IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF RAISED SURFACES OR BLOCKS FOR PRINTING, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Martin Shanks, of No. 31, Red Lion Square,.
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PRODUCTION OF RAISED SURFACES OR BLOCKS FOR PRINTING, AND IN THE
PREPARATION OF MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN."-Partly a communication from abroad by John Robert
Johnson, at present residing in Algeria.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Martin Shanks at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th April 1874.
I, PETER MARTIN SHANKS, of 31, Red Lion Square, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF RAISED SURFACES OR BLOCKS FOR PRINTING,
AND IN THE PREPARATION OF MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:-
-
This Invention relates to means of producing raised surfaces or, blocks
for use in ordinary letter-press printing or for colour printing of paper-

page_text: hangings, cotton, or other textile fabrics, and to the preparation of
materials and construction of apparatus employed in producing such
surfaces or blocks.
In preparing blocks for surface printing it has hitherto been usual to
produce in the first place a matrix having hollows in its surface cor-
responding to the parts which are to be raised in the block, and to use
such matrix as a mould for casting or electrotyping the block.
The hollows of the matrix have been formed in various ways, chemically
by etching, or manually by engraving, and sometimes, for a wooden
matrix, by burning with a heated tracer.
Instead of any of these methods, according to the present Invention, a
drill or conical cutter made to revolve rapidly is employed to cut out the
hollows of the matrix, its action being guided by means of apparatus
which will hereafter be described.
The material employed to form a matrix should be such as to be
capable of being moulded or cast into blocks of the required size, of
being easily and yet cleanly cut by a revolving tool, and of withstanding
the heat to which it is subjected when the printing block is cast upon
it in the manner of a stereotype.
In order to fulfil these conditions china clay or other finely divided :
earthy substance of like character may be compressed into a mould, or
a mixture of china clay with starch or powdered gum, the moulded
block being dried before engraving.
One of the most suitable materials is plaster of Paris prepared in the
following manner :-Dehydrated plaster of Paris being mixed with water
in the ordinary way is cast into a mould and allowed to set. The block
thus produced is dried in an oven, which may be heated by hot water or
steam pipes to a temperature not exceeding 200° Fahr., about 180° being
the most suitable temperature. The block when thoroughly dried is
immersed in an alcoholic solution of shellac, and when saturated with the ;
solution it is taken out, wiped, and dried in the oven. The material
thus impregnated with the resinous gum is fit to receive a clean
incision.
Other resinous gums and solvents may be employed, and mixtures of

page_text: The apparatus for engraving the matrix block consists of a moveable
table, on which the block is laid under a rapidly revolving drill or
conical cutter mounted vertically above it. The drill is raised or lowered
by a lever, screw, or other gear, so arranged that its downward move-
ment can be varied and delicately adjusted to give the desired depth of
cut, and that it can be rapidly drawn upwards out of its cut by a cam
or treadle.
It is convenient to arrange in connection with the drill an indicator,
shewing to an enlarged scale the depth of cut, which depth determines
the prominence of the corresponding part of the cast to be produced
from the matrix. It is also convenient to direct a jet of air from a fan
or other blower upon the point of the drill, so as to clear the surface of
the dust produced by the drill while cutting.
The matrix table is mounted so as to run or slide freely in one direction
on a frame or table, which is itself mounted so as to run or slide freely
in a direction at right angles thereto, whereby any part of the matrix
block can be brought under the drill. On a table near the matrix tablo
is fixed the design to be copied, and a pin projecting downwards from
the matrix table is connected in the manner of a pantograph or eidograph
with a tracing pin, which can be guided by hand along the lines of the
design. The scale of the copy can be varied by altering the proportions
of the pantograph or eidograph arms. Thus the block is moved in
accordance with the copy, so as to bring the proper parts of its surface
under the drill, which cuts the lines therein to a depth depending on the
vertical adjustment of the drill.
For greater facility in guiding the tracing point the design may be
engraved, stamped, or pointed, or sunk in gelatine or other suitable
material. On the matrix block thus prepared the printing block is
moulded, either by casting it as a stereotype, or by depositing it as an
electrotype, the surface of the matrix being in the latter case coated
with conducting material.
The preparation of printing surfaces in the manner described affords
facilities for printing music or for altering maps to shew strategical
movements or other variations of indications upon it. For printing
music, for example, a cast may be taken from some of the characters,
such as the notes, the lines, ties, and other lengthened marks being
subsequently cut. For a map to shew strategical or other variations, as,

