IMPROVEMENTS IN DECORATING BRICKS, TILES, POTTERY, AND ALL CERAMIC WARES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Maw and Arthur Maw, of Benthall Works,
Broseley, in the County of Salop, Manufacturers, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DECORATING BRICKS, TILES, POTTERY, AND ALL CERAMIC
WARES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Maw and Arthur Maw
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th March 1881.
GEORGE MAW and ARTHUR MAW, of Benthall Works, Broseley, in the County,
of Salop, Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DECORATING BRICKS, TILES,
POTTERY, AND ALL CERAMIC WARES."
This Invention consists in forming a mould surface by casting in plaster, metal,
wax, or other suitable material, or by the process of stereotyping from natural
objects, other than patterns or surfaces modelled by hand or designed; such natural
objects may be, for instance, slates, stones, shells, fossil organic remains, crystalline
surfaces, whether produced naturally or artificially, leather, textile fabrics, woven
wire and other laces, and any objects, such as leaves, ferns, mosses, flowers, or other
vegetable, mineral, or animal matters.
With the mould so obtained I press the surface of the article under operation
either with plastic clay or by the dry or dust process known as Prosser's system,
thereby obtaining on the surface of the article a fac-simile in relief or intaglio of
the object from which the mould was made. After firing the article I decorate it
by means of coloured or other glazes or enamels which flow irregularly over
the surface, developing the parts in relief of a lighter colour than those which are
sunk.
.
.
Our Invention also consists in the production of "mosaic tiles," which have the
advantage of accurately representing mosaics for pavements, wall decorations, &c.,
similar to Roman and other mosaics.
The process is as follows:-We produce a mould either by casting in metal or
preferably by the electro-deposit process in which the individual tesseræ are repre-
sented by depressions, and the spaces or interstices by raised rims. Into these
depressions clays of one or more colours are introduced (in the dust state) by
means of templates; the whole is then backed up with the necessary thickness of
dust and submitted to pressure which consolidates the separate tesseræ with the
backing, the result being a tile having the pattern formed by tessera of various
colours separated by indentations representing the joints. This is fired in the
usual manner, and when fixed the joints are grouted with cement.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Maw and Arthur Maw in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd September 1881.
GEORGE MAW and ARTHUR MAW, of Benthall Works, Broseley, in the County
of Salop, Manufacturers. “IMPROVEMENTS IN DECORATING BRICKS, TILES, POTTERY,
AND ALL CERAMIC WARES."
This Invention consists in forming a mould surface by casting in plaster, metal,
wax, or other suitable material, or by the process of stereotyping from natural
objects (other than patterns or surfaces modelled by hand or designed); such natural
objects may be, for instance, slates, stones, shells, fossil organic remains, crystalline
surfaces, whether produced naturally or artificially, leather, textile fabrics, woven
wire and other laces, and any objects such as leaves, ferns, mosses, flowers, or other
'vegetable, mineral, or animal matters.
With the mould so obtained we press the surface of the article under operation
either with plastic clay or the dry or dust process known as "Prosser's " system,
thereby obtaining on the surface of the article a fac-simile in relief or intaglio of
the object from which the mould was made. After firing the article we decorate it
by means of coloured or other glazes or enamels which flow irregularly over
the surface, developing the parts in relief of a lighter colour than those which
are sunk.
"
The second part of our Invention consists in the production of "mosaic tiles'
which have the advantage of accurately representing "mosaics" for pavements, wall
decorations, or other like uses similar to Roman and other "mosaics."
The process is as follows:-We produce a mould either by casting in metal, or
'preferably by the electro-deposit process, in which mould the individual tesseræ are
represented by depressions and the spaces or interstices by raised rims. Into these
depressions clays of one or more colours are introduced (in the dust state) by means of
templates; the whole is then backed up with the necessary thickness of dust and
submitted to pressure which consolidates the separate tesseræ with the backing,
the result being a tile having the pattern formed by tesseræ of various colours
separated by indentations representing the joints.
This is fired in the usual manner, and when fixed the joints are grouted with
cement.
In conclusion we would remark that we are aware that mosaic tiles made in
plastic clay are not new, and we therefore make no claim to the manufacture of
such tiles otherwise than by the process herein explained; but we claim as our
Invention, firstly, the decoration of bricks, tiles, and ceramic wares generally by the
employment of moulds produced from natural objects and as patterns for such moulds
by any of the processes named, such as casting, stereotyping, or electro deposition;
and, secondly, we claim the employment of the dry or dust process in the
manufacture of mosaic tiles in manner herein more fully set forth and specified.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Maw and Arthur Maw, have hereunto
set our hands and seals, this Thirtieth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
GEORGE MAW.
(L.S.)
ARTHUR MAW. (L.S.)