IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING FRINTING SURFACES ON STONE, METAL, AND OTHER MATERIALS CAPABLE OF BEING EMPLOYED IN PRINTING IN THE MANNER OF LITHOGRAPHIC STONES; ALSO IN THE PRODUCTION OF PRINTING PLATES AND SURFACE PRINTING BLOCKS, AND IN TRANSFER INKS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry George Collins, of McLean's Buildings, New
Street Square, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PRODUCING FRINTING SURFACES ON STONE, METAL, AND OTHER MATERIALS
CAPABLE OF BEING EMPLOYED IN PRINTING IN THE MANNER OF LITHOGRAPHIC
STONES; ALSO IN THE PRODUCTION OF PRINTING PLATES AND SURFACE PRINTING
BLOCKS, AND IN TRANSFER INKS."
Sealed the 4th November 1859, and dated the 12th September 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry George Collins
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th September 1859.
I, HENRY GEORGE COLLINS, of McLean's Buildings, New Street Square, in
the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING PRINTING SURFACES ON STONE, METAL, AND OTHER
MATERIALS CAPABLE OF BEING EMPLOYED IN PRINTING IN THE MANNER OF LITHO-
GRAPHIC STONES; ALSO IN THE PRODUCTION OF PRINTING PLATES AND Surface
PRINTING BLOCKS, AND IN TRANSFER INKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in producing printing
surfaces on stone, metal, and other materials capable of being employed in
printing in the manner of lithographic stones; also in the production of
printing plates and surface printing blocks, and in transfer inks. In order to

page_text: obtain a transfer from an engraved plate or a surface block, I employ an ink
composed of the following materials:-Tallow, brown soap, white wax, printing
ink, gum mastic, gum shellac; with this ink an impression is taken on transfer
paper, and this is transferred on to the printing surface of stone, metal, or
other material in the ordinary manner, preferring, however, to employ a
plate of copper coated with a film of zinc. For the purpose of drawings or
writings to be transferred as above described, I employ an ink of the following
composition:-White soap, bees-wax, gum shellac, and goose-grease. If it
be required to enlarge or diminish the design before transferring it on to the
stone, metal, or other printing surface, the impression from the engraved
plate or surface printing block is taken on to a surface of india-rubber in place
of on to transfer paper, and the india-rubber is either extended or allowed to
contract before the design is transferred to the stone, metal, or other printing
surface, as is described in the Specification of the Patent granted to me on
the 5th day of March 1858 (No. 439).
In order to produce a printing surface on stone or other similar material by
means of photography, I prepare the surface of a sheet of vulcanized india-
rubber with a composition of chromate of potash.and molasses, and I produce
a photographic image on this surface, either by means of a camera, or in the
manner ordinarily practised in printing photographs; I then either extend
the sheet of india-rubber or allow it to contract in order to bring the photo-
graphic image to the size desired, and transfer the coating of chromate of
potash and molasses on to a stone, metal, or other surface, and wash it with
mucilage and acetic acid, which removes the portions of the coating unchanged
by the light; I afterwards ink the stone or other surface in the ordinary
-manner, and print as is usual in lithographic printing. Or in some cases I
apply a surface of the composition above mentioned directly to a stone or other
printing surface, and produce the photographic image thereon, and then wash
the surface with mucilage and acetic acid as before, and charge it with ink; I
then transfer the design to a sheet of india-rubber, and extend the same or
allow it to contract, as may be desired, and again transfer the design on to
another printing surface from which the copies required may be taken.
In order to obtain a surface printing block, I first transfer the design to a
surface of stone, metal, or other material capable of being employed in printing
in the manner of lithographic stones, preferring, however, to use a metal
plate; this may be done by either of the processes herein-before described; I
then ink the plate or surface, and dust it over with powdered gum copal,
which adheres only to the inked portions of the plate or surface; this is then
bit in with an acid or other liquid. For zinc plates I prefer a solution of

page_text: sulphate of copper, and I sometimes assist the action by means of electricity.
When the action has proceeded for a short time, the plate or surface is
removed from the liquid, and the most delicate lines are stopped out with
black varnish; and the biting is repeated until other lines require stopping
out, and thus the process proceeds until it is complete. If stone be employed
in place of metal, a gutta percha or other matrix is taken from it, and electro-
typed to produce the printing block.
To obtain plates suitable for plate printing, I proceed in a similar manner
to that employed for producing surface printing blocks; the design transferred
to the surface of the plate at the commencement of the process should, however,
have the lights and shades reversed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry George Collins in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
GEORGE COLLINS, of McLean's Buildings, New Street Square, in the City of
London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One, thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto
me, the said Henry George Collins, Her special licence that I, the said
Henry George Collins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Henry George Collins, 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 for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING PRINTING SURFACES ON STONE,
METAL, AND OTHER MATERIALS CAPABLE OF BEING EMPLOYED IN PRINTING IN THE
MANNER OF LITHOGRAPHIC STONES; ALSO IN THE PRODUCTION OF PRINTING PLATES
AND SURFACE PRINTING BLOCKS, AND IN. TRANSFER INKS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry George Collius, 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

