Ix PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DECORATIVE AND PERFORATED OR TUBULAR CASTS. SLABS, BLOCKS. OR OTHER FORMS. AND IN THE APPLICATION THEREOF TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Robbins, of Stibbington Street, Somers
Town, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "Ix
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DECORATIVE AND PERFORATED OR
TUBULAR CASTS. SLABS, BLOCKS. OR OTHER FORMS. AND IN THE APPLICATION
THEREOF TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 25th June 1809, and dated the 6th January 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Robbins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th January 1869.
I, EDWIN ROBBINS, of Stibbington Street, Somers Town, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DECORATIVE AND PERFORATED
OR TUBULAR CASTS. SLABS. BLOCKS, OR OTHER FORMS. AND IN THE APPLICATION
TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as
follows;--
My Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of decorative
and perforated or tubular cast slabs, blocks, or other forms from plastic
materials, and to improvements in the application thereof to buildings
and other purposes.

page_text: According to one part of my Invention I employ pulverized
substances to ornament or decorate surfaces The pulverized substances
may be of various colors and descriptions alone or combined with one
another. In order to distribute the pulverized substances in designs or
patterns upon the surface to be ornamented according to my Invention
I employ stencil plates placed upon or a short distance above the surface,
and if desired the stencil plates may be embedded in the body of the
slab or other form These stencil plates or the surface to be ornamented
may according to my Invention have movement so as to produce
changing effects, and various colors or kinds of powder may be passed
through the stencil plate together or successively, the supply of each
of such powders being under control so as to produce shaded or other
effects. The powders to form an ornamental surface may according
to my Invention be distributed over a surface, and the cement, plaster,
clay, or other material which is to be decorated afterwards laid or run
over the pulverized matter which will adhere to the plastic substance
and form an ornamental surface The powders when distributed may
be temporarily secured so as to prevent disturbance of the design by the
application of steam or moisture or by mixing materials with the powder
which can be rendered adhesive by heat, or they may be secured by
distributing them upon an adhesive surface
According to another part of my Invention in the surface of a slab or
block formed from plastic material 1 embed an ornamental or decorative
design or figure formed from fibrous or other suitable material and
viously colored, and a coating of cement or other suitable translucent
material may according to my Invention be laid over the design so
embedded
According to another part of my Invention a design or picture is
photographed or drawn in crayons, chalks, colours, or other materials
upon a suitable surface such as ground glass, marble, or other suitable
material, and the cement, plaster, clay, or other material to be orna-
mented placed or run over the surface, so that when removed the
design or picture will be transferred to the slab of plastic material, or
the design, picture, or photograph may according to my Invention
be transferred from paper or other suitable material to a suitable surface
and afterwards retransferred to the plastic material.
According to another part of my Invention I form the moulded surfaces
of cast slabs or tiles by means of moulds, stencil plates, or inserted pieces |

page_text: of charcoal, sawdust, fibrous, or other suitable material which when
submitted to heat will burn away or become friable so that it can be
readily removed after burning. Fibrous materials may be formed into
designs, and these or the moulds on the stencil plates may according
to my Invention be caused to impart various colors to the parts to which
they are applied. An ornamental surface may according to my Invention
be formed of one color or description of material, and after the stencil
plates, moulds, or other inserted parts have been burnt out the recesses
left by them may be filled in by other colors or descriptions of materials
so as to produce a varied ornamental surface. When forming ornamental
or decorative surfaces the means above described may be employed
according to my Invention either alone or in combination with one
another. When forming slabs or blocks of plastic material to be
afterwards burnt or baked in order to reduce the tendency to warp
in the process of drying or burning I first form the face surface (which
may be ornamented when required) from finer materials upon a suitable
slab,and afterwards build up the body of the slab from coarser materials,
and according to this part of my Invention I form the back of the slab
or block from materials mixed with charcoal, sawdust, or other material
which when submitted to heat will burn away and leave the back of
the slab or block porous or honeycombed. Slabs or blocks prepared in
this manner will adhere readily to walls or other surfaces to which they
may have to be attached.
According to another part of my Invention 1 form blocks or slabs
suitable for the construction of buildings, and such blocks or slabs may
according to this part of my Invention form the walls or partitions of
a building or part thereof, and be produced in the process of erecting a
building. I form the outer surfaces from slabs of burnt or unburnt
material which may be formed or ornamented as above described or
otherwise, and between such slabs I arrange a series of metallic tubes
capable of being coiled or uncoiled or otherwise constructed so as to be
reduced or enlarged at will. The tubes may be surrounded with paper
or other suitable material, and netting, wickerwork, or wirework may
be interlaced or in interspersed among and around the tubes. When the
tubes are placed I fill up the space surrounding the tubes and between
the outer slabs or surfaces with concrete or other suitable plastic material
or composition. After the space is filled in I partially uncoil or other-
wise act upon the tubes so as to enlarge them and thus compress the
surrounding cement or other substance, the outer slabs being meantime

page_text: provided with suitable supports When the cement, concrete, or other
substance surrounding the tubes is sufficiently set I coil or contract the
tubes so as to reduce their diameter and then withdraw them from the
slab, block, or wall.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters l'atent,
filed by the said Edwin Robbins in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th July 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWIN
ROBBINS, of Stibbington Street, Somers Town, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting
WHEREAS er most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of ler reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edwin Robbins, Her special licence
that I, the said Edwin Robbins, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Edwin Robbins, my exccutors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thercafter 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 MANUFACTURE OF DECORATIVE AND PERFORATED OR TUBULAR CASTS, SLABS.
BLOCKS, OR OTHER FORMS, AND IN THE APPLICATION THEREOF TO THE CONSTRUCTION
07 BUILDINGS AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Edwin Robbins, my exccutors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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 Edwin Dahhing

