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contents

DIRECTIONS

FOR

USING
THE

PATENT PORTABLE  

Copying Machines,

INVENTED AND MADE  

BY

JAMES WATT & COMPANY,

OF

SOHO,

NEAR

BIRMINGHAM.

______________________

BIRMINGHAM.  

PRINTED BY THOMSON AND WRIGHTSON, NEW STREET
________________

1813.

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INDEX

__________

I.          CONTENTS OF THE BOX, AND DESCRIP-
                       TION OF THE PARTS.

1.Copying apparatus,
2.Writing desk.
3.Secretaire.

II,        TO PREPARE THE COPYING PAPER.

1.  To use the damping box.
2.  To use the wetting book.

III   TO TAKE THE IMPRESSION.

1. To copy one page.
2. To copy two pages.
3. To copy three pages.
4. To copy four pages.
5. Use of the sponge papers.
6. To judge of an impression.
7. To smooth the original.

IV.    THE COPYING INK.

V.   TO PRESERVE THE COPIES.

VI.   CAUTIONS,

1.      Of writing paper
2.      Date of which writing will copy
3.       
4.      Cautions in using the Machine
5.      L
6.      To Keep the drying and wetting Books free from moisture.

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I.

CONTENTS OF THE BOX, &c.
________

THE box opens in the middle, and presents the copying apparatus on one side, a writing desk and a secretary for containing paper, letters pens, &c. on the other.

The COPYING APPARATUS consists,

1.    Of the Press, with its two metallic rolls,

which are put in motion by

2. The Handle or Lever, fitting upon the extremity of the axis of the upper roll.

3. Of the Double pasteboard, the end of which is inserted between the rolls; this answers  the uses of the board in the larger machines, and  is covered with Fearnought cloth, for the purpose of elastic compression.

A quarter sheet of writing paper folded up with  Copying paper and Oiled paper interleaved, is placed between the pasteboards to shew the mode of copying four pages at a time. This being merely inclosed  for the purpose  of instruction, must be removed when you use the machine. The mode of copying one, two or three pages will be hence apparent, as you will have to lay on only one leaf of copying paper for each page to be copied.

4

4. Of the Phial or Measure of the  quantity of
water necessary  to moisten  24   leaves  of   quarto
copying paper in the damping box, and at the same time proportion for foolscap and folio copying paper.

5. Of the  Damping box, contained  as well as
the following articles in a drawer, in  which the copying paper is moistened and kept in the proper degree  of dampness for use.

6. Of the Wetting book, to damp the copying paper in case you have none prepared in the damping box.

7. Of the Damping  brush to moisten the copying paper in the welting book. This is put into  case, to prevent its rusting any part of the apparatus. The water should always  be well squeezed out when it has been used.

8. Of thc Drying book, to lay your copies in while moist, and answering the double purpose of drying and smoothing them.

The WRITING DESK consists of two flaps,  which fold up and form the lid of the secretaire.—
It is used a throw-out desk,  by turning it back upon a table, when the flaps being unfolded, rest upon the edges of the box, and form a convenient inclination for writing. As this position, however, requires more space than often can be conveniently allotted, the elevated  desk is provided. The Elevator, constructed upon the principle

5

of a parallel ruler, being raised from its position at the end of  the Secretaire till it rests against the middle division of  the box, and its brass arms  extended ,  forms a support for the two  leaves, which then present a convenient desk.

The SECRETARY lies in the upper part of the box, and contains

1.    The spare copying paper.

1.    Writing paper.

3.The sponge  papers, serving to smooth and
dry   the   original  from   which  you have taken a
copy, by interleaving it with them,  and repassing
it through the press.

4. The spare interleaving Oiled papers, to be used in copying, and to be put between the pasteboards to increase the pressure, if at any time need be.

5. The Ink powders;   these are merely a  re-
serve for  making   fresh ink  when  your stock is
exhausted.    When  you  take a journey with the
machine, the space   they occupy  may   be appropriated to other purposes.

6. . Space for wafers and Space for pens, sealing wax, penknife, &c. The ink-stand, to avoid carrying it topsy turvy,  is placed on the  same side of the box with the copying apparatus; and as the quantity of ink it contains would  be exhausted in a journey of any length, and it would be

6

Troublesome to be frequently  making  ink from the powders,  a Bottle of copying ink,  containing nearly a third of  a pint, is added,  which is inclosed  in a  case to prevent the danger of  breakage.

____________

II,

TO PREPARE THE COPYING PAPER.

1.    Directions for the Damping Box.

FOR  the quarto damping box, take twenty-four leaves of the copying paper, and separate or loosen them from one and other, by rolling them upon a wooden roller, or by any more convenient operation. The paper is to  be laid flat into the damping box, and three quarters of an ounce, i.e. the Phial  or Measure full of spring water to be poured upon it, taking care to distribute it as equally as possible.  Then put on the lid of the box, but without pressing it down. Let the whole stand in a horizontal situation twelve hours, and in that time the moisture will have penetrated and diffused itself equally throughout the copying paper, and made it the proper degree of dampness for use. The paper will appear undulated or waved but no inconvenience will thence arise in the use of it.

