US2019682A - Reproducing wood graining and surface designs - Google Patents

Description

Patented Nov. 5, 1935 REPRODUCING WOOD GRAINING AND SURFACE DESIGNS Wallace W. Kirby, Joseph A. Scott,Jr., and Frank J. Wagner, Washington, D. 0., assignors to Plano-Finishing Company, Inc., Washington, D. 0., a corporation of Virginia.

No Drawing. Refiled for abandoned application Serial No. 433,176, March 4, 1930. This application June 5, 1935, Serial No. 25,154

7 Claims.

Reproduction by photolithography which includes flat or plane surface printing with socalled greasy ink or pigment, either direct from the grained or other Water absorbent lithographic plate, or preferably by the offset method by the use of a rubber blanket or apron, is very economical as well as exceedingly faithful and accurate, and otherwise satisfactory and desirable.

The print, drawing or picture to be reproduced. however, must meet peculiar requirements of sharpness and clearness, for really satisfactory reproduction by photolithography, and so far as we have been able to learn and discover, the grain and varying tones and shadings of natural products, such as Wood, have not been, heretofore, successfully reproduced on the surfaces of other products by photolithography to produce a satisfactory final product that faithfully simulates the natural wood surface, because of such requirements, and the problem has not been heretofore solved because of the failure heretofore, to recognize the necessity of first producing a complete sharp picture or print of the grain and said tones of the natural wood of such character as to reproduce by photolithography without blotch and blue spots.

The general object of this invention, is to economically reproduce the visible surface design of a natural product, such as wood, on any surface .adapted to receive the same, and attain maximum accuracy and naturalness in reproduction, and to produce a final product that faithfully represents and closely simulates a finished or polished natural surface, such as wood, of desirable design.

And more specifically, a further object of the invention is to produce such a clear detail print of a natural wood master pattern, by a suitable photographic process, that will reproduce by photolithography in ink or pigment on a suitable surface primed to provide a field of the desired color, bringing out in detail the varying tones of the natural wood without blurs and blotches and color characteristics that by a suitable photographic method we produced a print showing the natural wood grain graduating from dark gray to black, for instance, and in addition, the varying tones of the natural wood graduating from nearly white to light gray, for instance, on a contrasting light, such as white, field. or ground, all in detail, without blurs or blotches. This picture, or so-called print, not only shows the natural wood grain, but in addition the color tones or lights and shades of the natural wood, with such distinctness and detail, as to enable us to accurately reproduce the same in suitable color on any suitable surface, as by photolithography, and then so finish the surface bearing the reproduction, as, to all intents and purposes, duplicate a panel of finished natural wood in appearance and beauty.

From our experience based on our successful solution of the problem after long experimentation and actual practice in the reproduction of wood surface designs andgraining, we now prefer to employ the approximate steps, -as follows, in carrying out our method, namely;

We first select the wood panel that we wish to reproduce. For this purpose we usually select a suitable wood having a beautiful grain and tone design. The raw unfinished surface of this panel, uncolored except for its natural wood coloring, is cleaned by the use of a suitable abrasive,

to remove dirt, foreign matter, stains, scratches,

and produce a smooth flat surface.

The clean smooth surface of the selected wood panel is then treated with a thin dye in the form of a stain that will not act as a filler to fill or 1 close the pores of the wood, and that will sink into but not cover or coat the wood surface and hence permit the contrasting or darker varying shades or tones of the natural wood, to show through such stain and be recorded on the sen- 40 sitized photographic film. A dye is selected of a color closely approximating the predominating natural actinic color in the wood. This dye is applied to the entire surface of the pattern to provide a field or background of a color that can be changed in reproduction by a suitable photographic process to produce a print or picture wherein the differently colored or shaded grain and tones of the wood are sharply defined, without blurs and blotches, on a contrasting, preferably, white or light colored field or background. For instance, red is the predominating actinic color of walnut and mahogany woods, as distinguished from the darker colored tone variations and grain, and hence where the master pat- 5 tern is composed of either of these woods we can apply thin liquid red stain to the entire surface of the wood providing a red field or background contrasting with the dark colored grain and the dark tones and grain graduations which show through the red field, and the same is true, where dyes of other colors are used to stain these or other woods to provide the contrasting fields of colors that can be recorded on the panchromatic or other color sensitive film to produce a negative which when printed will show the wood tones and shadings as well as the Wood graining on a white or light colored field.

