US1548465A - Process for the reproduction of wood grains - Google Patents

Description

Patented Aug. 4, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES 1'. HENRY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL CASH RMIS'I'ER COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

PROCESS FOR THE REPRODUCTION OF GRAINS.

No Drawing.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES P. HENRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have inve'nted certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for the Reproduction of Wood Grains, of which I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved process whereby the graining of woods may be reproduced on substances of other nature than the wood, such as sheet steel or the likean the manufacture of metal furniture.

In view of the unsatisfactory results obtained by the now known processes for the reproduction of wood grains and the like 1t is the purpose of'the present invention to improve, not only the process of reproduc- ,tion, 'but the products of such process thereby.

The new and improved process comprises the following steps:

In reproducing the grains of quartered oak, mahogany or any other woods having grain, which it is desired to imitate, a piece of wood of desired grain is first selected so that the reproduction will be as artistic as possible. Having a board of selected gram the surface of the same is made as nearly smooth as possible by the ordinary planing and sanding operations and isthen given a stain. The pores of the wood will accept the greatest amount of the strain and thus become the darkest places in the surface. The tone is gradually blended off to the high lights or hard spots in the surface of the wood. 4

The board thus prepared is then photographed, reproducing the grain in ne ative' by the usual photographic process. mm the negative so obtalned, a positive is made, preferably on a photographic film or clear glass, which positive is also obtained by the ordinary photographic process.

Having obtained the positive'a print is made therefrom on a sensitized photogravure carbon tissue paper such as ordinarily employed in the mtaglio process of printing. It has been found desirable to separate the etched areas to be later obtained and the use of screens as practiced in photogravure is resorted to. After exposure in making the print on the carbon tissue, the

Application filed November 8, 1916. Serial No. 120,205.

as the Rembrandt screen in the art of rotary photogravure. Any form of screen may be used such as straight line screens, wave line screens, etc., 'wit out departing from the spirit of the present process.

The purpose of the use of the screen, as above described, is to break the etched area into small recesses or cells, which vary in depth according to the shade to be reproduced, and are adapted to receive masses or fields of pigment, as hereinafter described. This breaking up of the etched areas eliminates entirely the difficulties encountered in the use of a wiper or doctor blade. \Vhen a wiper or doctor blade is used on a hand engraved or etched metal plate bearing a reproduction of a long open grained piece of wood on which the etched or engraved area is not broken up, the doctor or wiper blade tends to draw out of the unbroken depression more than mere surface pigment, especially when the wiper blade is drawn over the plate in the direction of the grain. This results in leaving in said unbroken depression an insuflicient amount of pigment to give a faithful reproduction. With the present invention, however, the small cells into which the etched areas are broken up prevent the excessive withdrawal of the pi ment by the wiper blade which can then on y remove the surface stain and retains the proper amount of stain which is calculated to give a faithful reproduction of the shades and grain to be reproduced. The carbon tissue is then placed face down on a sheet of burnished metal plate, preferably copper. A cylinder may readily be used in place of the sheet of metal without departing from the spirit of the invention. The carbon tissues so prepared is first allowed to soak in a solution of alcohol and water of equal parts to soften the tissue which is then placed face down in contact with the plate to be etched and squeegeed in contact with the late.

1811 the tissue is exposed through the positive and screen, certain portions of the sensitized gelatin are hardened to form an insoluble resist for the etching operation.

When the tissue has been squeegeed in contact with the copper plate, warm water is employed to loosen the paper backing and to wash away that art of the sensitized gelatin which is $0111 le leaving the deposlt of insoluble gelatin or resist on the face of the plate. Thus the image is produced on the plate in gelatin hotogravure relief corresponding to the lights and shadesof the positive through which the light acted. lVhere the positive is densest the resist is thinnest and where the ositive was transparent the resist is thic test. When this process of development is completed, the plate, with the resist, is allowed to dry thoroughly.

The edges and other surfaces of the plate which have not received a deposit of resist as above stated, are protected with a coat of asphaltum preparatory to etching. The plate so prepared is then ready for the etchmg operation. The etchin operation which it has been found prefera le to employ, is the usual process of etching a copper plate. The usual mordant, ferric chloride, is used for the purpose of etching. It, is found desirable to employ three baths of average variation in strengths running from 45 to 40 Baum, the variation in climatic conditions determining the strengths to be used, practice showing that in warm weather it is often preferable to start at 48 Baum while in colder weather to drop to 36 Baum. Any weak points in the etching may be further developed by local etching by any of the well known methods.

After the plate has been satisfactorily etched the action of the mordant is stopped by the application of a potash bath which also serves to soften the gelatin resist so that it can be brushed from the plate.