page_text: 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 Henry George Collins, 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 producing printing
surfaces on stone, metal, and other materials capable of being employed in
printing in the manner of lithographic stones; also in the production of
printing plates and surface printing blocks, and in transfer inks. In order to
obtain a transfer from an engraved plate or a surface block, I employ an ink
composed of the following materials:-Tallow, brown soap, white wax, printing
ink, gum mastic, gum shellac; the proportions of these ingredients may to
some extent be varied, but I prefer them to be used in about the following
proportions:-
3 oz. tallow,
3 brown soap,
3
دو
white wax,
4 oz. printing ink,
2
gum mastic,
11
gum shellac.
With this ink an impression is taken on transfer paper, and this is transferred
on to the printing surface. of stone, metal, or other material, in the ordinary
manner, preferring, however, to employ a plate of copper coated with a film of
zinc, which is best performed by electrotyping the surface with zinc. For the
purpose of drawings or writings to be transferred as above described, I employ
an ink of the following composition:-White soap, bees' wax, gum shellac,
and goose-grease. The proportions of these ingredients may be varied, but I
prefer to use them in about the following proportions :-
6 oz. white soap,
3
"
beeswax,
1 oz. gum shellac,
1
" goose grease.
If it be required to enlarge or diminish the design before transferring it on
to the stone, metal, or other printing surface, the impression from the engraved
plate or surface printing block is taken on to a surface of india-rubber, in
place of on to transfer paper, and the india-rubber is either extended or
allowed to contract before the design is transferred to the stone, metal, or other
printing surface, as is described in the Specification of the Patent granted to
me on the 5th day of March 1858 (No. 439).
What I claim in respect to the part of my Invention above described is,
the compositions of ink above explained, and the manner of producing printing
surfaces as described.

page_text: In order to produce a printing surface on stone or other similar material by
means of photography, I prepare the surface of a sheet of vulcanized india-
rubber with a composition of chromate of potash and molasses, as follows:-
pint of water,
1 oz. of
gum arabic,
40 grs. bichromate,
40
وو
sugar.
And I produce a photographic image on this surface either by means of a
camera or in the manner ordinarily practised in printing photographs, all
which is well understood when obtaining photographic images on other
surfaces: I then either extend the sheet of india-rubber or allow it to contract
in order to bring the photographic image to the size desired, and transfer the
coating of chromate of potash and molasses on to a stone, metal, or other
surface, and wash it with mucilage, which removes the portions of the coating
unchanged by the light. The mucilage preparation which I prefer is equal
parts of gum arabic and yellow soap, dissolved in six times their weight in
water; I afterwards ink the stone or other surface in the ordinary manner,
and print as is usual in lithographic printing; or in some cases I apply a
surface of the composition above mentioned directly to a stone or other
printing surface, and produce the photographic image thereon, and then wash
the surface with mucilage, as before, and charge it with ink; I then transfer
the design to a sheet of india-rubber, and extend the same or allow it to
contract, as may be desired, and again transfer the design on to another
printing surface, from which the copies required may be taken.
What I claim in respect to this part of my Invention is, the application of
india-rubber in obtaining printing surfaces from enlarged or reduced pho-
tographic images.
In order to obtain a surface printing block, I first transfer the design to a
surface of stone, metal, or other material capable of being employed in printing
in the manner of lithographic stones (preferring, however, to use a zinc plate or
a metal plate coated with zinc); this may be done by either of the processes
herein-before described; I then ink the plate or surface, and dust it over with
powdered gum copal, which adheres only to the inked portions of the plate or
surface; this is then bit in with an acid or other liquid. For zinc plates I
prefer a solution of sulphate of copper, and I sometimes assist the action by
means of electricity. When the action has proceeded for a short time the
plate or surface is removed from the liquid, and the most delicate lines are
stopped out with black varnish, and the biting is repeated until other lines
require stopping out, and thus the process proceeds until it is complete; 'a
matrix is then taken in the usual way, and electrotyped to produce the
printing block.

page_text: To obtain plates suitable for plate printing, I proceed in a similar manner
to that employed for producing surface printing blocks; the design transferred
to the surface of the plate at the commencement of the process should, how-
ever, have the lights and shades reversed.
What I claim in respect to this part of my Invention is, the manner herein
described of producing printing surfaces.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry George Collins, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
.H. G. COLLINS. (L.S.)