After the master pattern wood has thus been dyed to secure the contrasting field, the surface thereof is sealed by the application of a thin transparent coat of a suitable colorless sealing medium, such as shellac. The transparent shellac or other liquid sealing medium is of thin liquid consistency and without filler or other characteristics so as not to fill or close the grain pores, as it is our purpose to keep these pores open and unfilled. This thin sealing coating is applied mainly to prevent the subsequently employed black or dark dye of pigment, from staining the wood field or background and overpowering or fading out the red or other color previously applied thereto.

After the wood field has thus been dyed and sealed, the entire surface of the wood panel is covered with a dark or preferably black dye or a suitable black or dark pigment, to color the unfilled grain pores of the wood which thus are more or less sharply and in detail brought out in a color that contrasts with the field, being non-reflecting, and will with the field act on the color sensitive film through a color filter of approximately the same color or shade as the field, to produce the result sought.

The coating or covering of dried dark or black pigment or other coloringmatter on the Wood master pattern panel, is finally cut off or removed to completely expose and uncover the red or other contrasting color field, by suitable means, as by rubbing with steel wool. The black dye or pigment penetrates down into and colors the open grain pores, and is not removed when the surface black pigment is cut off and, hence, the dark colored grain pores stand out in the red dyed field, when the wood master pattern is completed. V

The dark color is, preferably, applied to the grain pores in the form of a stain that does not fill and close said pores, as apparently better photographic results are thereby attained owing to the depths or hollows of the pores below the plane of the red field, although the dark coloring matter can be applied in the form of a pigment that does fill up and close said grain pores, with good photographic subsequent results.

The natural-visible tones and shade graduations of thewood are caused by surface portions of the wood that are in varying degrees more dense or relatively harder than the remaining portions of the wood field, and hence of different color shades than said field, and also to varying degrees do not so readily take up and absorb the red or other field stain, as the remaining portions of the field. These tone and shade graduations hence stand out in the red or other colored field, in varying degrees. 7

We thus produce a wood master pattern, the surface of which presents two predominating'or major colors, jnamely;the red or other artificial- 1y colored field; andthe artificially colored dark colored natural wood tones and shade graduations showing through or in the red field; all standing out in contrast in the red or other colored field, in condition to be accurately picked up and registered in detail on the color sensitive film.

The master pattern is now ready for photographing, by any suitable photographic process under which the red or other colored field is not permitted to register or act on the sensitized film other than as red, or as whatever other field color is used and to thus appear on the final print as a white or light colored field; on the other hand under said photographic process, the dark grain portions and the dark tone and shade graduations do act on and are accurately and in detail recorded by said film. The final picture or plate thus produced will show the dark grain design or pores in dark gray to black, for instance, and the tone and shade graduations of the natural wood, in light gray to white, for instance, all on a white field. The picture produced by the peculiar photographic process that employs a color screen and a color sensitive film, will accurately and in detail reproduce or show the dark colored grain design and the natural tone and shade graduations, of the wood master pattern on a field of contrasting color, a print or picture that can be accurately reproduced, by photolithography, on a suitable surface to attain the desired results.

As an example of a photographic process, that can be employed to produce the desired picture of the wood pattern suitable for proper reproduction on a proper surface by photolithography, we employ a commercial or other suitable camera tophotograph the wood master pattern hereinbefore described, by the use of a highly sensitive plate or film, preferably a panchromatic or other color sensitive film or plate, and a suitable color filter. For instance, where the field of the wood master pattern is stained red, we employ ared color filter of the shade of the red stain, and thus protect the panchromatic plate from being acted on except by red, "by exposing said plate to action by the image we wish to reproduce, namely;- the black or dark grain and the tone and shade color graduations of the natural wood.

