IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF STAINING PAPER AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Adolf Siebert, of Gummersbach, in the Empire of
Germany, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF STAINING
PAPER AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adolf Siebert at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd May 1880.
ADOLF SIEBERT, of Gummersbach, in the Empire of Germany.
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MODE OF STAINING PAPER AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR."
The manufacture of grained and marbled paper hangings has hitherto been done
by graining or veining paper, on which the ground colour has before been laid by
a separate process. The graining or veining was done either by hand or by means
of engraved plates or cylinders, as in the ordinary way of the manufacture of
paper hangings. This method has the disadvantage that the devices reappear too
often if cylinders of ordinary size are used, whereas the costs of large sized cylinders
are too high, and would require special machines for this purpose. The hand made
papers of this class again become too costly in their inanufacture because their
production is too slow. Both the old methods however have the one great dis-
advantage that the lines of the graining or marble veins or the edges of the devices
are too sharply marked, quite unlike natural marble or wood graining. Besides
this the making of such paper as hitherto carried out makes two operations
necessary, viz., first, the laying of the prime colour, and then the graining. The
disadvantages named are overcome by the manner of manufacturing such paper
hangings as described in the following:-My improvements consist in using
a machine similar to those generally used for laying the dead colour (which may
be of any good design), in which, as is well known, the paper coming from a large
roll placed on a spindle and free to revolve passes the colouring cloth or colouring
cylinder, by means of which the colour is applied to it, and then moves under a
series of brushes, which distribute the colour evenly. Now before allowing the
paper to pass the colouring cylinder I let it pass a contrivance fitted to the same
machine, by means of which the paper is provided with a continuous picture of
marble or wood graining. This contrivance may either consist of an engraved
cylinder of brass, wood, or leather or other convenient material with the lines of
Price Bd3

page_text: the graining or veining hollowed out; or else it may consist of a cylinder or an
endless web of some suitable elastic stuff, such as vulcanised india-rubber with the
lines of the graining or veining elevated. On its way through the machine the
paper then passes the grounding or colouring cylinder, by means of which the
ground colour is laid upon the graining devices, which are of course still wet, and
both wet colours I then pass through the brushes. By this means the marble
design, or rather the edge lines of the design, which lies underneath the prime
colour, is very slightly defaced, and they thus receive a very gradual modification
in their colouring, similar to natural marble or wood-grainings. It is evident that
one or more such apparatus can be employed in order to lay designs of various
colours in the paper, but instead of applying the graining apparatus and laying
the marble design on the paper before this has passed the prime or ground colouring
arrangement I may also proceed in the opposite manner, and let the paper be
provided, first, with the prime colour, and while this is yet wet, and before it
passes underneath the distributing brushes, I can lay upon or into the wet prime
colour the marble design or wood-graining, and then pass the paper thus coloured
under the brushes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Adolf Siebert in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st November
1880.
ADOLF SIEBERT, of Gummersbach, in the Empire of Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MODE OF STAINING PAPER AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR."
"
The manufacture of grained and marbled paperhangings has hitherto been done
by graining or veining paper, on which the ground colour had before been laid by
a separate process. The graining or veining was done either by hand or by means
of engraved plates or cylinders, as in the ordinary way of the manufacture of
paper hangings. This method has the disadvantage that the devices reappear too
often if cylinders of ordinary size are used, whereas the costs of large sized cylinders
are too high, and would require special machines for this purpose. The hand made
papers of this class again become too costly in their manufacture because the
production is too slow. Both the old methods however have the one great dis-
advantage that the lines of the graining or marble veins or the edges of the
devices are too sharply marked, quite unlike natural marble or wood graining. Besides
this the manufacture of such paper as hitherto carried out makes two operations
necessary, viz., first, the laying of the prime colour and then the graining.
The disadvantages named arc overcome by the manner of manufacturing such
paper hangings as described in the following:-My improvements consist in using
a machine similar to those generally used for laying the dead colour, in which, as
is well known, the paper coming from a large roll placed on a spindle and free to
revolve passes the colouring cloth or colouring cylinder, by means of which the
colour is applied to it and then moves under a series of brushes, which distribute
the colour evenly.
Now before allowing the paper to pass the colouring cylinder I let it pass a
contrivance fitted to the same machine, and by means of which the paper is
provided with a continuous picture of marble or wood graining. This contrivance
may either consist in an engraved cylinder of brass, wood, or leather or other
convenient material with the lines of the graining or veining hollowed out, or else
it may consist of a cylinder or an endless web of some suitable elastic stuff, such as
vulcanised india rubber with the lines of the graining or veining elevated. On its
way through the machine the paper then passes the grounding or colouring cylinder,
by means of which the ground colour is laid upon the graining devices, which are
of course still wet, and both wet colours then pass through the brushes. By this
ineans the marble design, or rather the edge lines of the design, which lie under-
neath the prime colour, is very slightly defaced, and they thus receive a very
gradual modification in their colouring similar to natural marble or wood grainings.
It is evident that one or more such apparatus can be employed in order to lay
designs or patterns of various colours in the paper. But instead of applying the
graining apparatus and laying the marble design on the paper before this has
passed the prime or ground colouring arrangement I may also proceed in the
opposite manner, and let the paper be provided, first, with the prime colour, and
while this is yet wet I can lay upon or into the wet prime colour the marble desigu
or wood graining, and then pass the paper thus coloured under the brushes. Here
again the graining colours or the edges of the graining design are slightly and in a
gradual manner effaced or mixed with the ground colour, and give the design the
appearance of natural marble or wood graining. The paper produced by this
second process differs from the preceeding one only in that in the first case the
marble or graining design will show itself softer, whereas when produced by the
latter method it will appear in a sharper or clearer form. Of course I can also
use by the second method one or more such designing contrivances, and I may

page_text: also put one or more between the distributing brushes; or I may in order to
produce other varieties combine both manners of colouring in one and the same
operation.
The accompanying Drawings give an example of a machine treating the paper
according to my Invention. The paper passes from the roller a over guide rollers b
and c to the colouring cylinders d, which lay the ground color. From there it
passes to the drum e, and under the distributing brushes ƒ and g to the graining
rollers hand of different colors. After having been treated by a second pair of
brushes l, a third set of graining rollers k, and a third set of brushes m, it passes
over a guide roller n. The brushes move rapidly across the paper in a direction
perpendicular to its motion. The marble design is printed on the paper by the
rollers h, i, and , and slightly effaced or washed into the ground color by the
brushes and m.
The advantages of my method are,-
1. Simpler and cheaper production of paperhangings with imitation of marble
or wood graining, because the laying of the prime colour and the printing of the
pattern or design are done in one operation.
2. The graining taking place while the colour is yet wet under the distributing
brushes shows itself in a manner far more like natural marble or wood graining
than if produced by any other method hitherto in use.
3. By my improved method I can produce in the same time and with a less
number of bands a greater quantity and better quality than by any existing
method.
All the engraved cylinders or the spindles of pattern sheets must be marked
very exactly, and accurately fitted in their bearings, so that they revolve by
friction only, and so that they do not cause too much resistance to the paper to be
acted upon or cause it to be torn by the tension produced by this resistance.
CLAIMS.
The manufacture of paperhangings with designs or patterns imitating marble or
wood graining by means of any machine hitherto used for laying the prime colour 3
on the paper by laying the design or pattern on the paper in one operation before
or after the paper passes the grounding cylinder, while both colours are yet wet,
and before the grounding colour has been completely distributed by the distributing
brushes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Adolf Siebert, have hereunto set my hand 3
and seal, this Twenty ninth day of October, 1880.