IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL SURFACES ON WOVEN FABRICS AND LEATHER, AND RENDERING THE SAME APPLICABLE TO BOOKBINDING AND OTHER USES
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
BESSEMER, of Baxter House, Old Saint Pancras Road, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Bessemer, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Henry
Bessemer, my exors, aditiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Bessemer, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL SURFACES ON WOVEN FABRICS AND
LEATHER, AND RENDERING THE SAME APPLICABLE TO BOOKBINDING AND OTHER
USES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said
Henry Bessemer, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said

page_text: Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Bessemer, do hereby declare that my said Invention consists,—
Firstly, in covering the entire surface of calico and other woven fabrics with
bronze or othe metallic powders, and afterwards further ornamenting the said
surfaces by calendering, embossing, or printing.
Secondly, my Invention consists in printing on woven fabrics or leather a
series of lines, either curved or straight, and running nearly or quite parallel
with each other, and afterwards watering the said fabrics either by pressure or
engraved rollers.
Thirdly, my Invention relates to ornamenting and improving the surface of
calico or other suitable fabric, by coating such surfaces with fragnients or
cuttings of leather or with portions of skins, and embossing the same, or other-
wise rendering the same applicable to bookbinding or other purposes.
Fourthly, my Invention consists in ornamenting or printing textile fabrics, by
partially exhausting the air from beneath such fabric during the printing
process.
Fifthly, my Invention consists of an apparatus for producing impressions,
either sunk or in relief, on woven fabrics or leather used in covering books,
which impressions are to be made on the backs or edges of books after the
said woven fabrics or leather are attached thereto, and also in giving, by the
pressure of certain dies used in this apparatus, such curvature to the backs of
books as will render them suitable for receiving the said embossed designs, and
also render the ordinary mode of backing unnecessary.
Firstly, with regard to my Invention of covering the entire surface of calico
and other woven fabrics with bronze or other metallic powders, and after-
wards further ornamenting the said surfaces by calendering or printing. The.
object of this part of my Invention is to obtain metallic surfaces on woven
fabrics, having, as nearly as may be, the brilliancy of solid metal, while the
fabric retains the elasticity and softness of texture common to woven
materials. For effecting this purpose, I prefer to use glazed calico, which
should be stretched out on a long table with the glazed side upwards, and.
after being damped, so as to soften the dressing" used in its original manu-
"
facture, the metallic powder is to be applied with a soft brush or piece of cotton

page_text: wool; it is then passed through a "calendar," the bright roll being well
heated, and in contact with the metalized surface of the fabric; the heat
thus applied will again harden the "dressing" of the calico, and it will be
found that the metallic powder is firmly held on; the material may after-
wards be embossed or printed upon after the methods generally used for
embossing or printing paper. Bronze powders are made of a great variety of
colours, and it will be found that the richness and beauty of these colors
depend much on the colour of the ground on which they are laid; I therefore
prefer to have the material to be metallized dyed of a bright color, as near as
possible of the color of the bronze intended to be used thereon. In some cases
it may be found that the "dressing" used in the fabric to be metallized is not
sufficient to insure a firm adhesion of the powders; in such cases I coat such
surface with paste, starch, or other suitable adhesive matter, and afterwards
calender it, in order to smooth and equalize the surface; I then damp it, and
proceed to lay on the powder, as before described, and further, where it is
desirable that the said metallized surfaces should not be readily acted on by the
moisture, I use japanners' gold size or copal varnish, diluted with spirits of
turpentine, or other suitable resinous compounds, in lieu of paste or starch, and
which are to be applied to the surface intended to be ornamented by brushing
it over the surface of the material; when nearly dried the bronze powder is
applied, and the calendering and embossing process effected in the manner
herein-before described. But when it is desired to render the metallized fabric
waterproof, I prefer using a thin coating of gutta percha, which is to be applied
to the calico or other fabric after the manner already practised; I then pass
such prepared material over a heated plate, whereby the gutta percha becomes
adhesive, and the powder is then rubbed on with a piece of cotton wool, the
fabric being slowly passed over the heated surface while the powder is applied
to the heated part; such material may be further ornamented by embossing or
printing patterns or designs thereon. In some cases I find it necessary to
apply a coating of lacquer to the metallized surface of the fabric to preserve
the metal from oxidation, and in some cases to give a factitious color thereto;
the lacquer commonly used on brass is suitable for this purpose, and may be
laid on with a large soft brush or by a sponge. I find it preferable to apply the
lacquer after calendering and before embossing or printing any designs thereon.
Secondly, with regard to my Invention of printing on woven fabrics or
leather a series of lines, either curved or straight, and running nearly or quite
parallel with each other, and afterwards "watering" the said fabrics either by
pressure or engraved rollers. When a series of fine parallel lines are printed
upon a woven fabric a plain tint is produced, partaking of the two colors, that

