US8335A - Improvement in mercury baths for photographic purposes - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN MOULSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MERCURY BATHS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PURPOSES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 8,335, dated September 2, 1851.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN MOULSON, ot the city of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new process for the development, production, mercurialization, and vaporization of photograph and daguerreotype impressions or images or representations of objects made by the impression of light upon a metallic or other surface, by which the operation is rendered more easy, more certain, more regular, and its products mo re beautiful than by any process now known, and which is effected by means of my movable and moving lever-cup bath g and I do declare that the followingis a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in the agitation of the mercury or other substances used immediately previous to the exposure of the photograph impression to its iniiuence and upon a cooler surface than that of the mercu ry-cu p proper, which I generally expose to constant heat, throwing off of the said heated surface ot' the cup the mercury or other substance when n ot intended for use, thereby to coolit and to agitate it and to prevent its evaporation or vaporizati on when not in use, all of which I am enabled to do by means ot my movinglevenfcup bath for photographic purposes with or without my double-plate-holding slide.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct a box A, of four sides and a lid, Figure l, about thirteen inches high from a to b, or of any other length,the width from a to c being seven and a halt inches and the width from b to d six and a half inches, all of which sides are to be finished to an even plane on the top, upon which is placed the movable lid b df g, made to fit on either side up with the projecting pins m m m m, which fit into corresponding holes n n, risc., in the top ends of the side A and the side opposite. When the double-plate-holding slide is to be used, on the under side ot this top, near each edge o to g and d to f, are attached two cleats k k, which are made fast to it, and to correspond in thickness with the thickness of the doubleplate-holding slide h, Figs. I and 2, so that it may be inserted between them and be readily movable, the pins nzy m m m passingand projecting through them into the top edges of f the sides above named. Into an opening in this top is inserted a pipe e to carry off surplus vapor at pleasure, and so fitted as to be removed with the lid when the camera-slide only is used upon this bath. The doubleplate-holding slide 7L, Figs. l and 2, being a frame of wood from one-fourth to one inch in thickness, one moiety of which will closely cover the top of the box A, Fig. l, and fit closely and ply between the cleats 7c 7c, and made with two openings a and b, of different sizes, to receive plates or pictures ot' sizes to correspond, which are supported therein by ledges t tall round the openings orbybrackets v in the corners, when they are to be submitted to mercurialization, the.

At five inches 'from the bottom, at about midway of the side A, I insert into an opening or hole at T the movable center pin or tube I3 of my lever-cup A, Fig. 13, so that it will be supported by the pendent hook L or its equivalent and in such manner as that the lever-cup may be readily removed from the bath. The center pin or tube E, Figs. 3 and 4, on the opposite side (it used) may be supported in like manner for the same purpose; but if the cup be not made to be removed from the bath a simple hole or opening to fit in the side of the bath will be a suf ficient support.

The side P is made so as to leave six and a half inches in space below it for the motion ot' the tube C, Figs. I and 3, and the bottom edge r is rabbeted to receive the lip s of the plate F G H I, Fig. 3, for the purpose of excluding the light. In pla-ce of this side being continued down, there` may be suspended upon the tube C of the cup A an apron R, Fig. l, or its equivalent (or a slide) composed of paper or other light materia-Lbeing pierced at s to receive the pipe or tube C through it', and to be pendent thereon and of such dimensions as to further exclude the light from above the plate F G H I, for which purpose it maybe made of a convex shape externally, so as to lap the perpendicular' corners of the bath, if necessary.

Fig. 3 is a cup A, about one and threefourths inches square (but not necessarily square) and one inch deep, with a flat bottom, for containing mercury or other substances, placed on a perpendicularly-movable axis B E, or either of them, which axis, if made tubular, may project into the corners of the cup, as atlD P, or not, and of such length as to pass through the side or sides of the box A, Fig. 1, at T, and so that it may be supported by the pendent hook L. Into one side or corner of this cup, at right angles with the axis, is introduced through the ange Q, Fig. 4, (or otherwise,) a pipe or tube C, one-fourth inch or more in open diameter, for the purpose of letting off from the cup A the mercury or other substance, when not in use, to a cooler surface at the end Ct of the tube C; or the cup maybe elongated to answer the same purpose. which tube may be also bent upward at its exterior end a, which may be stoppered with the stopper IV, and its length may be eight or nine inches, or more or less, and its inside bottom surface must correspond with the inside surface of the bottom of the cup A at its insertion therein, so that all the mercury or other substance placed therein will flow out of the cup into the tube on the depression of the end a, and on the elevation of that end it may all liowinto the cup, the tube being preferably placed into the cup so that the end a is elevated about one inch (in twelve inches of length) above the plane of the bottom of the cup A.

The axles or center of motion of the cup A, Fig. C, may be varied and be placed in any manner giving and admitting the movement of the tube or elongated cup perpendicularly, but must be so arranged as that the mercury or other substance used therein may flow from the heated surface of the cup to the cooler. surface of t-he tube or elongated cup, and vice versa, by elevating or depressing the exterior end of said cup, and may be composed of any support forming a center of motion; or, more preferably, the axle B may be tubular and may be attached to the side of the cup, as at e e, Fig. 4, at right angles,or nearly so, with the tube C, and maybe closed at said attachment, and may project into the cup, as at p p, Fig. 3, for the purpose of admittinga thermometer-tube as near to the mercury as possible, which is the object of the tubular axle, the axle E, Figs. 3 and 4, being made in like manner for convenienceof use on either side, or it may be solid, or both may be solid if used without a thermometer at this point. If the center of motion should not be confined to the particular part of the cup, as above described, the tubular part can be retained, notwithstanding, or not, and the cup may be suspended by any other center of motion giving the required movement of the mercury, ttc., as explained. In the interior of this bath or box, just above the plate F G II I and cup, is fitted a false bottom, of paper, in which is cut an opening large enough to admit the evaporated mercury or other material to pass up. No part of this bottom ought to cover the cup A; but it is made to take a shape as near to that of the plate as possible, or be put in as near to it as possible, to exclude the light, for which purpose it is supported by cleats on all sides of the box beneath it.

The sizes, shapes, and measures here given of all parts are intended for a half-plate bath, and all or any of them may be varied, keeping to the principle of a free passage of the mercury, &c., from a heated to a cooler surface, and vice versa, by means of my moving lever-cup or its equivalent.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. My moving and movable lever-cup or its equivalent and bath for photographic and daguerreotype purposes.

2.'Y The agitation of the mercury upon a cooler surface immediately previous to its use in the heated cup (or part of it) for the development of photograph impressions by means of my movable lever-cup or its equivalent.

25. The lever-cup or elongated cup movable perpendicularly on an axis or centerof motion, which center of motion need not be con lined to a particular part of the cup, but it may be varied and placed in any manner giving and admitting the movement of the cup, but must be so arranged as that the mercury or other substance may flow from the heated surface of the cup to the cooler surface of the tube or elongated cup, and vice versa, by elevating or depressing the exterior end of said cup.

4;. The balancing of said levercup or its equivalent on the center of motion whenever placed so that it Will remain stationary When the weight of the mercuryor other substance is let onto either end of it, that end containing the mercury or other substance used being held down.

. JOHN MOULSON.

Vitnesses:

F. E. MoULsoN, G. Z. FoNsEv.

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