AN IMPROVED MODE OF PRODUCING PRINTING BLOCKS OR SURFACES FOR PRINTING OR STAINING VARIOUS FABRICS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF PRODUCING PRINTING BLOCKS OR
SURFACES FOR PRINTING OR STAINING VARIOUS FABRICS."-A communication
from abroad be Thomas Crossley, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, in the,
United States of America.
Sealed the 19th November 1867, and dated the 29th May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th May 1867.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF PRODUCING PRINTING BLOCKS OR
SURFACES FOR PRINTING OR STAINING VARIOUS FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obviate the necessity of using carved
wooden blocks for printing patterns on textile fabrics or paper.
The Invention is applicable for printing calico, carpets, floorcloths, or in
fact any textile fabric or paper upon which it is desired to produce au
ornamental pattern.

page_text: The Invention consists in producing printing blocks from a form of type
composed of small types or blocks on the face of which certain lines, portions
of lines, curves, dots, or other devices or marks are made so that by assembling
a number of types together a printing surface of any desired pattern may be pro-
duced. It will be understood that in forming a pattern there are portions which
are not intended to receive colour, these portions are produced by using shorter
types or "spaces" as they are called in the printing trade. When there is any
extent of pattern to be printed of one colour it is found advisable to form that
part of the surface of felt or some other absorbent material; this is effected
by using types somewhat shorter than the others so that there may be room
to add the felted surface to the face of the block. When the form of type
has been composed or set up a mould, cast, or die is made in wax, gutta percha,
papier mâché or some other suitable material, and in this is desposited by the
electrotype process a thin sheet of copper which will thus form the face of
the intended printing block. When a sufficient thickness of copper has been
deposited the body of the block is made by pouring in molten type metal, or
a backing to the printing surface may be made of any other suitable material,
but type metal is found most convenient. Upon removing this block from
the mould the felted printing surface may be added as in making ordinary calico
printing blocks, and thus a suitable printing surface or block of the desired
pattern is quickly and cheaply produced. It will be evident that when a
suitable die or mould. is once formed several blocks in succession may be
produced with great facility so that a good pattern block may be multiplied
to any extent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said

page_text: William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my exécutors, 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 "AN IMPROVED MODE OF PRODUCING PRINTING BLOCKS OR SURFACES
FOR PRINTING OR STAINING VARIOUS FABRICS," being a communication from
abroad by Thomas Crossley, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, in the United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands 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 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 William Edward Newton, 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, reference being bad to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
:-
The object of this Invention is to obviate the necessity of using carved
wooden blocks for printing patterns on textile fabrics or paper.
The Invention is applicable for printing calicoes, carpets, floorcloths, or in
fact any textile fabric or paper upon which it is desired to produce an
ornamental pattern.
The Invention consists in producing printing blocks from a form of type
composed of small square or rectangular types or blocks with perpendicular
sides, and on the face of which types or blocks certain lines, portions of lines,
curves, dots or other devices or marks are made so that by assembling a
number of types together a printing surface of any desired pattern may be pro-
duced. It will be understood that in forming a pattern there are portions
which are not intended to receive color; these portions are produced by using
shorter types or
spaces" as they are called in the printing trade. When
there is any extent of pattern to be printed of one colour it is found advisable
to form that part of the surface of felt or some other absorbent material; this
is effected by using types somewhat shorter than the others so that there'
may be room to add the felted surface to the face of the block. When the
"

