the wetted
stamps can be affixed and torn off one by one as described.
When unadhesive labels are used mucilage is put into the handle instead of water
and either the label or the place where it is to be put wetted with the pad, the label

page_text: laid on and the affixing-piece E pressed upon it; or if the roller E¹be used simply
rolled over the label. E and E' may be covered with any suitable soft material. The
instrument may be used for damping the gummed parts of envelopes and wrappers
doing away with the objectionable practice of wetting with the tongue.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
:-
1. In a stamp and label affixer the combination of a hollow handle A having
attached to one end a damping arrangement D and an affixing-piece E, a tube B
holding a wick C attached at one end to D the other end terminating near the bottom
of the handle A substantially as described.
2. In a stamp and label affixer the combination of a hollow handle A having
attached at one end a damping arrangement D to which damping arrangement are
attached a tube holding a wick and an affixing roller E¹ substantially as described in
my specification and shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1888.
DAVID GILMORE.