Improved Method of Framing Prisms and Tiles for Windows, Pavement Lights and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July, 1837-Accepted, 11th Sept., 1897
Improved Method of Framing Prisms and Tiles for Windows,
Pavement Lights and the like.
I, JOHN MEIGGS EWEN, of No. 1129 The Rookery, Chicago, County of Cook,
State of Illinois, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to
be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement: -
My Invention relates to improvements in Electroglazing, and particularly to
improvements applicable to electroglazing of prism plates or tiles. The object
is to find a simple and convenient means for uniting the prism lights or tiles to
the net or grid in which they are to be held by electrolysis.
My Invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein
Figure 1 is a plan view of the wax bed with the net traced thereon and having
the glass sections placed thereon.
Figure 2 is a section therefrom.
Like parts are indicated by the same letters in all the figures.
A is the bed, B the wax, C the conducting coating, DD the glass sections.
I first take a quantity of wax or the like, melting it, preferably in a shallow
pan so as to secure a level surface of the hot wax, preferably the full depth of
the pan. I now coat the surface of this wax before it is quite cold, in any desired
or convenient manner with the electrical conducting substance, as for example
graphite. The design of the net is now traced on the conducting surface, or in
some manner transferred thereto. The prism plates or glass sections, if glass,
for example stained or ornamental-is to be used, are now placed in proper
position with reference to this design, a space being left between the several
sections of pieces of perhaps i of an inch in diameter. These parts so
arranged are then subjected to the action of the electro plating bath, and there-
upon there will be built upon the electrical conductor surface, and between the
prism plates, or glass, or sections, a sort of net or grid of deposited metal, con-
forming of course, to the design, and filling the spaces between the sections.
In this manner a deposit will be uniform, so as to fill the interstices and produce
a uniform appearance at the outer or exposed surface of the prism lights or glass
sections. The wax is now melted off and the metal film may be eaten off by
acid, so far as may be desired, that is, this metal film if desired to be removed,
and so far as it may be desirable to remove it may be removed by the action of
acid, and thus both surfaces of the finished product will be exposed while the
sections will be held together by the electrically deposited metal between.
I do not of course desire to be limited to the particular details above described,
nor to the particular materials employed, as it will be quite evident that a wide
range of variations can be indulged in without departing from the spirit of my
invention; for example I may employ a slate slab and upon the surfaces thereof
I place a film-9 parts plumbago and 1 part of wax applied hot. This surface
can be used in like manner as a conducting bed. This process can be used in
the mounting of prism lights for windows or prism tiles for sidewalks, or stained

page_text: and mosaic glass work, or other tile work, and the surfaces can be ground,
polished or otherwise treated, after the deposit has been completed. If desired
to give greater strength, the complete product, as above described, may be
exposed again in the bath, so as to deposit a quantity of metal along both exposed
surfaces of the metal net or grid-thus making a sort of ledge to overhang
the adjacent edges of the prisms or glass or tile sections. If only a single smooth
surface is desired, the smooth, polished or ground surfaces of the sections can
be placed down against the conductor surface, and that surface being level, when
the process as above described is completed, the surface placed towards the wax
or bed will be found to be smooth and finished in appearance. This method
of mounting prismatic lights or glass or tiled sections is obviously applicable to
numerous purposes of the same general character-for example curved surfaces
could thus be produced, but in such cases the deposit would have to be placed
upon the wax or other bed, after the same had been formed and sufficiently
hardened to retain its shape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The method of mounting the tile like sections by the electro-glazing process,
which consists in arranging the sections in the desired manner on a conducting
surface, exposing the whole in the electrolytic bath until the interstices between
the sections are filled by the deposit formed on the conducting surface, then
removing the conducting surface to expose both sides of the complete product.
2. The method of mounting the tile like sections by the electro-glazing process,
which consists in arranging the sections in the desired manner on a temporary
conducting surface, on a removable support, exposing the whole in the electrolytic
bath until the interstices between the sections are filled by the deposit formed
on the conducting surface, then removing the support and conducting surface to
expose both sides of the complete product.
3. The method of mounting tile like sections, which consists in providing a
wax like support with a conducting surface, arranging the sections on such
surface in the desired relation, exposing the whole in the electrolytic bath until
the interstices between the sections are filled with the deposits made on the
exposed conducting surfaces, then melting off the support and surface to expose
both sides of the finished product.
4. The method of mounting tile like sections, which consists in providing a
removable conducting surface, placing thereon the sections in proper relation,
exposing in the electrolytic bath until the interstices are filled with deposited
metal, removing the conducting surface, so as to expose both sides of the finished
product, again exposing in the electrolytic bath to form overhanging ledges on
the exposed surfaces of the deposited metal.
Dated this 15th day of July 1897.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.