A NEW OR IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF ROLLERS OR CYLINDERS POR PRINTING FABRICS."
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Ford Sturges, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "A NEW OR
IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF ROLLERS OR CYLINDERS POR PRINTING FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Ford Sturges
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th October 1856..
I, RICHARD FORD STURGES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "A NEW
OR IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF ROLLERS OR CYLINDERS FOR PRINTING FABRICS," to be
as follows:-
My Invention consists of the method herein-after described of manufacturing
rollers or cylinders used for printing fabrics. I take a tube of copper or alloy of
copper of an external diameter, somewhat greater than that which the finished
roller is intended to have; the thickness of the metal of the tube may be
about a quarter of an inch, but I do not limit myself thereto. I place the
said tube in a vertical position with an iron axis or a hollow mandril in its
interior, the said tube and axis or mandril being held concentric by any
convenient means. The space between the tube and axis or mandril is closed
at bottom, so as to form an annular vessel. I pour into the said space melted

page_text: zinc, so as to fill the space between the tube and axis or mandril. When the
zinc has cooled, the whole may be placed in a lathe, and the roller or cylinder
turned and finished in the usual manner. The inner surface of the copper or
other tube may be coated with zinc, and the outer surface of the hollow
mandril or cylindrical surface of the axis may be coated with zinc prior to the
casting of zinc between them. Instead of zinc any other easily fusible and
sufficiently hard metal or alloy may be employed.
By my method of manufacture, only so much of the roller is made of copper
or copper alloy as may be necessary, while the greater part of the said roller
is made of an-inexpensive metal or alloy. There is also an economy of labour
as well as material in manufacturing rollers according to my Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Ford Sturges in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th April 1857...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
FORD STURGES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Ford Sturges; Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Ford Sturges, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Richard Ford Sturges, 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
inight make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an. Invention for
"A NEW OR IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF ROLLERS OR. CYLINDERS FOR PRINTING
AN
FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Ford
Sturges, my executors or adıministrators, 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 Patent.
'
.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Ford Sturges, 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, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the method, or methods, herein-after particularly
explained, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, of, manufacturing
rollers or cylinders for printing fabrics.
In carrying my Invention into effect, I, take a.tube or hollow, cylinder of
copper or, suitable alloy of copper, represented in vertical, section at a, Figure 1,
the said tube a being of somewhat greater external diameter than that it is
intended the finished roller shall have. The said tube a is of the length which
it is intended the finished, roller shall have. The thickness, of the metal of the
tube a may be about a quarter of an inch, but I do not limit myself to any
particular thickness. The internal surface of the tube a is, tinned or coated
with any easily fusible metal or alloy which will readily attach or, alloy.itself
with. the copper or alloy of which, the said tube a is made: I place in the
bottom of the tube a a ring of, copper or brass b, the upper surface of the said
ring. having been previously tinned or coated with an, easily fusible metal or
alloy; I place a rod or mandril c in the axis of the tube a, the lower end of
the rod c fitting the hole in the ring b, and the upper end being held securely
in any convenient manner. The rod or mandril c, being, thus temporarily
fixed concentric with the tube a, I pour, into the annular space d, between
the tube.a and rod or mandril'c, fused zinc, or such other metal or alloy, as
herein-after described. When the annular, space. d has been filled with the
fused metal or-alloy, I take a ring.similar to the ring b; and having its under
surface tinned or coated with an easily. fusible metal or alloy, I drop the said
ring over the top of the rod.or, mandril: c, and cause, it to lie flat upon, the
surface of the fused metal, the said ring closing up, the top of the annular space.
occupied by the fused matal. The position of the last-described ring will be
best understood by reference to Figure 2, where the said ring is marked e, and
by which said Figure it will be seen that the ring enters and lies flush with the
end of the tube a. The rod or mandril c is not quite cylindrical, but is tapered
slightly, so that when the metal poured between it and the tube à has cooled,
the said mandril c may be withdrawn.
Figure 2 represents in vertical section the roller or cylinder formed by the
process described. The letters a and b represent the same parts in Figure 2
as in Figure 1. The metal or alloy which has been cast in the tube a is
marked fin Figure 2, and the ring closing the upper end of the roller or
cylinder is marked e in the said Figure 2. The roller or cylinder, Figure 2,

page_text: may be finished by the ordinary method of finishing rollers or cylinders for
printing fabrics.
I sometimes carry my Invention into effect in the manner illustrated in the
section, Figure 3, that is to say, instead of the rod or mandril c, Figure 1, I
insert a tube g, of iron or other metal which does not readily fuse, in the axis
of the cylinder a. The fused metal is poured in the space between the two
tubes g and a, Figure 3, the ends of the annular space containing the said
fused metal being closed by the rings b, e, in a manner which will be under-
stood from the description herein-before given with reference to Figures
1 and 2. The tube.g is not withdrawn, but remains permanently fixed in the
roller.
I do not confine myself to the use of any particular metal or alloy in
filling the space between the tube a and mandril c or tube g, as any easily
fused metal may be employed which is uncostly and sufficiently hard to bear
the pressure to which the roller has to be subjected. I have found in practice
that zinc and alloys composed mainly of zinc answer very well, but I prefer
the alloy called type metal, the said alloy being very hard, and by its expansion
in cooling producing a very sound casting. The said type metal is an article
of commerce, and its composition being well-known, I do not think it necessary
here to describe its composition.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the same may
be varied without departing from the nature of my said Invention; but I claim
as my Invention the new or improved manufacture of rollers or cylinders for
printing fabrics herein-before described, and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, casting a thick tube of a hard and easily fusible metal
or alloy in the interior of a tube of copper or alloy of copper.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Ford Sturges, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
RICHARD FORD STURGES. (L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.