IMPROVE- MENTS IN REPRODUCING OR OBTAINING FACSIMILES OF THE VEINS, PORES, KNOTS, AND FIGURES OF WOOD UPON PAPER AND OTHER SURFACES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REPRODUCING OR OBTAINING FACSIMILES OF THE VEINS, PORES,
KNOTS, AND FIGURES OF WOOD UPON PAPER AND OTHER SURFACES."-A
communication from abroad by François Magny and Alexandre Cottais,
both of Paris, France.
Sealed the 2nd October 1863, and dated the 7th April 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald Brooman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th April 1863.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN REPRODUCING OR OBTAINING FACSIMILES OF THE VEINS,
PORES, KNOTS, AND FIGURES OF WOOD UPON PAPER AND OTHER SURFACES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in covering a smooth plank or piece of wood with &
coating of paint, which is made to penetrate the pores and veins thereof, in
then removing, with a scraper or otherwise, all the paint remaining upon the
smooth surface of the wood, leaving only such of the paint as has penetrated
the pores and veins; in coating a very thin plate of copper or other metal on
both sides, with a thin layer of wax, and in applying this metal plate upon the
wood prepared as before described. The metal plate is pressed strongly upon
the wood by a roller or otherwise, and the paint is thus forced from the pores
and veins of the wood, and adheres to the wax upon the metal plate; tho
plate is then removed from the wood, and all the parts of the wax to which

page_text: the paint has adhered are carefully scratched off with a sharp-pointed instru-
ment so as to expose the metal beneath those parts. The plate is next
plunged into a bath containing nitric acid or aquafortis; the acid enters all the
parts from which the wax has been removed, and bites through them; all
the pores and veins of the wood are thus reproduced by the spaces bitten out 6
of the metal plate. The plate is washed with water to cleanse it, and the
wax is removed by a bath of essence of turpentine. The metal plate thus
prepared serves for the reproduction of the veins, pores; knots, and figures of
wood upon any surface, whether previously prepared by oil paint or otherwise.
For instance, the plate is applied upon a surfaco painted with a ground color, 1
and a brush charged with paint of the color of natural veins and knots is
passed over the plate; the paint passes through the spaces or openings in
tbo plate and adheres to the surface beneath spaces or openings only, and
thus an exact copy of the veins, pores, knots, and figures of the wood is
obtained. Some woods bear smooth surface figures, in such caso a second 1
metal plate is required, and is obtained as follows:-The figures to be re-
the
produced are covered with paint; tho waxed metal plate is placed upon
wood pressure is applied, and the paint adheres to the wax; the plate is then
removed and treated in the same manner as the first plate.
In order to print upon paper, cloth, leather, and similar surfaces with plates s
prepared as before described, the paper or other material and the plate are
passed between two rollers, the lower of which is supplied with color contained
in a trough, in which it partly revolves, while the upper roller produces the
required pressure.
In imitating the veins and knots of wood of the fir species, the process is
modified as follows:-A whitelead pencil is passed over the veins and knots
of the thin fir plank, and an india-rubber band is applied over it; pressure.
prints upon the india-rubber the figures traced in pencil. Those parts of the
india-rubber which do not bear the impression are then incrusted or coated
with some suitable material, so as to leave in relief a facsimile of the figures
on the wood; I thus obtain a caoutchouc type bearing an engraving in relief
similar to that produced in wood engraving. This caoutchouc type is in the
form of an endless belt, and to transfer the engraving thereon to paper
fabrics, leather, and similar, surfaces, the india-rubber belt is passed round
rollers; it is supplied with color from a roller revolving partly in a trough in
which the color is contained, while the paper or other material to be printed
upon
is led round another roller in contact with the engraved surface of the
india-rubber belt.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REPRODUCING OR OBTAINING
FACSIMILES OF THE VEINS, PORES, KNOTS, AND FIGURES OF WOOD UPON PAPER
AND OTHER SURFACES," (communicated to me from abroad by François Magny
and Alexandre Cottais, both of Paris, France, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their bands
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 tho
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 Richard Archibald Brooman, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in covering a smooth plank or piece of wood with
a coating of paint, which is made to penetrate the pores and veins thereof, in
then removing with a scraper or otherwise all the paint remaining upon the
smooth surface of the wood, leaving only such of the paint as has penetrated
the porcs and veins; in coating a very thin plate of copper or other metal on
both sides with a thin layer of wax, and in applying this metal plate upon