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of
|decorative and perforated or tubular casts, slabs, blocks, or other forms
from plastic materials, and to improvements in the application thereof
to buildings and other purposes.
According to the first part of my Invention 1 employ pulverized
substances to ornament or decorate surfaces. The pulverized substances
may be of various colours and descriptions alone or combined with one
another. In order to distribute the pulverized substances in designs
or patterns upon the surface to be ornamented according to my
Invention I employ stencil plates placed upon or a short distance above
the surface, and if desired the stencil plates may be imbedded in the
body of the slab or other form These stencil plates or the surface to
be ornamented may according to my Invention have movement so as to
produce changing effects and various colors or kinds of powder may be
passed through the stencil plate together or successively, the supply of
each of such powders being under control so as to produce shaded or
other effects. The powders to form an ornamental surface may
necording to my Invention he distributed over a surface, and the
cement, plaster, clay, or other material which is to be decorated
afterwards laid or run over the pulverized matter which will adhere to
the plastic substance and form an ornamental surface The powders
when distributed may be temporarily secured so as to prevent
disturbance of the design by the application of steam or moisture or by
mixing materials with the powder which can be rendered adhesive by
heat or they may be secured by distributing them upon an adhesive
surface.
When carrying the first part of my Invention into practice for the
decoration of sun faces formed in cement, plaster, or other sustance of a
similar character which has the property of "setting" or indurating
when moistened with water or other liquid alone, or with chemical
agents in solution. I compound the decorative pulverized colors,
minerals, metals, or substances before referred to with powdered cement
or plaster or with soluble silicates or both, or with other known
substances which will indurate after the application of water alone or
having chemical agents in solution, and in some cases substances such

page_text: as powdered sulphur which will become adhesive by the application of
heat may be mixed with the pulverized materials
In order to produce a flat slab, which I take as a simple illustration
of one application of my Invention, I provide a table or other suitable
surface as is commonly practised when preparing slabs of imitation
marble, and where it is desired to produce a polished surface I prefer
to employ a table the surface of which has been polished, and this
polished table may be conveniently formed of glass, which material has
been heretofore employed for the purpose of forming slabs of cement or
plaster thereon The surface of the glass may be smooth, but in some
cases, according to one part of my Invention, the surface of the glass
table may be ground or roughened. In order to facilitate the eventual
separation of the decorative slab from the table or surface on which it is
formed I prefer to wash such table or surface over with a mucilaginous
solution, and I afterwards apply the decorative pulverized substance
which in some cases would be of uniform color or character over the
whole surface, and which pulverized decorative colour or substance may
be either mineral, metallic, vegetable, animal, or fibrous (as flock).
When it is desired to produce a decorative slab with characters or
designs thereon 1 employ stencil plates These stencil plates may be
of various characters and variously arranged. The stencil plates
employed may be supported in any convenient manner at a short
distance above the table, and the decorative pulverized material or
materials passed through the apertures in one of such stencil plates
which may be afterwards removed and substituted by another stencil
plate or plates and the decorative pulverized material or materials passed
through the apertures in such stencil plate or plates, so as to fill up the
spaces left by the stencil plate or plates previously employed, until the
whole surface of the table, or so much of it as may be desired, is covered
with the pulverized decorative materials arranged in a design of any
desired character or combination of colors and materials, but I find the
pulverized decorative materials may be conveniently and accurately
distributed in any desired design or character by the employment of
skeleton stencil plates constructed according to one part of my Invention
in the following manner:-
According to one arrangement I form the design from strips of metal
placed edgewise and bent to the required form, and I connect such strips
of metal together in any convenient manner, employing a sheet of wire

page_text: gauze for this purpose by preference, to which the strips of metal may
be attached if desired by means of solder. The skeleton stencil of the
design formed as above arranged I place upon the table or surface so
that the edges of such strips of metal rest upon the surface, the wire
gauze being uppermost; I then place over the wire gauze a stencil
plate. having apertures formed therem, corresponding with such parts of
the design as are to be filled in with a certain color or description of
pulverized decorative material, and pass such material through the
stencil plate and wire gauze into the corresponding chambers formed by
the strips of metal below; I then remove the upper stencil plate and
substitute it by another or others in succession, having apertures formed
therein corresponding with those parts of the design which have yet to
be filled in until the whole or such parts of the table or surface as may
be desired are covered with the pulverized decorative material. Other
materials may
be substituted for the metal strips when forming a skeleton
stencil plate as above described, such as gelatine, wax, sulphur, metal,
plaster, or cement cast in a mould, and attached or not to the wire
gauze or other connecting or strengthening frame or contrivance, either
permanently or temporarily, by any appropriate means. In some cases I
do not withdraw the skeleton stencil plate, but leave it embedded in the
finished slab or surface, and in this case when the skeleton stencil plate
is formed from plaster or cement or other similar material, such material
may be combined with various colors, pigments, mineral, metallic,
fibrous, or other substances, so as to render such skeleton stencil plate
ornamental when embedded in the finished work. When the skeleton
stencil plate is to be left embedded in the finished work it is connected to
the wire gauze or other connecting web or frame in a temporary manner,
for instance, where the stencil plate is of cement or plaster a small
quantity of the same material may be employed for connecting the parts
temporarily, and when wire gauze or a material which can be rolled up
is employed attached to the skeleton stencil plate as before described,
such ganze or material may be conveniently detached from the skeleton
stencil plate by rolling up such gauze or material after the decorative
substances or materials have been distributed as above described. The
skeleton stencil plate may also be formed of fibrous material such as
lace or network, or woven fabric, or paper stiffened and placed edgewise,
and such materials may according to my Invention either be withdrawn
or be variously colored and left embedded in the finished work. The

