A MACHINE FOR CASTING OR FOUNDING TYPES, LETTERS, AND ORNAMENTS USUALLY MADE USE OF IN PRINTING
Year: 1806

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTHONY
FRANCIS BERTE, of the Parish of Saint Dunstan in the West, in the City of
London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-ninth
day of April, in the forty-sixth year of His reign, give and grant unto me,
the said Anthony Francis Berte, my exors, admors, and assigns, His especial
licence that I, the said Anthony Francis Berte, my exors, adiñors, and assigns,
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, an Invention of "A MACHINE FOR CASTING OR FOUNDING TYPES, LETTERS,
AND ORNAMENTS USUALLY MADE USE OF IN PRINTING;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Anthony Francis
Berte, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to cause `a
particular description of the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months after the date of the said recited.
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, may more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Anthony Francis Berte, do hereby declare that the said Invention is described
in manner following, that is to say:-

page_text: I do construct a vessel of iron, or other fit material for containing type
metal in the fused state, or for bringing it into fusion and keeping it at the
proper heat for casting, and I do make in the side or sides of the said vessel
one or more apertures, out of which the fluid type metal is suffered to
flow at the time of casting. The operation of casting is performed by applying
a mould for casting letters on types, either singly or more than one at the
same time, or other articles for printers' use into one of the said apertures,
which at that instant, by means of a lock or valve, or any other well-known
similar contrivance, is opened, in consequence of which the metal suddenly
flows into the mould, and applies itself to the matrix or matrixes with a force,
which is greater or less according to the height of the level surface of the
type metal in the vessel first before mentioned, according to the magnitude of
such additional pressure, as may be applied in the manner herein-after to be
described. And I do further declare, that though the said aperture or aper-
tures may be made on any side of the vessel, that is to say, at top or bottom,
or elsewhere, yet I do give the preference to a surface or face which shall be
nearly horizontal, so that the fluid metal shall spout upwards into the mould.
And I do prefer as the most simple and easy method, that each aperture shall
be kept closed by a plate of metal lying upon the said horizontal surface, and
well fitted thereto. And that I do make and fashion the lower part of my
mould flat and true, in order that the same may be applied in like manner,
and slided along upon the said horizontal surface. And that I do slide the
said mould by pushing the same against the said flat plate until the plate
shall become displaced, and the aperture of the mould shall become directly
opposite the aperture in the vessel, and shall accordingly receive its charge of
metal, after which; the mould being again drawn back, the plate of metal, by
the
means of a weight or spring, or other well-known agent suitable to purpose,
is made to follow the mould, and close the aperture by resuming its first situa-
tion; and in order that the said motions and effects may be performed and
duced without any particular skill or attention in the workman, I do make and
apply guides, sliders, stops, or pins for confining, directing, and limiting the
said motions, as will be sufficiently obvious and intelligible to artists employed
in works of this nature. And, moreover, in order that the said fluid metal may
rise with sufficient force into the mould, I do make my vessel of such a figure
as that the quantity of type metal intended to be contained therein at any one
time shall have its upper surface sufficiently high above the level of the aper-
ture or apertures before mentioned. And that I do, in preference, form my
vessel of the figure of a box, or closed receptacle having a pipe or tube rising
out of the same, so that the pressure afforded by the statical action of the metal
pro-

page_text: in the said pipe or tube, shall produce the desired effect at the aperture or
place of casting. Or otherwise, I produce or increase the said pressure by the
statical action of water, or any other fluid, which may be used by the well-
known means to compress a body of air against the surface of the type metal
for the purposes aforesaid. And the said machines, consisting of vessels so
fitted up, together with the moulds and other parts respectively as before
described, may be used by one or more workmen to cast different letters and
sorts at the same time from the same mass of metal; but in case different
metallic mixtures should be required to be used, or in case local circumstances
should render it needful that the workmen should be considerably distant from
each other, recourse must then be had to a number of distinct and separate
machines of my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Anthony Francis Berte, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year