A METHOD OP OBTAINING IMPROVED EFFECTS UPON DRAWINGS WASHED OR PAINTED ON STONE
Year: 1855

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Aresti at the-
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
April 1855.
I, JOSEPHI ARESTI, of Greek Street, Soho Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Lithographer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention of "A METHOD
OP OBTAINING IMPROVED EFFECTS UPON DRAWINGS WASHED OR PAINTED ON STONE'
to be as follows, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in a new method of obtaining the light dotted or:
stippled effects (hitherto peculiar to aqua tinta on copper) upon drawings.
painted or washed upon stone with lithographic ink, also the preparing of
such painted or washed drawings to enable them to yield impressions by the
usual process of printing.
The requisite dots or stipples are made or formed upon a finely-grained
lithographic stone with a hair pencil or pen dipped in a mixture of gum water,
nitric acid & Indian ink; the surface of this work is then brushed over with a

page_text: mixture of spirits of turpentine & olive oil in equal parts, and then charged
with printing ink by the roller. The marks or dots formed by the mucilage
by rejecting the printing ink will appear light, & the intervals surrounding
such dots by retaining the black ink produces a stippled tint, the reverse of
the effect of chalk or crayon drawings, but harmonising with the painted or
washed drawings with which it is intended to combine & protect. Dots
or lines to suit every degree of strength & texture of the painting are thus
formed, & may be made severally to occupy small spaces, and afterwards
united & arranged by the usual re-transferring process to the full size required.
An impression is then taken from this arranged tint upon transfer paper
with the usual strong inks, & its surface dusted over with finely-powdered
asphaltum & resin in equal parts, & then laid upon the surface of the
painted drawing on the stone, which has been previously subjected to the
usual acidulations, & transferred thereon by the ordinary methods. The work
is now etched with a mixture of, 100 parts of gum water, proportioned to
10 of nitric acid & 10 of candied sugar; the whole is then washed off with
spirits of turpentine & oil mixed in equal parts, charged with ink, & printed
by the ordinary methods of lithography.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Aresti in the Great Seal Patent Office on the a
6th October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
ARESTI, of Greek Street, Soho Square, in the County of Middlesex, Litho-
grapher, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters a
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Joseph Aresti, Her special license that I, the said Joseph Aresti, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph s
Aresti, 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 of "A METHOD OF OBTAINING IMPROVED S

page_text: EFFECTS UPON DRAWINGS WASHED OR PAINTED ON STONE," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Aresti, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 I, the said Joseph Aresti, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in the application of a series of light graduated
stipples or dots upon the surface of a drawing washed either directly upon
the stone, similar to the usual Indian ink or colored drawings upon paper, or
transferred from paper upon the stone, or executed with the stump; such
application, by protecting the tints of the drawing during the process of the
requisite acidulation, enabling it to be printed; by the usual lithographic
methods, and at the same time imparting to the surface of such drawing the
light granulated effect hitherto peculiar to aqua tinta etchings upon copper or
steel plates, and which is effected upon stone by this process.
The following is a description of the method I employ-I produce a
graduated dotted tint upon a copper plate by the methods used by aqua tinta
engravers. From this plate I take an impression upon transfer papor with
-
20 parts. Shell lac,
20 parts. Resin, 10 parts.
-
an ink composed of,-
.. Beeswax,
Suet, 20 parts. Burgundy pitch, 10 parts. Asphaltum, 10 parts.
These ingredients being well incorporated by melting, and ground with one-third
of their weight of lithographic printing ink by a muller. The impression
is then dusted over with resin or asphaltum which has been reduced to a fine
powder, or with any other substance that will resist the action of acids.
The drawing to be operated upon is then prepared with gum and acid in 'the
usual manner, and this preparation being partially washed off and the stone
moderately warmed, the dusted impression before described is effectually trans-
ferred upon the face of the drawing by passing it through the press until the
whole, of the dotted tint leaves the paper, and adheres to the work upon the
stone. It is then subjected to an etching composed as follows:-10 parts nitric
acid (or any other acid that will act on stone); 10 parts candied sugar; 100.
parts gum water.; the whole being well dissolved.

page_text: This acidulation is to be repeated if the first application is insufficient to
elevate the dark portions (or ink) surrounding the light dots to the usual
height of the grain of an ordinary chalk drawing on stone. In this stage of
the process due regard must be had, 1st, to the degree of hardness of the
stone; 2ndly, to the strength of the ink with which the drawing is executed;
3rdly, to the nature of the washed tones of the drawing.
When a stone of a moderately homogeneous quality and of light yellowish
tint is employed, the application of the etching herein-before described, allow-
ing a short time to intervene between each application, is generally sufficient
to produce the granulated brilliancy desired. The drawing and tint is now
to be washed off from the stone with spirits of turpentine, and brought
up with the roller, and printed by the usual lithographic process and
appliances.
If varied forms or lines are required in combination with the ordinary dots
to produce texture or particular effects, I employ the following method by
preference-The requisite forms are made upon a finely-grained lithographic
stone with a hair pencil or pen dipped in a mixture of gum water, nitric
acid, and Indian ink; the surface of this work is then brushed over with a
mixture of spirits of turpentine and olive oil in equal parts, and then charged
with printing ink by the roller. The marks or dots formed by the mucilage
by rejecting the printing ink will appear light, and the intervals surrounding
such marks by retaining the black ink produces a stippled or marked tint,
the reverse of the effect of chalk or crayon drawings, but harmonising with
the painted or washed drawings with which it is intended to combine and
protect. The transfer is effected upon the drawing in the same manner as
before described. It is obvious that dots or lines to suit every degree of
strength and texture in the drawing can be thus formed, and may be made
severally to occupy small spaces, and afterwards arranged and united by the
usual re-transferring process to the full size required, and will serve for an
infinite number of drawings.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details or mode of operating herein laid
down, reserving the right of modifying the same; but what I claim is, the
application or transferring to the surfaces of washed or other drawings upon
stone, zinc, or transfers from paper to stone or zinc, of impressions taken from
graduated forms or dots that are drawn, bitten in with acids, or engraved upon
stone, metal, or wood, such dots or forms being used and arranged in the

page_text: manner herein-before described to enliven and harmonise with the various
tints of such washed or other drawings, and to effect the requisite protection
to the tints of the same during the acidulation necessary to enable them to
be printed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Aresti, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
W. A. GILBee.
J. ARESTI. (L.S.)