Eм- COSSING VENEERS SO AS TO REPRESENT CARVINGS IN WOOD
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Theodore Bergner, of the firm of Howson and
Bergner, of Philadelphia, in the United States of America, and of
No. 19, Arundel Street, Strand, London, for the Invention of "Eм-
COSSING VENEERS SO AS TO REPRESENT CARVINGS IN WOOD."-A com-
munication from Israel Amies, of Philadelphia.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Theodore Berguer at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th February 1856.
I, THEODORE BERGNER, of the firm of Howson and Bergner, of Philadelphia,
in the United States of America, and of No. 19, Arundel Street, Strand,
having a communication from Israel Amies, of Philadelphia, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "EMBOSSING VENEERS SO AS TO REPRESENT
CARVINGS IN WOOD," to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in placing veneers of ordinary or fancy woods, pre-
pared by the process herein described, or any equivalent to the same, between
dies, one of which: (the matrix) has its surface caved or raised to the desired
pattern, and the other, or plate die, having cavities corresponding to the pro-
jections of the matrix; one or both dies are moderately heated, and, with the
prepared slices of wood between them, submitted to a considerable pressure;
on removing the same, one of its faces presents in relief the pattern on the dies,
and has all the appearance of wood carving.

page_text: The cavities on the other or hollow side of the veneer are afterwards filled
up with any suitable plastic substance, such as putty, composition, paste,
papier maché, compound of glue and sawdust, or with other suitable material,
and this being sufficiently dried and smothed off, the embossed wood is ready
to be glued, or otherwise attached, to articles of furniture or other ornamental
work.
In order that the Invention may be better understood, I will now proceed
to describe the manner in which it is carried into effect.
Suppose 20 imitations of wood carvings of one pattern are required, then
20 veneers of the description and size desired are taken and smoothed or
polished on one side, removing all saw marks and other imperfections, the
opposite side being partially smoothed with glass or sand paper; each piece of
wood is taken separately and pasted on the back with a sheet of paper, and
the whole of the 20 pieces are left a sufficient time to allow the wood to
partially absorb the moisture of the paste. While the veneers, treated as
aforesaid, are yet damp, they are placed separately between the heated dies
and submitted to the action of any suitable press. As the projecting parts
of the matrix come into contact with the pasted paper on the back of the
veneer, the heat has a tendency, through the moisture already imparted to
the wood by the paste, to reduce the veneer to a partially plastic substance,
yielding readily to the action of the relief on the matrix, until the latter has
by the pressure forced and compressed the wood into the cavities of the plate
die. The veneer, heated as aforesaid, is allowed to remain a sufficient time
between the dies to allow the wood, paste, and paper to become perfectly hard
and dry, an effect produced immediately by the heat from the dies.
veneer is now removed, the pattern on the plate die having been com-
municated to the smooth or polished side of the veneer. The remainder of
the 20 veneers are now submitted in succession to the dies with a similar
result. After filling the cavities at the back of the veneers with any plastic
substance, as before described (and the same smoothed off), the imitations
of carvings in wood are ready for the ornamenting of any description of wood
work.
The
It should here be observed, that the paste and paper on the backs of the
vencers perform two independent offices; first, that of reducing, in combination
with the heated dies, the veneers to a partially plastic substance, yielding
without splitting the wood; and, secondly, forming, after the dies have
efficiently pressed the veneers, a substance at the back, solidified by the heat,
and firmly attached to the veneer, preventing the reliefs from collapsing or
altering their form after the veneer has been removed from the pressure. It

