IMPROVEMENTS IN COATING OR PLATING CERTAIN METAL SURFACES WITH CERTAIN OTHER METALS OR ALLOYS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A M and
•
W Clark of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agents, for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN COATING OR PLATING CERTAIN
METAL SURFACES WITH CERTAIN OTHER METALS OR ALLOYS Communi-
cated to him from abroad by Charles Haegole of the Württembergische
Metallwaarenfabrik, Geislingen in the Kingdom of Wurtemburg and Empire
of Germany
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st July 1882.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. &. W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents, IMPROVEMENTS IN COATING
OR PLATING CERTAIN METAL SURFACES WITH CERTAIN OTHER METALS OR ALLOYS.
13
[Communicated to him from abroad by Charles Haegele of the Württembergische
Metallwaarenfabrik, Geislingen in the Kingdom of Wurtemburg and Empire of
Germany]
This Invention relates to the coating or plating of metal surfaces such as plates,
rods, wires, or fancy articles of copper, iron, or steel with german silver, yellow
metal and other alloys by welding and to the composition of the alloys themselves
and to the further coating of such plated surfaces with precious metals.
This Invention is based on the fact, 1st that the said metals and alloys can be
thoroughly united by welding if, after being carefully cleaned they are placed upon
one another, brought to about a red heat and subjected to strong pressure provided
the air be excluded from the surfaces to be united during the heating operation.
Alloys used for the purpose of coating or plating by this method and of which
zinc is a constituent, should have such a composition that the zinc can only escape
in the most minute proportion during the welding operation.

page_text: pressure. The compositions of the copper-zim
the copper
suitable for the coating or plating purposes of this Invention, are as follows:-
(1) Copper-zinc alloys.
Copper, about 82 to 95°
Zinc,
about 18 to 5%%
(2) Copper-zinc-nickel alloys.
Copper, about 75 to 85°/
Zinc, about 15 to 50%
Nickel, about 20 to .5%%
to which small quantities of phosphorus may be added.
Alloy N° 2 may be modified by increasing the proportion of nickel and
correspondingly reducing the proportion of copper and a small proportion of tin
(about 3°) may be added.
The method of making the alloy and the operation of rolling are as usual.
•
German silver capable of being rolled when red hot, is composed of Cu, Zn, Ni=
50° copper, 41% zinc and 9° nickel. This German silver is however as little
suited for plating on iron as is malleable brass (58% copper with 42% zinc) on
account of the rapid evaporation of the zinc at a welding heat. But it is more
adapted for plating on copper, or as an intermediate layer between sheets of alloy
and iron to be united as the zinc vapors are absorbed by the copper. Common
brass and german silver as above mentioned are not suited for plating purposes,
but copper-tin containing about 12% tin (an intermediate layer of copper being
employed) and aliminium bronze containing about 15% aliminium can be used.
The method of plating is as follows:-The surfaces to be united or welded are
carefully cleaned and applied the one on the other as closely and tightly as possible
in order to exclude the air, the overlapping edges of the sheets of alloy being bent
and doubled down over the edges of the object to be plated and the surface of
those doubled down overlapping portions being brushed with glue and whitening
in order to prevent their being welded: The sheets or other articles thus fastened
together are then brought to a red heat in a reducing furnace and united by
pressing, rolling, or drawing.
In the case of sheets, the sheet to be plated is rolled out to the size required and
then the plating sheet of metal or alloy is pressed or stamped in such a way that
its edges are bent up to a box like form, within which the first sheet is placed, the
turned up edges being then bent down by hand or machine around the edges of the
sheet to be plated.
In the case of wires, the plating metal can be in the form of a tube into which
the rod of metal to be plated is introduced. In the case of fancy pieces, a sheet
of the proper size and shape according to the pattern is covered with the plating
metal raised to a red heat and finally pressed in moulds.
The operation of welding does not necessitate the use of any flux or solder.
The combinations or plated sheets &c above described may be further plated
with precious metals (or such alloys of the precious metals as are capable of being
rolled) simultaneously with the welding operation or after the welding by
spreading on the surface upon which the precious metal is to be applied, a paste
composed of chloride of silver, tartar, and chloride of sodium whereby a layer of
silver is produced on which the precious metal is applied.
Further combinations may be made by the employment of alloys as described, in
combination with iron with a layer of copper between the two, or of nickel and
iron with a layer of copper or the said alloys between the two.
The Invention thus consists in the employment for plating or coating copper,
iron, or steel, german silver, and brass alloys (poor in zinc) with or without