page_text: is, of the original color of the fabric and the color of the printed line. If such
fabric as a rib surface, and two such surfaces are tightly pressed against each
other, it is found that certain parts of such ribs are flattened down, while at
other parts the ribs on one piece fall into the hollows between the ribs on the
other, and will not be so flattened. Now, the way in which light falls on such
partially ribbed and flattened surfaces give rise to that peculiar play of colors
called "watering;" but when such material is composed of a series of lines of
different colors the watering produces a very remarkable effect, the play of
colors being greatly increased, and an effect produced partaking of the cha-
racter of what on silk is called "shot" combined with "watering." Such
materials as are not ribbed in weaving may be printed in fine parallel or nearly
parallel lines, either straight or curved, and afterwards be embossed with a fine
rib or other pattern, which will have the effect of breaking up the continuity
of the printed line, such line being seen only when the light falls on it in cer-
tain positions, and hence giving to some folds of the material a predominence
of the original color of the material, while in other parts the color of the
printed line will be most conspicuous; this will produce a richly watered or
"shot" effect. The printing of the lines to produce these effects may be done
by the ordinary process and apparatus used for printing calico; and in some
cases bronze powders may be used in lieu of lines merely in color. The peculiar
effect produced by embossing a fabric having a colored line, as herein-before
described, may also be produced by introducing threads of different colors in
the loom so as to produce a finely lined fabric, and thereby render the printing
process unnecessary, as the object of this part of my said Invention is to pro-
duce the peculiar effects resulting from the combination of colored lines on an
embossed or indented surface, however such colored lines are produced.
Thirdly, with regard to my improvements in ornamenting and improving the
surface of calico or other suitable fabric, by coating such surface with fragments
or cuttings of leather or with portions of skins, and embossing the same, or
otherwise rendering the same applicable to bookbinding or other uses. For
this purpose I use small waste cuttings of leather, and reduce them to a powder
by the apparatus used to tear wollen materials in the manufacture of the flock
used to ornament paper hangings. The fabric to be ornamented according to
this part of my Invention is first coated with gutta percha or other pliable and
adhesive matter; the leather flock is then applied by beating it up in a box,
as practised in flocking paper, and after the gutta percha or other adhesive
matters are sufficiently hardened, the fabric is passed through heated emboss-
ing rollers under a heavy pressure, whereby a grain similar to leather is given
to the material, or any other design or pattern may be embossed thereon. Any

page_text: required color may be given to the leather flock by drying it previous to
coating the woven fabric therewith. The surface of coarse or cheap woven
fabrics may also be ornamented and rendered suitable for bookbinding by
covering such surfaces with very thin pieces of leather, shaved off' thin at their
edges and cemented to the woven fabric by glue or other suitable adhesive
matter. When nearly dry the fabric is to be passed between rollers to render
the face as even as possible, and when quite dry, the face is to be rubbed with
glass paper and well smoothed down, after which it is to be embossed or
grained in the way generally practised with leather for bookbinding.
Fourth, with regard to my improvements in ornamenting or printing textile
fabrics, by partially exhausting the air from beneath such fabric during the
printing process. Woven fabrics, such as are formed with a pile or loop, and
are of considerable thickness, are difficult to print with blocks in the usual
way, because the color does not readily sink into the fabric below the pile. To
obviate this difliculty, I prepare a long slab or table of slate, planed very flat;
an iron box or trough the size of the table is made with a recess around its
top edge, so as to receive the slate table, which is cemented therein, so as to
form a close box or chamber. The slate table is to be perforated with small
holes, about a quarter of an inch apart, all over its surface; to one end of the
iron box or trough is attached a pipe in connection with an air pump or other
suitable exhausting machinery. The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The piece of goods required to be printed is spread out on the slate table, the
under side of it covering the numerous perforations of the slate; a partial
vacuum is now made in the space below the slab of slate, when it will be found
that the external atmosphere will press upon the upper surface of the fabric
and hold it firmly down. If color is now applied to the upper surface of the
fabric, with a block, it will be drawn into the material by the exhausted action
produced below; a second impression on the same place may be readily given,
as in this case the color has no tendency to spread laterally, being drawn
vertically into the body of the material; if a thin perforated copper stencil plate
is laid over the fabric it will also be forced tightly down upon it by the
pressure of the superincumbent atmosphere, and will admit of color being
brushed through it in such quantities as to saturate the material. This mode
of drawing the color into the fabric by exhaustion, although peculiarly suitable
to thick fabric, such as carpeting, woollen cloth, &c., may also be applied
advantageously to thin materials on which color is inclined to spread laterally.
When thin materials are to be ornamented or printed in this way I place a
piece of thick woollen cloth or felt below the material, so as to form a soft
cushion, and also to absorb any color that may be drawn through.

