AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRINTING PROM METAL INTAGLIOS (OBTAINED BY THE AID OF PHOTOGRAPHY) IN GELATINOUS OR OTHER SEMI-TRANSPARENT INK
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Bentley Woodbury, of Rusholme, near
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRINTING PROM METAL
INTAGLIOS (OBTAINED BY THE AID OF PHOTOGRAPHY) IN GELATINOUS OR OTHER
SEMI-TRANSPARENT INK."
Scaled the 22nd January 1867, and dated the 24th July 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Bentley Woodbury
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th July 1866.
I, WALTER BENTLEY WOODBURY, of Rusholme, near Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRINTING FROM METAL
INTAGLIOS (OBTAINED BY THE AID OF PHOTOGRAPHY) IN GELATINOUS OR OTHER SEMI-
TRANSPARENT INK," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a method of and apparatus for rendering con-
tinuous and automatic the process of printing from metallic moulds or intaglios
obtained by the aid of photography according to the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to me, and bearing date the 23rd day of September 1864,
No. 2338, or in any other analogous manner.

page_text: I first provide a wrought-iron or other hard metal shaft having its ends
turned truc, and with its central portion of a hexagonal, polygonal, or other section
(not being cylindrical); round this central portion I cast a cylinder of soft
metal, either composed of lead alone or slightly hardened by combination with
another metal or alloy, and I then turn this roller so obtained to a perfectly
smooth and true cylindrical surface; I then mount this roller in a machine
similar to a rolling press, having a sliding table traversing beneath the said
roller, and I adjust the roller accurately to the surface of the said table by
means of screws fitted to the bearings in which the journals of the soft metal
roller turn. The gelatine relief or reliefs (obtained by the aid of photography
as above mentioned) is (or are) now placed on the table of the machine and
its edge passed under the roller; motion is now imparted to the latter by
means of a winch handle and spur gearing, and the plate holding the gelatino
relief or reliefs will be thereby drawn through the machine between the roller
and the table, an exact counterpart (or intaglio) of the gelatine being im-
pressed or indented into the cylindrical surface of the soft metal roller, tha
amount of pressure being regulated by the screws above named. The indented
söft metal cylinder thus produced is now ready for use and forms the principal
feature of the printing machino hereafter described.
This machine is constructed as follows:-Two side standards or frames
connected together by tie rods support in suitable bearings the indented soft
metal cylinder above named. The paper upon which the impressions are
to be made and which is in a continuous length is made to pass slowly round
part of the circumference of the said cylinder by means of a slow revolving
motion imparted to the latter by spur gearing, being kept in contact with the
said cylinder by means of two, three, or more rollers placed round that part
of the circumference of the cylinder and adjusted to and pressed against the
same by screw bearings. The gelatinous or other semi-transparent ink is fed
in between the paper and the cylinder at their point of first contact by means
of a hopper placed above, in which the ink is kept at the proper state of
fluidity by means of a steam or hot-water pipe passing either coiled or other-
wise through the hopper. The rollers which press the paper against the
printing cylinder may be made of any suitable material, but I prefer to mako
them of glass tubing with a steel or wrought-iron mandrel connected therein,
the whole being then ground to a perfectly true surface and polished in a
lathe. In some instances I also propose to employ an endless band of thin
metal passing between the rollers and the back of the paper and travelling
forwards therewith, passing back round a tension roller having screw bearings
to adjust and keep the endless band at the proper tension.

page_text: I may here observe that it will be obvious that the soft metal roller may.
(if preferred) be made of hexagonal or other polyliedral form instead of
cylindrical (cach face to receive one impression), slight variations only being
necessary in the arrangement of the machine which will be readily under-
stood by any competent mechanic. I would also remark that although I have
mentioned principally a gelatinous ink, a semi-transparent fatty ink may be
used for this purpose, in which case it is necessary to keep the printing roller
moistened with a mixture of water and glycerine. The paper is prepared with
any well-known agent which will make it non-absorbent of grease, and the
fatty ink is spread evenly over the whole surface. The paper thus prepared
is passed through the machine in contact with the printing roller which will
leave the ink on the shades and squeeze it out of the lights.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patcut,
filed by the said Walter Bentley Woodbury in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd January 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WALTER
BENTLEY WOODBURY, of Rusholme, near Manchester, in the County.of.
Lancaster, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Walter Bentley Woodbury, Her special licence that I, the said Walter
Bentley Woodbury, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Walter Bentley Woodbury, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no othiers, 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
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRINTING FROM METAL INTAGLIOS
(OBTAINED BY THE AID OF PHOTOGRAPHY) IN GELATINOUS OR OTHER SEMI-TRANSPARENT
INK," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Walter Bentley
Woodbury, 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 Scal