page_text: intermediate sheets of copper by welding without flux or solder, (a) of german
silver and brass like alloys containing a low percentage of zinc and perhaps a little
phosphorus, and which at a red heat evaporate only minute quantities of zinc but
cannot be rolled at this temperature but must be rolled cold to the thickness of
sheet required; (b) of copper-nickel alloys which can be rolled; (c) brass and
german silver alloys which can be rolled when red hot; (d) alloys of copper-tin
with about 12% tin; (e) alloys of copper-aluminium, all as herein before described.
Also in plating the various combinations specified in the preceding paragraph
with precious metals and their alloys as herein described.
Also in the employment of copper and the alloys aforesaid as an intermediate
layer for nickel plating and the plating with precious metals with nickel as an
intermediate layer.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st January 1883.
"
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the Firm of A, M, and W, Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex. Patent Agents IMPROVEMENTS IN COATING
OR PLATING CERTAIN METAL SURFACES WITH CERTAIN OTHER METALS OR ALLOYS.'
A communication to me from abroad by Charles Haegele of the Württembergische
Metallwaarenfabrik, Geislingen in the Kingdom of Wurtemburg and Empire of
Germany
This Invention relates to the coating or plating of metal surfaces such as plates,
rods, wires, or fancy articles of copper, iron, or steel with german silver, yellow
metal, and other alloys by welding, and to the composition of the alloys themselves,
and to the further conting of such plated surfaces with precious metals.
This Invention is based. first, on the fact that the said metals and alloys can be
thoroughly united by welding if, after being carefully cleaned they are placed upon
one another, brought to about a red heat, and subjected to strong pressure provided
the air be excluded from the surfaces to be united during the heating operation.
Alloys used for the purpose of coating or plating by this method, and of which zinc
is a constituent, should have such a composition that the zinc can only escape in
the most minute proportion during the welding operation.
Secondly on the fact that alloys which cannot be rolled at a red heat can be
united at that temperature by pressure with copper, iron, or steel, and are then
able to be rolled out together with the plated sheet in a heated state. Copper-
nickel alloys may be united with copper, iron, or steel provided such alloys will
bear rolling or high pressure.
The compositions of the copper-zinc and the copper-zinc-nickel alloys suitable for
the coating or plating purposes of this Invention, are as follows :—
ninall
συρρει, αυναν
Zinc, about 15 to 50%
Nickel, about 20 to 5%%
to which small quantities of phosphorus may be added.
Alloy No 2 may be modified by increasing the proportion of nickel and
correspondingly reducing the proportion of copper and a small proportion of tin
(about 3) may be added.
The method of making the alloy and the operation of rolling are as usual.
°
°
German silver capable of being rolled when red hot is composed of Cu, Zn Ni=
50° copper, 41% zinc, and 9% nickel. This German silver is however as little
suited for plating on iron as is malleable brass (58° copper with 42°/。 zinc) on
account of the rapid evaporation of the zinc at a welding heat.. But it is more
adapted for plating on copper, or as an intermediate layer between sheets of alloy
and iron to be united as the zinc vapors are absorbed by the copper. Common
brass and german silver as above mentioned, are not suited for plating purposes,
but copper-tin containing about 12° tin (an intermediate layer of copper being
employed) and aluminium bronze containing about 15% aluminium, can be used.
The method of plating is as follows:-The surfaces to be united or welded are
carefully cleaned and applied the one on the other as closely and tightly as possible
in order to exclude the air, the overlapping edges of the sheets of alloy being bent

page_text: and doubled down over the edges of the object to be plated and the surface of
those doubled down overlapping portions being brushed with glue and whitening in
order to prevent their being welded. The sheets or other articles thus fastened
together are then brought to a red heat in a reducing furnace and united by
pressing, rolling, or drawing.
In the case of sheets, the sheet to be plated is rolled out to the size required and
then the plating sheet of metal or alloy is pressed or stamped in such a way that
its edges are bent up to a box like form, within which the first sheet is placed, the
turned up edges being then bent down by hand or machine around the edges of
the sheet to be plated.
In the case of wires, the plating metal can be in the form of a tube into which
the rod of metal to be plated is introduced. In the case of fancy pieces, a sheet of
the proper size and shape according to the pattern is covered with the plating
metal raised to a red heat, and finally pressed in moulds.
The operation of welding does not necessitate the use of any flux or solder.
The combinations or plated sheets, &c, above described, may be further plated
with precious metals (or such alloys of the precious metals as are capable of being
rolled) simultaneously with the welding operation or after the welding by
spreading on the surface upon which the precious metal is to be applied, a paste
composed of chloride of silver, tartar, and chloride of sodium, whereby a layer of
silver is produced on which the precious metal is applied.
Further combinations may be made by the employment of alloys as described,
in combination with iron with a layer of copper between the two, or of nickel and
iron with a layer of copper or the said alloys between the two.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is
1 The employment in the manner herein described for plating or coating
copper, iron or steel with german silver and brass alloys (poor in zinc) with or
without intermediate sheets of copper by welding without flux or solder, (a) of
german silver and brass like alloys containing a low percentage of zinc and perhaps
a little phosphorus, and which at a red heat evaporate only minute quantities of
zine but cannot be rolled at this temperature by rolling the same cold to the
thickness of sheet required; (b) of copper-nickel alloys which can be rolled;
(c) brass and germau silver alloys which can be rolled when red hot; (d) alloys
of copper-tin with about 12% tin; (e) alloys of copper-aluminium, all as herein-
before described.
2nd The plating the various combinations specified in the preceding claim with
precious metals and their alloys in the manner herein described.
3 The employment of copper and the alloys aforesaid as an intermediate layer
for nickel plating and the plating with precious metals with nickel as an
intermediate layer as herein described.
In Witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set
my hand and anal shin