page_text: various pulverized colors or decorative substance employed may be
selected from suitable bins and placed in suitable funnels or distributing
instruments when required, or they may be contained in hoppers provided
with suitable valves to be acted upon by the hand or otherwise, and such
hoppers may be provided with flexible or other tubes for the distribution
of the pulverized material to required point, and when certain colors
or descriptions of the pulverized material are required at certain definite
intervals the valves for releasing such material may be acted upon by
suitable self-acting mechanism, which may be operated upon by suitable
projections upon the stencil plates In some cases I distribute the
pulverized material over the table or surface by the aid of a puff of air,
which I cause to act upon the pulverized substance as it falls from the
hopper, vessel, or vessels in which it contained, such material falling
through a chamber or enclosed space, which by the action of the puff
of air becomes filled with a cloud of dust, such dust subsequently
settling upon the table or surface. In some cases I make the orifice
of the dust chamber of less size than that of the table or surface and of
any suitable form or character, and in some cases I give such chamber
or the table or surface motion, and thus distribute various colors from
the dust chamber over various parts of the table or surface with or
without the aid of stencil plates according to whether a definite or
indefinite character of ornamentation is desired, and in some cases I
cause such colors to blend one into the other by the manner and order
in which I introduce and blow the pulverized materials into the chamber
so as to fill it with a cloud of dust of varying color or character
pulverized materials may be allowed to fall upon the table or surface
through a chamber from which the air has been exhausted After the
pulverized materials have been distributed over the table or surface
portions may be removed by various means or by means of surfaces of
various forms to which water or an adhesive material has been applied,
and netting, wire, webbing, lace, or other materials arranged in regular
or irregular designs may be employed for this purpose These materials
or designs having water or the adhesive material applied thereto are laid
upon the table or surface and then removed carrying with them portions
of the pulverized materials, and the spaces left where such materials
have been removed may be afterwards filled with other descriptions of
decorative pulverized material, or the cement or plaster backing may be
allowed to appear at such parts of the surface so as to form an orna-
The

page_text: mental design. In some cases before the decorative materials are
applied to the table or surface I apply thereto a thin coat of translucent
cement through which the design is seen when the slab or article is
finished. After the various colors or decorative materials have been
distributed over the whole or part of the table or surface as above
described, the materials to form the substance of the slab may bo
variously applied at the back of such colors or decorative materials.
When a skeleton stencil plate is employed as above described, which is
intended to be removed, such plate may be removed before the pulverized
materials receive further treatment. Before or after the stencil plate
is removed the pulverized substances may be caused to cohere to some
extent by means of moisture applied in the form of steam or fine spray,
and such spray may contain chemical agents in solution, or gaseous
bodies may be employed in order to cause the pulverized substances to
cohere as in the manufacture of artificial stone, or the pulverized
substances when suitably compounded may be caused to cohere so far as
may be necessary by the application of heat. The backing of plaster or
cement or other suitable material may be applied either in a wet or dry
state. When dry it may be dusted down upon the table or surface upon
which the pulverized decorative materials have been distributed as above
described before any further treatment of such material, or after they
have been treated, so as cause them to cohere as above described, and a
coarser and coarser quality of material may be dusted down as the
thickness increases, so that the front part of the slab will be composed
of finer materials than the back part. After a sufficient quantity of the
material to form the substance of the slab has been deposited moisture
is applied to the slab so as to "gauge" the whole of the materials
employed and cause them to set into one solid piece. Before the
moisture is applied the whole of the combined materials may be sub-
mitted to mechanical pressure and moisture applied to the materials
while under such pressure. The table or surface having the prepared
slab thereon may be introduced into a chamber and the air exhausted
therefrom before or after the moisture is applied, and such moisture may
be applied to the slab (when not submitted to mechanical pressure) in
the form of fine spray, or a cloth may be laid over the whole and water
allowed to be gradually absorbed into the prepared materials by dipping
the table in a trough of water to a suitable depth, or by applying water
to the outer surface of the cloth, or in various other ways. In place of
depositing the dry plaster or cement at the back of the pulverized

page_text: decorative materials as last described, the backing to form the substance
of the slab may be "gauged" or mixed with water and poured over the
pulverized decorative materials. If the skeleton stencil plate be removed
before the wet plaster is applied care must be taken that by any of the
means before described sufficient cohesion is given to the distributed
materials to prevent their being disarranged, but the skeleton stencil
plate may be allowed to remain in position, or until after the backing
has been applied, and if removed the stencil plate is then raised through
the backing of wet plaster or cement Color may be applied in any
suitable figure or design to the wire gauze to which the skeleton stencil
plate is attached so that as the wet plaster or cement sinks through such
wire gauze it will carry down such color to the table or surface and give
a marbled or other ornamental effect to those parts of the slab where
the decorative pulverized materials may not have been distributed, or at
such parts the wire gauze may be removed and the surface of the slab
ornamented thercat by any of the methods heretofore practised when
producing artificial marble, or by the method herein-after described. In
some cases I prepare the slab of cement or plaster separately and coil it
up with a cloth while in a plastic state, and I afterwards unroll such
coil upon the table or surface upon which the decorative materials have
been distributed, as above described, so as to sink upon and unite with
such materials, and such slab of plaster or cement may be so pre-
pared by any of the processes hitherto practised as to imitate marble
before it is applied to the decorative surface distributed upon the
table or surface, as above described. After the manufactured slab has
become sufficiently hard it is separated from the table or surface on
which it was formed and the surface of the slab will then present the
appearance of uniform or variegated, blended, or shaded stone or marble,
or of inlaid marble of various colors, characters, or designs, according
to the manner in which the colors or other materials have been dis-
tributed, as herein-before described, the surface of which may be after-
wards polished or varnished when desired. When applying this part of
my Invention to the decoration of slabs, tiles, or articles in pottery, or
materials which are indurated by heat, I compound the pulverized colors
or decorative materials with pulverized clay, glass, silica, or other
materials which will cohere in the process of firing, and I employ
similar materials for the body of the article to be manufactured, and
in order to distribute the pulverized substances I employ the skeleton
stencil plates formed of thin strips of metal, as above described. con-