page_text: Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Walter Bentley Woodbury, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheet of
-Drawings, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to a method of and apparatus for rendering con-
tinuous and automatic the process of printing from metallic moulds or intaglios
obtained by the aid of photography according to the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to me, and bearing date the 23rd day of September 1864,
No. 2338, or in any other analogous manner.
I first provide a wrought-iron or other hard metal shaft having its ends
turned true and with its central portion of a hexagonal, polygonal, or other
section (not being cylindrical), or if a cylindrical form be used the surface must
be jagged or corrugated; round this central portion I cast a cylinder of soft
metal, either composed of lead alone or slightly hardened by combination
with another metal or alloy, and I then turn this roller so obtained to a
perfectly smooth and true cylindrical surface; I then mount this roller in a
machine similar to a rolling press, having a sliding table traversing beneath
the said roller, and I adjust the roller accurately to the surface of the said
table by means of screws fitted to the bearings in which the journals of the
soft metal roller turn. The gelatine relief or reliefs (obtained by the aid of
photography as above mentioned) is (or are) now placed on the table of the
machine and its edge passed under the roller; motion is now imparted to
the latter by means of a winch handle and spur gearing, and tho plato holding
the gelatine relief or reliefs will be thereby drawn through the machine
between the roller and the table, an exact counterpart (or intaglio) of the
gelatine being impressed or indented into the cylindrical surface of the soft
metal roller, the amount of pressure being regulated by the screws above named.
A steel roller working perfectly true with the soft metal roller may be employed
in place of the sliding table for this purpose. If only one gelatine relief is
used it is passed through as many times as the circumference of the soft metal
cylinder will admit of the relief being impressed. The indented soft metal
cylinder thus produced is now ready for use and forms the principal feature of
the printing machine hereafter described.
This machine is constructed as follows:-To side standards or frames con-
nected together by tie rods support in suitable bearings the indented soft metal
cylinder above named. The paper upon which the impressions arc to be

page_text: made, and which is in a continuous length, is made to pass slowly round part
of the circumference of the said cylinder by means of a slow revolving motion
imparted to the latter by spur gearing, being kept in contact with the said
cylinder by means of one, two, three, or more rollers placed round that part
of the circumference of the cylinder and adjusted to and pressed against the
same by screw bearings. The gelatinous or other semi-transparent ink is fed
in between the paper and the cylinder at their point of first contact by means
of a hopper placed above, in which the ink is kept at the proper state of
fluidity by means of a steam or hot-water pipe passing either coiled or other-
wise through the hopper, or by a steam jacket surrounding the same. The
rollers which press the paper against the printing cylinder may be made of
any suitable material, but I prefer to make them of glass tubing with a steel
or wrought-iron mandrel cemented therein, the whole being then ground to a
perfectly true surface and polished in a lathe. In some instances I also
propose to employ an endless band of thin metal passing between the rollers
and the back of the paper and travelling forwards therewith, passing back
round a tension roller, having screw bearings to adjust and keep the ondless
band at the proper tension.
I may further observe that by a slight modification in the form of the
printing press the first-described machine may be dispensed with and the
soft metal roller be impressed by the gelatine relief in the printing machine
itself; and the same machine may also be employed for giving the requisite
smooth surface to the paper to be printed on by simply substituting
pólished steel roller for the soft metal cylinder. I would also remark that
although I have mentioned principally a gelatinous ink, a semi-transparent
fatty ink may be used for this purpose, in which case I take any suitable
transparent oil color and by the addition of mastic soap and beeswax I give
to the color a solid plastic nature of, the consistency of butter, which when
once pressed into any shape will remain in that form, not being suffi-
ciently fluid to loose its shape when once moulded. The paper is prepared
with any well-known agent which will render it non-absorbent of grease, and
the composition is by any ordinary means spread evenly over the whole surface;
previously to its entering between the rollers, the soft metal roller being.kept
damp so as to repel the fatty ink after giving it the impression, a cloth or
felt covered roller supplied with moisture being placed in contact with the
soft metal cylinder for that purpose. By passing sheets of glass, gelatine, or
mica coated with the same composition between the two rollers transparencies
for various uses may be printed with equal facility. Another way of printing
with this fatty ink or composition is to allow the soft metal cylinder to revolve