It will readily be understood that in the carbon process when the plate is put through the etching baths, the mordant penetrates the thinnest parts of the gelatin resist first, and therefore etches the plate most under these parts. \Vhere the resist was thickest corresponding to the hi h lights of the positive, the mordant has the least effect on the plate and the etching is the slightest. The effect of the etching will be that where the high lights appeared on the positive the cells formed will be comparatively shallow while in those parts where the positive was dense the cells formed will be correspondingly deep. As the etching is controlled from a true photographic negative of the grain to be reproduced, the varying depth of the cells so formed are such as will 've a faithful reproduction of the pro er s ades.

The plate so prepared is rea y for the final operation 0 reproducing the graining of the wood roduced thereon. The operation of repro uction is as follows;

The plate is coated with a stain of the same color as the darkest lines or pores desired of the grain to be reproduced. This is accomplished by submerging the plate, or in the case of a cylinder, revolving said cylinder in a. bath of stain. However, the stain may be applied in any other manner in the present process without departing from the spirit of the invention. After the plate has received the coat of stain a wiper or doctor blade is brought against the surface of the plate and drawn across the surface so that all the surface stain will be wiped off, leaving a deposit of the stain in all of the cells made by the etching process.

Having wiped the surface of the plate with a doctor blade or wiper, a soft roller is rolled over the surface of the plate. The roller picks up the stain in the various depth cells, which variation in depth of the cells, controls the masses of stain, and will govern the variation in color in a reproduction of the grain.

Having thus picked up on the roller the stain from the cells of the plate or cylinder, said roller is rolled over the part or article to be grained, said part having been previously painted or enameled a ground color, such as required for the grain to be reproduced.

When the soft roll ,which has picked up the stain from the cells of the plate or cylinder passes over the article to be grained the smalhmasses of pigment picked from the cells will be merged. All lines of union between the masses will be obliterated and all traces of the small etched areas or cells of the etched plate will be destroyed. The varying masses of pigment on the roll due to the varying depth of the cells on the etched plate will still prevail to control the varying shades to be reproduced.

The stain thus transferred from the roller to the part or article that is to be grained will give a resultant reproduction which is an exact facsimile of the original board photographed.

Of course, it is to be understood that the color of the stains and ground colors depend entirely upon, and is varied according to, the wood or finish to be reproduced. After the stain has been transferred from the roller to the article which is to bear the reproduction it is desirable, in order to give a more natural appearance, to brush over the grained surface with a soft blending brush. This blending operation, however, is not necessary under all conditions and may be dispensed with, without departing frdm the spirit of the present process.

What is claimed is 1. The process of reproducing the grain of wood on a solid surface, which consists in producing a photographic negative of the wood to be simulated; producing from produced by the VB-117mg with the shade toqi e gfilced an in depth arranged to simulate the grainmg of the original material filling the plate with coloring matter; withdrawing the coloring matter from the recesses of the grained plate b means of an elastic roller to which the co oring matter adheres; transferring the coloring matter from the elastic roller to the'sur face to be grained and merging the masses one into the other so as to obliterate the lines of union.

2. The process of reproducing the grain of wood on a solid surface whlch consists in staining the iece of wood to be simulated to accentuate t e grain thereof; producing a photographic negative of the wood so prepared; producing from the negative a grained plate, the recesses produced by the graining varying in depth with the shade to be produced and arranged to simulate the graining of the original material; filling the plate with coloring matter; with drawing the colorin matter from the re ceases of the graine plate by means of an elastic roller to which the coloring matter adheres; transferring the coloring matter from the elastic roller to the surface to be grained and merging the masses one into the other so as to obliterate the lines of union.

3. The process of reproducing the grain of woog on a solitll1 surface which consist; in pro uclng a otograp 1c 11 ative o the wood to be si inulated; produ h mg from the negative a grained plate, the recesses produced by the graining varyin in depth with the shade to be producer? and arranged to simulate the graining of the the negative a grained plate, the

original material; filling the plate with coloring matter' withdrawin the colorin matter from t e recesses o the graine plate by means of an elastic roller to which the coloring matter adheres; transfe-rrin the colorin matter from the elastic ro er to the sur ace to be grained and merging the 'of an elastic roller to whic masses one into the other so as to obliterate the lines of union; and blending the masses of pi ent -with each other and with the surroun ing shades.