page_text: for example, meteorological indications, a cast may be taken of the
outline map, and the varying figures or other symbols or marks can.
afterwards be cut in it. In copying such variations it is convenient to
fix the original map or design and the matrix block in correct registar
with one another. The variation of the map or design being either
drawn upon it or on a sheet of tracing paper, talc, stout gelatine, or
other sufficiently transparent substance fixed on the map or design, the
tracing point can be guided along the lines of the variation, so as to cause
the corresponding cuts on the matrix to be effected by the revolving
drill.
For producing rollers, such as those employed for printing calico the
matrix may be produced flat, as above described, and casts or stereotype
moulds from it may be bent to the cylindrical form. Or the design
being formed on a concave cylindrical surface a matrix block of corres-
ponding form may be fixed on a table, which is mounted under the drill
so that it can slide longitudinally and turn round the axis of the
cylindrical surface, and which is connected in the manner of a panto-
graph or eidograph with a tracing point. The point being then guided
along the design the drill will cut a copy upon the hollow surface of the
matrix to a scale determined by the proportions of the pantograph or
èidograph arms. In this manner portions of a cylindrical matrix may
be produced, which can be joined together so as to form a mould in
which a printing roller can be cast or electrotyped; or separate segments
of the roller surface can be cast or electrotyped on the curved matrices,
and joined together to form the complete roller.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Peter Martin Shanks in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 30th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
MARTIN SHANKS, of No. 31, Red Lion Square, in the County of Mid- 3
dlesex, send greeting.
'
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the

page_text: .
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Peter Martin Shanks,
Her special license that I, the said Peter Martin Shanks, my
exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Peter Martin Shanks, 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 THE PRODUCTION OF RAISED
SURFACES OR BLOCKS FOR PRINTING, AND IN THE PREPARATION OF MATERIALS AND
CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," the result partly of a com-
munication to me from abroad by John Robert Johnson, at present
residing in Algeria, and partly of an Invention and discovery made by
myself, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Peter
Martin Shanks, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature 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
Patcut.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter Martin Shanks, 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 thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to means of producing raised surfaces or blocks
for use in ordinary letter-press printing, or for colour printing of paper
hangings, cotton, or other textile fabrics, and to the preparation of
materials and construction of apparatus employed in producing such
surfaces or blocks.
In preparing blocks for surface printing it has hitherto been usual to
produce in the first place a matrix having hollows in its surface corres-
ponding to the parts which are to be raised in the block, and to use such
matrix as a mould for casting or electrotyping. the block.

page_text: The hollows of the matrix have been formed in various ways, chemically
by etching, or manually by engraving, and sometimes for a wooden.
matrix by burning with a heated tracer.
Instead of any of these methods, according to the present Invention,
a drill or conical cutter made to revolve rapidly is employed to cut out
the hollows of the matrix, its action being guided by means of apparatus
which will hereafter be described.
The material employed to form the matrix should be such as to be
capable of being moulded or cast into blocks of the required size, of
being easily and yet cleanly cut by a revolving tool, and of withstanding
the heat to which it is subjected when the printing block is cast upon it
in the manner of a stereotype.
In order to fulfil these conditions china clay or other finely divided
earthy substance of like character may be compressed into a mould, or a
mixture of china clay with starch or powdered gum, the moulded block
being dried before engraving.
One of the most suitable materials is plaster of Paris prepared in the
following manner :-Dehydrated plaster of Paris being mixed with water
in the ordinary way is cast into a mould and allowed to set. The block
thus produced is dried in an oven, which may be heated by hot water or
steam pipes to a temperature not exceeding 200° Fahr., about 180° being
the most suitable temperature. The block when thoroughly dried is
immersed in an alcoholic solution of shellac, and when saturated with the
solution it is taken out, wiped, and dried in the oven. The material
thus impregnated with the resinous gum is fit to receive a clean
incision.
Other resinous gums and solvents may be employed, and mixtures of
them with paraffin.
For many purposes wood, such as is used for engraving, may be
employed to constitute the matrix block.
The apparatus for engraving the matrix block consists of a moveable
table, on which the block is laid under a rapidly revolving drill or
conical cutter mounted vertically above it. The drill is raised or lowered
by a lever, screw, or other gear, so arranged that its downward move-
ment can be varied and delicately adjusted to give the desired depth of

