IMPROVEMENTS IN STEREOTYPING APPARATUS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Harrild, of the Firm of Harrild and Sons, of
Fleet Works, Farringdon Street, in the City of London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEREOTYPING APPARATUS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Harrild at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st November 1881.
FREDERICK HARRILD, of the Firm of Harrild and Sons, of Fleet Works,
Farringdon Street, in the City of London. " IMPROVEMENTS IN STEREOTYPING
APPARATUS."
My Invention has reference to apparatus for casting type-high cored stereotype
plates to any desired size, and news columns to any desired width and length;
and the object of the first part of my Invention is to construct the apparatus so
that it can be readily adjusted or regulated to any required width of casting
without the objections inherent in type-high stereotyping apparatus as hitherto
constructed, that is to say, without bringing the weight of the gauge greatly to
one side, without the gauge projecting in an inconvenient manner, and without
exposing any adjusting screw holes which have to be filled up with plaster of Paris
or other cement. This part of my Invention mainly consists in the employment
of a reversible bottom bar, that is to say, of a bar which is formed with screw holes
on two opposite faces, and which can be reversed so as to bring, according to the
size of the casting, either the one or the other of these faces into position for
adjustable side gauges to be screwed against it. The two screw holes on the one
face of the bar are nearer together than those on the other face, the former being
for narrow castings and the latter for wide castings, the gauges being adjusted to
the exact width required. These two. gauges being moved to equal or nearly equal
distances from the centre of the apparatus the weight is balanced, which is a great
convenience when the parts have to be lifted over the matrix, and neither gauge
projects to an inconvenient extent. The two faces of the bottom bar have each a
flange for the core bars to rest upon, the thickness of these flanges being about
equal to a "pica." The upper ends of the gauges are secured by a top bar and
screws.
"

page_text: Another part of my Invention has reference to the core bars. Hitherto these
bars have been made of iron, and they have been found to chill the molten metal
and therefore to produce imperfect castings, and they are also liable to warp in
cooling, the result being that when used again they form hollow castings. Now I
make the core bars of well seasoned wood, and by preference of beech wood.
These wooden bars warp by reason of the under heat from the casting box or hot
metal, but the warping is always upwards, that is to say, the bars become convex
on the upper surface. I have found however by experiment that the wood retains
or possesses sufficient elasticity to allow it to be forced into the straight position
by the pressure of the lid of the casting box when screwed up as usual before the
metal is run in. This warping keeps each bar firmly pressed against the lid, and
thus prevents the metal getting between the bars and lid, which is a great fault
of the iron coro bars hitherto used. The wooden bars have the further advantage
that they do not chill the metal. I make these bars of various widths, so that
they can be readily accommodated to any width of casting, and their thickness is
about a pica less than type-height, except at the upper ends, which rest on the
bottom of the box, and are exactly type high.
When the side gauges have been adjusted and then placed over the matrix in
the usual way, the necessary number of the wooden bars are placed between the
gauges, convex sido uppermost, their lower ends resting on the flange of the
bottom bar; between the wooden bars are placed reglets of pica or other desired
size.
After the apparatus has been screwed up ready for casting these reglets are
withdrawn, and thus leave spaces between the bars, so that when the molten
metal is run in it fills these spaces and forms the type-high feet to the stereotype
plate.
Sometimes instead of using reglets I form the wooden bars with shoulders or
side projections to keep them at the necessary distance apart.
My Invention enables mo to make stereotyping apparatus at a very much less
cost than hitherto,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick Harrild in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th May 1882.
FREDERICK HARRILD, of the Firm of Harrild and Sons, of Fleet Works,
Farringdon Street, in the City of London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEREOTYPING
APPARATUS."
