Improvements in Colouring and Ornamenting Portland Cement for the Manufacture of Imitation Grained or Figured Marble, Mosaics, Ornamental Slabs, Tiles, and other Forms, either Plain or in Mixed Colours.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 17th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 21st Sept., 1889
Improvements in Colouring and Ornamenting Portland Cement for the
Manufacture of Imitation Grained or Figured Marble, Mosaics,
Ornamental Slabs, Tiles, and other Forms, either Plain or in Mixed
Colours.
I, WILLIAM CUSSANS of 1 Blagrave Road, Notting Hill in the County of Middlesex,
Modeller do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to an improved method of coloring Portland Cement in the
Colours Red, Yellow, Chocolate, Blue, Green Black and White and their respective
shades for use alone or mixed together in the manufacture of imitation grained or
figured marble, mosaics, ornamental flooring, tiles, slabs and other articles, and to
ornamenting the same with metal borings, turnings or the like. The materials
which constitute my various coloured Portland Cements and the proportions in which
I have found it most advantageous to use the same in the manufacture thereof are as
follows:-

page_text: These proportions are all by measure, and a sufficient quantity of water is used to
bring the ingredients into a plastic or semi-fluid state, according to the consistency
required, and they may then be moulded, modelled cast or run into any desired shape,
form or pattern.
I do not confine myself to the exact proportions of the materials as above set forth,
nor to the materials themselves, as the proportions may be varied according to the
shade of colour required, and I anticipate that equivalent of some of the ingredients
may be used without affecting the nature of my invention.
In some cases I make tiles, slabs, or other articles of plain or coloured Portland
Cement and ornament their faces by the introduction of copper, gun metal, brass, tin
or other metallic turnings, borings, planings, filings, or the like into the same, arranged
in any pattern or design, or simply scattered over the surface.
Dated this 27th day of November 1888.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Colouring and Ornamenting Portland Cement for the
Manufacture of Imitation Grained or Figured Marble, Mosaics,
Ornamental Slabs, Tiles, and other Forms, either Plain or in Mixed
colours.
I, WILLIAM CUSSANS of 1 Blagrave Road, Notting Hill, in the County of Middlesex,
Modeller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the-same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to an improved method of Colouring Portland Cement in the
colours Red, Yellow, Chocolate, Blue, Green Black and White and their respective
shades for use alone or mixed together in the manufacture of imitation grained or
figured marble, mosaics, ornamental flooring tiles slabs and other articles.

page_text: The materials which constitute my various coloured Portland Cements, and the
proportions in which I have found it most advantageous to use the same in the manu-
facture thereof are as follows:-

page_text: A sufficient quantity of water is used to bring these ingredients into a plastic or
semi-fluid state, according to the consistency required, and they may then be, by any
of the methods now commonly used, moulded, modelled, cast or run into any desired
shape, form, or pattern.
Moulds with or without oiled glass surfaces may be used, and such moulds may be
laid upon oiled glass slabs or other perfectly smooth and true surfaces, so that the
tiles or other articles require no rubbing down, and are ready for sale without the use
of any compressing machinery, heat, or burning.
In some cases I make tiles or other articles of plain Portland cement (not coloured)
or other suitable cements and ornament the faces thereof by the introduction thereinto
of copper, gun-metal, brass, tin or other metallic turnings, borings, planings filings or
the like arranged in any suitable pattern or design which may be cut out in sheet brass
or other suitable material either in the form of a stencil plate or. the like. The stencil
plate is laid upon a glass slab or other surface plate and the intended metallic colours
filled into the spaces therein. It is then removed and the patterns so formed being
surrounded by a tile frame, the selected cement (Portland Cement by preference) in
a plastic state is filled into the same to the required depth and the whole is then backed
up to the full depth of the tile frame with any suitable material. An ornamental tile
may be made without the use of a stencil plate by simply scattering the metallic
colours on to the glass slab inside the frame and then filling in the cement and backing
in the same way as is now adopted in making imitation grained and figured marble,
mosaics or the like.
When a male pattern plate is used it is laid upon the glass slab and the tile frame
placed around it and the cement filled in as herein before described. The whole is then
turned over and the pattern removed and the metallic colours are then filled into the
space so made in the face of the tile or other article which is replaced on the glass
slab and left for about 24 hours. It is then turned over again, the frame taken off,
and the article left exposed to the atmosphere for another six hours, and it is then
ready for sale without being pressed, kilned, or burnt as before described.
Any suitable cement may be used with the metal filings or the like, but I wish it to be
clearly understood that to produce the coloured cements forming the first part of my
invention Portland Cement only may be used. Nor do I confine myself to the exact
proportions of the materials as herein set forth, nor to the materials themselves, as the
proportions may be varied according to the shade of colour required, and I anticipate
that equivalents of some of the ingredients may be used without departing from the
spirit, or affecting the nature of my invention."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
1. The process of colouring Portland Cement, which consists in adding to the
Portland Cement the various combinations of materials herein described to produce
the said colours and their respective shades, for use alone or mixed together in the
manufacture of imitation grained or figured marble mosaics, ornamental flooring or
other tiles, slabs and other articles substantially as herein described.
2. Ornamenting the faces of imitation grained or figured marble, mosaics, coloured
tiles and other articles by the introduction thereinto of copper, gun-metal, brass, tin or
other metallic turnings, borings, planings, filings or the like arranged in any suitable
pattern or design.

page_text: 3. The production of ornamental patterns or designs upon tiles, slabs or other
articles by applying thereto portions of differently coloured metallic turnings, borings,
planings filings or the like substantially as herein described.
4. The production of ornamental patterns or designs upon tiles or other articles
made of plain uncoloured Portland or other suitable cement by applying metallic
turnings, filings or the like, either in portions of different colours, or in one colour
only substantially as herein described.