US1490277A - Electrotype mold and process of producing the same - Google Patents

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c. 1,490,277 AP? 15! J. KN

ELECTROTYPE MOLD AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME Filed April 15. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H La April 15, 1924.

J. KNITTLE ELECTROTYPE MOLD AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME Filed April 15. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Patented Apr. 15, l l.

JGSEEH KNITTLE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ELECTROTYTE MOLD AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME.

Application ,filed April 15, 1922. Serial No. 553,274.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr KNITTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrotype Molds and Processes of Producing the Same; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. Q

My invention relates to the art of making electrotypes and is directed particularly to the production of an improved electrotype mold. The invention resides both in the improved product and in the process by which it is produced. v I

In the old and long established method of producing wax engraved molds for making electrotypes, it has been the established practice first to place a thin coating of wax on a metal face plate, next to produce the impressions in the wax and then, by a slow and laborious process, to build up the body of the wax between the depressions. The depressions in the wax may be produced by type or by cutting grooves in the wax. In this old process, great care must be taken that the grooves or depressions in the wax be not made or out completely through the wax or to the surface of the metallic face plate, because if this should be done, then, in the electroplating o eration, thecopper shell of the completed e ectrotype would adhere to the metallic face plate and the job would be spoiled.

My invention makes a radical departure from the above noted old process, and it com sists, in the first place, of the use of a face plate of plate glass, or other hard siliceous substance. All such substances are non-conductors of electricity, and copper or other metallic substances, deposited in contact therewith in the electroplating process, will not adhere thereto, which latter noted feature is of the utmost importance in connection with my invention.

The surface ofthe glass face plate should be ground, sanded, or otherwise slightly roughened to prepare the same for the wax bed. Great diificulty will be found in making wax. properly adhere to glass surfaces. In the first place, wax must be of a proper character and the ground or sanded surface of the glass should be treated with a coating that will cause the wax bed to firmly adhere to the glass. After much experimentation, I have practically solved this problem by the use of a wax bed approximately in the proportions of two ounces of 020 compound to one pound ofozokerite wax, and by the use of a glass coating consisting of approximately six parts of 020 compound to one part of ozokerite. The latter noted mixture, to wit, the coating material, will be brushed or sprayed in a thin coating over the grounded surface of the glass face plate, and on this coating, when the latter has dried, the wax bed, one-sixteenth inch more or less in thickness, will be applied. The glass face plate should be warm when the coating is applied and should also be warm at the time that the Wax body in hot semifluid condition is applied to the coating.

020 compound and ozokerite are materials that may be purchased commercially at almost any drug store and are well known in the trade. While I have, in practice, used the above noted materials in approximately the proportions stated, I do not, of course, limit myself specifically thereto, as the same may be varie The wax bed thus applied will be the full depth of the completed mold body. Where type, cuts, or the like are to be inserted in the electrotype, they may be pressed completely through the wax and against the glass face plate. Then, when the line rulings are to be used, the grooves may be out completely through the wax and against the glass face plate, or against the coated surface thereof. 'This, of course, gives perfect alignment of the type and other characters with the line ruling grooves and is made possible by the fact that, in the process of electroplating, the accumulated copper film or surface will not adhere to said glass plate. With this process, it is important to note that no building up of the wax at any time is required, and, moreover, the most perfect kind of work can be quickly done, whereas, with the old process, much time was required and the work was not by any means as perfect as that produced by my improved process. As a concrete illustration, I have produced in fifteen-'ininutes a most perfect wax engraved mold, which, by the old process, could not be made in less than from three to four hours and then would not be as perfect as that produced by my process. My invention will be found especially adapted for quickly making wax engraved molds for electrotypes to be used in the production of index cards, deposit slips, order blanks, record sheets or other ruled or lined forms.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, like characters indicate like arts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the glass face plate;

Fig. 2 is an edge elevation showing the glass face plate with the coating consisting of 020 compound and ozokerite applied thereto, the thickness of the coating being greatly exaggerated for the sake of clearness; I

Fig. 3 is an edge elevation showing the face plate with the wax body applied thereto;

Fig. 4 is a perspective showing the face plate with the wax body or bed applied thereto and with certain type and character impressions made therein;

Fig. 5 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, showing a galley of type positioned to press the type or characters thereof through the wax bed and against the plate; v

Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to 5 but with the type form removed;

Fig. 7 is a perspective showing the finished wax bed with the type impressions and the line grooves cut' therein;

Fig. 8 is a section on the'line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a section corresponding to Fig. 8 but showing the copper facing that has been deposited by the well known electroplating process; v

Fig. 10 shows the completed electrotype applied to a wooden base; and

Fig. 11 is a transverse section on the line 1111 of Fig. 10..

