Improvements in Producing Fancy Figured Wood Plates.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 1st June, 1888
Specification Accepted, 13th July, 1888
Improvements in Producing Fancy Figured Wood Plates.
I LEO SELIGSOHN manufacturer of Halle's itus Nyer 61 S.W. Berlin in the
Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire do hereby declare the nature of this
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 the production of fancy figured or
ornamental wood plates or panels for decorating household furniture or other articles
or objects and consists in an improved method of producing designs or patterns in or
on the surface of the wood by burning; the unburned portions left in relief being
pressed down to the same level or even with the burned portions as hereinafter
described. This has heretofore been accomplished by using two kinds of plates one
plate being used for the burning process to produce the pattern or design in relief on
the wood and the other plate being used to press down the unburned portions of the
wood standing out in relief to the level of the other portions.
By means of my present invention the process is facilitated inasmuch as I enable
the same effect to be produced with the employment of a single plate which has the
pattern or design formed in it in relief the intermediate or lower parts corresponding
to the places on the wood that are not to be burned being filled up to the level of
the higher parts or lands in the plate with some heat retaining or non conducting
material.
For example a plate on this principle may be made of steel or other good heat
conducting substance having the parts that are not to be burned into the wood
depressed or hollow so that the design or pattern stands out in relief to a certain
extent on the surface of the plate.
The hollows or lower parts between the raised parts or lands thus formed are filled
up with a mixture of asbestos and putty or any other heat retaining or non conducting
material capable of becoming sufficiently hard it being evidently essential that the
non heat conducting parts be of approximately the same hardness or firmness as the
other parts of the surface of the finished plate. When a plate or stamps of this
description is applied to the wood and heated by means of gas jets or otherwise the

page_text: steel parts of the surface forming the design or pattern readily transmit the required
heat to the wood and cause only those parts of the wood that come into direct
contact with the hot steel to be burned or discoloured by the heat the parts of the
surface of the wood that come into contact with the heat retaining or non conducting
asbestos or other filling remaining comparatively cool and uncoloured. At the same
time sufficient pressure being applied to the plate the unburned parts of the wood
are compressed and made even with the other parts.
In practice the wood plates or panels thus produced are usually glued or otherwise
attached to the piece of furniture or other article or object to be decorated and as
the pattern or design is perfectly level or even with the other parts of the surface
owing to the simultaneous compression of the uncoloured parts every facility is
afforded for imparting a handsome polish to the fancy figured or ornamental wood
plates or panels thus prepared.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
The improvements in producing decorative or fancy figured wood plates consisting
in the employment of a metal plate or stamp having the hollows or depressed parts
between or around the raised parts or lands forming the pattern or design filled up
level with the said lands with any suitable heat retaining or non conducting
material (such as the mixture of asbestos and putty) of approximately the same
hardness às the other parts of the plate so as to enable the pattern or design to be
burned into the wood simultaneously with the compressing of the unburned or
uncoloured parts of the wood to the level of the burned or coloured parts substantially
as hereinbefore described.
P T
1008