page_text: the wood prepared as before described. The metal plate is pressed strongly
upon the wood by a roller or otherwise, and the paint is thus forced from the
pores and veins of the wood, and adheres to the wax upon the metal plate.
The plate is then removed from the wood, and all the parts of the wax to
which the paint has adhered are carefully scratched off with a sharp-pointed
instrument so as to expose the metal beneath those parts. The plate is
next plunged into a bath containing nitric acid or aquafortis; the acid enters
all the parts from which the wax has been removed, and bites through them;
all the pores and veins of the wood are thus reproduced by the spaces bitten
out of the metal plate. The plate is washed with water to cleanse it, and
the wax is removed by a bath of essence of turpentine or other spirit. The
metal plate thus prepared serves for the reproduction of the veins, pores, knots,
and figures of wood upon any surface, whether previously prepared by oil paint
or otherwise. For instance, the plate is applied upon a surface painted with a
ground colour, and a brush charged with paint of the color of natural veins and
knots is passed over the plate; the paint passes through the spaces or openings
in the plate, and adheres to the surface beneath such spaces or openings only,
and thus an exact copy of the veins, pores, knots, and figures of the wood is
obtained. Some woods bear smooth surface figures, in such case a second metal
plate is required; and is obtained as follows:-The figures to be reproduced are
covered with paint; the waxed metal plate is placed upon the wood; pressure
is applied, and the paint adheres to the wax; the plate is then removed and
treated in the same manner as the first plate.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents plank or piece of
wood, the veins, pores, knots, and figures of which we will suppose it is
desired to transfer to a surface previously painted with a ground color. I cover
this plank with a coating of paint, which penetrates the pores and veins
thereof. I then removo with a scraper or otherwise all the paint remaining
upon the smooth surface of the wood, leaving only such of the paint as has
penetrated the veins and pores. I next apply upon the wood thus prepared
a thin plate of copper coated on both sides with a layer of wax. I exert
pressure upon the copper plate, and the paint is thus forced from the pores
and veins of the wood, and adheres to the wax upon the copper plate. I
then remove the plate from the wood, and scratch off with a sharp-pointed
instrument all the wax to which the paint has adhered, so as to expose the
plate beneath those parts. I next plunge the plate into an acid, which enters
all the parts from which the wax has been removed, and bites through them.
I then remove the remainder of the wax and wash the plate. I thus obtain
a type or plate similar to an ordinary stencil plate, in which the veins and

page_text: pores of the wood are exactly reproduced. This plate is represented in
Figure 2; it is sufficiently supple to be bent to the shape of mouldings for
panels and other purposes; a brush charged with paint is passed over it, and
the paint passes through the spaces or openings in the plate, and adheres to
the surface beneath such spaces or openings only.
In order to print upon paper, cloth, leather, and similar surfaces with plates
prepared as before described, the paper or other material f, see Figure 3, and
the plate 6 are passed between two rollers, the lower of which c is supplied
with color contained in a trough d, in which it partly revolves, while the upper
roller e produces the required pressure.
In imitating the veins and knots of woods of the fir species, the process is
modified as follows:-A whitelead pencil is passed over the veins.and knots
of the thin fir plank, Figure 4, and an india-rubber band is applied over it;
pressure prints upon the india-rubber the figures traced in pencil. Those
parts of the india-rubber which do not bear the impression are then incrusted
or coated with some suitable material, so as to leave in relief a facsimile of
the figures on the wood; I thus obtain a caoutchouc type as represented
in Figure 5, bearing an engraving in relief similar to that produced in wood
engraving. This caoutchouc type is in the form of an endless belt, and to
transfer the engraving thereon to paper, fabrics, leather, and similar surfaces,
the india-rubber belt h, Fig. 6, is passed round rollers n, n; it is supplied
with color from a roller 1, revolving partly in a trough d in which the color is
contained, while the paper for other material to be printed upon is led from
a roller m round another roller n' in contact with the engraved surface of the
india-rubber belt.
And having now, described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim reproducing or
obtaining facsimiles of the veins, pores, knots, and figures of wood upon
paper and other surfaces, substantially by the means and in manner herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-throo
R. A. BROOMAN. (L.S.)