page_text: nected together by wire gauze, webbing, or web work, so as to separate
or divide the surface by thin partitions, and I then proceed in the
manner above described, or I distribute the pulverized material by a
puff of air, as previously described. The effect of this part of my
Invention being to produce effects or designs upon articles in pottery
embedded in the surface of such articles, and where the colors or
decorative substances employed are so compounded as when fired to
form a transparent enamel, the surface of the slab at the back of such
transparent design may be decorated before the transparent enamel is
applied to the slab. In the latter case I apply color or colors to a
suitable surface in any desired design or combination, and apply such
colored surface to a slab of material in a plastic state so that the color or
colors may be transferred to the slab of plastic material. I then place
the ornamented surface of the slab of material, still in a plastic state,
in contact with the design formed, as above described, in transparent
enamels which then becomes attached to the surface of the slab of
plastic material, so that after firing the effect above described is pro-
duced. The slab of plastic material may be coiled up and then uncoiled
so as to lay up the decorative surface without disturbing the arrange-
ment of the materials thereon.
According to this part of my Invention glass either in a sheet or
powdered, and either plain or coloured may be applied to the decorative
materials arranged upon a surface, as above described, or the decorative
materials may be applied to a glass surface or a surface formed of trans-
parent enamel either plain or coloured, the plastic material being after-
wards applied thereto; and according to this part of my Invention glass
in a plastic state may be applied to such surface by placing glass over
the decorated surface, either in a sheet or in a powdered state, and either
plain or coloured, and afterwards rendering such glues plastic so that it
will combine with the decorative materials and the glass or enamel
surface beneath. After the slab or sheet of glass is combined as above
described, one or both of the surfaces may be ground, roughened, or
polished, and in some cases one of the surfaces may be silvered so as to
produce an ornamental or decorated mirror.
According to the second part of my Invention in the surface of a
slab or block formed from plastic material I embed an ornamental or
decorative design or figure formed from fibrous or other suitable material

page_text: lucent material may according to my Invention be laid over the design
so embedded.
The second part of my Invention relates to embedding an ornamental
or decorative design or figure formed from fibrous material, threads,
strings, netting, lace, or fabric of fibrous material or wire or formed
from paper, paper pulp, or flock alone, or combined with one another, or
with other materials in the surface of a slab or block of plaster, cement,
or other material.
When carrying this part of my Invention into practice for forming
a slab I employ a table or surface such as that herein-before described
in reference to the first part of my Invention I then arrange upon
such table or surface in any desired figure or design, fibrous material,
strings, or fabric of fibrous material, or wire, paper, paper pulp, or flock
alone, or combined with one another, or with such other material as may
be required to retain them in the required form. In some cases 1
employ netting or lace in fibrous materials, or wire or a woven fabric or
paper which may be in any suitable shape and may have a design
thereon. The paper or other material may also have a design formed
thereon in flock, and the flock or other material may be combined
with plaster or cement, so as to retain the required shape for embedding.
The strings or threads or other materials may be stiffened by the appli-
cation of suitable size or varnish so as to retain a definite form, and the
strings or other materials may be variously coloured After the strings
or other of the above-named materials have been arranged upon the table
or surface in the desired form, cement, or plaster, or other material which
"sets" or hardens by the addition of water or other liquid alone or with
chemical agents in solution is applied upon the table or surface so as to
cover and imbed the materials previously laid upon such table, and the
threads or other materials above named may then be allowed to set with
the slab and be incorporated therewith. After the slab has set it is
separated from the table or surface, and a coat of transparent varnish or
enamel may then be applied to the decorated surface. In some cases
after the plaster or cement has been applied and is in a plastic state I
litt the fibrous material, strings, netting, lace, wire work, paper, woven
fabric, or other material previously laid upon the surface of the table
raising such materials through the plaster or cement, but so as to leave