Where the field of the wood master pattern is of a different color than red, we employ a correspondingly colored color filter to eliminate all but such color from and enable the panchromatic film to record only the contrastingly darker colored wood grain and tones, on a contrasting field, such as white, as hereinbefore explained.

A print of the usually reduced photographic negative thus produced, will show graduations of tone and shading of the natural wood pattern varying from nearly white to light gray back ground in contrast with the grain of the natural wood in dark gray to black, reproducing faithfully the grain figure of the wood and the natural wood color graduations of tone and shading, on a contrasting white or light colored field.

The photographic negative thus produced is then projected by any suitable apparatus and methods such as employed in commercial photography and photolithography, usually, to full size on color sensitive photographic paper or other sensitizedplate, and a positive print or picture is produced therefrom.

From this projected print, a half tone or reticulated, or grained or other screen usually, wet plate negative is produced by any suitable means or black grain design or pores, and the dark and method, preferably such as are commonly employed in commercial photography and photolithography.

By suitable apparatus and methods, such as commonly employed in surface printing or lithography, the image of said half tone negative is reproduced on the water absorbent surface of a lithographic stone or plate to form the flat plane printing surface thereof. Usually, grained zinc or aluminum lithographic plates are employed, and the transfer of the image from the half tone negative to the grained surface of the plate is accomplished by coating the grained surface with a sensitized film of ammonium-bichromate in albumen, and properly arranging the half tone negative and the sensitized grained plate in a vacuum printing frame with the negative in contact with the sensitized surface and exposed to brilliant light. After the required exposure, and dissolving and removing the unexposed portions of the sensitized film, and other treatment followed in common lithographic practice, the hardened film remaining on the grained plate constitutes the greasy-ink-receiving-and-printing fiat surface of the plate and is a faithful reproduction of the hereinbefore described original photograph of the prepared wood panel or master pattern.

The areas of the grained surface of the lithographic plate, not covered by the image film that forms the flat printing surface are kept moist and in greasy ink repelling condition, and hence the greasy ink applied after each printing stroke, adheres to the printing surface and not to the grained surface, and can be directly transferred from the grained plate to the product to be printed.

However, we prefer to employ the offset process and apparatus, such for instance as commonly employed in commercial lithography, for printing on the product, we wish to produce, the reproductions of the original photograph of our said wood master pattern.

We can by the lithographic or fiat surface printing process, faithfully reproduce the wood grain and tones, on the surfaces that have been prepared for printing, of various natural and synthetic materials, such as metal, compositions, and hard or compressed composition and other wall boards and panels, etc.

The surface of the product to be produced in faithful simulation of the wood surface of the master pattern, is, preparatory to the printing or transfer operation, first covered with a suitable priming or ground coat of pigment to constitute a field or background approximately corresponding in general color eifect to the predominating background color of the natural finished wood of the master pattern when finished without the red dye or other field color. Y

After this ground coat on the product has hardened, the imprint of the master pattern wood grain and shading variations, in suitably colored ink or pigment, is deposited on said ground coat, by the flat surface offset printing process as hereinbefore described.

After the ink has hardened, the ground coat and the ink imprint thereon, are preferably covered by a transparent sealing coating of varnish, shellac, lacquer, or the like, and any suitable finish or finishes can be applied according to common finishing and polishing practice, toproduce a product having a surface in faithful simulation of the natural finished wood, and this natural finished wood appearance is enhanced by the desired spacing or maintained separation of the dots of ink as imprinted by the flat surface printing process being the result of the half tone, reticulated or lined negative.

This application constitutes a refiling of our application filed March 4, 1930, Serial No. 433,176, for the same invention, the following claims being 5 those in the said original application Serial No. 433,176, when said application was allowed September 26, 1932.

