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quantity of pulverized charcoal, or other dark powder, into the lines, in order to judge of the effect. From the engraved cast another is taken, either in wax, or in a mixture of five parts of resin and one of white wax, or in metal, (by the electrotype process,) and from it a printing surface is obtained by electrotyping.

The third improvement consists in a mode of manufacturing surface-blocks, or printing surfaces in relief, the subjects or designs of which are transferred from an engraved or etched plate.

The plate, from which the surface-block is to be obtained, is first freed from grease and dirt; and then coated with a mixture composed of a small quantity of printer's ink, and a very large portion of dryers, or Brunswick black; a thin but firm ground of this composition is spread over the plate, with a printer's ink-roller, care being taken that none of the light work is filled up. Over this coating a mixture of very fine oxide of iron and litharge (in equal portions, or two parts of the oxide and one of litharge) is sifted, and the plate is heated until the ground or coating is dry; when cold, the powder is brushed off with a soft brush, and this process is repeated until the ground is of sufficient thickness. When this has been effected, the oxide of iron and litharge are brushed out of the work; any of the lighter work, which may be filled up, is cleared out with the point of a needle; and the lights are built up, as before mentioned. The ground is now blackleaded, and a reverse, in metal, is obtained from it by electrotyping; then all that part of the surface which filled up the engraved work of the original plate is rubbed off with a flat piece of water of Ayre or snake-stone, in order to get the full breadth of the lines of the engraving; and a surface-block or printing surface is electrotyped from the reverse. Instead of the printing surface being obtained by the electrotype process, it may be cast in metal, upon a reverse, formed of plaster of Paris.

The last part of the invention consists in forming embossing surfaces, by sinking or engraving the subject on a surface of plaster of Paris, then taking a cast of it in wax,

and electrotyping the embossing surface from it; or the cast may be made in plaster of Paris, and the embossing surface produced by casting from it in metal.

The patentee claims, Firstly, the mode of obtaining surfaces for relief printing, by means of the electrotype process, or by casting, by causing the subject to be etched or engraved through a white or light-colored composition, placed on a black or darkened surface, as above described. Secondly, the mode of obtaining metallic printing surfaces, with designs thereon, to be printed from in the ordinary manner of line or sunk engraving, by engraving or etching on a prepared surface of plaster of Paris, or other soft substance, and then electrotyping, or taking casts, and obtaining therefrom printing surfaces by the electrotype process, as above described. Thirdly,-the mode of obtaining surfaces for relief printing, by employing engraved or etched metallic plates or surfaces, in the manner above described. Fourthly, the mode of obtaining embossing surfaces, by engraving or sinking the subject in a prepared surface of plaster of Paris, and then, by obtaining a cast therefrom, to produce an embossing surface by the electrotype process, or by casting, as above described.-[Inrolled in the Inrolment Office, July, 1842.]

TO CHRISTOPHER NICKELS, of York-road, Lambeth, in the county of Surrey, Gent., for his invention of improvements in the manufacture of plaited fabrics.-[Sealed 10th February, 1842.]

In making plaited fabrics for frills, and for other purposes, the folding and fastening of the plaits have been hitherto performed by hand, after the fabrics used have been woven. Now the object of this invention is to manufacture plaited fabrics by the act of weaving in a loom.

The patentee, in order to explain his invention, describes its application to a plain tabby weaving of linen, cotton, silk, or other yarn, or thread. If it be desired to have a fabric woven in an ordinary loom, with stripes of plaited

fabric, of an inch and a quarter wide, and that there shall be stripes of fabric, also an inch and a quarter wide, as is shewn in Plate XIII., which represents a portion of fabric made according to this, invention,-in such case, the warp employed would be placed on two warp-beams; that portion of the warp which goes to make the plaited fabric, as shewn at a, a, being warped on to one beam, and the parts of the warp which go to make the parts b, b, of the fabric, being warped on to another beam. By this arrangement, the two warp-beams can be differently weighted; that warp-beam which carries the spaces of warp which go to make the plaited fabric, being only lightly weighted, and the warpbeam which carries the spaces of the warp which go to make the parts b, b, of the fabric, being much more heavily weighted; care being observed, that as the warp for making the plaited fabric a, a, will be more quickly used up than the parts of the warp which go to make the parts b, b, of the fabric, that warp should be longer in proportion. The weaving is then to be carried on in the ordinary manner for weaving tabby; that is, equal warp-threads up and equal down, in forming the shed for receiving the weft, observing, however, that the taking-up of the 'work is so arranged as to be done only so fast as the parts of the warp b, b, of the fabric, are unwound from their warp-beam, which may be performed in any convenient manner.