page_text: a design corresponding with that of the material removed embedded in
the slab. In order to accomplish this I apply one or more colors to the
materials which are arranged upon the table or surface, such colours may
be applied in various ways, and in some cases I transfer such colors to
the materials from sheets of felt or other tabric. When the wet plaster
is applied it becomes tinged with such colour, so that when the fibrous
or other material formed into a design or figure is withdrawn the colour
which was upon it will be left in a corresponding design embedded in
the cement or plaster. If the fibrous or other materials formed into
designs or characters are withdrawn though cement or plaster in a semi-
fluid state, the cement or plaster will flow together over the space left over
the space left by the withdrawal of the fibrous or other material, but in
some case I withdraw the fibrous or other material formed into a design
through the cement or plaster in a plastic state, in which case I fill in
the spaces left by the withdrawal of the design with cement or plaster
of the same or different colours, and where this is done the design will be
presented in the finished slab as formed of two lines more or less fine
with the intervening parts filled in with a different colour In some
cases before the materials to be embedded or to give an embedded design
are applied to the surface or table I apply thereto a coat of translucent
cement through which the design will be seen in the finished slab or
article. After the slab has set it is separated from the table as before,
and the surface may then be polished. When network is employed as
above described, or string or wire webbed interlaced or woven together
into a design, the effect of "tessera" or mosaic work and other very
ornamental effects may be produced
I would remark in reference to this part of my Invention that I am
aware that fibrous materials having color applied thereto have been here-
tofore embedded in or withdrawn through plaster or cement, but so as to
produce confused or "marbled" effects, and I therefore do not claim
the production of effects so produced which vary in each article manu-
factured; but according to this part of my Invention I produce regular
or other designs, which can be repeated any desired number of times,
but in some cases in accordance with this part of my Invention I embed
designs in slabs of plastic material, which may be in imitation of marble
or otherwise by colouring a surface of wire gauze or perforated metal or
other openwork surface, and allowing the wet plaster or cement to sink
through such surface on to the table or surface on which the slab is
formed, and several of such open work surfaces with different or the

page_text: same design or effects thereon in one or more colours may be placed over
one another, and the cement or plaster allowed to sink through such
surfaces on to the table or surface on which the slab is formed, so as to
embed a marbled or other variegated design in the plaster or cement, the
openwork surfaces or pieces being afterwards removed from the wet
plaster or cement
According to the third part of my Invention a design or picture is
photographed or drawn in crayons, chalks, colours, or other materials
upon a suitable surface such as ground glass, marble, or other suitable
material, and the cement, plaster, clay, or other material to be orna-
mented placed or run over the surface, so that when removed the design
or picture will be transferred to the slab or plastic material, or the
design, picture, or photograph may according to my Invention be
transferred from paper or other suitable material to a suitable surface,
and afterwards re-transferred to the plastic material.
The third part of my Invention also relates to decorating slabs andother
articles formed from plastic materials. When carrying out this part of
my Invention I transfer colours or materials of a decorative character from
a surface to which such colour or decorative materials have been applied
to the surface of plastic material while in a plastic state. The color
or design may be formed, deposited, drawn, or painted upon a table
or surface such as that described in reference to the first part of my
Invention or upon the surface of a mould or dic, the surface of which
may be of any form corresponding with the form of the article to be
formed or moulded, or the design may be drawn or deposited upon a
flexible or elastic surface which can be applied to the surface of plastic
material to be ornamented while such material is in a plastic state.
When carrying out this part of my Invention for the decoration of slabs
or other shapes formed of cement, plaster, or other materials which
set" or harden by the addition of water or other liquid alone or with
chemical agents in solution a great variety of decorative materials may
be employed. As an illustration of one application of this part of my
Invention I will describe a method that may be employed for the
production of a decorative slab, but I do not confine myself to this
particular application of this part of my Invention which may be applied
to a great variety of surfaces or objects, but an intelligent workman
acquainted with moulding and decorating articles in plaster or cement
aided by the illustration herein given of this part of my Invention,
will readily apply the same according to requirement, I employ a table
46

page_text: or surface of the same materials as those named when describing the
first part of my Invention or of any suitable material, but I find a table
answer the purpose formed of glass the surface of which has been ground
or more or less roughened by the action of fluoric acid, the surface
of which may be first prepared as described in reference to the first part
of my Invention. Upon the surface of the table I apply the color or
decorative material which may be evenly distributed or washed over the
whole surface. I compound andpreparethe colours or decorative materials
in a similar manner to that described in reference to the first part of my
Invention or otherwise. A design may be drawn upon the surface with
ordinary crayons or with crayons formed from a compound of color or
pigment or other material with cement, plaster, or other material which
will combine or set with the plaster, such crayons being formed by
pressure or by the employment of some volatile binding liquid which
will evaporate and will not affect the setting property of the cement,
plaster, or other material with which the pigment, color, or decorative
material is compounded, or the surface or design may be wholly or
partly painted or delineated with water or distemper colors or decorative
materials, or with colors or materials compounded with cement or plaster
and a volatile liquid, or the surface or design may be otherwise produced
as will be readily understood by an artist or designer, care being taken
that the decorative materials employed are so prepared that they will
adhere to or combine with the cement or plaster to which they are to
be transferred. The design may be printed, photographed, or otherwise
formed upon the table or surface, or it may be painted, drawn, printed,
photographed or otherwise formed upon another surface of paper, woven
fabric, collodion, or other material, and transferred or applied to the
table or surface, and after the decorative material has been applied to
the table or surface parts of such decorative material may be removed
and the space if desired filled in with other decorative materials. Netting,
lacework, or designs formed in wire or fibrous or other materials may
have decorative color or material applied thereto, and such decorative
color or material may be transferred to the table or surface. Adhesive
material may be printed upon or applied to the surface or table in any
figure or design, and pulverized decorative materials applied to such
adhesive pattern. In some cases I float a photograph or other picture
upon water and distribute thereon a powdered material which I
afterwards render adhesive by heat so that upon applying a table or

