Improvements in Ink for Printing and like Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Oct., 1889..
Complete Specification Left, 18th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 19th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ink for Printing and like Purposes.
I, NEWNHAM BROWNE, of 73, Cheapside, in the City of London, Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN INK FOR PRINTING AND LIKE PURPOSES" which invention has been
communicated to me from abroad by IVAN PROWATTAIN, of Philadelphia, in the
County of Philadelphia and State of Pensylvania, in the United States of America,
Gentleman, to be as follows:-
--
This invention relates to the composition and use of an improved printer's ink in
which the more expensive oleaginous ingredients hitherto in use are replaced by a
natural product of much lower price and possessing properties which admit of the
production of a superior ink by the use of which high class printing is facilitated.
The material used as the basis or body of this improved ink is a native semi-
fluid bitumen.
Bitumen as the term is generally used, is found in nature in three different
conditions: namely, solid, semi-fluid, and fluid. The solid bitumen is generally
known as asphaltum; the natural semi-fluid bitumen is known as maltha; and the
fluid bitumen as petroleum.
Now the kind of bitumen used, according to this invention, is the semi-fluid
bitumen or maltha, which I may combine with suitable coloring matter and thus an
almost infinite variety of tints and shades may be produced by the addition of
the proper pigments, the colors produced being in some cases of great delicacy and
beauty.
The color of the raw material as it appears in bulk is nearly black, when
applied to paper by means of type or lithographic stone it presents a rich dark
golden color which must be taken into account in compounding bright-colored inks, to
which it adds a peculiar brilliancy and warmth of tone..
In case any natural semi fluid bitumen or maltha is too thick, it can be thinned to
the proper consistency by the addition of an oil, such as linseed oil, or by incorporating
with it a semi-fluid bitumen of greater fluidity.
In case any natural semi-fluid bitumen or máltha is too thin, it can be brought to
the proper consistency either by boiling or heating so as to drive off some of the
more volatile constituents, or by adding thereto less fluid bitumen.
Too fluid
bitumen can also be thickened by the addition of powdered magnesia or resin or
resinous gums.
Ink prepared according to this invention possesses greater elasticity and tough-
ness than ordinary commercial inks, and "moreever it is practically indelible. It
unites with the paper in such a degree that none of the ordinary solvents, nor any
solvent so far as is known to the communicator will remove the impression entirely.
The ink has great brilliancy of tint, and its drying qualities are equal or superior to
the best commercial printing inks. The homogeneous character of the semi-fluid
bitumen insures great delicacy of impression and thus it can produce the finest and
most delicate lines such as are employed in the finest engraved work. This ink
distributes smoothly and evenly over the impression surface, and its toughness and
elasticity prevent blurring and running which are so common with ordinary inks.
The cost of producing this is considerably less than that of the inks now in
common use.
3.
Another advantage of this improved ink lies in its adaptability for-all grades and
classes of impression work. It can be used with equally good results in type-printing

page_text: plate printing, lithography, and in doing "crayon'
" and other impression work;
whereas with previously known inks different characters of ink have been required for
these different classes and grades of work.
Dated th
1000
NEWNHAM BROWNE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ink for Printing and like Purposes.
I, NEWNHAM BROWNE, of 73, Cheapside, in the City of London, Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
'IMPROVEMENTS IN INK FOR PRINTING AND LIKE PURPOSES "which invention has
been communicated to me from abroad by Ivan Prowattain, of Philadelphia, in the
county of Philadelphia, and State of Pensylvania, in the United States of America,
Gentleman, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the composition and use of an improved printer's ink in.
which the more expensive oleaginous ingredients hitherto in use are replaced by a
natural product of much lower price and possessing properties which admit of
the production of a superior ink by the use of which high class printing is
facilitated.
The material used as the basis or body of this improved ink is a native semi-fluid
bitumen.
Bitamen, as this term is generically used, is found in nature in three different
conditions namely solid, semi-fluid and fluid. The solid bitumen is generally
known as asphaltum; the natural semi-fluid bitumen is known as maltha; and the
fluid bitumen is known as petroleum.
Now the character or kind of bitumen with which this invention deals, is the semi-
fluid bitumen or maltha. This natural semi-fluid bitumen or maltha is found in
various portions of the United States, particularly in the States of California, Kentucky
and Texas, also in Europe, Russia particularly.
Natural semi-fluid bitumen or maltha as it occurs in nature is of a consistency and
of a nature which renders it applicable as the basis of an ink for printing, engraving
or lithographing, with very little manipulation. This semi-fluid bitumen or maltha
occurs in nature in varying degrees of fluidity, but large quantities of it are to be
found of exactly the proper consistency and degree of fluidity to enable it to be used
as an ink-basis or body, without any special treatment.
The color of the raw material as it appears in bulk is nearly black, when applied to
paper by means of type or lithographic stone it presents a rich dark golden color which
must be taken into account in compounding bright colored inks, to which it gives a
peculiar brilliancy and warmth of tone.
