A CHEMICAL DECORATION ON GOLD, SILVER, AND OTHER SIMILAR METALS AND COLOURS ON PORCELAIN, GLASS WARES, CRYSTAL WARES, DELFT WARES, POTTERS WARES, AND SIMILAR MATTERS CALLED GRÜNE'S PROCEEDING
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wilhelm Grüne, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia,
Chemist, for the Invention of "A CHEMICAL DECORATION ON GOLD, SILVER,
AND OTHER SIMILAR METALS AND COLOURS ON PORCELAIN, GLASS WARES,
CRYSTAL WARES, DELFT WARES, POTTERS WARES, AND SIMILAR MATTERS
CALLED GRÜNE'S PROCEEDING,"
Sealed the 10th May 1867; and dated the 15th November 1866. .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wilhelm Grüne at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
November 1866.
I, WILHELM GRÜNE, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Chemist,, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A CHEMICAL DECORATION
ON GOLD, SILVER, AND OTHER SIMILAR METALS AND COLOURS ON PORCELAIN, GLASS
WARES, CRYSTAL WARES, DELFT WARES, POTTERS WARES, AND, SIMILAR MATTERS
CALLED GRÜNE'S PROCEEDINGS," to be as follows:-
Thefirst operationconsists in reproducing engravings, lithographs, drawings,.
woodcuts, or other pictures or designs on negative plates in the ordinary
photographicmanner, whichnegatives after being fixedand washed are coloured.
in black bychloride of platinum, and then dried and covered with a glassyflux
TDi 821

page_text: which is annealed in a common muffle. The plate so prepared may be
treated like an ordinary glass plate without the picture being affected in any
way by the chemical reagents which afterwards come in contact with it.
The next operation is the preparation of copies from the negative plates.
Eachnegativeplate obtained in the manner before describedis pouredoverinthe
dark chamber with thick iodined collodion on the side of the picture, then
dipped for two or three minutes into a bath of nitrate of silver, then taken
out and put into a frame which is disposed in such a mannerthattheuncovered
side of the glass is directed outwards while the collodion film or couch is
secured from outward light by a blackened cover a short distance from it;
this frame is exposed for some moments to the daylight or to some artificial
light, then the plate is taken out and put into a solution of sulphate of iron
and sulphuric acid; all the places acted upon or touched by the light then
appear in silver, the plate is now washed with water, and the fixation
finished by hyposulphite of soda, and then the plate is again carefully
washed.
The separation of the picture films from the negative plate is conducted as
follows: Without the plate being dried the edges of the collodion film or
couch are loosened from the negative plate by a pin, and the plate is then
immerged in water containing five per cent. of glycerine, and then the loose
picture film floating perfectly separates from the plate. The negative plate
is now washed and dried, and may then be immediately employed again. The
films can be preserved a long time when floating in the liquid. The pictures
may be prepared also directly by the photographic camera, but with less
advantage..
The chemical colouring of the picture films comprises two operations, first,
the transformation of the substance of. the picture in proper sense into any
other metals, and the preparation of the film which bears the picture by
different salts.
Transformation of the picture (in proper sense).-When the picture is not
to be preserved in silver the films are treated, if they are to appear golden
coloured, with chloride of gold; if theyare to appear in the colour of steel with
chloride of platinum; if theyaretobecoloured in blackwith chloride of iridium;
or if brown with chloride of palladium respectively with other metallic salts.
Colouring of the matter of the film.-When the proper picture has been
obtained after the described method in any metallic tone the film is bathed
in a solution of metallic salts with which the film is impregnated, and by
annealing itafterwards various combinations of delineations in differentmetals

page_text: are obtained, the one in the others, or the metal in a coloured ground. A.
picture of gold is bathed in chloride of gold and nitrate of bismuth, and after
annealing shews the delineations dim golden on a ground of bright gold,
in the same manner pictures in silver or platinum tone are produced, and by
a convenient variation of treatment every combination with the metal of the
delineation and the metal of the ground may be obtained. Coloured grounds
can easily be produced by ar plying different metallic salts, those of iron,copper,
manganese, uranium, chrome, and others respectively.
The operation of transferring the film, and laying it on the objects to be
decorated, is effected in large vessels which are filled with water mixed with a
little glycerine where the article and the film are immerged, and the film is
applied to the surface of the ware by means of a hair pencil. When taken out of
the liquid the film in drying may be easily fixed on every surface without folds.
The cover of glassy flux is easily laid on by painting the picture film with a
suitable aqueous solution of metallic salts for metallic effects with nitrate of
bismuth, for different colours with nitrate or basis acetate of lead either alone
or mixed with borates. The annealing, burnishing, and polishing of the articles
is effected in the ordinary manner; the annealing is performed in the usual
muffles in a suitable heat; the burnishing and polishing are likewise executed
in the ordinary manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Wilhelm Grüne in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, WILHELM
GRUNE, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Wilhelmi Grüne, Her special licence that I, the said Wilhelm Grüne, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Wilhelm
Grüne, my 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

