IMPROVEMENTS IN PENTAGRAPH MACHINES USED FOR ENGRAVING METAL ROLLERS OR CYLINDERS EMPLOYED
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Whittam, of Accrington, in the County of
Lancaster, Engraver, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PENTAGRAPH
MACHINES USED FOR ENGRAVING METAL ROLLERS OR CYLINDERS EMPLOYED IN
Sealed the 27th March 1861, and dated the 2nd October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Whittam at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd October 1860.
I, ROBERT WHITTAM, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, Engraver,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PENTAGRAPH MACHINES USED FOR ENGRAVING METAL ROLLERS OR CYLINDERS
EMPLOYED IN PRINTING CALICOES AND OTHER SURFACES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to arrange the pentagraph machines now in
use for engraving designs upon copper rollers, so that they may engrave
designs upon steel or other metallic surfaces to be used as dies by engravers to
calico printers. One of the discs or pullies which gives rotatory motion to the
copper roller is divided into two parts, forming two narrow discs at one end of
the machine, upon which discs is placed the steel or other metal surface
intended for the die, so that it may receive a similar motion in every respect
to the motion given to the copper roller, and thereby enable a design to be
formed on the steel surface similar to that on the roller.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Whittam in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
WHITTAM, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, Engraver, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Robert Whittam, Ier special licence that I, the said Robert
Whittam, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Robert Whittam, 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 Bri-
tain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PENTAGRAPH MACHINES USED FOR ENGRAVING METAL
ROLLERS OR CYLINDERS EMPLOYED IN PRINTING CALICOES AND OTHER SURFACES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Whittam, 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 per-
formed, 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 Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Whittam, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to certain improvements intended to be applied to
any kind of pentagraph machine employed for engraving designs upon rollers
used for printing calicoes and other surfaces; for though there are several
kinds of pentagraph machines in existence, I wish it to be understood that
however much the said machines may differ in their arrangement, they are all
capable of having my improvements applied to them.
This Invention consists in the general application to any pentagraph
machine of machinery or apparatus for holding steel or other metallic surface

page_text: intended for a die, and acting upon it in the same manner as the copper roller
is operated upon in the pentagraph machine. The principal object of this
arrangement for engraving designs upon steel or metal surfaces intended for
dies, is to enable those who employ the pentagraph machine to engrave part
of the design by mill in the ordinary manner and the other part by pentagraph,
which, for some designs, is a considerable advantage. Let us suppose there is
a design with five colors, which design is well arranged to be engraved by
pentagraph upon the roller, with the exception of one color, this one color
being better adapted for engraving by mill in the usual way. In this case all
the five colors should be drawn on the enlarged sketch of the pattern which is
placed in the pentagraph machine in the usual manner, and then the four
before supposed colors should be engraved or traced upon four copper rollers,
and afterwards etched in the ordinary way, that is what I term pentagraphing
upon the roller. At this stage of the operations a steel or other metal surface
intended for a die is placed in my apparatus, which is arranged for holding the
die in the same position as the copper rollers, so that it may receive in every
respect similar motions to those given to the rollers; then from the sketch in
the pentagraph machine is traced one or more sketches of the design on the
die, exactly in the same manner as if they had required to have been traced
on the rollers. The said sketch or sketches are now etched on the die, or they
are partially etched and afterwards finished by hand, which mode is preferred
to etching full strength upon the die. Then the mill is raised from the die in
the usual manner, and ready to be machined upon the copper roller by the
ordinary engraving machine; and in order that the machine engraver may
engrave the pattern upon the roller, so as to fit the aforesaid four colors, I
place the said copper roller in the pentagraph machine, and mark from the
enlarged sketch squares on every sketch both in the width and circumference
of the copper roller, which sketches are marked by the diamonds or tracers
that have engraved or traced the designs on the aforesaid four rollers. Similar
squares are also engraved or traced on the die from the enlarged sketch in the
pentagraph machine, which squares are raised on the mill, and are intended to
fit the corresponding squares on the copper roller, thus shewing the machine
engraver that the square or squares on his mill if fit to the corresponding
squares on the copper roller, must be correct to fit the four aforesaid colors
on the aforesaid copper rollers.
The die is made of any required diameter and length, and if round rotates
upon centres held upon brackets, arms, or standards of any desired form, it
being understood that they must of necessity be made and arranged according
to the kind of pentagraph machine to which the steel or other metal surface

