Year: 1876

This art, az most Of our readers ar,
probably aware, consists in produc
/ ing, by q rapid process OF metal east.
I ing, cOunterparts of the type form:


set up by hand by the eompositors
and with the work of bringing this
art to the pitch Of perfection to which
it has attained in the present day the
name of Walter is nOnorably associSt.


ed. TIE Invention of stereotyping


dates pack to about the year 17S5, and


Is generally attributed to William
| Ged, 8 goldsmith of Edinburgh. His
process, still used for certain classes ol
work, is known as the stucco process


stuccO being the material used to take
the impression from the type and
form the matrix- The stucco If
poured on to the face of the page oi
type ia liquid form, aud hardeDs In
cooling. As, however, the stuccC


matrix cannot be bent into semi-cir-
cular form, it is useless for cylinder
printing, and for newspaper work has


been entirely superseded by the pa
pier Dldche process, which, though
not invented, has been chiefly de-
veloped and perfected in the Times
office. 1t was first taken 10 hand


there-being at that time q recent


and crude Notwithstanding the


period OF the Crimean war, when,


with all previOus-known appliances,
it was found impossible TO complete


the daily publication Of the great


journal before nine or ten O'Clock in
the morning. In the able hands OF
the engineers and InechAniciaDs OF


the establishment, series of expert


ments, and step by step improve


ments, gradually led up to the admir-
ably simple, rapid, and effective


method used to supply the cylindrical
stereotype plates for the Walter press


and Of this a brief description may be


given. The "form" of type as set uI


by the eOmposiIOrs is oiled by means
OF u fiannel-covered roller q wei
sheet, consisting OF several thick
nesses of soft paper carefully pasted


together, is then laid on the oiled face,
and covered with \ blanket. The
form thus covered is passed under
rollers, which by their pressure force


the face OF the type into the paper in
such q way Gs TO make it 3 perfect


mold or matrix OF the form. Another
sheet OF paper is then pasted upon the
back of the mold to strengthen
it, and the form, with the soft
paper still OpOn it, is placed upon
hot plate covered with several folds
of dry bianketing, and press screw
ed down on the top. In the space OF
two or three minutes the drying pro-
cess Is completed, and the mold lifts
cleanIy off The edges are then TRIM


med, and the pdpieT-nldche matrix,
plaint enough to be bent into . COM
plete circle il need be, is laid face
upward in a semieiIeuIar casting-bOy,
having a core of the exact diameter
of the i'm preston cylinder OF the press.
Metal just hot enough to run, and so
composed as to sOlidify rapidly, is
poured Into the mold, and on drawing
the core semi-circuIar casting OF the


page of type is upon it. A sharp tap


or TWO brings it off, and 1t is then put
under an ingeniously-eonstructed cir
euIar saw, which cuts of the overflow
metal gathered at the edges. It is
next dipped in water tO accelerate the
cooling and harden it little, aud


then fixed in q small dOuble-tOOled
lathe, a few revolutions OF which
finish the trimming OF the edges, and
cut the edges, which are necessary to
keep the ''dogs" by which it is held in
place on the impression cylinder
''fiush" with the surface. From this
lathe the plate passes TO 3 revolving
planing-mAchine made to fit 1t. In
this it is placed face downward so
that the Inside of the plate Is present.
ed TO the cutting tool by which it is


'trued" so as to insure its having 8
dead bearing on the impression cyl
inder, for being placed on which it is
now ready. Described in words, this
process may perhaps seem Somewhat
complicated, but in practice it is ex-
tremely simple and how speedy 1t is
our readers may judge for themselves
when we tell them that in the Times
office the production of a plate from
first to last Is the worg of only eight
minutes. A practically unlimited
number Of plates can be cast from q
single matrix, and by keeping 1t re-
prints can at any time be made with
out the trouble, expense. or delay of
again setting up type. In conclusion,
as bearing on hequestion Of economy,
we may point out that the plates, af-
ter doing their work for the day, are
melted up again and recast, so that
the same metal may be in use all the
year rOund.-GOOd Words.