7

Paper may be thus  preserved in its proper degree of moisture for taking copies during  two weeks, or upwards, if the place in which it is kept  be not too dry; and it will not contract any unpleasant smell  during that time, if the  water made use of  was pure.

As it is  material that the proportion of water should be as accurately observed as possible, if you put more than 24 leaves of paper into the  quarto box, the quantity of water must be augmented in proportion;  but it is to be observed, that when the number of leaves exceeds thirty-six, the moisture does not equally pervade the whole quantity of paper. The different state of the atmosphere,  or the different thickness of the copying paper, may sometimes require a greater or a less portion of  water for the damping  box than what we have pointed out; but of this experience  will be the beat guide.

When you want to take the damped paper out of the box, be careful in lifting up the lid,  to raise it first at one end, and to do it gently, otherwise some of the paper may stick to it, and be rumpled —Lay the lid upon the table upside  down, to prevent the adhesion of dust, or loss of moisture. To take out a leaf, wet the point of your finger,  and apply to one corner of the upper leaf, which will

8

then stick to it, and enable you to raise it without any trouble, or raise it with a pin. or the point of a knife.

As soon as you have taken out as many sheets as are wanted, cover the box immediately, to prevent the remaining paper drying.

N. B. The same  proportions   of paper and water must  of course he observed for the foolscap and folio  damping  boxes.

2.    To use the Wetting Book.

In  case you should not have any paper ready in the damping box, and you are in haste  you may, with little loss of time, prepare the copying paper as follows

Open the wetting book in any part,  and lay the copying paper upon it by one leaf at a time,— Having  put same water into a glass tumbler, wet the  Damping brush in it,  stroke it upon the edge of the glass to take off part of the water, then holding the copying paper fast, begin at one end and wet it all over thoroughly with the brush; when it has every where soaked through, shut the wetting book, and rub your hand pretty hard over the cover where the wet paper lies. Open the book at the place, and examine if all the superfluous moisture

9

Be absorbed by the book from the paper; and if you perceive any part that remains wet and shining the rubbing must be repeated.

This operation requires much  nicety; the copy paper requires to be made equally moist all over, without being any where what may be called wet, otherwise it will make the writing spread both on the copy and the original.  It is advisable for beginners to leave the paper rather too dry than moist.

III.

TO TAKE THE IMPRESSION.

BEFORE you copy, Let your writing dry in the open air, for if the ink is wet, it[ will run, and if dried before a fire, the copy will be less perfect.

Prepare your letter as follows:

1.    1. If it is written only upon one side or page, lay a leaf of damped copying paper upon the face of the writing, and place  it between the pasteboards, with the writing, and damped paper upwards, taking care that the latter be free from wrinkles, and then close the pasteboards. Fix the lever upon the end of the axis of the upper roll, the machine being so

10

placed that it shall  project over the edge of the table;  apply one hand to each end of the lever and turn it slowly from right to left until the pasteboard has nearly passed through the rolls and you are stopped bu the wooden clamp at the end, then reverse the motion until the pasteboard has resumed its original position. This passing and re-passing will, in general, be found sufficient; but if your writing is of an old date, it may be necessary to repeat the operation oftener.

 The chief art in taking an impression, is to turn very slowly.  

You may now remove from between  the pasteboards, both the original and the copy, which  you will find  attached to it. Take the copy off gently, lay it flat in the drying book , and leave it there until it is dry, either in its place in the box, or with a weight upon it to press it down equally.

1.     2. When the letter or writing is composed of two pages, lay a leaf of the damped copying paper upon the second page to be copied, cover it with oiled paper for interleaving, turn over the letter or writing, so that the first page may be uppermost, and cover it also with another leaf of the damped copying paper, Then pass the whole through the rolls, &c. as before directed.

2.     3. If the letter has three pages to be copied, you must first lay a sheet of the damped

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copying paper upon the third page, then lay the interleaving oiled paper upon it, cover it with another leaf of the damped copying paper, and turn the letter over, so that the second page may come to lie upon the last mentioned sheet of damped copying paper; upon the first page of the first page of the letter, which will then be uppermost, lay a third sheet of the damped copying paper, and proceed as before directed.

4. If your letter or writing has four pages to be copied  prepare the three first pages as described in the last article; then lay a fourth leaf of the damped copying paper upon the lower pasteboard, place the fourth page of the letter upon it, and pass the whole between the rolls as before directed.

The general rule is, that one of the oiled papers or pasteboards should be next the damp copying paper.

5. If the copying paper is too damp, so as to be likely to diffuse the writing of the original, you may prevent that inconvenience by substituting the Sponge papers in the place of the oiled papers and pasteboards, interleaving and covering the copying paper with it; proceeding in other respects as before directed. The sponge papers will absorb the greater part of the moisture, and prevent it from affecting the original writing, and causing the copy to spread.

