CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING FIGURED SURFACES SUNKEN AND IN RELIEF
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARTHUR
MILLWARD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifteenth day of October, One thousand eight hundred and
forty-six, in the tenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Authur Millward, my exors,
adiňors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Arthur Millward, my exors, admňors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Arthur Millward, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plan-
tations abroad, and also in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING
FIGURED SURFACES SUNKEN AND IN RELIEF;" in which said Letters Patent
is-contained a-proviso -that-I, -the-said Arthur-Millward, shall cause a par-
ticular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and, by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Arthur Millward, hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention consists
in producing figured surfaces, sunken and in relief, by certain new combi-
nations of means partly mechanical and partly chemical, and that the manner
in which the same is to be performed is fully described in and by the present
Specification thereof, that is to say :-
To produce, firstly, sunken figures or designs in metallic surfaces, I proceed
as follows:-I first paint or draw or otherwise depict, the design or figure
on the metallic surface that is to be ornamented, or imprint that design or
figure upon it by stencilling or transferring. I then precipitate by any of the
known and approved modes of precipitating metals] by the agency of voltaic
electricity, a thin coating of gold or silver or copper, or any other metal readily
precipitable by such agency, which deposits itself evenly on all parts of the
surface, excepting those only which have been covered by the figure or design,
or, in other words, stopped out; or I produce such coating by any other
known means (preferring however the process of precipitation). I next clear
away the colouring or other materials which have been employed in the
stopping out, and bring the surface into connection with the negative pole of
a voltaic battery or electro-magnetic machine, employing with the battery or
machine such a solution as will act only on the metal of the ground plate,
whereby all those parts of that plate which were covered by the stopping out,
but have been removed as last directed, may be decomposed or sunken to any
extent required; or, instead of employing a voltaic battery or electro-magnetic
machine for the purpose, I immerse the metallic surface in any acid or
alkaline or other saline solution capable of acting on the exposed portions of
the said surface, but not on the precipitated metal. The sunken figure or
design may be intersected in different parts by cross lines in relief, so as to
exhibit the appearance of what is called "cross hatching" by inserting such
lines with a pencil dipped in varnish before subjecting the plate (after it has
been cleared of the stopping out) to the action of the galvanic battery or
electro-magnetic machine, or acid or alkaline or other saline solution, as
aforesaid.
Secondly, I also produce sunken figures or designs on metallic surfaces in
manner following:-I first cover the whole of the surface by any of the pro-
cesses aforesaid with a coating of any suitable metal. I next do the coating
over with varnish, and then scrape out the figure or design in the varnish;
after which I expose the surface to the action of the negative pole of a voltaic
battery or magnetic machine, or immerse it in a suitable acid or alkaline or
other saline solution, each as aforesaid, whereby the metal left exposed by the

page_text: scraping out process is decomposed and removed, and the sunken figure or
design produced, taking care always to use such an acid or alkaline or saline
solution only as will act on the ground plate and not on the precipitated
metal.
Thirdly, I produce figures in relief in manner following:-I first deposit by
any of the means aforesaid, on the surface of metal to be ornamented, a
coating of any suitable metal. I then paint or draw, or otherwise depict, on
the deposited metal the figure or design which I wish to appear in relief,
or imprint the same upon it by stencilling or transferring. I next intersect
this figure or design by indented lines and cross lines, after the well-known
manner of line engraving, clearing away from such lines and cross lines the
whole of the color or other materials employed in laying on the figure or
design, (but this last part of the process may be dispensed with where the
figure or design is not required. to be very minutely worked out). I then
connect the plate with the negative pole of a voltaic battery or electro-mag-
netic machine, or immerse it in an acid or alkaline or other saline solution,
each as aforesaid, whereby the whole of the parts of the deposited metal which
are left exposed are decomposed and removed, and the lines of the desired
figure or design only left standing in relief. Care must of course be taken,
as in the processes first herein-before described, that such solutions only are
used with the voltaic battery or electro-magnetic machine as will hold the
metal in solution which is intended to be dissolved, and that such acids or
alkaline or other saline solutions only are employed as will not act on the
deposited or super-imposed metal.
Fourthly, I produce figures or designs in relief on metallic surfaces by the
following modification of the process last described:-I first varnish the sur-
face or ground plate all over, and then scrape out the figure or design in the
varnish. I next deposit on the parts of the ground plate from which the
varnish has been thus removed, a coating of any suitable métal, after which I
remove from the plate all the remainder of the varnish. I then subject the
plate to the action of the negative pole of a voltaic battery. or magnetic
machine; or of an acid or alkaline or other saline solution, each as aforesaid,
using such acid or alkaline or other saline solutions only as will act on the
ground plate and not on the super-imposed and protecting metal, and employing
with the battery or machine such solutions only as will hold in solution the
metal-desired-to-be-decomposed.
Fifthly, I produce figures or designs in metals, which partake of the
character of being both sunken and in relief, and are commonly designated
as "pierced worked," in the manner following:-I super-impose by electric

