IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRINTING ROLLERS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Forster, of Streatham, and Richard
Taylor, of Warwick Street, Kennington, both in the County of
Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
PRINTING ROLLERS."
Sealed the 13th July 1869, and dated the 4th March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Forster and
Richard Taylor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 4th March 1869.
We, THOMAS FORSTER, of Streatham, and RICHARD TAYLOR, of
Warwick Street, Kennington, both in the County of Surrey, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF PRINTING ROLLERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
printing rollers; and the improvements consist, firstly, in covering the
stocks of printing rollers with vulcanized india-rubber, and subsequently
coating the exterior surface of the vulcanized india-rubber with gelatine
ID 971

page_text: or glue combined with treacle or with other analogous composition, We
prefer that the coating of vulcanized india-rubber should be in the form
of what is termed sponge, such as made by the process described in the
Specification of a Patent granted to the said Thomas Forster and another
on the 2nd day of September 1868 (No. 2715).
The Invention also consists in covering the stocks of printing rollers
with a composition of gelatine or glue together with glycerine; also in
covering the stocks of printing rollers with compounds containing
gelatine or glue, and to which salts of chromium have been added so. that
when the surface of the coating has been acted on by light it will not
be absorbent of moisture. The stocks of printing rollers so covered may
afterwards be coated with a thin coating of the ordinary composition of
gelatine and glue employed in the manufacture of printing rollers.
stocks of printing rollers which have been covered with vulcanized india-
rubber, as above described, may also be covered with gelatine compounds
so rendered unabsorbent of moisture and afterwards coated with a thin
coating of the ordinary composition of gelatine and glue.
The
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Forster and Richard Taylor in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 3rd September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
FORSTER, of Streatham, and RICHARD TAYLOR, of Warwick Street,
Kennington, both in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Thomas Forster and Richard
Taylor, Her special licence that we, the said Thomas Forster and
Richard Taylor, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Thomas Forster and Richard Taylor, our
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

page_text: Iréland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRINTING ROLLERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Forster and Richard Taylor,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our
or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or
them, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Forster and Richard
Taylor, 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:
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
printing rollers; and the improvements consist, firstly, in covering the
stocks of printing rollers with vulcanized india-rubber and subsequently
coating the exterior surface of the vulcanized india-rubber with gelatine
or glue combined with treacle or with other analogous composition. We
prefer that the coating of vulcanized india-rubber should be in the form
of what is termed sponge, such as made by the process described in the
Specification of a Patent granted to the said Thomas Forster and another
on the 2nd day of September 1868 (No. 2715).
To manufacture printing rollers according to this part of our Invention
we take by preference spongy india-rubber, such as manufactured
according to the Patent, No. 2715, before mentioned, and we cut it into
sheets of such a thickness that two such sheets are required to produce
the substance desired on the stock of the printing roller. For hand
rollers we find half inch of the rubber to be sufficient, therefore we cut
the sheets inch thick and cement two such sheets around the stock by
means of india-rubber cement. The edges of each sheet as it is lapped
around the stock are lapped over one another to make a good lap joint,
care being taken that the joint when made shall be of the same thickness
as the other part; we then cover this layer of spongy india-rubber with
the next layer by the same means, taking care to put the joint of the
second sheet upon the reverse side to that of the first. For machine
rollers we first thoroughly cleanse the iron stock and give it a coat of

page_text: -india-rubber cement and bind spirally round it a cotton or linen tape
coated on both sides with the cement, and then proceed to cover it as
before described. with the spongy india-rubber. When the stock has
thus been covered with vulcanized india-rubber we give to it a coating of
gelatine, or glue and treacle, or other analogous compound. In all cases
we prefer in finishing the rollers to make the gelatine compound on the
.face of them about oths thick; therefore as the metal stock must be
made up to whatever size is necessary to suit the machine it is to be
used in 'we increase the spongy india-rubber in thickness to make up the
difference. For covering the india-rubber sponge we prefer to employ a
compound of gelatine and glycerine combined together in the proportion
of 1 lb. of gelatine or very good glue, 1 lb. of glycerine, and 1 lb. water.
We first mix the water and glycerine, and then put in the gelatine and
allow it to stand for 3 or 4 hours. We then melt by heat; and when
it is melted perfectly we place the india-rubber covered stock into a
mould and run the gelatine compound into it in the usual method of
casting printing rollers, which is well understood. When we require a
very soft roller we cover the outer surface of the spongy india-rubber
with fine cambric or other fabric before applying the gelatine in order to
keep the gelatine compound from penetrating into the pores of the
sponge.
The Invention also consists in covering the stocks of printing rollers
with a composition of gelatine or glue together with glycerine in place of
with a composition of gelatine or glue and treacle as is now usual. The
composition we prefer we have given above.
The advantage obtained by employing a compound of gelatine and
glycerine for covering printing rollers is that the covering will not be
affected by the amount of moisture in the atmosphere to the same extent
that, rollers covered with the ordinary composition are affected by it, and
in addition such rollers are not liable to spontaneous decomposition, as is
case with rollers made with glue and treacle.
the
According to this Invention we also cover the stocks of printing rollers
with. compounds containing gelatine or glue, and to which salts of
chromium have been added, so that when the surface of the coating has
been acted on by light it will not be absorbent of moisture. The stocks of
printing rollers which have been covered with vulcanized india-rubber as
above described may also be covered with gelatine compounds so rendered
unabsorbent. of moisture...

page_text: The composition we prefer is composed as follows:-Gelatine 1 lb.,
glycerine 1 lb., water 3 lbs.; these are combined and melted together,
and ½ ounce of bichromate of potass dissolved in 4 ounces of water is then
added with this compound; the covering is cast around the roller stocks
in the usual way. When the rollers are removed from the moulds we
expose them to the action of light, keeping them either continuously
turned by a slow motion from a shaft and strap or turned every hour for
about 12 hours of daylight until complete chemical action has taken
place, by which means the gelatinous compound will be no longer soluble
in water. Rollers covered in this manner will be found most serviceable
in printing with distemper color as in paperhangings or in printing
cotton or other fabrics.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Forster and Richard
Taylor, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Second
day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-nine.
THOMAS FORSTER. (L.S.)
RICHARD TAYLOR. (L.S.)