6.  When the copies are fresh taken, thy appear pale, but in twenty-four hours, or less, they

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will become of a good dark black colour, if well taken, and from good ink. If the impression  is pale and imperfect in places, it is a mark that the copying paper was not properly damped, or that the writing had lain too long; or,  lastly, that the press was not set so as to squeeze hard enough. This latter fault may be easily remedied  by putting an additional oiled paper between the pasteboards. It is very difficult to describe the degree of tightness which the press  should have; we can only observe in general, that if the operator can turn the press with tolerable ease, it is not too tight, and that it will seldom err on  that  side. The goodness of the copy cannot be judged of until twenty-four hours after it is made.

7. As the copying paper communicates moisture to the original  writing, and  sometimes makes it appear uneven,  if you wish to have it quite flat again, lay a sheet of the Sponge paper under it, and another sheet over  it, interleaving it with a third. Pass it between the rolls three or four times, which will flatten it and make it nearly dry. This operation should  never be neglected when the original has been written on both sides of the paper, and consequently has had the damped paper applied to both sides. It should be done immediately after copying, before the original has had time to dry either by the sun or by the fire.

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IV.

THE COPYING INK.

MUCH of the goodness and durability of a copy, and even of the original itself, depends upon the Ink used, and as no article is prepared in so many various ways, the greater part of which are unfit for producing good ink, we have produced an Ink for use  of our friend , in the making of which, we have adopted for principle, to only use the very best ingredients, to proportion them properly to one and other, and in as great a quantity as can be suspended in the  liquid, without giving it thickness or tenacity. The directions  given on the back of the Ink-powders, which are sent with the machine, should be strictly adhered to in the preparation.

This Ink will be very pale and brown at first, but will become black by keeping; the writing and copies from  it, will both become black in time. Whilst the ink is new, the copy will be more liable to be defused, than when it has stood some time, but on the other hand it will copy after longer delay.

The Ink-stand is one of Wedgewood’s fountain kind, which we find to answer the best for keeping the ink fresh and good.

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V.

TO PRESERVE THE COPIES.

_________

WHEN the copy laid in the drying book is quite dry, it ought to be taken out, folded up, and preserved until you have the opportunity of fixing it in a book, called  the Copy Letter Book, where letters are preserved according to the sequence  of their. This book may be made of common folio paper, large enough to admit of two quarto sheets being placed by the side of one another  upon each page. The paper should not be too thick, as it will have the addition of the coping paper on each side of it, and for the same reason it should be bound very loose at the back, otherwise it will not shut properly. The copies are to be laid two upon each page, by the side of one another, from left to right. They may  be fastened  at the four corners  with wafers, with paste, or with the mucilage of gum tragacanth.

Perhaps persons going on  a long journey,  might find it convenient to carry a quarto book of this kind with them.

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VI.

CAUTIONS.

1. IN chusing writing paper, care should taken to have it well sized  or such as carries out the ink well, for if the ink is sucked up by- the paper you cannot expect a good copy, and moreover the damp of the copying paper will strike the ink through, and disfigure it. Bad sized paper, when dipped in the water , will show itself transparent in spots; this is the best test.

2. The date at which a writing will yield a copy, is extremely uncertain, from the weather being  more or less drying, and from the state of the ink. In general it will do to the end of twenty-four hours and upwards; but we advise copying the letter as soon as convenient.

3.    When you   leave   off using   the   machine, every thing  should be  carefully reinstated in its place.

4.    Care should be taken that no hard uneven substances be suffered to pass through the rolls, as they will injure the pasteboard,  and perhaps break the rolls; nor should you pass more than one letter through at once.

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5.    A. few drops of oil should be applied to the axis of the rolls from time to time.

6.    By frequent use,  the drying book absorbs moisture from the copies faster than it parts with it to the air, and the effect of this moisture is, the causing the copies to become diffused and ill defined,  and even to lose their  colour.     To prevent  which, it is proper from time to time to lay the drying  book open before the fire, or in the hot sunshine, turning over two leaves at a time, until the whole book is perfectly dry.

 _____________

Thomson and Wrightson, Printers, Birmingham.

ADVERTISEMENT.

___________

THE PORTABLE COPYING  MACHINES are made of three Sizes,  for  Quarto, Foolscap, and Folio Paper, and of various constructions. These directions are made to suit the most simple , but are applicable to any of the others, with  slight variation.

The COUNTING  HOUSE MACHINES are made by  James Watt and Co.  as usual;  they require to be stationary, but are preferable for dispatch of  business.

The LARGER MACHINES for COPYING the OUTLINES  of  PLANS, SECTIONS, and other Architectural and .Mechanical Drawings,  also continue to be made by them.  The copy taken in this case, exhibits a reverse of the original, but answers well for the private use of the proprietor.  

The Public are cautioned to observe, that the name of  JAMES WATT and CO.  is affixed to  all  the Machines to be manufactured  by them;—a caution rendered necessary by the numerous counterfeits abroad, which, for want of the necessary perfection of materials, and accuracy and stability of the workmanship, are  little calculated to answer the purposes intended by this invention.