NEW OR IMPROVED COM- POSITIONS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BLACK ORNAMENTS, SUCH AS BROOCHES, BRACELETS, EARRINGS, AND OTHER ORNAMENTS USUALLY MADE OF JET, WHICH SAID COMPOSITIONS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE MANUFACTURE OF VARIOUS OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Hands, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gentleman, and Henry Holland, of Birmingham, aforesaid,
Black Ornament Maker, for the Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED COM-
POSITIONS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BLACK ORNAMENTS, SUCH AS BROOCHES,
BRACELETS, EARRINGS, AND OTHER ORNAMENTS USUALLY MADE OF JET, WHICH
SAID COMPOSITIONS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE MANUFACTURE OF VARIOUS
OTHER ARTICLES."
Sealed the 11th November 1862, and dated the 10th September 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by tho said Frederic Hands and Henry
Holland at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 10th September 1862.
We, FREDERIC HANDS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gentle-
man, and HENRY HOLLAND, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Black Ornament Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "NEW OR IMPROVED
COMPOSITIONS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BLACK ORNAMENTS, SUCH AS BROOCHES,
BRACELETS, EARRINGS, AND OTHER ORNAMENTS USUALLY MADE OF JET, WHICH SAID
COMPOSITIONS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE MANUFACTURE OF VARIOUS OTHER
ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of the compositions herein-after described, which
said compositions resemble jet, and may be used for the manufacture of the
articles commonly made of jet, as well as other articles commonly made of
ebony or other black material or composition.

page_text: In making a composition to be used in the manufacture of black ornaments
and other articles usually made of jet, we take jet or scrap jet, and reduce it
to a very fine powder. We mix the said powdered jet with varnish and india-
rubber and gum, in the manner herein-after described, so as to make a plastic
material, which may be moulded into any required form.
In making a composition to be employed in the manufacture of bulky
articles, such as inkstands, wo prefer to employ black oxide of manganese, or
other black pigment, such as drop black, in place of or in addition to the pow-
dered jet. This composition may also be used in the manufacture of black
ornaments. The varnish we prefer to use is the ordinary black varnish of
commerce, and the gum we prefer to employ is gum arabic.
In combining the various materials together, we dissolve about one part by
weight of india-rubber in ten parts of varnish, the solution being effected by
means of heat, and we afterwards add thereto about thirty parts of powdered jet
or black pigmont. We add to this mixture about one part of gum which has
been previously dissolved by heat in the smallest quantity of water which will
dissolve it. After the materials have been thoroughly incorporated in a heated
state, wo allow the composition to cool, and when it is to be made into
brooches or other small articles we roll it into sheets, and cut it up into
pieces of the size required.
In moulding articles we use our compositions cold, and the moulded articles
are stoved to harden them, and are finished and polished in the same way as
articles made of jet.
In making large articles, such as work boxes, we use the composition in
sheets, and join the parts by heating their edges, or by the use of the mixture
of varnish and india-rubber without the addition of jet or black pigment.
Articles made of the said compositions require to be stoved at a higher
temperature than that employed to stove japanned articles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederic Hands and Henry Holland in the Great Seal Patent 30
Office on the 6th March 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERIC
HANDS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gentleman, and HENRY
HOLLAND, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Black Ornament Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3:
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Frederic Hands and Henry Holland, Her special licence that we, the
said Frederic Hands and Henry Holland, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Frederic Hands and Henry Holland,
our executors, administrators, 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 "NEW OR IMPROVED COMPOSITIONS
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BLACK ORNAMENTS, SUCH AS BROOCHES, BRACELETS, EAR-
RINGS, AND OTHER ORNAMENTS USUALLY MADE OF JET, WHICH SAID COMPOSITIONS MAY
ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE MANUFACTURE OF VARIOUS OTHER ARTICLES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Frederic Hands and Henry
Holland, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or
them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Henry Holland, on behalf of myself
and the said Frederic Hands, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 :-
Our Invention consists of the compositions hercin-after described, which
said compositions resemble jet, and may be used for the manufacturo of the
articles commonly made of jet, as well as other articles commonly made of
ebony or other black material or composition.
In making a composition to be used in the manufacture of black ornaments
and other articles usually made of jet, we take jet or scrap jet, and reduce it
to a very fine powder. We mix the said powdered jet with varnish and
india-rubber and gum, in the manner herein-after described, so as to mako a
plastic material, which may be moulded into any required form.
In making a composition to be employed in the manufacture of bulky
articles, such as inkstands, black oxide of manganese, or other black pigment,
such as drop black, may be employed in addition to the powdered jet, or
in place of a portion of the jet. This composition may also be used in
the manufacture of black ornaments. The varnish we prefer to use is the

