A NEW MODE OF ORNAMENTING BRICKS AND OTHER MOULDED ARTICLES FOR BUILDING PURPOSES."
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Arnold, of Tamworth, in the County of
.
Stafford, for the Invention of "A NEW MODE OF ORNAMENTING BRICKS AND
OTHER MOULDED ARTICLES FOR BUILDING PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Arnold at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd
January 1855.
I, JOSEPH ARNOLD, of Tamworth, in the County of Stafford, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention of "A NEW MODE OF ORNAMENTING
BRICKS AND OTHER MOULDED ARTICLES FOR BUILDING PURPOSES" to be as follows:-
My Invention of a new mode of ornamenting bricks and other like moulded
articles relates to the manufacture of those articles with faces having an
ornamental design thereon, either in relief or the reverse. The design on the
brick or individual piece may constitute the whole design, which is repeated
on the several face bricks; or it may constitute only a part of a design, which
is made up by the requisite combination of bricks to form the whole design..
The design is moulded simultaneously with the brick, and is homogeneous
therewith. In order to mould bricks with ornamental surfaces, I cut or engrave
a die representing the design, which I apply as the side of the moulded in which
the moulded article is to be made. This die is not permanently fixed to the
mould, but is applied in such manner as to be perfectly secure, and at the same
time readily removed. The plastic material having been properly compressed
'

page_text: within the mould, and all the superfluous material removed, the side forming
the die is removed, leaving the impression of the die on the face side of the
brick, which may then be removed from the mould in the ordinary manner.
When the brick or moulded article has more than one face side ornamented,
I furnish the mould with the requisite number of moveable dies, in the manner
before described. The bricks or moulded blocks may be of any size or shape
required, according to the position they occupy in the building, and having a
suitable design on the face or faces of the brick or moulded article.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Arnold in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
ARNOLD, of Tamworth, in the County of Stafford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Arnold, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Arnold, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Arnold, 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 "A NEW MODE OF ORNAMENTING
BRICKS AND OTHER MOULDED ARTICLES FOR BUILDING PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Arnold, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 Joseph Arnold, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-

page_text: My Invention of a new mode of ornamenting bricks and other like moulded
articles relates to the manufacture of those articles with faces having an orna-
mental design thereon, either in relief or sunk below the general face of the
moulded article. The design on the brick or individual piece may constitute
the whole design, which is repeated on the several face bricks; or it may con-
stitute only part of a design, which is made up by the requisite combination of
bricks to form the whole design. The design is moulded simultaneously with
the brick, and is homogeneous therewith. In order to mould bricks with orna-
mental surfaces, I cut or engrave a die representing the design, which I apply
as the side of the mould in which the moulded article is to be inade. This
die is not permanently fixed to the mould, but is applied in such manner as to
be perfectly secure, and at the same time readily removed. The plastic material
having been properly compressed within the mould, and all the superfluous
material removed, the side forming the die is removed, leaving the impression
of the die on the face side of the brick, which may then be removed from the
mould in the ordinary manner. When the brick or moulded article has more
than one face side ornamented, I furnish the mould with the requisité number
of moveable 'dies, in the manner before described. The bricks or inoulded
blocks may be of any size or shape required, according to the position they
occupy in the building, and having a suitable design on the face or faces of
the brick or moulded article.
Fig. 1 of the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed represents the face
of a brick ornamented according to my Invention; and Fig. 2, a plan of the
same. The ornament represented is a device raised on the face of the brick,
which is moulded simultaneously therewith; and in order to effect the moulding
I construct the moulds as herein-after described. Fig. 3 represents a mould
for forming my ornamental bricks, in isometrical perspective; Fig. 4 a plan,
and Fig. 5 an end view of the same. In general appearance it is somewhat
like the ordinary mould for moulding bricks, but has the front' a, a, moveable.
I construct it principally of wood, and mount it with metal facings for strength
and durability. The ends b, b, are tennoned into the side c, c, to which they
are permanently fixed. Facings d, d, of iron are fixed with screws on the
upper and lower edges, and being bent to the form of the angles next the side
c, c, strengthen and further secure the ends b, b, to that side. The front side
a, a, is separately represented at Fig. 6, which shows the inside with the matrix
or mould of the intended ornament; while Fig. 7 exhibits a horizontal section,
through the line 1, 2; and Fig. 8, a transverse section of the mould. The
front a, a, is also of wood, but of sufficient thickness to permit the matrix of
the ornament to be engraved or cut therein. It has mortices e, e, cut through