page_text: cut, and that it can be rapidly drawn upwards out of its cut by a cam or
treadle.
It is convenient to arrange in connection with the drill an indicator,
showing to an enlarged scale the depth of cut, which depth determines
the prominence of the corresponding part of the cast to be produced
from the matrix. It is also convenient to direct a jet of air from a fan
or other blower upon the point of the drill, so as to clear the surface of
the dust produced by the drill while cutting.
The matrix table is mounted so as to run or slide freely in one direction
on a frame or table, which is itself mounted so as to run or slide freely
in a direction at right angles thereto, whereby any part of the matrix
block can be brought under the drill. On a table near the matrix table
is fixed the design to be copied, and a pin projecting downwards from
the matrix table is connected in the manner of a pantograph or eidograph
with a tracing pin, which can be guided by hand along the lines of the
design. The scale of the copy can be varied by altering the proportions
of the pantograph or eidograph arms. Thus the block is moved in
accordance with the copy, so as to bring the proper parts of its surface
under the drill, which cuts the lines therein to a depth depending on the
vertical adjustment of the drill.
For greater facility in guiding the tracing point the design may be
engraved, stamped, or pointed or sunk in gelatine or other suitable
material. On the matrix block thus prepared the printing block is
moulded, either by casting it as a stereotype, for which the fusible metal
of D'Arcet is well adapted, or by depositing it as an electrotype, the
surface of the matrix being in the latter case coated with conducting
material.
The preparation of printing surfaces in the manner described affords
facilities for printing music or for altering maps to shew strategical
movements or other variations of indications upon it. For printing
music, for example, a cast may be taken from some of the characters,
such as the lines, clefs, and other constant marks, the notes, ties, and
other varying marks being subsequently cut thereon to form the matrix.
For a map to shew strategical or other variations, as, for example,
meteorological indications, a cast may be taken of the outline map and
its standing matter, and the varying figures or other symbols or marks can
afterwards be cut in it. In copying such variations the original map or

page_text: •
.
design to be copied and the matrix block to be engraved are fixed in correct
register with one another. The variation of the map or design being
either drawn upon it or on a sheet of tracing paper, tale, stout gelatine,
or other sufficiently transparent substance fixed on the map or design,
the tracing point can be guided along the lines of the variation, so as to
cause the corresponding cuts on the matrix to be effected by the revolving
drill.
.
For producing rollers, such as those employed for printing calico, the
matrix may be produced flat, as above described, and casts or stereotype
moulds from it may be bent to the cylindrical form. Or the design
being formed on a concave cylindrical surface, a matrix block of corres-
ponding form may be fixed on a table, which is mounted under the drill
so that it can slide longitudinally and turn round the axis of the
cylindrical surface, and which is connected in the manner of a panto-
graph or eidograph with a tracing point. The point being then guided
along the design the drill will cut a copy upon the hollow surface of the
matrix to a scale determined by the proportions of the pantograph or
cidograph arms. In this manner portions of a cylindrical matrix may
be produced, which can be joined together so as to form a mould in which
a printed roller can be cast or electrotyped; or separate segments of the
roller surface can be cast or clectrotyped on the curved matrices, and
joined together to form the complete roller.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a side view, Fig. 2
an end view, and Fig. 3 a plan of an cidograph apparatus adapted for
copying a matrix to be used in the manner above described.
A is the framing of the machine supporting a table B, on which is
placed the article to be copied. C is a plate mounted on rollers crunning
in grooves, so that it can be freely moved to and fro longitudinally, and D
is another plate mounted on rollers & running in grooves, so that the
plate D can be freely moved to and fro transversely on the plate C. The
matrix to be operated on is fixed on the plate D. A lever E mounted to
oscillate horizontally on a pin e carrics at its opposite ends two equal
pullies F, F¹, connected by a strap f, which may be of thin steel or
other metal, and which, as the pullies F, F¹, do not require to be turned
more than half a revolution, may be fixed at a point to the periphery of
each. On the axis of the one pulley F is fitted a slide G, carrying a
tracing point g, which is carefully moved by hand over the outline to be