By the combination of maltha with proper pigments an almost infinite variety of
tints and shades can be produced, the colors being of a delicacy and beauty which
have hitherto been unsurpassed. The homogeneous character of the semi-fluid
bitumen renders the admixture therewith of pigments readily and easily accomplished.
Any of the pigments known in the art can be mixed with maltha to produce colored
inks. Lamp-black is a proper pigment for producing a black ink. To produce a
deep black ink the proportion should be about 20 parts of lamp black to 80 parts of
maltha. The proportion of pigment used determines the shade. The color of the
resulting ink is not with colored pigments (that is other than black), that of the
pigment used, since the natural color of the maltha modifies that of the pigment.
The larger the proportion of the pigment the closer the color of the resulting ink
approaches that of the pigment. With 20 per cent. of lamp-black, however, a jet
black is produced.

page_text: In case the natural semi-fluid bitumen or maltha is too thin or too fluid to be
used, it can be brought to the proper consistency either by boiling or heating the
same so as to drive off the more volatile constituents, or by adding thereto less fluid
bitumen. Too fluid bitumen can also be thickened by the addition of powdered
magnesia or resin or resinous gums.
"
The density or fluidity of the improved ink must depend upon the kind of impres-
sion work for which it is to be used. A thicker ink is required for book and job-work
than for " news work ;
and a still thicker ink is required for lithographing and
engraving. Generally speaking it may be said that the improved ink should be used
in a somewhat more fluid condition than the ordinary inks for the same grades of
work. In using ordinary commercial inks, printers frequently have to thin them.
before using by the addition of linseed oil. So with the improved inks, they can
be thinned by combining therewith a more fluid maltha. In preparing inks from
maltha it is to be borne in mind that the addition of the pigments thickens the maltha,
in making the ink therefore the maltha used should be thinner than the desired grade
of completed ink. For making a rapid news "ink the maltha should be about 30°-
36° Baumé. This, when mixed with 20 per cent. of pigment, makes a proper rapid
'news" ink, which in consistence resembles thin molasses.
"
66
For book or job-work the maltha should be used about 22°-28° Baumé. When
the pigment is added the ink has a butter-like consistency.
For lithographic ink, the maltha should be about 15° to 20° Baumé. Rather
more pigment is required, say about 25 per cent. The resulting ink is about as thick
as stiff butter, so that it does not flow but will settle gradually down if left in a
lump.
Only about one half the amount of pigment is required to be mixed with maltha
as are ordinarily employed with the usual linseed oil.
The manipulation required for the production of a printing ink having as its basis
or body semi-fluid bitumen, is very slight and to this fact taken in connection with
the cheapness of the raw material which has hitherto been, I believe, wholly unused in
the arts, is due to the cheapness of the improved ink.
It is sufficient to simply stir-in the pigment with the maltha. For this purpose a
pestle and mortar may be used, or an ordinary paint-mill, or any of the ordinary
means used for mixing ordinary inks may be employed.
The only impurity which maltha ever contains which requires attention is water,
which is frequently mechanically mixed with it. This mechanically suspended water
can easily be removed by heating the maltha to the boiling point of water, or, the
water can be removed by a thorough stirring of the maltha when held in a perforated
vessel.
A great advantage of the improved ink lies in its adaptability for all grades and
classes of impression-work. It can be used with equally good results in type-printing,
plate-printing, lithographing, and in doing crayon and other impression-work;
whereas with previously known inks different characters of ink have been required for
these different classes and grades of work.
Ink prepared according to this invention possesses greater elasticity and toughness
than ordinary ink, and moreover it is practically indelible. It unites with the paper
in such a degree that none of the ordinary solvents, nor any solvent, so far as is
known to the communicator, will remove the impression entirely. The ink has great
brilliancy of tint, and its drying qualities are equal or superior to the best commercial
printing inks. The homogeneous character of the semi-fluid bitumen insures great
delicacy of impression and thus it can produce the finest and most delicate lines such
as are employed in the finest engraved work. This ink distributes smoothly and
evenly over the impression-surface, and its toughness and elasticity prevent blurring
and running which are so common with ordinary inks. The cost of producing this
ink is considerably less than that of the inks now in common use.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, 1 declare that what I claim is:
+
.
(1) The manufacture of printing, lithographic, and copper plate inks, substantially
of the materials and in the manner described.
(2) The manufacture of inks for printing, lithography, copper-plate work and the
like, of which the body, or principal ingredient, is semi-fluid bitumen otherwise called
maltha substantially as described.
(3) The use of inks for surface printing lithography, copper-plate work and the
like, composed of semi-fluid bitumen, known as maltha, and black-pigment or other
coloring matters substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
☐ Dated the 18th day of March 1890.
NEWNHAM BROWNE.