IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRESERVATION OF ARTICLES OF CAST, WROUGHT, ROLLED, AND FORGED IRON, ZINC, AND OTHER METALS OR ALLOYS OF METALS AGAINST OXIDATION, FROM HUMIDITY, AND OTHER DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS OF AIR AND WATER
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles François Léopold Oudry, of Auteuil, near
Paris, in the Empire of France, now of 4, South Street, Finsbury,
London, Electro-metallurgist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PRESERVATION OF ARTICLES OF CAST, WROUGHT, ROLLED, AND FORGED
IRON, ZINC, AND OTHER METALS OR ALLOYS OF METALS AGAINST OXIDATION,
FROM HUMIDITY, AND OTHER DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS OF AIR AND WATER."
Sealed the 14th July 1857, and dated the 25th March 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles François Léopold
Oudry at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 25th March 1857.
I, CHARLES FRANÇOIS LEOPOLD OUDRY, of Auteuil, near Paris, in the
Empire of France, now of 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Electro-
metallurgist, do. hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PRESERVATION OF ARTICLES OF CAST, WROUGHT, ROLLED, AND FORGED IRON,
ZINC, AND OTHER METALS OR ALLOYS OF METALS AGAINST OXIDATION, FROM HUMIDITY,
AND OTHER DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS OF AIR AND WATER," to be as follows, that
is to say:
My Invention consists in depositing by electricity copper in a pure state to
any desired thickness upon articles of cast, wrought, or rolled iron, zinc, and
other metals and alloys of metals after being coated with one or several coats
of a composition in a liquid or semi-liquid state, serving as an isolating and
metallising medium.
This coating is applied before the deposit of copper on metallic articles of

page_text: any kind and form, viz, on statues, vases, ornaments, on balcony or other
railings, fire-screens, stovės.
The compound is made, according to the nature of the articles to be pro-
tected, of bitumen, pitch, copal, resin, benzone, and other distilled essences,
such as ether, chloroform, oil of naptha, linseed, and other siccative oils,
caoutchouc, gutta percha, litharge, white lead, cinaba, wax, plumbago, copper
powder.
In all the processes hitherto, in use for coppering metallic articles galvani-
cally, copper is deposited direct on the metals after they have been cleaned,
instead of depositing the copper, as by my process, on preservative inter-
mediate coatings placed on the metals.
I do not claim the constituents of the composition nor the mode of applying
them on metallic articles, whether effected by means of brushes or by im-
mersion, nor the mode of rapidly drying and metallising them; but what
I claim as my Invention is, the applying on metallic articles compositions,
paints, or varnishes of any kind to act as protective intermediates before
depositing on them the required thickness of copper by means of the galvanic
battery.
The articles treated by this process are protected from subsequent oxidation
if they are exposed to the humidity of the air, earth, or water. In case of
part of the copper becoming torn off the interposed coating will prevent any
galvanic action between the two metals.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles François Léopold Oudry in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
FRANÇOIS LEOPOLD OUDRY, of Auteuil, near Paris, in the Empire of France,
now of 4, South. Street, Finsbury, London, Electro-metallurgist, send
*greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand éight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles François Léopold Oudry, IIer special license that I, the said Charles
François Léopold Oudry, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Charles François Léopold Oudry, my executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRESERVATION OF ARTICLES OF
CAST, WROUGHT, ROLLED, AND FORGED IRON, ZINC, AND OTHER METALS OR ALLOYS'
OF METALS AGAINST OXIDATION, FROM HUMIDITY, AND OTHER DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS
CF AIR AND WATER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Charles François Léopold Oudry, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles François Léopold Oudry, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in depositing by electricity copper in a pure state to
any desired thickness upon articles of cast, wrought, or rolled iron, zinc, and
other metals and alloys of metals, after being first coated with one or several
coats of a composition in a liquid or semi-liquid state, serving as an isolating
and metallising medium.
I will now proceed to describe the process which I have invented, and
which is of the most simple nature, requiring no previous cleansing from oxide
of the articles to be coated. After being simply brushed, the articles are
dipped once or several times into a hot or cold liquid varnish (the intermediate
coating), whence they are withdrawn to dry, which is effected in a very short
time; they are then dipped into another liquid or metallic varnish, from which
they are taken out without delay.
When the varnish is perfectly dry, viz, in about one or two hours, the said
articles must be well rubbed with a hard hair brush, then by means of one or
several electric conducting wires they are suspended in a bath containing a
solution of sulphate of copper in water, which may be acidulated. The
galvanic batteries can be placed either inside or outside the bath, with or
without anodes, according to the mode preferred, and the articles being
submitted thereto become gradually covered with an adhesive copper coating.
After a lapse of time, proportionate to the required thickness of copper, they
must be taken out of the bath to be washed and dried. This terminates the
whole operation.

page_text: The varnishes are in themselves of an insulating, impermeable, and metallic
nature, and by this process the preservation is perfect, existing doubly; first,
through the intermediate coating; and, secondly, through the copper deposit,
the thickness of which can be increased at will.
If it is required to operate upon slight articles, or articles chiselled with
delicate lines, the varnish must be applied with a suitable brush.
The substances composing the varnishes vary according to the nature of the
articles to be coppered, for instance, for sheet iron they are much thicker than
for delicately executed articles. The substances which enter into their com-
position are resinous, gummy, or bituminous matters, combined with greasy or
essential oils and metallic salts, such as minium, white lead, litharge, cinabar,
and other agents having analogous properties.
After the deposit of copper on articles of cast and wrought iron, and other
metals or alloys of metals, such as statues, vases, railings, balconies, fire-
screens, fire-iron and umbrella stands, hat and coat holders, ornaments, and
other articles, I can if required gild, bronze, or silver them.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that
I do not confine myself to the herein-before enumerated agents for the com-
position of the varnishes, as other agents having analogous properties may be
employed for the same purpose and with a similar result. But what I claim
as my Invention is, the indirect deposit by electricity of copper to any required
thickness upon articles of cast and wrought iron, zinc, and other metals and
alloys of metals by means of intermediate insulating and metallic compositions
or varnishes previously applied thercon for the preservation of the said articles
from oxidation, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles François Léopold Oudry, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
L. OUDRY. (L.S.)