IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING, CUTTING, AND STAINING OR COLORING CARDBOARD
Year: 1871

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Ashcroft at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
December 1871.
I, WILLIAM ASHCROFT, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MECHANISM OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING, CUTTING, AND STAINING OR COLORING
CARDBOARD," to be as follows:-
First. The Invention relates to a new and improved arrangement of
mechanism or apparatus to be employed for manufacturing that de-
scription of material called cardboard, millboard, or similar articles
from continuous lengths of paper, or a mixture or combination of paper
and textile fabric.
Secondly. In mechanism or apparatus for staining or coloring the
cardboard as manufactured of a uniform tint or varigated tints, designs,
or patterns, so that the whole width of the card as produced will present
lines, stripes, patterns, or designs along its longitudinal surface.

page_text: Lastly. In a novel arrangement and combination of cutters that will
sever or divide the cardboard as produced into lengths according to its
various colors, or if desired, into strips or ribbons of any desired width,
after which or simultaneously therewith, a 2nd arrangement of cutters
sever or cut the longitudinal lengths into shorter lengths or divisions of
square or oblong form. Also in combination with the transverse cutters
perforators may be arranged that will perforate the divisional lengths at
any portion of their intermediate distance, thus producing finished
colored cardboard in lengths to suit any purpose for which they may be
subsequently required.
It will be evident that the two portions forming the 2nd and 3rd parts
of this Invention may be employed with advantage in producing their
separate or combined results upon continuous lengths or sheets of paper
of one thickness, their operation individually or collectively being in
every respect similar to that previously described in staining or coloring
and cutting cardboard as herein-before described.
The arrangement and combination of the several parts forming the
improved machine may be thus described. On one end of the framing
of the machine the rolls of paper out of which the cardboard is formed
are supported in suitable brackets one over the other, each alternate
roll forming as herein-after described the intermediate adhesive surfaces
for combining the whole together.
I will take as an example the formation of cardboard out of three
continuous sheets of paper. The three rolls of paper, as their lengths
are delivered to a pair of junctions or pressure rollers where they become
joined together in one thickness, are between their points of delivery
and their point of junction acted upon as follows:-The top and
bottom rolls deliver their lengths first over or between guide rollers
covered with damp absorbant material, from whence they pass onwards
to the pressure or junction rollers. The intermediate roll during this
time is also delivering its roll of paper or textile fabric in the same
direction, but before arriving at the point of junction its upper and
under surfaces receive a coating or layer of paste, size, or other glutinous
or adhesive material through the medium of rollers, brushes, or other
equivalent supplied from suitable arranged troughs or receptacles.
Immediately the two surfaces have received their supply of adhesive
micilage the sheet passes between rollers that uniformly distribute the

page_text: size over its surfaces, so that by the time the three layers arrive at their
point of junction they are in a uniform state of expansion and moisture
to become firmly pressed in adhesion with each other in their onward
course between the pressure rollers herein-before referred to. From these
rollers the combined layers of paper issue in a continuous length of
damp cardboard, evenly and firmly compressed together; but in order
to prepare the same for the subsequent operation of coloring and cutting,
forming the second and third features of my Invention, I cause the
damp board to pass onward over guide rollers into a graduated drying
chamber, lagged with wood to prevent the radiation of heat therefrom.
The cardboard is caused to pass through this chamber in a surpentine
course over rollers that guide it past surface heating plates or pipes.
Its passage on first entering this chamber relative to the heating medium
being at a maximum distance therefrom, and gradually nearing thereto,
until it arrives at its point of exit. The generation of heat in this
chamber may be obtained through the medium of hot water, gas,
steam, or other equivalent. The graduation of heat to which the
card in its transit through this chamber is subjected to, thoroughly and
effectually drys and prepares it as finished cardboard to be received in
a continuous length on to a reel, or to be passed onward over guide rollers
to be cut into shapes as desired, or it may be enammelled, stained, or
colored uniformly, or in a series of variegated colors, and then cut into
longitudinal and transverse lengths as required by the arrangement
of mechanism herein-after mentioned.
The surfaces of the cardboard as it issues from the heated chamber
receives a coating or layer of diluted spirit of turpentine, after which
as it passes onward it becomes subjected to the frictional contact of one
or more rollers composed of resin and pigment color mixed to a suitable
consistency with spirit of turpentine, the action of which upon the
board transmits thereto any color the said rollers may have been com-
posed of; or in lieu of receiving color in the manner just described, the
dryed traversing continuous card may be subjected to the action of a
mordanting solution, in which state it passes between rollers which
lay upon the surface or surfaces of the passing card color which is
supplied thereto from a trough or troughs containing liquid color
through the medium of intermediate feed rollers in the ordinary manner.
The dryed colored card in one continuous length passes from these
colored rollers between smoothing or surface rollers, from whence in its

page_text: traverse to the receiving rollers it passes between guide plates, which
are slotted in order to admit a running endless knife or knives to pass
rapidly through the same in a position that will as the continuous
paper or cardboard is drawn forward between the guides cut or sever
the same into strips or longitudinal length, in which state they are
received between flanges on to a receiving roller, the devisional flanges
of which are adjusted to correspond with the widths of strips the longi-
tudinal length of paper or cardboard is cut into.
In lieu of passing the continuous strips on to the receiving reel they
may be cut into short lengths transversely by a diagonal knife actuated
by cams, crank, or other equivalent, the operation of which clearly
severs into short or long lengths as required the continuous lengths of
cardboard or paper passing from the guides.