Improvements in the Manufacture of Glass or Mirrors to adapt same for Adhering to Surfaces.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 29th May, 1900--Accepted, 14th July, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Glass or Mirrors to adapt same
for Adhering to Surfaces.
A communication by LA SOCIÉTÉ ANONYME BELGE POUR LA FABRICATION DES
EMAUX ARTISTIQUES, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Manufacturers.
I. WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E,. Agent for Foreign Patent
Solicitors, 6; Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention has for its object a method of manufacturing glass or
mirrors, more particularly intended for all kinds of wall decoration, by their use
for coverings, panels, wainscoting, plinths and the like, and having any desirable
tints whether uniform or multi-coloured, and a fine lustre or brilliant surface at
the front side with a perfectly smooth plane surface, but provided at the rear
side with a solid surface provided with projections or roughnesses whereby a
secure attachment or indestructible adherence of the same to the mortar or cement
applied to the walls is ensured.
In accordance with the improved method of manufacture, these various results,
more particularly the production of the polished face and the back sprinkled
with non-deteriorating projections or roughnesses are obtained by a special method
of producing the polished surface on the cast glass or mirrors, all mechanical
polishing being dispensed with and by the choice of materials forming the pro-
jections or roughnesses for fixing or attaching the rear face of the glass or mirror
to the plaster of the wall.
In order to more clearly allow of these various technical advances being
understood, the process in its practical realization will now be described.
The composition of the glass is prepared from the point of view of the tints or
colours to be imparted to the decorative glass or mirrors and it is melted in a
crucible or furnace, according to the quantities which it is desired to make, and
the mass when thoroughly fluid is run into one or more moulds of shapes and
sizes corresponding to the dimensions of the panels, slabs, or strips, to be made,
said moulds having been previously prepared in the following special manner.
The moulds, which consist of cast metal plates provided with sides of a height
corresponding to the thickness of the covering plates to be formed, are lined on
the interior with a suitable paste for preventing the adherence of the glass to
the cast metal, and the bottom of the moulds is covered with a thin layer of
white sand, previously highly heated.
On the layer of heated white sand, fragments of glass of various sizes are
scattered with a view of ensuring an adhesion or hold of the glass or mirror in
the wall plaster corresponding to the weight of the same. These fragments of
glass must be taken from a casting of identical composition to that forming the

page_text: glass or mirror, which is to be produced in order that their adherence to the
mass, in a word their union with the latter, may be absolute, so that they are
entirely inseparable therefrom, whilst the fragments may not burst or be reduced
to powder, which is the case when glass of different nature and composition is
run on to fragments of glass of a composition and nature differing from the glass
in fusion, such disintegration rendering impossible the formation of a means of
attachment, ensuring an indestructible adherence.
This hitherto unknown fact being noted, the operation is continued by the cast-
ing of the vitreous mass in fusion on to fragments of the same nature scattered
over the bottom of the mould until the latter be filled up to the height. of the
sides, so that each mould thus contains a layer of glass in fusion having a free
upper surface, forming the front or face of the future plate or mirror.
In order to impart to this latter a brilliant lustre and a perfect plane or flat sur-
face resembling that obtained in mirrors by mechanical polishing, great care is
taken (in contra-distinction to what takes place in the ordinary polishing process)
that the congealing or setting of the molten layer does not commence before its
final treatment, which necessitates for this object a displacement or rapid convey-
ance of the moulds which are mounted for this purpose on trolleys or the like
capable of being easily handled.
Under these conditions, as soon as the running into the moulds is terminated,
the trolleys are rapidly advanced with the object of introducing the moulds into
a furnace having a very high temperature, which not only maintains in fusion
the laver covering the moulds, but liquifies it more strongly, so that the surface
assumes the absolute flatness of a liquid surface, and presents a very great bril-
liancy or lustre, which is preserved to it by passing the moulds from the furnace
of high temperature into a less heated furnace, or a furnace having a progressive
diminution of temperature, where they are allowed to remain until they are
entirely cooled. The passage through these various phases thus causes first a
slight superficial fusion of the fragments, and then, by the slow cooling, an
absolute adherence of the same to the mass of the plate so as to form an integral
part, just as if they had been cast along with the plate.
By then withdrawing them from the moulds, glass or mirrors are obtained
polished on one side and provided with indestructible attachment- or engaging-
pieces on the other side, whilst being as a whole of an absolute rectitude of shape,
that is to say without showing the slightest bulge or warping in any direction.
· Dated this 21st day of September 1899.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Glass or Mirrors to adapt same
for Adhering to Surfaces.