page_text: surface thereto, such picture or photograph will be picked up by the
table or surface. Stencil plates may be employed, and any other known
means, or those previously described may be employed alone or in
combination with one another, to form a decorative surface, and such
means may be employed in combination with the decorative systems or
means previously described in reference to the first and second parts
of my Invention. After the table, surface, or mould has had the
decoration applied thereto as above described I apply the cement or
plaster which is to form a slab or object having the decoration thereon.
When forming a slab such slab may be formed separately and afterwards
applied to the table or surface, or the plaster, cement, or other material
to form the slab may be applied in a dry state and afterwards "gauged"
or moistened as herein-before described or it may be run over the table
or surface, and in this case a sheet of wire gauze or perforated metal
may be placed over the surface or table and supported thercon at
intervals by means of points so that as the plaster or cement is run over
such gauge or perforated surface it will sink through the meshes or
perforations without disturbing the design or decoration upon the table.
The decorative material or design may be drawn or painted or otherwise
deposited upon a woven fabric or upon an elastic or flexible material
and then applied to a surface of plaster or cement, and this may be done
after the plaster or or cement has been applied to the wall or surface
where it is intended to remain, or the plaster or cement may be first
applied to the plastic or flexible decorated surface and afterwards applied
while in a plastic state to a column or other surface or mould to form
various objects After the cement or plaster has set or hardened it is
separated from the table, surface, or mould, and the surface will then
have embedded therein the design or other decoration which was
previously upon the surface of the table, mould, or clastic or flexible or
other fabric or surface, and the slab or other article can then be polished,
varnished, or enamelled if desired. Objects formed in plaster or cement
or other materials which set as above described may thus be decorated
with marbled effects or with ornamental designs or pictures in endless
variety I would have it understood that when forming slabs or articles
from plaster in accordance with this or with the first or second parts
of my Invention, when required I strengthen such slabs or articles by
the insertion of canvas or other suitable materials as heretofore
practised, and after such slabs or other articles have been prepared and

page_text: are yet in the plastic state they may be introduced into a chamber
and the air exhausted therefrom so as to condense and remove air
bubbles from such articles, and in some cases the plaster or cement may
be applied to the table, surface, or mould in a chamber from which the
air has been exhausted, and pressure may afterwards be applied to such
articles by means of air or by mechanical means so as to condense
and solidify them.
According to this part of my Invention I also decorate the surface
of plastic materials such as pottery or china which are indurated by the
action of heat. The surface of the table or mould may have decorative
materials applied thereto in regular or irregular designs, or such
decorative materials may be drawn, printed, applied, or photographed
on paper, collodion, or other suitable material, and transferred from such
materials or applied with them to the surface of the table or mould.
1 apply the plastic materials while in a plastic or semi-fluid state to
surfaces or moulds which have decorative colors or designs thereon
or applied thereto as above described, care being taken to employ such
decorative colors or substances as will be suitable for the firing process,
and according to this part of my Invention the surface of the mould or
table may have decorations or designs thereon in materials of various
colors which after firing will form a design in transparent or opaque
enamel, and the surface of the slab may be decorated before applying
it to the surface or table upon which the design in enamel is prepared.
The moulds may be removed from the article after drying, baking, or
firing, or they may be formed of combustible materials as herein
described. By this application of this part of my Invention 1 produce
articles in china or pottery with the design or decoration embedded in
the surface of such articles. Glass in a plastic state may be applied to
a table or surface or mould of suitable material having a decorative
design formed thereon as above described, or a transparent enamel
surface, or a sheet of glass or pulverized glass, plain or coloured, may be
first applied to the table, surface, or mould, and the decorative design
afterwards applied thereto, and afterwards a sheet of glass or powdered
glass, either plain or coloured, maybe applied upon thedecorative materials
and the whole combined when rendered plastic by heat. After the
sheet or slab of glass is combined as above described one or both of the
surfaces may be ground, roughened, or polished, and in some cases one
of the surfaces may be silvered, so as to produce an ornamental or
decorated mirror.

page_text: According to the fourth part of my Invention I form the moulded
surfaces of casts, slabs, or tiles, by means of moulds, stencil plates, or
inserted pieces of charcoal, sawdust, fibrous and other suitable material
which when submitted to heat will burn away or become friable, so that
it can be readily removed after burning.
Fibrous materials may be
formed into designs, and these or the moulds or stencil plates may
according to my Invention be caused to impart various colors to the
parts to which they are applied. An ornamental surface may according
to my Invention be formed of one color or description of material, and
after the stencil plates, moulds, or other inserted parts have been burnt
out the recesses left by them may be filled in by other colors or
descriptions of materials so as to produce a varied ornamental surface.
When forming ornamental or decorative surfaces the means above
described may be employed according to my Invention either alone or in
combination with one another.
When carrying the fourth part of my Invention into practice I form a
combustible or partly combustible mould. A great variety of materials
may be employed for forming such combustible moulds and charcoal,
sawdust, fibrous materials or fabrics, paper, or paper pulp, or other
combustible materials held together or in form by suitable stiffening or
binding materials, or combined with earthy materials, may be employed
when forming combustible moulds according to my Invention which will
burn away in the process of firing or become friable so that they can be
readily removed. Such combustible moulds may be formed according
to my Invention so that the object when finished is without seams, and
so that the object is supported in its correct shape until after such object
is sufficiently hardened to support itself, and objects of great delicacy
and beauty thereby produced. Where it is desired to produce forms
with parts undercut or in the form of a figure or object to stand out in
relief, or by itself, such as statuettes, capitals, vases, or other objects or
parts of such objects, I employ a gelatine or india-rubber model or
'original" from which to form the combustible moulds in one piece,
such model or "original," as is well known, by reason of its elasticity
or flexibility allowing of its withdrawal from the mould.
The
combustible mould may be strengthened or supported by the insertion of
wires or wirework or other materials. When applying the plastic
material to the mould a core may be employed, which in accordance
with this
part of my
Invention I may be also combustible, and the plastic
material run or pressed between such core and mould on the plastic