page_text: ordinary black varnish of commerce, and the gum we prefer to employ is
gum arabic, as being the cheapest, but any other gum will answer the
same purpose.
In combining the various materials together, we dissolvo about one part by
weight of india-rubber in ten parts of varnish, the solution being effected by
means of heat, and we afterwards add thereto about thirty parts of powdered
jet, either with or without drop black or other black pigment. We add to
this mixture about one part of gum which has been previously dissolved by
beat in the smallest quantity of water which will dissolve it. After the mate-
rials have been thoroughly incorporated in a beated state, we allow the com-
position to cool, and when it is to be made into brooches or other small
articles we roll it into sheets, and cut it up into pieces of the size required.
In moulding articles we use our compositions cold, and the moulded articles
are stoved to harden them, and are finished and polished in the same way as
articles made of jet.
In making large articles, such as work boxes, we use the composition in
sheets, and join the parts by heating their edges, or by the use of the mixture
of varnish and india-rubber without the addition of jet or black pigment.
Articles made of the said compositions require to be stoved at a higher
temperature than that employed to stove japanned articles.
Having explained the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe
the manner in which the same is to be performed.
In making the composition which we prefer to employ for the manufacture
of brooches, bracelets, earrings, and other ornaments usually made of jet, we
take thirty parts by weight of jet or scrap jet, which we reduce to a very fine
powder. We further take from ono to three parts by weight of india-rubber,
which we dissolve in coal naphtha or in an essential oil, such as oil of tur-
pentine; or we liquefy the india-rubber by heat alone. We further take one
part by weight of gum arabic dissolved in a very small quantity of water. We
further take two parts by weight of varnish; we prefer the black or brown tar
varnish. We mix these ingredients together, and heat them, and incorpo-
rate them. The heat employed need not exceed that of boiling water.
order thoroughly to incorporate the materials, we prefer to subject the mixture
while hot to the action of an ordinary pug mill. Instead of gum arabic, the
mucilago obtained by boiling Irish moss in water may be used, or isinglass
dissolved in water, or rice flour boiled with water and gum; or the mucilago
obtained by boiling a mixture of gum arabic, isinglass, and Irish moss in water
may be employed in place of gum arabic. In these cases we make thick
mucilage, that is, a mucilage with very little water in it. For some purposes,
In

page_text: as, for example, the manufacture of articles which are inlaid with pearl or
gold or silver ornaments, we make the powdered jet into a plastic mass with
isinglass dissolved in alcohol alone, without varnish, gum, or india-rubber.
In making a black composition for large or bulky articles, black oxide of
manganese in fine powder or drop black may be employed in addition to the
jet, in which case the proportion of the jet may be somewhat less than that
described; but we do not limit ourselves to the precise nature and proportions
of the materials employed, so long as the composition consists mainly of jet.
Compositions containing drop black or other black pigment, in addition to
powdered jet, may also be employed for the manufacture of black ornaments.
After the materials of the composition have been thoroughly incorporated in
a heated state, we allow the composition to cool, and when it is to be made
into brooches or other small articles we roll it into shoots, and cut it up into
pieces of a convenient size for making the articles into which it is to be con-
verted. As the composition remains plastic after it has become cold, we uso
it in a cold state when we mould it into brooches or other articles made by
moulding.
In moulding our compositions we employ moulds and processes such as aro
commonly employed for moulding plastic substances, and which moulds and
processes constituting no part of our Invention, we think it unnecessary to
describe.
In making large hollow articles, such as work boxes, we employ the com-
position in sheets, and join the parts by henting their edges, and joining them
by pressure, or we join the edges by the use of a mixture of varnish and
india-rubber without the addition of jet or black pigment.
After the articles have been made from the composition whether by moulding
or otherwise, they require to be hardened; this is effected by the process of
stoving. We conduct this process in the manner and by the use of the same
Stoves as are employed by japanners to stove japanned articles, excepting that
we prefer to employ a somewhat higher temperature than that employed by
japanners for stoving japanned articles.
Our new or improved compositions are applicable to the manufacture of a
great variety of articles besides brooches, bracelets, and earrings; they are
particularly applicable to the manufacturo (among other things) of buttons
and knife handles, inkstands, and electric telegraph insulators.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described, as the same may
be varied without departing from the nature of our Invention; but we claim

page_text: as our Invention, new or improved compositions consisting of powdered jet, or
mainly of powdered jet, mixed with materials which will form therewith a
plastic composition capable of hardening, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Holland, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord Ono 5
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
HENRY HOLLAND.. (L.S.)