IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNA- MENTING, ARTICLES OF CHINA, EARTHENWARE, AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Louis Clauss at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents; 4 with his Petition, ion; the 13th October
1864
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I, LOUIS CLAUSS, of Stoke-upon-Trent, in the County of Stafford, Decorator,
do hereby, declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNA-
MENTING, ARTICLES OF CHINA, EARTHENWARE, AND OTHER MATERIALS," to 'be
as follows:
i
"This Invention has for its object improvements, in ornamenting articles of
china, earthenware, and other materials. The decoration in colors of articles
of ceramic ware, wood; sheet metal, leather, and other matters; has heretofore
been effected by the following methods, viz., by painting by hand the article
to be ornamented, which is often a very expensive process or in other cases
by transferring on to the article from a surface of paper or other material an
impression printed in colors from blocks, stones, or plates, the colors being
printed on to the paper or material in succession, and each from its own block,
stone, or plate. This process, however, for the most part produces only flat
and lifeless pictures, and besides the process is expensive on account of the
number of blocks, stones, or plates required.
Now according to my Invention I print in one color only the paper or
material from which the design is to be transferred, and I apply the other
color or colors required to the paper or surface so printed by painting by
hand or by means of stencil plates. Afterwards the transfer is effected to the
article to be ornamented, and the picture is fixed thereon if the article be of

page_text: ceramic ware by burning in the colors in the usual manner or otherwise. The
picture is fixed in a suitable manner according to the nature of the material
of which the article to be ornamented is made.
In some cases I produce the picture on the paper or transfer surface entirely
by painting or stencilling, or both, without the aid of printing.
Ordinarily I proceed in the following manner :-I take unsized paper and
saturate it several times with paste mixed with virgin wax, taking care to
allow each coat to dry before applying another. Then I proceed in the same
manner to treat the paper with a weak solution of sugar candy in water. This
prepared surface is then printed, painted, or stencilled, and when the article
decorated is intended to be afterwards fired to fix the picture-vitrifiable colors
are used.
In printing I employ a metal plate, and when the plate is inked I dust over
it the powdered colors, and after printing if it be found that the powdering.
has been insufficient the operation is repeated on the print, and the excess of
powder dusted off.
The colors for printing or stencilling are prepared with essence of turpentine,
and are employed with the essence mixed with highly boiled oil to a suitable
consistence.
To effect the transfer, both the article to be ornamented and the picture to
be transferred are coated with varnish thinned with turpentine, and before the
layers are completely dry, the back of the transfer is moistened; its face is
then applied to the article, and made to adhere firmly to it by pressure, and
the paper is then stripped off.