CERTAIN NEW AND IMPROVED METALLIC ALLOYS, TO BE USED IN VARIOUS CASES AS SUBSTITUTES FOR ZINC, CAST IRON, COPPER, AND OTHER METALS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PIERRE
ARMAND LECOMTE DE FONTAINEMOREAU, of Charles Street, City Road, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-third day of August, in the second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Pierre Armand Lecomte de Fontainemoreau, Her especial license, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Pierre Armand Lecomte de
Fontainentoreau, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Pierre Armand Lecomte de Fontainemoreau, my exors, admiors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plan-
tations abroad, the Invention of "CERTAIN NEW AND IMPROVED METALLIC ALLOYS,
TO BE USED IN VARIOUS CASES AS SUBSTITUTES FOR ZINC, CAST IRON, COPPER, AND
OTHER METALS," Communicated. to. me by a certain foreigner residing abroad;
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Pierre
Armand Lecomte de Fontainemoreau, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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.

page_text: recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Pierre Armand Lecomte de Fontainemoreau, do hereby declare that the
Invention communicated to me consists in the forming of certain new
alloys or mixtures of metals, of which alloys zinc in all cases forms the
greatest component part, possessing certain advantageous properties, and
also in the coating or coloring of the said alloys, so as to render them
suitable as substitutes in various cases for bronze, copper, and other metals.
And I declare that the proportions of metals, which my informant, residing
abroad as aforesaid, found most advantageous after very numerous and exten-
sive experiments, are as follows:-

page_text: the most beneficial properties, yet I do not confine my claim to the precise
proportions herein-before stated of any of the herein-before named metals,
but that they may be slightly varied as long as by such variation of component
parts the alloy is not made too brittle or too soft. For instance, the proportion
of copper in the said new alloys may be varied from about one to about
twelve parts in every
hundred; but any greater proportion of copper than this
and less than that used in forming common brass would make the alloy brittle.
The proportion of cast iron in the said new alloys may be varied from about
one quarter of a part to about two parts in every hundred.
The pro-
portion of lead in the said new alloys may be varied from about one to twenty-
four parts in every hundred parts; but the presence of some third metal is;
necessary to produce a proper combination of the zinc and lead. Instead of:
pure copper or any other of the simple metals herein-before stated being used,
brass or other alloys formed of the metals herein-before stated may be used;
but where this is done, the quantity of copper and other simple metals con-
tained in such alloy must be taken into account in calculating the relative
proportions of simple metals which the new alloy is to contain in reference to
the tables of component parts berein-before recommended to be used in the
composition of the said new alloys. And for the better understanding the
principle upon which the composition of the said new alloys is founded, I
declare that the principal object of the addition of the small quantities of
copper, cast iron, and lead, to the larger proportion of zinc, is to change the
manner of the crystallization of the zinc after it has been fused and set to cool,
by which means an alloy is formed which has not the brittleness of simple or
pure zinc.
And I declare that the said new alloys are tough, of a closer texture, more
homogenous.and malleable than simple zine, and some iron are less liable to
oxidation, and of a much finer grain than zinc, somewhat resembling that of
steel, especially when the said alloys are rolled; they are also easier filed than
either zinc, copper, or brass, and the filings do not stick in and clog the file.
The process of making these new alloys is nearly the same as that followed in
making alloys already in use, that is to say:The zinc is melted in a crucible
or other vessel, and covered with borax or a layer of any other material or
composition which will protect it from the action of the atmosphere and
promote its fusion. The copper, iron, and lead, any or either of them, ac-
cording to the alloy intended to be made, is thrown into the red hot melted
zine in small pieces; the whole is then covered with powdered charcoal, and
stirred until the combination of the metals is complete. By casting the

page_text: new alloys in metallic moulds their hardness and homogenity is increased,
and a sort of temper is imparted to them, resembling or approaching to the
temper of steel.
And I further declare that for the purpose of rendering the said new alloys,
which are of a silvery grey color, perfectly suitable as substitutes for copper,
bronze, brass, and other metals, I impart to them the colours proper to the
metals of which they are substitutes by means of any solution of copper, pre-
ferring for this purpose the hydro-chlorate of copper, which is found to answer
best (that is to say) :-
Firstly, for giving to the said new alloys a blackish bronze colour, I treat
them with a solution of the aforesaid salt of copper, diluted with a considerable
quantity of water, and a small quantity of nitric acid may be added.
Secondly, to impart a red or copper colour, I add to the solution of salt of
copper liquid ammonia and a little acetic acid. The salt of copper may be
dissolved in the liquid ammonia.
Thirdly, to impart a brass or antique bronze color, either of the three
following means may be adopted; first, a solution of copper with some acetic
acid; second, the means above described for copper color with a larger pro-
portion of liquid ammonia; third, water acidulated with nitric acid, by which
beautiful blueish shades may be produced. It must be observed, however,
that this last process can only be properly employed on the alloys which
contain a portion of copper. In either of the before-mentioned methods of
coloring, a solution of sal ammoniac may be substituted for the liquid
ammonia. In the before-described methods of bronzing, the quantities of
each ingredient have not been stated, as these depend on the nature of the
alloy, the shade or hue desired, and the durability required. The modes in
which the immediately before-mentioned colouring mixtures are to be applied
to the alloys is as follows (that is to say):-The articles having been well
scoured and covered over with the colouring mixture with a hair pencil or brush,
and whilst they are yet wet, they are rubbed some time with a hard brush, and
then washed in pure or lime water, and dried with a piece of linen.
If a very
brilliant metallic lustre is required, the objects before they are washed or dried
are to be rubbed over with a wire brush. In giving the alloys a blackish
bronze colour, the wire brush is not necessary, but it must be used whenever
a solution of copper and acetic acid is employed. The blackish bronze colour
may be superadded to the red or copper colour, whereby a beautiful light color
is produced on the prominent parts of the article bronzed, or on the parts
from which the blackish bronze colour may have been rubbed off. To finish

page_text: .
articles to which a bronze color has been imparted, whiting may be used, and
a fine polish produced by any of the instruments ordinarily used in polishing
metal.
And I declare that the said new alloys may be used as substitutes for
various metals now in general use, such as iron in various parts of machinery.;
iron, lead, tin, or copper in pipes and tubes; and bronze, brass, and copper in
machinery and manufactories, as well as for most of the other purposes for
which more expensive metals are employed.
And having now fully described the said Invention of new alloys, and the modes
of preparing, colouring, and using them, I declare that what I claim as new
and as the Invention communicated to me, is the forming of alloys or mixtures
of metals composed of zinc and copper, lead and iron, or zinc, and some one
or more of these other metals in the proportions herein-before set forth; and
also all variations of such proportions within the limits herein-before stated;
also the modes of coloring the said new alloys herein-before described to
give them the appearance and metallic lustre of brass, copper, and bronze.
Moreover, I claim the said new alloys, whether used in a colored or
uncolored state, or whether colored by my herein-before described improved
means, or by any other.
And such the Invention being to the best of my knowledge and belief
entirely new and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her said
Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, or in any of Her
said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, I do hereby declare this to
my Specification of same, and that I do verily believe this my said Speci-
fication doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve or disguise
with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
contained; wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege
to the said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Pierre Armand Lecomte de Fontaine-
moreau, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day
of February, in the second year of the reign of our Sovereign Lady
Victoria, by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith, and the year of.
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
LE DE (L.s.) FONTAINEMOREAU.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-third day of February,
in the year of our Lord 1839, the aforesaid Pierre Armand Lecomte de
Fontainemoreau came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein con-
tained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that
purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-third day of February, in the year of our Lord