The "take-up" is usually performed by means of weighted cords, attached to a small dancing roller, drawing the work, as it is produced, over the breast-beam, the work being, from time to time, wound up by a workman, or by any convenient means. The work, as it progresses, by the weft being successively thrown in and beaten up, will be formed into plaits at a, a, in consequence of the warp (which makes those portions of the fabric) being less weighted, for it will be readily understood, that when the weft is thrown in, and the reed is beating it up, the warp, for making the parts a, a, will be more readily unwound than the parts of the warp which go to make the parts b, b; the consequence of which will be, that so soon as a quantity of weft has been thrown in and beaten up, so that the fur

ther beating up will overcome the weight of the parts of the warp a, a, those parts will give way to the reed; and as the weighting of the parts of the warp, which go to make the parts b, b, of the fabric, will resist the beating up of the weft for a longer time, the further throwing in and beating up of the weft will cause the fabric at a, a, as made, to be formed into plaits, and the size of the plaits will, in some degree, depend on the difference of the weighting of the parts of the warp a, a, and b, b, for so soon as there has been a quantity of weft thrown in, which, in the beating up of the reed, will offer such a resistance as to overcome the weighting of the parts of the warp b, b, then the plaiting again commences; hence it will be seen, that the effect of plaiting the fabric will depend on the relative speeds at which the two sets of warp-threads a, a, and b, b, are unwound; for if they were equally weighted, or all delivered at the same speed, the fabric produced would be equal in all parts; but, as the one set b, b, is controlled, to be delivered slower than the other set a, a, the warpthreads a, a, will be more quickly used up, whilst the weftthreads will be more closely beaten up on the warp-threads b, b.

In the above description, the invention is explained in the simplest form; but it will be evident, that besides tabby weaving, twills, satins, and other plain, as well as ornamental weavings, may be made, either in the plaited or unplaited parts of the fabrics; and such plain and ornamental weaving will be performed in the ordinary manner, as is well understood; for a weaver will perceive, that the order in which the various threads of the parts a, a, of the warp are lifted, in respect of each other, so as to vary the pattern of fabric produced, will not interfere with the fabric a, a, being plaited according to this invention; and such is the case in respect to the fabric made by the parts b, b, of the warp-threads; and, although only two warpbeams or rollers are mentioned as being used, a greater number may be employed, care being observed to weight or regulate them correctly, according to the effect desired. In some cases it is desirable that the parts b, b, should be

made double, so as to receive cotton, or other filling, or whalebone; in such cases, the parts b, b, are divided into two warps, in the ordinary way of making double fabric, as is well understood. By the manner of weaving, above described, plaited fabrics may be manufactured with facility, the plaits being securely held or tied by the intermediate portions of the fabric.

The patentee claims the mode of weaving plaited fabrics, by dividing the warp into separate sets or parts, and causing the separated sets or parts to be delivered, at different speeds, as the weaving with the weft proceeds.-Inrolled in the Inrolment Office, August, 1842.]

TO CHARLES FARINA, late of Leicester-square, in the county of Middlesex, but now of No. 83, Upper East Smithfield, in the county of Middlesex, chemist, for a new method of manufacturing soap, candles, and sealing-wax.—[Sealed 15th April, 1842.]

THE improvements which constitute this new method of making soap, are two in number; the first consists in producing lees, by boiling in water, those alkalies commonly used in the manufacture of soap; care being taken to stir the mixture well, until the alkali is dissolved, to prevent the latter from adhering to the bottom of the vessel. The lees, when rendered caustic, by throwing them into an iron back, charged with salt and lime, are ready to be employed in the manufacture of soap.

When the lees, (prepared as above stated,) are spent, they are passed through a filter, to separate all impurities from them, and then run through a shoot into another back, charged with fresh lime; after passing through the lime, they are removed to the vessel in which the alkali is boiled, as above mentioned, and alkali is added until the lees have attained the required strength. The lees being now deprived of their color, by filtration through animal charcoal, are again ready for use.

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