page_text: material may be otherwise applied. In some cases for the formation of
delicate articles the plastic material may be accumulated upon or
within the surface of a combustible mould or core by dipping such
mould or core into the plastic material, and then allowing the
superfluous plastic material to run off, several layers when desired being
successively accumulated in this manner; and when desired such
successive layers may be of several descriptions of material and variously
colored, and in some cases decorative designs may be applied to one or
more of such layers of plastic material and then coated with plastic
materials as above described, so that the design may be seen in the
finished article by transmitted light The mould may also be provided
with a core and the surfaces of the mould and core both coated as above
described, and when desired the surfaces of both or either of the mould
and the core and of the coats may be decorated as above described, and
in some cases the mould and core may be so coated as to leave an inter-
vening space or spaces between the coats upon the mould and core
which can, if desired, be filled in with plastic material mixed with pieces
or particles of combustible material, which may be variously colored, and
which will burn out and leave irregular or regular ornamental spaces
variously colored or otherwise in the interior of the article.
According to this part of my Invention I also employ forms in
combustible materials, such as lace, netting, fibrous material or fabric,
paper, or paper pulp cut or arranged in various forms or devices, or
moulded pieces of combustible material which I insert in slabs, blocks,
or other forms, and which when burnt out will leave recesses, and such
materials or pieces may be applied, according to my Invention, in the
interior of the combustible moulds above described.
According to this part of my Invention I also decorate the surface
of the mould as previously described in reference to the third part of
my Invention, and I also apply coloring or decorative materials to the
lace, netting, fibrous material or fabric, or to the moulded or other
combustible pieces, so that when such combustible materials, picces, or
moulds are removed after burning the color or design which was upon
such combustible pieces or moulds will be left upon the finished
article.

page_text: model an object, such as a capital, frieze, statue, or other object, and
after such object has been fired the support or supports upon which
it was modelled and sustained when in a plastic state will be
burnt away or rendered friable so as to be readily removed from the
object.
According to the fifth part of my Invention when forming slabs or
blocks of plastic material to be afterwards burnt or baked in order to
reduce the tendency to warp in the process of drying or burning I first
form the face surface (which may be ornamental when required) from
finer materials upon a suitable slab, and build up the body of the slab
from coarser materials; and according to this part of my Invention I
form the back of the slab or block from materials mixed with charcoal,
sawdust, or other material which when submitted to heat will burn
away, and leave the back or slab of the block porous or honeycombed.
Slabs or blocks prepared in this manner will adhere readily to walls or
other surfaces to which they have to be attached.
According to this part of my Invention to prevent warping 1 also
place two slabs, tiles, or blocks back to back with a layer between them
of canvass or fibrous material, straw, rods of wood, or other combustible
material or fabric which can be drawn out or burnt out. The slabs,
blocks, or tiles are separated after they are burnt.
According to the sixth part of my Invention I form blocks or slabs
suitable for the construction of buildings, and such blocks or slabs may
according to this part of my Invention form the walls or partitions
of a building or part thereof, and be produced in the process of erecting
a building. I form the outer surfaces from slabs of burnt or unburnt
material which may be formed or ornamented as above described or
otherwise, and between such slabs I arrange a series of metallic tubes
capable of being coiled or uncoiled or otherwise constructed so as to be
reduced or enlarged at will The tubes may be surrounded with paper
or other suitable material and netting, wickerwork, or wirework may be
interlaced or interspersed among and around the tubes. When the
tubes are placed I fill up the space surrounding the tubes, and between
the outer slabs or surfaces with concrete or other suitable plastic
material or composition. After the space is filled in I partially uncoil
or otherwise act upon the tubes so as to enlarge them and thus compress
the surrounding cement or other substance, the outer slabs being

page_text: meantime provided with suitable supports. When the cement, concrete,
or other substance surrounding the tubes is sufficiently set I coil or
contract the tubes so as to reduce their diameter, and then withdraw
them from the slab, block, or wall.
A surrounding surface or mould may be provided according to this
part of my Invention, and the metallic coil or coils above described
employed for compressing the plastic material within the mould to form
a column or other object.
Having now described the nature of the various parts of my Invention,
and the manner in which I carry the same into operation I would have
it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein-
before described so long as the substantial features of any part of my
said Invention be retained; what I claim is,―
Firstly. Decorating with pulverized material slabs or surfaces formed
of plastic cement or other material which "sets" or hardens by the
application of water or other liquid alone or with chemical agents in
solution by arranging such materials upon a table or surface and after-
wards applying the plaster or cement when in a plastic or powdered
state to such table or surface, or the surface to the plaster or cement,
substantially as herein-before described in reference to the first part of
my Invention.
Secondly. Decorating with pulverized materials slabs or surfaces
formed of plastic material which can be indurated by the action of
heat by arranging such materials upon a table or surface by the aid of
the skeleton stencil plate herein-before described, or by forming such
materials into a cloud of dust, and allowing such dust to settle, and after-
wards applying the plastic material when in a plastic or powdered state
to the table or surface, or the table or surface to the plastic material,
substantially as herein-before described in reference to the first part of
my Invention.
Thirdly. Distributing the pulverized decorative materials upon a thin
layer of translucent cement, substantially as herein-before described in
reference to the first part of my Invention.
Fourthly. Decorating slabs or surfaces of plastic material which can
be indurated by the action of heat by first decorating the surface of
such slab or surface when in a plastic state and afterwards applying
such slab or surface to a table or surface upon which enamels have been