page_text: has been found by experiment that ordinary flour paste is well adapted for the
purpose, and that in treating ordinary veneers, the paper used should be of
the consistency of fine letter paper.
It is to be understood, that although one particular process of treating
5 veneers is described before the embossing is practised thereon, the Inventor
does not desire to confine himself to that process in every minutiæ, as the
same may be modified or equivalents substituted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Theodore Bergner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th August 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THEODORE
BERGNER, of the firm of Howson and Bergner, of Philadelphia, in the United
States of America, and of No. 19, Arundel Street, Strand, London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign.
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Theodore Bergner, Her special licence that I, the said Theodore Bergner, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Theodore
Bergner, 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
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "EMBOSSING VENEERS SO AS TO
REPRESENT CARVINGS IN WOOD," communicated to me by Israel Amies, of
Philadelphia, a foreiger residing abroad, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Theodore Bergner, 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 Theodore Bergner, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention consists in placing veneers of ordinary or fancy woods, pre-
pared by the process herein described, or any equivalent to the same, between
dies, one of which (the matrix) has its surface carved or raised to the desired
pattern, and the other, or plate die, having cavities corresponding to the pro-
jections of the matrix. One, or both dies, are moderately heated, and the
veneers between them are submitted to a considerable pressure; on removing
the same, one of its faces presents in relief the pattern on the dies, and has all
the appearance of wood carving. The cavities or hollows on the other side of
the veneer are afterwards filled up with any plastic substance, such as putty,
composition, paste, papier maché, compound of glue and sawdust, or with
other suitable material, and this having been sufficiently dried and smoothened
off, the embossed wood is ready to be glued or otherwise attached to articles of
furniture or other ornamental work.
In order that the Invention may be better understood, I will now proceed
to describe the manner in which it is to be carried into effect.
Suppose twenty imitations of wood carvings of one pattern are required,
then twenty vencers of the description of wood and size desired are taken and
smoothened or polished on one side, removing all saw marks and other imper-
fections, the other side being smoothened with glass or sand paper; each
piece of wood is taken separately and pasted on the back with a sheet of
paper, and the whole of the twenty pieces are left a sufficient time to allow
the wood to partially absorb the moisture of the paste. While the vencers,
treated as aforesaid, are yet damp, they are placed separately between the
heated dies and submitted to the action of any suitable press. As the
projecting parts of the matrix come into contact with the pasted paper on
the back of the veneer, the heat has a tendency, through the moisture
already imparted to the wood by the paste, to reduce the veneer to a partially
plastic substance, yielding readily to the action of the relief on the matrix,
until the latter has by the pressure forced and compressed the wood into
the cavities of the plate die. The veneer, heated as aforesaid, is allowed
to remain a sufficient time between the dies to allow the wood, paste, and
paper to become perfectly hard and dry, an effect produced immediately by the
heat from the dies. The veneer is now removed, the pattern on the plate die
having been communicated to the smooth or polished side of the veneer.
The remainder of the twenty veneers are now submitted in succession to
the dies with a similar result. After filling the cavities at the back of the
veneers with any plastic substance, as before described, and the same smooth-

page_text: ened off, the imitations of carvings in wood are ready for the ornamenting of
any description of wood work.
It should here be observed, that the paste and paper on the backs of the
veneers perform two independent offices; first, that of reducing, in combination
with the heated dies, the veneers to a partially plastic substance, yielding
without splitting the wood; and, secondly, forming, after the dies have
efficiently pressed the veneers, a substance at the back, solidified by the heat
and firmly attached to the veneers, preventing the reliefs from collapsing or
altering their forms after the veneers have been removed from the pressure.
It has been found by practice that ordinary flour paste is well adapted for
the purpose, and that in treating ordinary veneers, the paper used should be of
the consistency of fine letter paper.
It is to be understood, that although one particular process of treating
veneers is described before the embossing is practised thereon, I do not desire
to confine myself to that process in every minutie, as the same may be
modified or equivalents substituted.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the embossing of
veneers, and the employment of embossed veneers to the construction of
furniture, and for other useful purposes, in the manner herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Theodore Bergner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-six.
Witness,
HENRY LAXTON,
Patent Agent,
THEODORE BERGNER. (L.B.)
19, Arundel Street, Strand.