Abstract: A blade surfacing machine for precisely honing a pair of intersecting surfaces on an extruder blade. The working surface of a rotating honing stone is maintained in spring-biased contact with a precisely leveled guide surface to achieve linear uniformity of the blade. A workholder table is pivotable about a horizontal axis and may be pin locked at selectable angles to produce blades having a selective angle of intersection between the two honed surfaces.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for continuously using ink and dampening fluid in a printing system includes removing ink and dampening fluid from a form roller after the form roller engages the printing plate. Mixing of the removed ink and dampening fluid to form a substantially homogeneous printing liquid is accomplished by circulating the removed ink and dampening fluid to a reservoir where it is mixed with ink in the reservoir by an auxillary blender. The homogeneous mixture is further circulated to the center of a metering nip between two rollers and flows longitudinally of the rollers at a rate to prevent separation of the dampening fluid from the ink. Unused printing ink and dampening fluid is returned to the reservoir with the ink and dampening fluid removed from the form roller.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to ink and dampen a lithographic printing plate including a dampening fluid removal device comprising a doctor blade positioned in pressure indented relation with a resilient inking roller to remove dampening fluid of low viscosity from the roller while leaving more viscous ink on the roller surface. The blade, therefore, is efficient to doctor dampening fluid while insufficient for printing ink.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to ink and dampen a lithographic printing plate wherein one or more of four disclosed embodiments of a dampening fluid evaporator device directs a continuous stream of air or other drying fluid along the length of a single resilient inking form roller (22) to remove dampening fluid from the roller (22) while leaving substantially dry ink on the roller surface.