page_text: to receive the, tennons ff, best seen in the end view, Fig. 9, which shows the
front, a, a,, removed. "These tennons are so fitted that the front a, a, slides
easily off and on, and at the same time with sufficient accuracy for the pur-
pose. They a
are made somewhat longer than the thickness of a, a, in order
that it may move back some distance from its abutment with 'the "ends b, b,
and at, the same time maintain its position parallel thereto. g,g, are two
bolts, by which the front a, a, is held up while moulding. These. bolts' have
heads 'h, h, at back, and are fitted" with thumb nuts i, i, whereby the front plate
a, a, is readily released or secured in position for moulding, the front a, a,
being thereby, held firmly up during theroperation;, metal plates or facingsk, k,
are placed under the thumb nuts,, upon which they bear and exert their pres-
sure. The bolts g, 9, are fitted firmly into back plates with square necks, so
that the thumb nuts may be readily run back-without turning or disturbing
the bolts. The device being sunk in the plate a, a, as shewn at Figs. 6, 7,
and 8; that device is transferred in relief to 'the face of the brick; which is
moulded as follows:-
18
"The clay having been prepared by grinding with rollers, or otherwise reduced
and elaborated,. as well understood in brick making; is used of a rather stiff
consistency, in order that the moulded article may properly. retain its forin,
"and the firmness of the impressed ornament. The lump of clay is first roughly.
formed with the hands of the required size, when it is driven into the brick
'möuld, the mould having been previously dusted with fine sand or other powder
to prevent the clay adhering to the mould; as usual in moulding such plastic
materials. The mould; and with it a thick piece of board; on which it stands
and 'forms the bottom, áre lifted and dashed down on the work bench with
'force two or three times, to ensure the earth entering the matrix of the orna-
ment, and to bring up, the impression with sharpness, as also the general forín
of the brick: The superfluous. clay is. then removed, and the upper part
smoothed, when" the mould is placed on the board or pallet on which the
moulded article is to be removed. The thumb screws are now run back, so
as to release the matrix a, a, which is drawn back from the moulded article
(as shown' dotted in Fig. 2) to a sufficient distance to clear the raised orna-
ment standing out from the face of the brick, when the entire mould may be
raised from the molded article, which is subsequently dried and burnt'in the
ordinary manner, taking care in stacking not to rest the weight of one brick
on the ornamental surface of another. When the ornament is required to be
on the end of the brick, it is simply necessary. to engrave or cut the matrix of
the ornament in one of the end plates of the mould, and so fit it to the other
parts of the brick mould that it may be withdrawn from the ornamented. sur-

page_text: face before the brick is removed from the mould, in a manner similar to 'that
described with reference to Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 Fig. 10 represents the end
of a brick so ornamented:
If it is desired to sink the ornament in the surface of the brick instead of
raising it, as described, it is simply necessary to raise the ornamental design on
the inside surface of a, a, instead of sinking the ornamental form in that
plate, as 'described; I, however, prefer to form the ornament in relief as
represented. An ornament of any other character can be formed on the
brick instead of the one-shown by substituting a die or matrix plate a, a,
suitably cut or engraved according to the pattern or device required..
Where the design is 'elaborate, great care must be taken to have t
the clay
well ground and otherwise carefully prepared, and also in the moulding, other
wise the impressions may be imperfect. Instead of simply forming these bricks
by hand, they may be subjected to the pressure of a screw, lever, or other press,
or to the action of any mechanical power, while the brick is in the mould, in
order to perfect the impression of the design and the form of the brick Fig.
11 is a plan; Fig: 12, a front elevation; and Fig. 13, an end view, of another
arrangement for securing the die of matrix plate to the other parts of the
mould. Instead of the bolts gg, before used, I employ two spring catches 1,1;
but in other respects the mould is constructed in the same manner as before
described. The spring catches, are fixed through the back plates c, c, by
screw nuts m, m, and by screws n, n, to the ends 6, 6, against which they have
a constant tendency to spring in close contact Square mortices ; a, are cut
through the front plate a, a, to permit the catch heads p, p, to pass, 'the' front
being faced with plates of metal qq, against which the catch heads p, p, take.
The plate a, a, is fitted and moves on tennons 'f, f, as before, which are suffi-
ciently, long to permit the necessary. movement of the plate a, a, and to receive
stop pins e, e, to limit the movement, and prevent the plate being drawn off
beyond what is required for the purpose of clearing the moulded ornament,
such limit in the mould, before described, being regulated by the thumb screws.
When it is desired to remove the moulded article from the mould Fig. 11,
it is simply necessary to spring back the catches p, p, to the position shown
dotted by placing a thumb on each, and at the same time drawing back the
plate a, a, with the fingers, when the mould may be raised from the moulded
brick. Fig. 14 represents a portion of a building, in which the ornamented
bricks and other moulded pieces are represented. 1, 1, are the bricks, which
may have any suitable ornament, and the heads or ends and sides of the bricks
may be arranged according to fancy. The quoins or corner pieces 2, 2, being
ornamented on the end as well as on the side, the mould frame must have a

page_text: moveable side as well as a moveable end piece, in order to relieve the moulded
ornaments; or instead of making the mould with two moveable parts, as
described, the ornamented side may be formed by the ornamental matrix for
that surface constituting the bottom of the mould, which may be fitted with
steady pins or tennons, so as to be readily withdrawn and fitted accurately to
its position; in that case the end of the mould only will have to be moveable.
The plinths 3, 3, or pieces for the base of a building, may have a separate
device, and with their face side, or end formed with chamferred edges, the
whole of which must be cut in the die or matrix by which the ornament is
formed, and will be produced by one and the same moulding operation. 4, 4,
are window heads, which can be similarly formed and ornamented. These
may be in several pieces, fitted to each other to make up the whole design, and
moulded in the manner before described. The key piece 5, 5, is separate
from the abutments, and is built up in the ordinary way of window headings.
Instead of forming the entire device or design on each individual brick, a
part only of the design may be upon one, and the whole design composed of
two or more bricks or pieces, placed together in proper order to constitute
the whole design. The window heading is represented as so constructed,
the lines v, v, v, showing the divisions of the several parts which when placed
together form the block required,
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which it
is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I claim is, moulding
and ornamenting bricks as herein-before described.
I also claim moulding and ornamenting the other blocks or articles for
building purposes mentioned, in the manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Arnold, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
JOSEPH ARNOLD. (L.S.)