page_text: intended for the die is applied. The designs on the copper rollers are in some
machines traced by a number of pointers in various positions on one or both
sides by giving a rotatory motion to the roller and a longitudinal motion to the
pointers, and the design is traced or engraved on the die with one or more
pointers, either additional or otherwise, by giving the intended die a rotatory
motion similar to that given to the copper roller, and a longitudinal motion to
the pointers for the die similar to that given to the pointers for the roller, and
in all cases the perfect identity of the two motions is obtained by the employ-
ment of the same means for tracing the designs both on the copper roller and
-die, thus the pointers which trace the longitudinal lines on the roller and die
are placed on the same slide and receive exactly the same motion; and if the
roller is placed upon dises for giving it the rotatory motion the die is also
placed on one of the discs, and as there has been no change it must necessarily
have exactly the same rotatory motion as the roller, or if the roller is turned
by the backward and forward motion of a straight surface in contact with it,
the die, if resting upon the same surface, must move exactly the same. It is
also easy to cause the roller to give an exactly similar extent of motion as it
receives itself, for if the die rests upon the roller it must move the same
distance as the roller, though in a contrary direction; and if an intermediate
disc be placed between them the die is moved exactly the same distance as
the roller, and in the same direction; and in all cases whatever design can
be put upon the roller can also be put upon the die.
There are some pentagraph machines now in use for engraving upon copper
rollers, in which both rotatory and longitudinal motions are given to the roller,
the tools or diamonds being stationary instead of giving, as before described,
one motion to the roller and the other to the tools or diamonds.
To the aforesaid machines in which the two motions are given to the
copper roller, my die apparatus is also applicable by arranging the apparatus
for holding the die in the same position as the copper roller, so that it
may receive motions similar in every respect to those given to the copper
roller.
From the foregoing description it will be perceived that the modes of
giving motion vary according to the kind of pentagraph machine to which this
Invention is applied, and also that the brackets, standards, or holders will
have to be varied according to the position in which the die is to be held, and
the form of the framework of the machine to which it is applied, but it is
evident that the arrangements required for the last-mentioned purpose are so
simple and self-evident, as to be easy of application by any ordinary mechanic.
therefore it is not necessary to give detailed Drawings of all the methods of

page_text: applying my Invention, inasmuch as its nature and general application to all
kinds of pentagraph machines will be clearly understood by referring to the
figures and letters of reference on the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings,
representing a few modes of applying my improvements to two kinds of
pentagraph machines at present in use for engraving metal rollers or cylinders
employed in printing calicoes or other surfaces.
Figs. 1, 2, and 3 represent a transverse section, front elevation, and plan
of part of a pentagraph machine, having upon it one arrangement of my
apparatus for holding steel or other metal surface intended for a die.
Part of one of the end frames of the machine is represented at a, having a
slot 6 for holding one of the bearings of the copper roller, a similar slot being on
the frame at the opposite end. On the shaft c are the discs d which carry the
copper roller and give its rotatory motion, which discs are shewn as having
been shifted near the end of the shaft for the purpose of supporting and giving
motion to the steel or other metal surface e intended for the die, and as the
discs rotate they move the circumference of the intended die exactly the same
distance as they move the circumference of the copper roller. The aforesaid
metal surface or die e
centered upon the centres ƒ and g in the headstocks h,
fitting slots in the plate i for enabling the headstocks and centres to be shifted
according to the length of the intended die, and afterwards fixed by screws.
The plate i is jointed to the bearing k, and is provided with a lever and
balance weight l, which can be shifted as required to add to or diminish the
pressure of the die on the discs. The plate i swivels in the centre, and is
adjusted perfectly parallel with the maundril of the machine both at the top
and side by screws m and other screws n. At the under side of the plate i
there is a pin o fitting a boss p, forming part of the arın or bracket q which
is bolted to the end frame a.
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 represent a transverse section, front elevation, and plan of
a machine similar to that shewn in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, but having another
arrangement of my apparatus for holding steel or other metal surface intended
for a die.
In these Figures, the framework of the machine, the slots for holding the
bearings of the copper roller, the discs which carry and give motion to the
said roller, the shaft to which the discs are fixed, the centres on which the
intended die is centered, the headstocks which hold the centres, and the plate
which carries the headstocks are the same as those described in Figs. 1, 2,
and 3; but instead of employing two discs for supporting and giving motion. to
the steel or other metal surface intended for the die, one disc only is used;