My Invention has reference to apparatus for casting type high cored stereotypo
plates to any desired size, and news columns to any desired width and length; and
the object of the first part of my Invention is to construct the apparatus so that
it can be readily adjusted or regulated to any required width of casting without the
objections inherent in type high stereotyping apparatus as hitherto constructed,
that is to say, without bringing the weight of the gauge greatly to one side,
without the gauge projecting in an inconvenient manner, and without exposing any
adjusting screw holes which have to be filled up with plaster of Paris or other
cement. This part of my Invention mainly consists in the employment of a
reversible bottom bar, that is to say, of a bar which is formed with screw holes on
two opposite faces, and which can be reversed so as to bring, according to the size
of the casting, either the one or the other of these faces into position for adjustable
side gauges to be screwed against it. The two screw holes on the one face of the
bar are nearer together than those on the other face, the former being for narrow
castings and the latter for wide castings, the gauges being adjusted to the exact
width required. These two gauges being moved to equal or nearly equal distances
from the centre of the apparatus, the weight is balanced, which is a great con-
venience when the parts have to be lifted over the matrix, and neither gauge
projects to an inconvenient extent. The two faces of the bottom bar have each a
Bange for the core bars to rest upon, the thickness of these flanges being about
equal to a "pica." The upper ends of the gauges are secured by a top bar and
screws.
Another part of my Invention has reference to the core bars. Hitherto these
bars have been made of iron, and they have been found to chill the molten metal
and therefore to produce imperfect castings; and they are also liable to warp in
cooling, the result being that when used again they form hollow castings. Now I
make the core bars of well seasoned wood, and by preference of beech wood. These
wooden bars warp by reason of the under heat from the casting box or hot metal;
but the warping is always upwards, that is to say, the bars become convex on the
upper surface. I have found however by experiment that the wood retains or
possesses sufficient elasticity to allow it to be forced into the straight position by
the pressure of the lid of the casting box when screwed up as usual before the
metal is run in. This warping keeps each bur firmly pressed against the lid, and
thus prevents the metal getting between the burs and lid, which is a great fault of
the iron core bars hitherto used. The wooden bars have the further advantage
that they do not chill the metal. I make these bars of various widths, so that
they can be readily accommodated to any width of casting, and their thickness is
about a pica less than type height, except at the upper ends, which rest on the
bottom of the box and are exactly type high.
When the side gauges have been adjusted, and then placed over the matrix in
the usual way, the necessary number of the wooden bars are placed between the
gauges convex side uppermost, their lower ends resting on the flange of the bottom
bar; between the wooden bars are placed reglets of pica, or other desired size.
After the apparatus has been screwed up ready for casting these reglets are with-
drawn, and thus leave spaces between the bars, so that when the molten metal

page_text: is run in it fills these spaces and forms the typo high feet for the stereotype
plate.
Sometimes instead of using reglets I form the wooden bars with shoulders or
side projections to keep them at the necessary distance apart.
My Invention enables me to make stereotyping apparatus at a very much less
cost than hitherto.
The accompanying Drawings illustrate my Invention. Figure 1 is a view of
the underside of the apparatus without the casting box, Figure 2 is a side view,
and Figure 3 a section on the line 1-1 of Figure 1. a is the reversible bottom
bar formed, as before described, with screw holes on two opposite faces, b, b, being
the screw holes on the one face, and c, c, those on the other face; the holes b, b,
are nearer together than those c, c, for the purpose already explained. Each of
these faces of the bar a las a flange d, d, for the core bars to rest upon, the
thickness of these flanges being about a pica; e, e, are the two gauges, which are
adjusted to the exact width required by means of the slots f. f, and screws g,g.
The upper ends of the gauges are secured by a top bar h and screws i, i; k, k, are
, the core bars. They may be made of iron as usual, and as seen in Figures 1, 2,
and 3; but according to the second part of my Invention I make them of well
seasoned wood for the purposes already herein explained. The thickness of these
core bars, whether of iron or wood, is about a pica less than type height. When
made of iron, as in Figures 1, 2, and 3, they may rest at their upper ends upon the
bar; when made of wood I prefer to make their upper ends of a thickness
exactly equal to type height, so that they may rest upon the bottom of the casting
box. Figures 4, 5, 6, are views of one of these wooden core bars. K¹ is the
thicker portion at their upper ends, exactly equal to type height. I chamfer or
bevel the edges as shown. 1, 1, Figures 1, 2, and 3, are reglets placed between the
core bars; these reglets are withdrawn after the apparatus has been screwed up
ready for casting so as to leave spaces between the core bars, as already
explained.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my improvements in
stereotyping apparatus,―
First. The reversible bottom bar, constructed substantially in the manner and
for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Second. Making the core bars of wood, as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Harrild, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of May, One thousand eight hundred
and eighty two.
FREDERICK HARRILD. (L.S.)
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