. A communication by LA SOCIÉTÉ ANONYME BELGE POUR LA FABRICATION DES
EMAUX ARTISTIQUES, of 9, Rue de Lausanne, Brussels, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, Manufacturers.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E,, Agent for Foreign Patent
Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in the
County of Lancaster; 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The present invention has for its object a method of manufacturing glass or
mirrors, more particularly intended for all kinds of wall decoration, by their use
for coverings, panels, wainscoting, plinths and the like, and having any desirable
tints whether uniform or multi-coloured, and a fine lustre or brilliant surface at
the front side with a perfectly smooth plane surface, but provided at the rear side
with a solid surface provided with projections or roughnesses whereby a secure
attachment or indestructible adherence of the same to the mortar or cement applied
to the walls is ensured.
In accordance with the improved method of manufacture, these various results,
more particularly the production of the polished face and the back sprinkled,with
non-deteriorating projections or roughnesses are obtained by a special method of
producing the polished surface on the cast glass or mirrors, all mechanical polish-
ing being dispensed with and by the choice of materials forming the projections
or roughnesses for fixing or attaching the rear face of the glass or mirror to the
plaster of the wall.
In order to more clearly allow of these various technical advances being under-
stood, the process in its practical realization will now be described.
The composition of the glass is prepared from the point of view of the tints or
colours to be imparted to the decorative glass or mirrors and it is melted in
a crucible or furnace, according to the quantities which it is desired to make,
and the mass when thoroughly fluid is run into one or more moulds of shapes and
sizes corresponding to the dimensions of the panels, slabs, or strips, to be made,.
said moulds having been previously prepared in the following special manner.
The moulds, which consists of cast metal plates provided with sides of a height
corresponding to the thickness of the covering plates to be formed, are lined on
the interior with a suitable paste for preventing the adherence of the glass to the
cast metal, and the bottom of the moulds is covered with a thin layer of white
sand, previously highly heated.
On the layer of heated white sand, fragments of glass of various sizes are
scattered with a view of ensuring an adhesion or hold of the glass or mirror in
the wall plaster corresponding to the weight of the same. These fragments of
glass must be taken from a casting of identical composition to that forming
the glass or mirror, which is to be produced in order that their adherence to the
mass, in a word their union with the latter, may be absolute, so that they are
entirely inseparable therefrom, whilst the fragments may not burst or be reduced
to powder, which is the case when glass of different nature and composition is
run on to fragments of glass of a composition and nature differing from the
glass in fusion, such disintegration rendering impossible the formation of a means
of attachment, ensuring an indestructible adherence.
This hitherto unknown fact being noted, the operation is continued by the
casting of the vitreous mass in fusion on to fragments of the same nature
scattered over the bottom of the mould until the latter be filled up to the height
of the sides, so that each mould thus contains a layer of glass in fusion having a
free upper surface, forming the front or face of the future plate or mirror.
In order to impart to this latter a brilliant lustre and a perfect plane of flat
surface resembling that obtained in mirrors by mechanical polishing, great care
is taken (in contra-distinction to what takes place in the ordinary polishing
process) that the congealing or setting of the molten layer does not commence
before its final treatment, which necessitates for this object a displacement or
rapid conveyance of the moulds which are mounted for this purpose on trolleys or
the like capable of being easily handled.
Under these conditions, as soon as the running into the moulds is terminated,
the trolleys are rapidly advanced with the object of introducing the moulds into
a furnace having a very high temperature, which not only maintains in fusion

page_text: the layer covering the moulds, but liquifies it more strongly, so that the surface
assumes the absolute flatness of a liquid surface, and presents a very great bril-
liancy or lustre, which is preserved to it by passing the moulds from the furnace
of high temperature into a less heated furnace, or a furnace having a progressive
diminution of temperature, where they are allowed to remain until they are
entirely cooled. The passage through these various phases thus causes first a
slight superficial fusion of the fragments, and then, by the slow cooling, an abso-
lute adherence of the same to the mass of the plate so as to form an integral part,
just as if they had been cast along with the plate.
By then withdrawing them from the moulds, glass or mirrors are obtained
polished on one side and provided with indestructible attachment or engaging.
pieces on the other side, whilst being as a whole of an absolute rectitude of shape,
tha is to say without showing the slightest bulge or warping in any direction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
-
A method of manufacturing glass or mirrors to adapt them for attachment by
their rear surface, which consists in casting a vitreous compound on a foundation
of fragments of glass of the same composition on the bottom of a suitably pre-
red mould, and immediately transferring the layer of molten glass still in
fusion into a furnace having a very high temperature with the object of rendering
the mass again liquid, for the purpose of imparting to it a great lustre and
smoothing the surface, whilst slightly melting the exterior of the fragments of
glass so that they may form one with the mass, which on being drawn from the
furnace is kept in a slightly cooler furnace, until completely cooled, with the
object of preserving its brilliant lustre and the correctness of the shape or form
acquired in the high temperature furnace, substantially as herein before set forth.
Dated this 28th day of May 1900.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co..
Agents.