page_text: arranged in a pulverized state, or the table or surface to the plastic
material so as to produce a decorated slab or surface, substantially as
herein-before described in reference to the first part of my Invention.
Fifthly. Decorating slabs, sheets, or surfaces of glass by applying such
glass to a table or surface upon which pulverized materials have been
arranged, substantially as herein-before described in reference to the first
part of my Invention.
Sixthly. The application of a skeleton stencil plate or frame to the
formation of designs in pulverized materials upon a table or surface,
substantially as herein-before described in reference to the first part of
my Invention.
Seventhly. The application of gauze or network of wire or other
material, or of perforated sheets of any suitable material for distributing
plastic material over a table or surface upon which pulverized materials
have been arranged, substantially as herein-before described in reference
to the first part of my Invention.
Eighthly. Embedding the materials named in reference to the second
part of my Invention in a slab or surface of plaster, cement, or other
material which "sets" or hardens by the application of water or other
liquid alone or with chemical agents in solution, so as to form a
decorated slab or surface, substantially as herein-before described in
reference to the second part of my Invention
Ninthly. Embedding a design or decoration in a slab or surface of
plaster, cement, or other material which "sets or hardens by the
application of water or other liquid, alone or with chemical agents in
solution, by withdrawing from the plaster or cement various materials
to which colour or other decorative materials has been applied, sub-
stantially as herein-before described in reference to the second part of
my Invention
Tenthly. Decorating a slab or surface of plaster, cement, or other
material which sets or hardens by the application of water or other
liquid alone or with chemical agents in solution by passing such cement
or plaster through wire gauze or framework to which decorative sub-
stances have been applied, substantially as herein-before described in
reference to the second part of my Invention.
Eleventhly. Applying a thin coat of translucent cement to the table
or surface upon which a decorated slab is to be formed before forming

page_text: such decorated slab, according to either of the methods described in
reference to the second part of my Invention.
Twelfthly. Transferring a decorative design or surface from a table or
other surface or mould to plaster, cement, or other material which sets
or hardens by the application of water or other liquid alone or with
chemical agents in solution, such decorative design or surface upon the
table or other surface or mould being brought in contact with the plaster
or cement before such plaster or cement is hardened, and so that when
hardened the decorative design or surface will be transferred from the
table or other surface or mould to and fixed upon the surface of the
plaster or cement, substantially as herein-before described in reference to
the third part of my Invention.
Thirteenthly. Transferring a decorative design or surface from a table
or other surface or mould to plastic material which can be hardened by
the action of heat, such decorative design or surface upon the table or
other surface or mould being brought in contact with the plastic
material when in a plastic state, and so that after the plastic material is
hardened by the action of heat the decorative design or surface will be
transferred from the table or other surface or mould to and fixed upon
the surface of the plaster or cement, substantially as herein-before
described in reference to the third part of my Invention.
Fourteenthly. Transferring a decorative design or surface from a table
or other surface or mould to glass in a plastic state, substantially as
herein-before described in reference to the third part of my Invention.
Fifteenthly. The application of gauze or network of wire or other
material above a table or surface which has been decorated for the
purpose of distributing the plastic material thereon without disturbing
the design or decorative surface upon the table or surface, substantially
as herein-before described in reference to the third part of my Invention.
Sixteenthly. The application of a table or surface of glass which has
been ground or roughened to the formation of decorated slabs or surfaces
formed from plaster or cement.
Seventeenthly. Applying a thin coat of translucent cement to the
table, surface, or mould upon which decoration is to be applied, before
applying the decoration to such table, surface, or mould, substantially as
herein-before described in reference to the third part of my Invention.

page_text: Eighteenthly The application of combustible moulds, cores, and
supports, substantially as and for the purposes herein-before described in
reference to the fourth part of my Invention.
Nineteenthly. The application of combustible stencil plates and of the
combustible materials and pieces for insertion described in reference to
the fourth part of my Invention for forming ornamental recesses in
articles formed from plastic materials, substantially as herein-before
described in reference to the fourth part of my Invention.
Twentiethly. The decoration of articles or objects formed from plastic
materials by applying colour or decorative designs to combustible moulds
or cores, substantially as herein-before described in reference to the
fourth part of my Invention.
Twenty-firstly. The decoration of the ornamental recesses formed in
articles made from plastic material by applying colouring substances to
the combustible materials, stencil plates, and moulded pieces for inser-
tion, described in reference to the fourth part of my Invention, and
substantially as therein-before described.
Twenty-secondly. Forming articles from plastic material with layers
of plastic material of different colours or characters, substantially as
herein-before described in reference to the fourth part of my Invention.
Twenty-thirdly. Decorating a layer or layers of plastic material and
then covering such decoration with another layer or layers of plastic
material, substantially as herein-before described in reference to the
fourth part of my Invention.
Twenty-fourthly. Forming internal spaces in articles of plastic
material, substantially as herein-before described in reference to the
fourth part of my Invention.
Twenty-fifthly. Forming combustible moulds or parts thereof from
gelatine models or originals, substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described in reference to the fourth part of my Invention.
Twenty-sixthly. The manufacture of slabs or blocks from plastic
material with combustible materials, substantially as herein-before
described in reference to the fifth part of my Invention.
Lastly. The manufacture of blocks, slabs, or columns, or other forms
from plastic materials by the aid of metallic or other suitable coils, and

page_text: the application thereof to building purposes, substantially as berein-
before described in reference to the sixth part of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Robbins, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
J. G TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane,
W.C.
EDWIN ROBBINS. (L.S.)