page_text: deposition or otherwise on a plate of any metal a thin coating of any suitable
metal, and paint or otherwise depict on the super-imposed coating of metal
the intended figure or design. I then expose all the parts, save those laying
immediately under the figure or design, to the action of the negative pole of
a voltaic battery or electro-magnetic machine, till the said parts are completely
corroded and dissolved through and through (both ground plate and super-
imposed coating); or, instead thereof, I immerse the plate in an acid or
alkaline or other saline solution, till the like effect is produced. The color
or other materials employed in laying on the figure or design may be after-
wards cleared away if required.
I now
Sixthly, I also produce "pierced work" in manner following:-I take a
metal plate on which a raised figure or design has been stamped out, and
cover it all over, as well at back as in front, with a deposit of any suitable
metal produced by the agency of voltaic electricity as aforesaid.
remove by means of a scraper or other suitable tool the deposited metal from
those parts which I wish to pierce through; after which, I expose the plate
to the action of the negative pole of a voltaic battery or electro-magnetic
machine, using therewith such a solution as will act only on the original plate.
and not on the deposited metal, whereby all the parts from which the deposited
metal has been removed are decomposed; or, instead of subjecting the plate
to the action of the voltaic battery or electro-magnetic machine, I immerse it
in an acid or alkaline or other saline solution as aforesaid, using for the
purpose such an acid or alkaline or other saline solution as will act only on
the metal to be decomposed. Another mode of effecting the same object is
as follows:-I take a sharp cutter and cut through the metal deposited on
the front of the plate, all round the figure or design, whereupon so much of
the deposited metal as covered the design drop out. I then subjcect the
plate to the action of the negative pole of a voltaic battery or magnetic appa-
ratus, or acid or alkaline or other saline solution, each as before, and thereby
dissolve all those parts from which the deposited metal has been removed,
employing only such acids, or alkaline or other saline solution, as will act on
the metal of the ground plate but not on the deposited metal. Instead of
employing a coating of metal as the stopping-out material in the preceding
processes, any suitable varnish may be used, but I prefer the metal as being
less liable to injury.
Seventhly, where articles with figured or plain surfaces have been manu-
ย
factured by ordinary processes, such as stamping, embossing, or casting, and
it is desired to matten or deaden the whole, or certain parts thereof; I effect
this by first covering the surface desired to be mattened or deadened with

page_text: varnish or any other suitable, medium, and then precipitate on the article, by
electric deposition as aforesaid, a coating of any suitable metal. . I next clear
away the varnish or other coating and connect the article with the negative.
pole of a voltaic battery or magnetic machine, using therewith such a solution
as will not act upon the precipitated metal; or, instead thereof, I immerse the
article in an acid or alkaline or other saline solution as aforesaid, using such:
solutions as will only act on the metal intended to be decomposed.. A like.
effect may be produced by at once stopping out, all the parts, but those:
desired to be deadened or mattened, and then connecting or immersing. as
aforesaid.
Eighthly, and lastly, I produce in manner following engraved surfaces,i
sunken and relief, from which impressions may be afterwards taken, on paper,:
cloth, or any other suitable material, by any of the modes of printing or:
embossing in ordinary use. If the figure or design is to be sunk in,. I first
paint or otherwise depict the figure or design upon a plate or other suface.
of metal; and then deposit on the uncovered parts a thin coating of any other:
suitable metal by the agency of voltaic electricity or otherwise as aforesaid.
I next clear away the colour or other material employed in making the figure.
or design, and immerse the plate or other surface in an acid or alkaline or
other saline solution, whereby the parts of the metal now left exposed, and
which were those previously covered by the paint or other material employed.
to depict the figure or design, may be decomposed, and removed to any depth
required, taking care as before to use such solutions as will act only on the
metal desired to be decomposed. If the figure or design is to be in relief,
I first deposit on the plate or other surface of metal a coating of any suitable
metal, by the agency of voltaic electrity or otherwise as aforesaid, and then
paint or otherwise depict the figure or design on the deposited metal, after
which I subject the plate or other surface to the action of the negative pole.
of a voltaic battery or electro-magnetic machine, or immerse it in an acid.
alkaline or other saline solution, each as aforesaid, whereby the deposited metal
on all those parts not covered by the figure or design are decomposed and re-
moved, and the figure or design is left standing out in strong and clear relief. :
And having now described the nature of my said Invention or the various
parts thereof, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare
that the improvements which I claim as constituting my said Invention are
as follows:-
First, I claim the producing of sunken figured surfaces by the combination
of painting, drawing, transferring,, stencilling, or other known processes of
delineating objects with the direct action of voltaic electricity, in the manner
firstly herein-before described.

page_text: Secondly, I claim the producing of sunken figured surfaces by the em-
ployment of a combination of metallic precipitates or deposits, with the
direct action of voltaic electricity, in the manner secondly herein-before
described.
Thirdly, I claim the producing of figured surfaces in relief, by the combi-
nation of metallic deposition with painting, drawing, transferring, or stencilling,.
or any other known process of delineating objects, and with or without the
addition of the process of line indenting or engraving, as thirdly herein-before-
described.
Fourthly, I claim the producing of figured surfaces in relief, by the com- 1
bination of the processes of varnishing and scraping out with metallic depo-
sition and the direct action of voltaic electricity, or acid or alkaline or other
saline solutions, as fourthly herein-before described.
Fifthly, and sixthly, I claim the producing of pierced' work by all or
any of the processes described under the fifth and sixth heads of this
Specification.
Seventhly, I claim the process of matting or deadening plain and figured
surfaces, herein-before described. And,
Eighthly, I claim the production of figured surfaces, sunken or in relief,
for the purpose of printing from, or embossing by, the processes described 2
under the last head of this Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Millward, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.