page_text: Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A CHEMICAL DECORATION ON GOLD,
SILVER, AND OTHER SIMILAR METALS AND COLOURS ON PORCELAIN, GLASS WASES,
CRYSTAL WARES, DELFT WARES, POTTERS' WARES, AND SIMILAR MATTERS CALLED
GRUNE'S PROCEEDING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Wilhelm Grüne, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 Wilhelm Grüne, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement thereof (that is to say) :-
The first operation consists in reproducing engravings, lithographs, drawings,
woodcuts, or other pictures or designs on negative plates in the ordinary
photographic manner, which negatives, after being fixed and washed are
coloured in black by chloride of platinum, and then dried and covered with a
glassy flux which is annealed in a common muffle. The plate so prepared
may be treated like an ordinary glass plate without the picture being affected
in any way by the chemical reagents which afterwards come in contact with it.
The next operation is the preparation of copies from the negative plates.
Each negative plate obtained in the manner before described is poured over
in the dark chambor with thick iodined collodion on the side of the picture,
then dipped for two or three minutes into a bath of nitrate of silver, then
taken out and put into a frame which is disposed in such a manner that the
uncovered side of the glass is directed outwards, while the collodion film or
couch is secured from outward light by a blackened cover a short distance
from it; this frame is exposed for some minutes to the daylight or to some
artificial light, and then the plate is taken out and is put into a solution of
sulphate of iron and sulphuric acid; all the places acted upon or touched by
light then appear in silver, the plate is now washed with water, and the
fixation finished by hyposulphite of soda, and then the plate is again carefully
washed..
The separation of the picture film from the negative plate is conducted as
follows: Without the plate being dried the edges of the collodion film or
couch are loosened from the negative plate by a pin, and the plate is then
immerged in water containing five per cent. of glycerine, and then the

page_text: picture film floating perfectly separates from the plate; the negative plate
is now washed and dried, and may then be immediately employed again;
the films can be preserved a long time when floating in the liquid. The
pictures may be prepared also directly by the photographic camera, bat
with less advantage.
The chemical colouring of the picture films comprises two operations,
first, the transformation of the substance of the picture in proper sense
into any other metals, and the preparation of the film which bears the
picture by different salts.
Transformation of the picture (in propersense).-When the picture is not to
be preserved in silver the films aretreated, if they are to appeargolden coloured,
with chloride of gold; if they are to appear in the colour of steel with chloride
of platinum; if they are to be black with chloride of iridium; and if brown
with chloride of palladium respectively with other metallic salts.
Colouring of the matter of the film.-When the proper picture has been
obtained after the described method in any metallic tone the film is bathed
in a solution of metallic salts with which the film is impregnated, and by
annealing it afterwards various combinations of delineations in different
metals are obtained the one in the others or the metal in a coloured ground.
A picture in gold is bathed in chloride of gold and nitrate of bismuth, and
after annealing shows the delineations, dim golden on a ground of bright
gold, in the same manner as pictures in silver or platinum tone are produced,
and by a convenient variation of treatment every combination with the
metal of the delineation and the metal of the ground may be obtained.
Coloured grounds can easily be produced by applying different metallic salts,
those of iron, copper, manganese, uranium, chrome, and others respectively.
The operation of transferring the film and laying it on the objects to be
decorated is effected in large vessels which are filled with water mixed with
a little glycerine where the article and the film are immerged and the film
is applied to the surface of the ware by means of a hair pencil. When taken
out of the liquid the film in drying may be readily fixed on any surface
without folds. The cover or coat of glassy flux is easily laid on by painting
the picture film with a suitable aqueous solution of metallic salts, for metallic
effects with nitrate of bismuth, for different colourswith nitrate or basis acetate
of lead either alone or mixed with borates. The annealing, burnishing,
and polishing of the articles are effected in the ordinary manner; the
annealing is performed in the usual muffles at a suitable heat; the burnish-
ing and polishing are likewise executed in the ordinary way.

page_text: Having now fully described my Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I claim the chemical decoration as herein set forth
and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Grüne,. have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 7th day May, A.D. 1867.
WIT ITEM CR