page_text: in contact therewith and thus to fill its indentations with the composition,
which is then perfectly levelled on the surface by passing a roller or scraper,
and the soft metal cylinder then transfers the composition on to the paper
which passes between it and a cloth covered, or other roller. An ordinary
water color ink may also be employed for taking the impressions in this machine
by mixing the water color with starch, arrowroot, or other suitable material
to give it a plastic consistency; it is then spread evenly over the paper and
pressed between the rollers.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "An Improved
method of and Apparatus for Printing from Metal Intaglios (obtained by the
Aid of Photography) in Gelatinous or other Semi-transparent Ink," I will now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or
may be performed or carried into practical effect; and in order that the same
may be distinctly understood. I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings
illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof, that.
is to say:-
The annexed Drawings illustrate, for the sake of example, a rolling machine
for indenting the soft metal cylinders, and a printing machine for producing
impressions from the indented soft metal cylinders in gelatinous ink, and I
may here remark that although I have only shown these two machines for the
sake of illustrating my Invention I do not intend to confine myself to the
precise details therein set forth, as the various modifications necessary to adapt
the machines to the different processes above described will readily suggest
themselves to any competent mechanic.
A side view of the rolling machine is represented at Figure 1 in the
annexed Drawing, a, a, being the framework, and b, b, a wrought-iron or steel
shaft or core of a hexagonal form with its ends or journals c, c, supported in
suitable bearings and turned perfectly true; d, d, is a cylinder of soft metal
or alloy cast or otherwise formed or fixed upon the hexagonal shaft or core
b, b, and turned to a perfectly truc cylindrical surface; e, e, is a sliding table
running upon rollers f, f, and having a perfectly correct plane surface; I, I,
is a shaft having at one end a handle h, h, and at the other a spur pinion i, i,
in gear with a spur wheel h, k, keyed upon one end of the shaft b, b. 1; 1,
are set screws for adjusting the surfaces of the table e, e, and the rollers f,f,
and cylinder d, d, perfectly true with cach other, and for regulating the amount
of pressure; these screws being properly adjusted the handle h, h, is turned
till one end of the table e, e, is brought almost beneath the cylinder d, d;
a gelatine relief is then laid on the table face upwards and with its edge just

page_text: in contact with the lower part of the cylinder d, d; the handle is then turned
in the opposite direction, which will have the effect of drawing the gelatine
relief. through the machine in contact with the soft metal cylinder.d,.d, by.
which means the latter will becomo impressed or indented with an exact
counterpart of the gelatine relief.
a, a, are the
Figure 2 in the annexed Drawing represents a side elevation of the improved
printing machine, and Figure 3 a front clevation of the same.
side standards of tho machine, supporting in suitable bearings the journals c, c,
of the indented soft metal printing cylinder d, d, (produced as above described),
and also the rollers 6', and 6", and 6. The blue line e represents the endless
metal band (which I sometimes employ) passing around the rollers 6" and 6",
and round a third roller f,f, the continuous length of paper being shown by
the red line g, g; h, h, is a shaft driven by a band i, i, passing round the
grooved pulley j, j, at one end, and carrying a spur pinion k, k, at the other
end, gearing with and driving a spur wheel 1, 1, keyed on one end of the
journal c, c, of the cylinder d, d, outside the frame; m, m, are set screws for
adjusting the surfaces of the rollers 6, 6, 61, to that of the cylinder d, d, and
n, n, is the hopper for containing the gelatinous or other ink employed. As
the shaft, h, revolves in the direction of its arrow it drives the cylinder d, d,
with a slow motion, which draws the paper g, g, through the machine, and the
warm gelatinous ink flowing on to the paper at the point between the paper
and the cylinder receives the impression of the latter, and in most cases will be
sufficiently "set" by the time it reaches the roller bu to retain the form thus
given to it; but should this be found not to be the case an additional roller
may be fixed where it is shown in dotted lines, and the metal band e, e, be
carried round the roller 1, so as to keep the paper for a longer time in
contact with the cylinder d, d. Artificial means of refrigeration may also
be applied to the metal band, or the rollers, or to both.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for "An
Improved Method of and Apparatus for Printing from Metal Intaglios
(obtained by the Aid of Photography) in Gelatinous or other Semi-transparent
Ink," together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that I claim as
my Invention,-
Firstly, the use or employment of cylindrical metal intaglios formed by
pressure from gelatine or other reliefs produced by the aid of photography,
substantially in the manner above described, or by any other analogous means.
Secondly, tho use or employment of gelatinous, fatty, or other semi-trans-
parent inks in combination with such cylindrical metal intaglios.

page_text: .And, thirdly, I claim the general construction and arrangement of the machi-
nery or apparatus for such purpose as shown in the annexed Drawings and
hercin-before described, or any mere modification or imitation thereof, con-
structed and operating in substantially the same or a similar manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Bentley Woodbury, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
"
WALTER BENTLEY WOODBURY. (L.S.)