page_text: Fifthly, with regard to my improvements in apparatus for producing
impressions, whether sunk or in relief, on woven fabrics or leather used in
covering books, which impressions are to be made on the backs or edges of
books after the said woven fabrics or leather are attached thereto, and also in
giving, by the pressure of certain dies used in this apparatus, such curvature to
the backs of books as will render them suitable for receiving the said embossed
designs, and also to render the ordinary mode of "backing" unnecessary.
In order that the mode of carrying into effect this part of my Invention may
be fully understood, I have represented this apparatus on the annexed Sheet
of Drawing, where Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3
is a vertical section, on the line A, B, of Figure 2. A is a frame of cast iron
supporting the plummer blocks B, B, in which the main driving shaft C
revolves; on one end of this shaft is the fly wheel D for regulating the motion
of the machine, and on the other end is fixed the handle E for giving it motion;
on the frame A is fixed a smaller frame F, having plummer blocks G, support-
ing the cam shaft H. On the centre of this shaft is a toothed wheel I, which
receives motion from the pinion K, keyed on the main driving shaft. On
cach side of the wheel I are formed the cams J, J, both of which are alike, and
revolve in contact with a friction roller L. Each end of this roller is fitted to
brasses let into the sliding check M, which is fitted at its edges into grooves
N, formed in the frame F; here there are two spiral springs P, P, which tend
to press the check M in the direction of the cam shaft, and thus keeps the
roller Lin contact with the cams. At the other end of the frame F there is an
adjustable piece or check Q, fitting also at its ends into the grooves N, and is
retained in any required position by two set screws R, R. Beneath this part
of the apparatus is placed a vibrating lever S, working on a stout fulcrum T,
the ends of which are supported in bosses formed at A' on the frame A; at
one end of the lever there is a friction roller U in contact with a cam V, also
formed on the wheel 1; at the opposite end of the lever is attached by a joint
the heater box W, which has a screw nut X on the lower part of it, by which
the height to which the cam raises is regulated; the upper part of the box is
guided by having projecting studs, which enter small vertical grooves formed
on the inside of the frame A; on the upper end of the heater box is fixed a die
Z, for the purpose of imparting the required shape or design to the back of
the book; on the top of the cheeks are fixed the guages Y for the purpose of
regulating the depth to which the book is inserted between the cheeks Q and
M. The apparatus is shewn with its various parts in the position which they
assume when operating on a book which is shewn at a. By the further rota-
tion of the wheel I, the cam acting on the lever will allow the weight of the

page_text: heater box to bring down the end of the lever to which it is attached, and
relieve the back of the book from pressure; at the same time the cams"
J, J, will allow the friction roller L with its sliding cheek to move by the force
of the springs P in the direction of the axis of the wheel I, and relieve the
pressure from the side of the book which the attendant will then remove and
replace by another one; meanwhile, the rotation of the wheel I being kept up,
the cams on it will again press forward the check M and firmly grip the book
between it and the fixed cheek Q; the still further advance of the wheel I
will bring the cam V in contact with the roller U at the end of the lever, and
thereby force up the die Z with considerable power, whereby the back of the
book will be rounded and the angles forced over, as shewn at a', a', and thus
render it of the proper shape or configuration requisite for receiving any other
required design engraved on the die Z, or on other dies to be used in its place.
The further progress of the machine will again set the book at liberty and
admit of a repetition of the same process.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim is,―
Firstly, the various methods of ornamenting woven fabrics by metallizing
their surfaces, as herein firstly described.
Secondly, I claim the printing or otherwise producing on woven fabrics a
series of colored lines, and afterwards by pressure or embossing producing, such
ribs or patterns thereon as will break up the colored lines, in the manner and
for the purpose herein secondly described.
Thirdly, I claim ornamenting the surface of woven fabrics with leather, in
the manner described.
Fourthly, I claim the formation of a partial vacuum beneath textile fabrics
to facilitate their absorbtion of the coloring matter used in printing or sten-
cilling patterns thereon.
Fifthly, I claim the peculiar arrangement of apparatus herein described for
producing impressions, sunk or in relief, on the backs or edges of books, and
for giving them any desired amount of curvature.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bessemer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of May, One thousand eight hun-
dred and fifty-two.
HENRY (L.S.) BESSEMER.

page_text: A
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of May, in
the year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid Henry Bessemer came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and fifty-two.
Enrolled the Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and fifty-two.