page_text: and also the position of the plate i for holding the headstocks, and the mode of
connecting it with the end frame of the machine are different.
The intended die is shewn at s, and the disc for supporting and giving it
motion at t. The plate for holding the headstocks is represented at u, and
instead of being at the side is placed above the intended die s. At or about
the middle of the plate there is a spindle v fitted into a hole in the bracket w,
the end of which is fitted into the slot of one of the end frames a of the
machine, and after being adjusted according to the diameter of the intended
die is firmly fixed by the nut x. The plate u is provided with steady pins y
passing though holes in the bracket w, so that they can rise or fall as required,
and the die is balanced by the lever and weight in order to prevent the die
from being pressed too heavily on the disc. The principal object of this
arrangement is to adapt the apparatus to fit a number of similar machines, as
it is only necessary to loosen the nut a and take out the bracket, which is
then placed in the slot of another machine, and after being adjusted is then
fastened tight.
Fig. 7 represents a transverse section of part of another pentagraph machine
having adapted to it a suitable arrangement of apparatus for holding steel or
other metal surface intended for a die. In this machine rotatory motion is
given to the die a¹ from the copper roller 61 by means of the intermediate
disc c¹. The tool or diamond is shewn at d¹, it moves longitudinally upon the
die exactly in the same manner as it moves upon the copper roller; the die is
centered in headstocks connected to the arm e¹, which is jointed as at f' to any
suitable part of the framework of the machine. The intermediate disc c¹ is
centered on the arm g¹, which is jointed as at h' to the arm e', and it will be
seen that when the disc is upon the roller and the die upon the disc, that
when the roller rotates the die will rotate exactly the same distance and in
the same direction as the copper roller, and thereby receive from the tools or
diamonds a design similar to that which would be engraved on the copper
roller.
Fig. 8 represents a transverse section of part of a pentagraph machine similar
to that shewn in Fig. 7, having the same arrangement of apparatus for bolding
steel or other metal surface intended for a die, but placed in such a position
that the die and intermediate disc are at the top of the copper roller, so as
to be operated upon by a tool or diamond at each side of the die, in order
that designs may be traced upon both sides of the die by a double bar penta-
graph machine exactly as they are now traced on the copper roller.
Having now explained and illustrated the nature of my improvements in

page_text: pentagraph machines used for engraving as aforesaid, it is to be understood
that what I claim as my Invention is, the application of the peculiar arrange-
ment of machinery or apparatus herein described and illustrated in the
accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, for holding steel or other metal
surfaces intended for dies in the same or a similar position as the copper
or other metal rollers employed in printing calicoes or other surfaces are now
held in all pentagraph machines, so that the dies will receive on their surfaces
designs in every respect the same as would otherwise be imparted to such
copper or other metal rollers as aforesaid.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Whittam, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Robert Whittam, in
the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
ROBERT WHITTAM. (L.S.)