The glass face plateis indicated bythe numeral 12 and its ground face by. the numeral 13. The thin adhesive coating which is first applied to the ground face of the plate 12 is indicated by the numeral 14. This coating will be thick enough to level off and make smooth the ground face of the glass plate, and it will very strongly adhere to the ground surface of said plate. This coating affords a base on which will be securely anchored the wax bed or body 15. In Figs. 4 and 7, the type-produced indentations are indicated at 16, while the line ruling grooves are indicated by the numeral 17, and these, as indicated, will be pressed or cut down to or substantially to the ground surface of theglass faceplate; but, of course, not to the bottom of the miniature pockets formed in the glass by the grinding or sanding thereof. a

It is hereimportant to note that the primary coating applied to the ground surface of the glass will completely fill all of the said miniature pockets and afford a smooth surface against which the type or cuts may bepressed and down to which the line-forming grooves may be out. Of course, the cutting of the line-forming grooves may be performed in any suitable way, but is well adapted to be formed by the customary machines used for such purposes.

In Fig. 5, the numeral 18 indicates a type form which holds type 19 pressed through the wax bed and against the glass plate.

In Figs. 10 and 11, the numeral 20 indicates a copper shell which, by the electroplating process, has been formed on the engraved wax bed and which subsequently, in accordance with the customary practice, has the applied metallic body 21 of type metal cast against the same and secured to a wooden block 22. Otherwise stated, Figs. 10 and 11 show the completed product. Briefly stated, Fig. 7 shows the completed engraved electrotype mold from which is to be made the electrotype shell 20 shown in Fi s. 10 and 11.

62o compound is an adhesive substance and is adapted, when in liquid form, to be appliedto glass to form a highly efficient adhesive anchoring base to insure proper adhesion of the wax body or ozokerite to the glass plate. It is necessary to apply this ozo compound or adhesive base to the glass only once. When applied to the sanded or ground surface of glass it fills up and smoothens up the irregular surface and affords an ideal surface against which to form the electrotype, for the electrotype will not adhere thereto. Ozo compound is made in accordance with a secret formula of the G. vC. Dom Supply Company of Cincinnati, and is well known to the trade. 1

The superiority of the above electrotype plate made in accordance with my invention, must be evident, and moreover, has been thoroughly demonstrated in practice. 7 After the electrotype shell has been formed on the engraved wax bed and removed therefrom, said wax bed may be removed, placing the same in hot water; but the hot water will not remove the thin coating from the ground or sanded surface of the glass plate. The term engraved is used in a liberal sense to include cutting, press ing, or otherwise making impressions in the wax bed.

The time saving element incident to the operation of my apparatus is, in itself, and aside from the superiority of the product a very marked step in the advancement in the art of making electrotypes.

What I claim'is:

' 1. An electrotype mold comprising a glass face plate, and an engraved wax body applied thereto, the engraved lines being cut through the wax bed to the surface of said glass face plate and exposing the glass at the bottom of the engraved lines.

2. An electrotype mold comprising a face plate of hard non-metallic substance that is a non-conductor of electricity, an engraved wax bed applied to said face plate, the engraved lines being cut through said wax bed to the surface of said face plate.

3. An electrotype mold comprising a glass face plate having a ground surface, a thin permanent adhesive coating on said ground surface, and an engraved wax bed applied on said coating.

4. An electrotype mold comprising a glass face plate having a ground or sanded surto one part of ozokerite wax directly applied to the ground surface of said plate, and an engraved wax bed consisting of approximately one ounce of ozo compound to one pound of ozokerite wax directly applied on said thin permanent coating.

5. The process defined in claim 4 in which said thin permanent coating consists of ozo compound and ozokerite wax in substantially the proportions of six parts of the former to one part of the latter, and in which said wax bed consists of ozo compound and ozokerite wax in approximately the proportions of two ounces of the former and one pound of the latter.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

face, a thin permanent coating consisting of approximately six parts of ozo compound JOSEPH KNITTL'E.

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