Curved plate etching apparatus

Claim 1

AN ETCHING MACHINE WHICH IS USEFUL FOR ETCHING PLATES HAVING ARCUATE SURFACES, COMPRISING MEANS FOR HOLDING A SUPPLY OF ETCHING BATH MATERIAL, MEANS FOR APPLYING SAID ETCHING BATH MATERIAL AGAINST THE SURFACES TO BE ETCHED, SAID MEANS FOR HOLDING A SUPPLY OF ETCHING BATH MATERIAL AND MEANS FOR APPLYING ETCHING BATH MATERIAL BEING ENCLOSED IN A CHAMBER HAVING A TOP AND SIDE WALLS, SAID MEANS FOR APPLYING ETCHING BATH MATERIAL INCLUDING A FIRST SPRAY OF PADDLES WHICH CONTACT SAID SUPPLY OF ETCHING BATH MATERIAL AND A SECOND ARRAY OF PADDLES DISPOSED ABOVE SAID FIRST ARRAY OF PADDLES, A PLATES HOLDER HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS, SAID PLATE HOLDER BEING MECHANICALLY TRANSVERSELY COUPLED TO A DRIVE SHAFT, SAID DRIVE SHAFT AXIALLY IN A FORWARD DIRECTION WHILE WIRE IS COILED THEREON AS A HELIX AND IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION WHILE THE WIRE HELIX RECOILS, MECHANISM FOR ROTATING THE ARBOR AT A CONTROLLED RATE IN ONE DIRECTION FOR COILING THE WIRE AS A HELIX THEREON, AN ASSOCIATED MECHANISM FOR ROTATING THE ARBOR IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AT A CONTROLLED AND SLOWER RATE AND THEREBY CONTROLLING THE RATE OF RECOIL OF THE HELIX AND A CAM CONTROLLED FORMING TOOL OPERATED IN A TIMED RELATION WITH THE RECOIL ROTATION OF THE ARBOR.