Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates, built by Bryan Donkin, London, 1821.

Made:
1821 in London
Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates Large unfinished die ('pattern plate') for printing Indian Large die for printing Indian revenue stamps, c Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates Large unfinished die ('pattern plate') for printing Indian Large die for printing Indian revenue stamps, c Large die for printing Indian revenue stamps, c Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates Large unfinished die ('pattern plate') for printing Indian Large die for printing Indian revenue stamps, c

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Large unfinished die ('pattern plate') for printing Indian
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Large die for printing Indian revenue stamps, c
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Large unfinished die ('pattern plate') for printing Indian
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Large die for printing Indian revenue stamps, c
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Large die for printing Indian revenue stamps, c
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Large unfinished die ('pattern plate') for printing Indian
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Large die for printing Indian revenue stamps, c
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates, built by Bryan Donkin, Bermondsey, London, 1820.

Sir William Congreve patented a process known as compound-plate printing in 1821, and the printing plates were engraved using this machine. It was devised primarily as a means of preventing forgery – from 1797 until 1821 Britain depended solely on paper currency, and in the decade to 1820 detected counterfeiting cases rose by more than 500%. Compound printing became widely used for producing duty stamps, postage stamps and much else from the 1820s onwards - but not for manufacturing banknotes, where a combination of techniques which also included compound printing, were applied.

Congreve’s concept was completely new, and he gave the practical project of making it work to Bryan Donkin. The process consists of highly detailed two-colour printing. This was done using a printing plate comprising two intricate and interlocking parts, an upper part fitting through appropriately-shaped apertures in the lower part. The two parts were separated vertically so that two different colour inks could be applied (one to each) and then they were brought together and the impression made on paper. Most importantly, the detail engraved on the two-part plate was made while they were fitted together, so any potential forgers were faced with the near-impossible challenge of not only reproducing the complex mathematical shapes generated by the machine, but also duplicating the colour changes for each individual line exactly.

Details

Category:
Hand and Machine Tools
Object Number:
2008-26
Materials:
mahogany (wood), wrought iron, cast iron, gunmetal and paint
type:
rose engine
credit:
Bryan Donkin Archive Trust

Parts

Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates, built by Bryan Donkin, London, 1821.

Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates, built by Bryan Donkin, London, 1821.

Rose engine lathe used to manufacture compound printing plates, built by Bryan Donkin, Bermondsey, London, 1820.

Plaque

Plaque

Plaque - ImechE Engineering Heritage award

Object Number:
2008-26/2
type:
plaque
Die for printing Indian revenue stamps

Die for printing Indian revenue stamps

Small die (unfinished) for printing Indian revenue stamps, c. 1870 (on rose engine)

Materials:
metal (unknown)
Object Number:
2008-26/5
type:
die
Box of gears for rose engine

Box of gears for rose engine

Box of gears for rose engine, seven original, eight new

Materials:
metal (unknown)
Object Number:
2008-26/6
type:
gears
Top part of bellows, from rose engine

Top part of bellows, from rose engine

Top part of bellows (on rose engine)

Object Number:
2008-26/7
type:
bellows
Double-ended dividers used with Rose Engine Lathe Machine

Double-ended dividers used with Rose Engine Lathe Machine

Double-ended dividers (1:4)

Materials:
metal (unknown)
Object Number:
2008-26/8
type:
dividers
Tool slide for rose engine

Tool slide for rose engine

Tool slide for rose engine

Materials:
metal (unknown)
Object Number:
2008-26/12
type:
tool slide
Handle for rose engine

Handle for rose engine

Handle for rose engine (on rose engine)

Object Number:
2008-26/14
type:
handle
Handle for chuck jaws

Handle for chuck jaws

Handle for chuck jaws

Object Number:
2008-26/15
type:
handle
Bellows pipe

Bellows pipe

Bellows pipe. Marked with '+GF+ 1/8'.

Object Number:
2008-26/16
type:
bellows pipe
Metal shield

Metal shield

Metal shield

Object Number:
2008-26/19
type:
metal shield
Metal oval with stud on base

Metal oval with stud on base

Metal oval with stud on base

Materials:
metal (unknown)
Object Number:
2008-26/25
type:
oval
Mahogany box for printing dye, 1821

Mahogany box for printing dye, 1821

Mahogany box for large printing die, used for printing Indian revenue stamps, unsigned, 1821

Object Number:
2008-26/33
type:
box