page_text: copied. The slide G can be adjusted so as to vary the radius of the
tracer g, and secured when adjusted by a setting screw. The other
pulley F¹ carries a crank pin H, which extends upwards through a long
slot in the plate C and enters a hole in the upper plate D. Several holes
are made in the lever E, and corresponding holes in the table B, so that
the pivot e may be shifted to various positions dividing the lever E.in
various proportions. The slide G being adjusted so as to make the radius
of the tracer bear the same proportion to the radius of the crank
pin Has the one arm of the lever E bears to the other arm, then it will
be found that a point 7 fixed above the plate D traces on the plate D
when it is moved by the crank pin H a figure similar to that traced
by g, the scale of the copy being determined by the proportion of the
arms of E and of the radii of g and H. On a framing K is mounted on a
lever La drill 7, driven at a rapid rate by a band or otherwise. A good
form of point for this drill is an acute triangular pyramid.. The lever L
is connected by a rod M to a lever N under the table, which can be
raised or lowered by means of a cam, eccentric, or crank n on a
spindle O, which is either turned by the hand of the operator applied to
à hand wheel o, or might be worked by a treadle. A set screw P butting
on a fixed stud serves to adjust the depth to which the drill 7 can be
made to enter the work, and another set screw p is connected to a lever
and rack gearing with a pinion on the axis of an index Q, which
shews by a visible indication a very minute variation in the depth of
cut.
It may be readily understood that the floating table or plate of the
apparatus described above instead of being guided by the eidograph
action may be moved in the manner of a slide rest by means of screws
when it is desired to engrave by the revolving drill a matrix to the same
scale as the copy, or when the outlines of the intended matrix are drawn
upon the block that is to form the matrix. And in this manner a
printing block may be formed without a preliminary matrix by applying
the revolving drill to cut out the hollows of such block, leaving the
printing surfaces standing. Or only the larger hollows of such printing
blocks may be thus cut out, the more delicate lines being separately
engraved or touched when necessary. In employing the apparatus in
this manner it is convenient to mount the two moveable plates described
on a circular rest, which may be worked by worm gearing, so as to give
a circular as well as a longitudinal and a transverse movement to the
block operated on.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, as partly communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I claim,-
First. The method substantially as herein described of preparing a
matrix for the production by casting or electrotyping thereon of a 5
printing block, the required hollows constituting the design in the
matrix being cut by a drill or revolving cutter, while the matrix itself is
guided proportionally to a tracer following a copy.
Second. The use for the materials of a matrix to be prepared in the
manner above referred to of finely divided earth substance compounded 1
or impregnated with starch, gum, or resinous matter, substantially as
herein described.
Third. The use for preparing a matrix in the manner above referred
to of apparatus consisting of a drill or revolving cutter, which can be
made to enter the matrix to an adjustable depth, in combination with a 1
table on which the matrix block is fixed, such table being guided so as to
move proportionally to a tracer following the lines of the copy, sub-
stantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Martin Shanks, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of October, in 2
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.