4. The process of reproducing the grain of wood on a solid surface, WhlOh consists in staining the iece of wood to Mmulated to accentuate t e grain thereof; producing a phot raphic negative of the wood so prepare producing from the ne tive a grained plate, the recesses produce by the graining varyin in depth with the shade to be reprodu and arranged to simulate the graining of the original material ;'filling the plate with coloring matter; withdrawing the coloring matter from the recesses of the grained plate by means of an elastic roller to which the coloring matter adheres; transferring the coloring matter from the elastic roller to the surface to be rained -and mergin the masses one into t e other so as to ob iterate the lines of union; and blendin the masses of pigment with each other an with the surrounding shades.

5. The process of reproducin the grain of wood on a solid surface which consists in producing a photographic negative of the wood to be simulated; producing from the negative a grained plate, the recesses produced by the ainin varyin in depth with the shade to e pro need an arranged to simulate the graimng of the ori inal material; filling the plate with coloring matter; withdrawin the colorin matter from the recesses of t e grained late by means the coloring matter adheres; coating the article to be grained with a color corresponding to the ground color of the wood whose grain is to be simulated; transferring the colorin matter from the elastic roller to the coate surface to be grained and mer the masses one into the other so as to obfiiterate the lines of union. 7

In testimony whereof I aflix mgfilfltum,

JAMES P. BY.

the negative a grained plate, the recesses produced by the ainin varyin in depth with the shade to e pr uced an arranged to simulate the grainmg of the original material filling the plate with coloring matter; withdrawing the coloring matter from the recesses of the grained plate b means of an elastic roller to which the co oring matter adheres; transferring the coloring matter from the elastic roller to the surface to be grained and merging the masses one into the other so as to obliterate the lines of union.

2. The process of reproducing the grain of wood on a solid surface whlch consists in staining the iece of wood to be simulated to accentuate t e grain thereof; producing a photographic negative of the wood so prepared; producing from the negative a grained plate, the recesses produced by the graining varying in depth with the shade to be produced and arranged to simulate the graining of the original material; filling the plate with coloring matter; Withdrawing the coloring matter from the recesses of the grained plate by means of an elastic roller to which the coloring matter adheres; transferring the coloring matter from the elastic roller to the surface to be grained and merging the masses one into the other so as to obliterate the lines of union.

3. The process of reproducin the grain of wood on a solid surface which consists in producing a photographic negative of the wood to be simulated; producing from the negative a grained plate, the recesses produced by the graining varyin in depth with the shade to be produce and arranged to simulate the graining of the original material filling the plate with coloring matter; withdrawin the colorin matter from the recesses o the graine plate by means of an elastic roller to which the coloring matter adheres; transfe rrin the coloring matter from the elastic ro or to the surface to be grained and merging the of an elastic roller to whic masses one into the other so as to obliterate the lines of union; and blending the masses of pi ent with each other and with the surroun ing shades.

4. The process of reproducing the gram of wood on a solid surface, which consists in staining the iece of wood to belimulated to accentuate t e grain thereof; producing a phot raphic negative of the wood so prepare producing from the ne ative a grained plate, the recesses produce by the graining varyin in depth with the shade to be reprodu and arranged to simulate the graining of the original material; filling the plate with coloring matter; withdrawing the coloring matter from the recesses of the grained plate by means of an elastic roller to which the coloring matter adheres; transferring the coloring matter from the elastic roller to the surface to be rained and mergin the masses one into t e other so as to ob iterate the lines of union; and blendin the masses of pigment with each other an with the surrounding shades.

5. The process of reproducing the grain of wood on a solid surface which consists in producing a photographic negative of the wood to be simulated; producing from the negative a grained plate, the recesses produced by the ainin varyin in depth with the shade to e ro need an arranged to simulate the graimng of the original material; filling the plate with coloring matter; withdrawingl the colorin matter from the recesses of t e grained late by means the coloring matter adheres; coating the article to be grained with a color corresponding to the ground color of the wood whose grain is.

to be simulated; transferring the colorin matter from the elastic roller to the coate surface to be grained and margin the masses one into the other so as to ob iterate the lines of union.

In testimony whereof I aflix my si ature, JAMES P. HE

DISCLAIMER 1,548,465.-James P. H emy, Dayton, Ohio. Pxooassronmllnraonuonox or Woon GRAINS. Patent dated Au t 4, 1925. Disclaimer filed August 8, 1941, by the assignee, Omfmd arm'eh C'orpomtion. Hereby enters a disclaimer to claims 1, 2, and 5 of said patent.

[0715M Gazette September 2, 1941.]

DISCLAIMER 1,548,&65.--James P. H enry, Dayton, Ohio. Pnocnss zonmRmonUonoN or Woon Gums. Patent dated AW 4, 1925. Disclaimer filed August 8, 1941, by the assignee, Oxford a'rm'ah Uorporation. Hereby enters a disclaimer to claims 1, 2, and 5 of said patent.

[Ofim'al Gazette September 5, 1941.]