What we claim is:

1. In the method of reproducing the surface design of a natural product, on the primed surface of another product; those steps which include preparing and variously coloring a master pattern'of the natural product to be reproduced to bring out the grain design and the tone and shade variations of the natural product in contrast to the applied predominating field color of said pattern; then by a photographic process using a color filter of the approximate applied field color and a color sensitive film producing a print of said pattern sharply showing said grain design and said tone and shade variations in contrast on a light field; then reproducing said print in pigment on said primed surface of the final product; and finally finishing said primed surface that bears said imprinted design in pigment.

V 2. In the method of reproducing the graining and tone and shade color variations of a natural product, on the surface of another product; those steps which include preparing a master pattern of the natural product and coloring the same to produce a colored field with the distinctively colored grain .and tone and shade color variations contrasting with said field; then photographing the thus prepared master pattern by the use of a panchromatic sensitized plate and a color filter of the color of said field; producing from said plate a sharp print of the natural grain and tone and shade variations of the master pattern; then reproducing a print from said plate, and then by a 4 suitable process reproducing said print in pigment on said surface of another product.

3. In the method of reproducing the graining and tone .and shade color variations of a natural product on the surface of another product by printing; those steps which include preparing a master pattern surface of selected natural wood; artificially coloring said pattern surface to produce an approximate single color field with the natural wood color tone and shade variations visible in said field; coloring the grain pores of the wood pattern to contrast with the field color; by a photographic process using a color filter and color sensitive film, producing a print of said distinctly colored graining and of said tone and shade variations of the master pattern on a light colored field; and then by photolithography reproducing said print in pigment on the surface of said product.

4. In the method of reproducing a natural wood surface design on another product; those steps which include preparing a wood master pattern; dyeing the surface of the pattern to a field color through which the darker natural wood tone and shade variations are visible; applying a transparent seal to the pattern surface; applying a contrasting color to the pattern surface to darkly color the grain pores; then removing the dark color from the pattern surface to uncover the colored field; then by a color sensitive photographic process, preparing a print, for subsequent reproduction on said product of the contrasting graining and tone and shade variations on an approximately white field.

5. In the method of reproducing the graining printing on the suitably colored surface of the product to be finally produced; those steps which include selecting and preparing the surface of a natural wood panel to form a Wood master pattern having the graining and tone and shade natural wood color variations visible in and through and in contrast to the field of the pattern; then by a color sensitive photographic process including the preparation of a half tone line or screen negative, producing a print of said pattern surface showing the grain in approximate dark gray to black and the tone and shade variations in approximate light gray to white all on a white field; and finally by plane surface printing whereby the spacing of the dots of pigment is maintained, reproducing said print in pigment on said surface of the product and finishing said surface bearing said imprinted pigment into simulation of the master pattern surface.

6. In the method of producing on the surface of a product the natural ornamental surface design of a wood master pattern; those steps which include artificially coloring the entire surface of the natural wood pattern with a primary color to the approximate natural wood color and coloring the grain pores to contrast with the predominating field color of the pattern surface; then by a photographic process employing a color filter and tone and shade color variations of wood by' of the color of said field and a color sensitive film producing a print of said colored graining and variations; providing said surface of the product with a ground color approximating the field color of natural wood as finished by usual wood finish ing methods, and by photolithography reproducing said print in pigment on said ground color on the surface of the product; and then finishing said surface.

7. In the method of reproducing the graining and tone and shade graduations of the surface design of the natural wood of a master pattern on the surface of another product; those steps which include dyeing the surface of the natural wood master pattern to produce a red or other field approximating the predominating color of the natural wood field without filling the grain pores of the wood with the tone and shade color variations visible in said field, and then applying a contrasting dark color to the grain pores; by a photographic process producing a print of said contrasting or dark color portions and tone and shade variations, solely, of the pattern surface design; then by photolithography reproducing said print in pigment by the fiat surface offset process on the surface of the product.

WALLACE W. KIRBY. JOSEPH A. SCO'II, JR. FRANK J. WAGNER.