42S
IMPROVEMENTS IX PAPER-MAKING MACHINERY.
[Class XVII.
Enoch Taylor, obtained a “ patent for cutting paperlongitudinally, by meaus of revolving circular blades.”
In 1826, Mr. Firinin Didot introduced into his mill, atMesnil, Mr. Crompton’s drying process. This was thefirst time that it was put into operation in France .
Fine writing-paper is now made, sized with gelatine,dried, and cut into sheets, at the rate of GO feet a minutein length, and 70 inches in width, at the works of Mr.William Joynson, at St. Mary Cray, Kent, which pro-duces, from only two machines, the large quantity of 25tons per week.
The paper used in England for newspapers is requiredto he very strong and firm: to obtain these qualities it issized with gelatine. To Mr. T. B. Crompton is due thismode of sizing with rollers. The amount of Excise dutyon paper made by him has been no less than 15,000/. perannum, taking an average of ten years, and now exceeds20,000/., giving the enormous weight per annum of 1,400tons.
In August 1830, the late Mr. Thomas Barratt, of St.Mary Cray, obtained a patent for inserting the water-mark aud maker’s name to continuous paper, so as toresemble, in every respect, paper made by hand. It is tothis ingenious man that we are indebted for the improvedmeans of finishing paper, owing to the perfection heattained in making cast-iron rollers truer than was pos-sible by the old mode of turning them in a lathe. Thisconsists in grinding the rollers together, allowing merelya small stream of water to flow over them, without emeryor any other grinding material; and, by continuing theoperation for many weeks, true cylinders are obtained.This is the mode now adopted in finishing rollers for allpurposes requiring great accuracy.
In August 1831, M. Jean Jaques Jequier obtained apatent for making continuous paper with wire marks,similar to the laid papers usually made by hand; to whichthe preference was still given for their greater strengthand peculiar appearance.
In 1830, Mr. Ibotson, of Poyle, paper-maker, obtaineda patent for a peculiar construction of strainers. lieintrusted the getting up of these strainers to Messrs.Donkin, who used great care in their manufacture. ByMr. Ibotson’s simple contrivance, the sand, lumps, knots,and other impurities, are kept from flowing with the pulpat the moment of its running on the wire web on whichthe paper is formed. Most countries have since adoptedthese strainers; and paper is now free from the imper-fections which formerly caused so much damage to typosin the printing, spoiling large founts and valuable wood-cuts, after they had been in use only a short time: thisgreat improvement also superseded the operation of pick-ing the lumps, See., after the paper was made, whichcaused so much retree (damaged paper) to otherwisegood aud well-made paper. Other kinds of strainers areused: but feu* are found to work as well as Ibotson’s,made by Donkin and Co. Mr. John "Wilks, a partner inthe firm of Donkin and Co., obtained a patent in 1830 fora channelled and perforated roller, technically called a“ dandy,” to remove part of the water from the pulp, tofacilitate couching, to enable paper to be made with in-creased rapidity, and to close its upper surface. To thisgentleman manufacturers are greatly indebted for manyvaluable suggestions and improvements in the numerousutensils and implements required iu the making andfinishing of paper.
In England, writing-papers are sized with gelatine,and are stronger and harder than those of other countries:they are also cleaner, generally better put up, and showgreater care in the manufacture than those of France andof other countries. The old cream laid papers, now' sofashionable in England, were re-introduced by Messrs.Hollingworth, of Turkey Mill, Kent, a few years since,and they are still preferred for letter and note paper.The thinnest post writing-papers, however, are muchbetter manufactured in France, Belgium , and other partsof the Continent, than in England. Those exhibitedfrom Angouleme in France, and Ileilbronn in Germany ,are the best; those made in Belgium are not sufficientlyhard-sized. Notwithstanding the high protective dutyof 4Jc/. per lb., a considerable quantity of these tliin
writing-papers is imported into England. The white ofthe letter-papers of France, Germany , and other foreigncountries, is of great purity and beauty; and these papers,being sized in the vat with farina, in addition to rosin-soap, instead of gelatine, they are less greasy under thepen,* and consequently can be written on more freelythan those which are sized with animal size; they do not,however, bear the ink so well. English printing-papersgenerally maintain a superiority over those of foreigncountries; and in drawing-papers and strong accouut-book blue-laid papers, England stands unrivalled. Tintedprinting and drawing papers, formerly made exclusivelyin England, are now produced by most foreign paper-makers, who also make the tinted writing post-papers,long out of fashion in this country. M. Oimv, of Prouzel(334, p. 1193), exhibited well-made black papers, forwrapping, cambrics, lace, &c. Black papers of the samekind were made in Ireland and Manchester more thau25 years ago.
M. Jouknkt (619, p. 1207), of the Souche PaperManufactory, exhibited printing-paper of a good colour,said to be bleached without the use of any acid : rose-colour tissues of great brilliancy, dyed with safflower,and filtering-paper for chemical purposes, which, pro-bably owing to the granitic and silicious soil throughwhich the Souche waters flow, seem to combine all thebest qualities of the Swedish paper originally manufac-tured under Berzelius ’ directions. A sheet of M. Journet'sfiltering-paper, weighing 9*6970 grammes, and having asurface of 0*2336 metres, analysed by M. Bareswil, gavein ashes only 0*0293 ; so that 100 kilogrammes of thispaper would yield only 302 grammes of ashes, being onlythree parts of ashes from one thousand parts of paper—a very favourable result.
The so-called “ fire-proof cartridge-paper,” made withanimal substances invented by M. Me'rimee, and exhi-bited by MM. Odent (938, p. 1225), Blanchet, andKlkber, of Fives (1090, p. 1230), and by M. Mont-golfier, of Annonay (324, p. 1192), deserves par-ticular mention. It approaches parchment in strengthand solidity, and is valuable when used instead of felt inmaking gun-cartridges ; for should it catch fire, the firedoes not spread as in paper, but goes out instantly. M.Odent was the first to apply M. Merimce’s inventionunder that gentleman’s instruction, and he exhibitedsheets as a substitute for parchment-binding, or forvaluable records: its yellow colour, however, is objection-able, but it may perhaps be improved. M. Montgolfierhas also applied this animal paper, instead of parchment,to the use of spinning-mills and to gold and silver beaters’purposes.
Sizing in the vat offers many advantages, but as agelatine cannot be employed without injury to the feltduring the process of manufacturing paper, substitutesfor gelatine were desirable ; aud in 1827 M. Canson madesize, of which wax was the base, and M. Deleambre madeanother, the base of which was rosin: neither seems tohave answered the purpose, for Mr. Obry’s plan of usingalum and rosin, previously dissolved in soda, and com-bining it with potato-starch, which he adopted in 1827,is the method now generally followed in France forwriting and printing papers. In England, for printing-papers, the rosin size is also the one in use; the additionof potato-starch has been attempted, but not very success-fully, probably from the quantity of cotton rags used,which seem not readily to take the size made with starch.For writing-papers, gelatine is still preferred in thiscountry, and is an after process.
High glazing, now universally adopted, was first intro-duced by the late Mr. Heath, about 35 years ago, at hispasteboard manufactory in Ilackney, and for many yearstbe means he adopted were not known. On the introduc-tion of steel pens, there was an increased demand forsmooth papers, and a desire to obtain the highest possiblefinish. Other card and drawing-board makers applied