page_text: form of type has been composed or set up a mould, cast, or die is made in
wax, gutta percha, papier mâché or some other suitable material, and in this
is deposited by the electrotype process a thin coating of copper which will
thus form the face of the intended printing block. When a sufficient thickness
of copper has been deposited the body of the block is made by pouring in
molten type metal; or a backing to the printing surface may be made of any
other suitable material, but type metal is found most convenient. Upon
removing this block from the mould the felted printing surface may be added
as in making ordinary calico printing blocks, and thus a suitable printing.
surface or block of the desired pattern is quickly and cheaply produced. It
will be evident that when a suitable die or mould is once formed several
blocks in succession may be produced with great facility so that a good pattern
block may be multiplied to any extent.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents an electrotype block
constructed according to the present Invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of
the same taken in the line x, x, of Fig. 1; Figures 3 are perspective views of
the separate types or blocks of which the mould or pattern block for the
electrotype printing block is composed. The pattern or design that is to be
printed upon the fabric having been previously prepared in the ordinary manner
on design paper I take plain faced rectangular type of three or more different
heights as shewn at Fig. 3, the longest however, forming what may be termed
the face or that which carries the coloring matter; with these blocks or
types is set up a mould corresponding with the design or pattern that has
been drawn on the paper pattern. The type may be of wood, but they should
by preference be of metal for reasons hereafter mentioned. When the form
of type has been set up the wax from which the matrix is to be made
is to be heated to a temperature of about from ninety degrees to one
hundred degrees Fahrenheit which slightly softens it. The mould is then
pressed or driven into the wax, and the mould being of less temperature than
the wax, and previously dusted with plumbago, it is allowed to remain in the
wax until both have the same temperature, which will be less than that of.
the wax before the mould is inserted into it. The cooling of the wax causes
it to contract and slightly leave the metal mould or block which is then
carefully withdrawn. In order to insert and withdraw the mould a screw.
set in a frame is employed similar to the devices sometimes employed for
drawing wooden or other patterns from the sand moulds used in making
articles of cast iron, so that the pattern or mould cannot move laterally but in:
a true plane and will thus be prevented from injuring the walls or sharp

page_text: edges of the matrix. By this means a perfect matrix with very deep cells
in it is obtained, then with a delicate brush the bottom and sides of the cells
or depressions in the matrix should be dusted with plumbago. The matrix
may then be placed in the battery and the metal precipitated upon it in the
usual way of electrotyping so as to produce a thin fac-simile in reverse of the
matrix in copper or other metal, into the back of which is run type or other
suitable strengthening metal, and this is then fastened to a wooden block or
back and is ready to be used for printing with, the printing block so produced
is plain faced. The face is highly raised above the base, and the sides of the
raised parts are perpendicular to their printing surfaces, such a block has
never beretofore been produced by the electrotype process. It has been
found by experience that whilst a wooden block will not print more than
five thousand yards of fabric before being worn out electro plates or electro-
type blocks made in the manner just described have printed over fifty
thousand yards of fabric without wearing out or indeed shewing any injurious
wear at all. The blocks are made in sections and are arranged on a platten
so as to present a form of about sixty by thirty inches, but there is no reason
why they may not be extended to two, three, or more yards in length, whilst
with wooden blocks such a thing would be impracticable owing to their
unequal swelling, shrinking, and warping. A cylindrical form may also be
thus made up of sections prepared in the same manner as the flat blocks and
advantageously used in printing certain fabrics which are now printed by
engraved or embossed cylinders, and other fabrics which are required to be
printed with blocks by hand may by the use of these cylinders be printed by
machinery.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 2, A represents the face of the printing
block, the marginal red line sbewing the electrotype surface; 6 represents the
type or strengthening metal run into the back of the electroplate to give it
the requisite firmness to withstand the work for which it is to be employed;
B is a wooden block or hack to which the printing plate or block is attached
or secured by screws or otherwise. There are three different heights of
type used in forming this block as berein represented viz., c, d & e, Fig. 3;
those marked c are of the greatest height, and their faces form the figures to
be stamped or printed on the fabric; those marked d are of less length than
the ones c, and form as it were a depression in the face of the block, which
depression is afterwards filled with felt cloth C or other suitable material that
will carry color better than the metal, that part of the block being intended to
print the ground of the figure; the third kind e are still shorter, and form
the base of the block, the types are all rectangular (square or oblong) and

page_text: any figure or pattern drawn upon right lined paper may be set up with such
type; but the Invention is not limited to the shape of the type except as to
beight and perpendicular sides for the objects heretofore mentioned.
Having thus fully described the nature and object of the Invention that has
been communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I claim as new and
desire to secure by Letters Patent, preparing electrotype printing blocks for
printing fibrous and textile fabrics by means of a mould formed of different
lengths of type as represented at c, d, e, so as to have a highly raised printing
face composed of metal margins surrounding a felt or other equivalent soft
or plastic substance to lift and carry the color substantially as herein
represented.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)