Improvements in Inlaying Metal Goods with Tortoiseshell or Celluloid.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 24th July, 1894-Accepted, 1st Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Inlaying Metal Goods with Tortoiseshell or
Celluloid.
I, HENRI FRANÇOIS LOUIS AUMONT, of 7, Carlisle Street, Soho Square,
London, W. Goldsmith, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the inlaying with tortoiseshell or celluloid, of gold,
silver, and other metals used in the manufacture of watch-cases, jewellery,
ornaments, photograph-frames, cigar-cases, and other fancy goods. The object of
the invention is to produce a transparent, enamel-like effect, whether the article
inlaid be viewed by reflected or transmitted light.
The invention consists essentially in the mode whereby the tortoiseshell or
celluloid is firmly secured in "through" or unbacked apertures in the plate of
metal, so that the inlaid material is flush with both faces of the metal plate, without
the use of any cement, or of any apparent means of retaining the inlaid material.
The apertures to receive the pieces of inlaid material are cut or stamped in the
plate or piece of metal, in accordance with any floral or other ornamental design.
These apertures are then prepared to receive the pieces of inlaid material by having
a V-groove cut in the thickness of the edge of each aperture, the groove extending
entirely around the aperture so as to form a sort of bezel to hold the piece of inlaid
material in the manner of a watch-glass. The tortoiseshell or celluloid is of greater
thickness than the metal plate (say about twice the thickness) and is cut in pieces
corresponding in shape to, and just large enough to enter, the apertures in the
metal plate. All the apertures of the design having been thus filled with the
pieces of tortoiseshell or celluloid the plate is subjected to heat and pressure
between two blocks of gun-metal, so as to soften the pieces of tortoiseshell or
celluloid, compress them and cause them to expand laterally, so as to become
squeezed into the V-grooves above referred to. The pressure must be maintained
until the whole bas become cold so that the edges of the pieces of inlaid material
which have been squeezed into the V-grooves of the metal will be retained therein
and be securely held thereby.
The heat required for the operation must be sufficient to soften, but not to burn,
The inlaid material and the blocks must be coated with a strong solution of sea-salt
before the work to be pressed is applied between them, the object being to prevent
the discoloration of the inlaid material. The thin film of inlaid material which has
1ecome spread over the surfaces of the plate is then filed off until the inlaid
material is flush with the metal. The whole is then polished and the inlaid
material may then be engraved or carved, to heighten the effect.
Dated this 27th day of February 1804
H. F. L. AUMUNT,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Inlaying Metal Goods with Tortoiseshell or
Celluloid.
I, HENRI FRANÇOIS LOUIS AUMONT, of 7, Carlisle Street, Soho Square,.
London, W. Goldsmith, 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 :-
This invention relates to the inlaying with tortoiseshell or celluloid of watch-
cases, jewellery ornaments, photograph-frames, cigar-cases, and other fancy goods.
made of gold, silver, or other metal. The object of the invention is to produce a
transparent, enamel-like effect, whether the article inlaid be viewed by reflected or
transmitted light.
12
The invention consists essentially in the mode whereby the tortoiseshell or
celluloid is firmly secured in "through or unbacked apertures in the plate of
metal without the use of cement, or of any apparent means of retaining the inlaid
material, which although flush with the two faces of the metal plate is caused to
interlock with the edges of the apertures in which it is placed, in such manner that
it is securely retained therein.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings merely by way of
example as applied to a photograph frame, but it will be evident that the nature of
the article and the character of the design may be varied indefinitely.
Figure 1 is a face view of a photograph frame having a design inlaid therein, in
accordance with the method of my invention.
Figure 2 is a cross section of the metal plate through one of the apertures.
Figure 3 is a similar section with the piece to be inlaid placed in the aperture
ready to be pressed, and Figure 4 is a similar section showing how the inlaid piece
is secured.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 show modifications of the form of the groove in which the
inlaid material becomes embedded.
Figures 8 and 9 show how the interlocking of the inlaid material with the metal
plate is effected in the case of plates which are so thin that they cannot be
conveniently grooved.
All these figures are drawn to a magnified scale, and the same letters of reference
indicate the same parts in all of them.
bis the plate of metal in which apertures a are cut or stamped in the ordinary
way in accordance with any floral or other ornamental design.
These apertures are prepared to receive and hold the pieces of inlaid material
either by having a groove c cut in the thickness of the edge of each aperture, as in
Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or by having the edges bevelled as in Figures 8 and 9.
The groove e would be cut by means of a burin or graving tool and should be about
one or two millimetres in depth and it would extend entirely around the aperture
so as to form a kind of bezel to hold the piece of inlaid material in the manner of
a watch glass. The groove may either be V-shaped in profile as in Figures 2, 3, 4,
or it may be of rectangular section as shown in Figure 5, or the edges of the
aperture may be hollowed or grooved over the whole thickness of the plate as in
Figure 6. With either of the forms of groove shown in Figures 2 to 5, the arrises
of the metal may be bevelled off on both faces of the plate as shown in Figure 7,
so that a double bond of the inlaid material with the metal will be obtained, this
form of interlocking being a combination of the groove before described and the
bevelled form shown in Figure 8. In this latter case the edge of the aperture
instead of being grooved is oppositely bevelled as in Figure 8 or rounded as in
Figure 9 so that the relative forms of the metal and the inlaid material are
reversed, the groove being virtually formed in the inlaid material instead of in the

page_text: metal, the interlocking connection being the same in both cases. The method of
inlaying is as follows:-
:-
The tortoiseshell or celluloid is of greater thickness than the metal plate (say
to twice the thickness) and is cut in pieces d corresponding in shape to, and just
large enough to enter, the apertures a in the metal plate b. All the apertures of
the design having been thus filled with the pieces of tortoiseshell or celluloid d the
plate is subjected to heat and pressure between two blocks ff' of gun metal so as
to thereby soften the pieces of inlaid material, compress them until they are but
little thicker than the metal plate and cause them to expand laterally so that their
edges become squeezed into the grooves c as shown in Figure 4 or become inter-
locked with the bevelled edges as shown in Figure 8. This pressure must be
maintained until the whole has become cold so that the interlocking of the inlaid
material and metal may be permanent.
The thin film of the inlaid material which has become squeezed out and spread.
over the surfaces of the plate 6 is then filed off until the inlaid material is flush
with the metal as shown in Figures 4 to 9. The whole is then polished and the
inlaid material may then be engraved or carved, to heighten the effect.
The heat required for the pressing operation must be sufficient to soften but not.
to burn the inlaid material, and the heated gun metal pressure blocks must be
coated with a strong solution of sea salt before the work to be pressed is applied
between them, or layers of cloth soaked with sea water may be applied between the
pressure blocks and the work, the object being to prevent the discoloration of the
inlaid material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described mode of inlaying metal goods with tortoiseshell or
celluloid, which consists in squeezing the pieces of material to be inlaid, when
softened by heat, into interlocking engagement with the grooved or bevelled edges
of "through" apertures in the metal, maintaining the pressure until the work is
cold, and then removing any superficial excess of the inlaid material, substantially
in the manner described.
2. A plate of metal having pieces of tortoiseshell or celluloid inlaid in it by
being squeezed, under the combined effect of heat and pressure, into interlocking
engagement with the edges of through apertures in the plate, substantially as
specified.
Dated this 10th dor of Tule 1001
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.