IM- PROVEMENTS IN PAINTING, GILDING, SILVERING, AND ORNAMENTING THE SURRANTTING THE SURFACE OF GLASS, AND PROTECTING THE SAME FROM INJURY
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Sutherland, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, House Decorator, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PAINTING, GILDING, SILVERING, AND ORNAMENTING THE
SURRANT
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Sutherland
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 2nd January 1874.
I, WILLIAM SUTHERLAND, of Manchester, in the County of Lan-
caster, House Decorator, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAINTING, GILDING, SILVERING, AND ORNA-
MENTING THE SURFACE OF GLASS, AND PROTECTING THE SAME FROM INJURY," to be
as follows:-

page_text: In order to carry out this Invention I take a square or sheet of glass,
either polished plate, ordinary sheet, crown, or patent plate glass, and
roughen or grind one side with emery powder or sand until it is of a
uniform rough surface all over. It is now ready for painting upon. I
now prepare a design on paper in the usual manner, and I then trace or
pounce the design upon the aforesaid sheet of ground glass, putting it
upon the rough or ground side of the glass. I now mix a dark-coloured
paint with Indian red and black diluted to a working consistency with a
suitable varnish, and with this paint I outline the design on the rough
or ground side of the glass. When this is dry I proceed to colour and
paint in the ornament or picture as follows:-All those parts of the
ornament I wish to appear in the finished work as gold I cover over
the necessary spaces with a coating of transparent or semi-transparent
yellow in distemper or water colours in strength according to the depth
of gold colour that may be required. When this is dry I coat the yellow
with a hard drying transparent varnish, such as carriage or copal varnish.
I now proceed in the same manner with the blue, red, and other colours
required, and varnish the same where necessary. Other parts I paint
over with solid oil colours, and then wipe the same off again as clean as
possible, the rough glass still retaining a sufficient amount of colour to
give the colour desired when finished. All those parts I require to
shew as bright silver when finished I coat over with the clean varnish,
leaving all those parts I require to be pure white the uncovered ground
glass. I now proceed to shade the whole of the figures or ornament
where required, using transparent and semi-transparent colours for this
purpose; and if any of the colours require to be of a deeper tone than
can be got by one coat of colour I give the same two or more coats. The
sheet of glass is then placed in a moderately heated stove to dry and
harden. When cool it is taken out, cleaned, and is then ready for the
next process. I now cover the whole of the rough side of the glass and
painting with one, two, or more coats of leaf silver or other metal,
using gelatine or isinglass size as a medium for fastening the same to the
glass. Or when necessary I use gold leaf or Dutch metal, or any other
metal leaf or foil. When the surface is covered I polish' or rub down
the silver or other metal between each coat, and give the same a finishing
coat of the gelatine or other size. When this is thoroughly dry I coat
the whole of the silvered or other metal side with carriage varnish or
other medium of a similar nature. The plate of glass is now placed in

page_text: I
the stove again to harden; it is then coated with a paint made of dry
whitelead and varnish or japanner's gold size, and is again stoved.
now give it one or two coats of the patent indestructible paint, Bruns-
wick black, or other damp-resisting varnish or composition. The glass.
is then again stoved.
The ornamentation or picture is now complete, and will appear on
the smooth side or front side as a luminous painting. The ornament
will appear in gold and silver, both dead and bright, and the whole of
the transparent and semi-transparent colour will appear of a bright yet
quiet richness.
In order to protect the glass, and enable the paintings to be used for
wall decorations, I use slabs of suitable thickness composed of plaster of
Paris, cements of various kinds, Ransome's patent stone, wood blocks,
or any suitable composition of a damp resisting nature. These slabs or
blocks I fasten to the glass with a cement made of red lead and japan-
ner's gold size or other varnish, Brunswick black, white or red lead, or
any other suitable cement. The whole of the slab and edge of the glass
is now coated over with indestructible paint, Brunswick black, or any
other damp proof composition.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Sutherland in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SUTHERLAND, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, House
Decorator, 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 seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Sutherland, Her
special licence, that I, the said William Sutherland, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Sutherland, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAINTING, GILDING, SILVERING, AND ORNA-
MENTING THE SURFACE OF GLASS, AND PROTECTING THE SAME FROM INJURY," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Sutherland,
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 1
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 William Sutherland, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same 1
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say) :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in painting, gilding,
silvering, and ornamenting the surface of glass.
In order to carry out this Invention I take a square or sheet of clear 2
glass, either polished plate, ordinary sheet, crown, or patent plate, and
roughen or grind one side of the glass with emery powder, fine sand, or
small pebbles until it is of one uniform rough surface (or I purchase
it ready ground); it is now ready for painting upon. I now prepare a
design on paper in the usual manner. I then trace or pounce the design 2
upon the ground side of the glass to be decorated; or instead of tracing
or pouncing the design upon the glass I sketch it direct upon the glass.
I now proceed to outline the design upon the ground side of the
glass with a suitable black paint ground in boiled linseed oil, and diluted
to a working consistency with japanner's gold size, or a suitable varnish. 8
Or instead of outlining the design I paint the design or picture without
outline. The glass is now placed in a stove heated to about 190 degrees
Fahrenheit. When dry I proceed to paint the glass as herein-after
described, namely:-All those parts of the ornamental design or picture
I desire to appear in the finished work as gold I cover over with a 3

page_text: transparent or semi-transparent yellow in distemper "or water colours,"
or in colours mixed with oil or varnish in strength according to the
depth of gold colour required. When this is dry I coat the yellow
with a hard drying transparent varnish, such as carriage or copål
varnish, in sufficient quantity to saturate the distemper colour. I now
proceed in the same manner with the blue, red, crimson, and other
colours required to be extra brilliant or rich in tone. Other parts I
paint over with solid colours ground in oil, and then wipe the same off
again as clean as required, the rough glass retaining a sufficient amount
of colour to give the required tint when finished. All those parts I
require to shew bright silver I coat over with the clear varnish alone,
leaving all those parts I require to be pure white the uncovered glass
(or I paint the parts to be left white) with best flake white in oil, and
wipe it off as clear as it is possible to do with a clean dry cloth. The
glass will still retain sufficient white for the purpose required. I now
proceed to shade the whole of the ornamental figure or other parts.
requiring the same with transparent or semi-transparent oil colours,.
and if any of the colours require to be of a deeper tone than can be
obtained by one coat of colour I give the same two or more coats. I
may also paint the whole of the picture or ornament in oil colours as
I would paint a picture upon canvass, but using my colours transparent
and semi-transparent, as before described. I now place the painted
sheet of glass in the stove to harden, and when dry I proceed to cover
the whole of the painting with two or three coats of leaf silver, using a
solution of gelatine or isinglass as a medium for securing the same to
the glass; and where necessary I use gold leaf, silver amalgam, Dutch
metal, tinfoil, or other metals. When the surface is covered and dry
I polish or rub down the silver or other metal between each coat with.
cotton wool, and give the same a finishing coat of gelatine or any other
size. I now coat the silvered side with carriage varnish, or other varnish
of a similar nature. The glass is again placed in the stove to harden.
I then give the work two coats of red led paint mixed with oil or japan-
ner's gold size. The ornamentation or picture is now complete, and
will appear on the front or smooth side of the glass as a luminous:
painting. The ornament will appear in gold and siver both dead and
bright, and the whole of the transparent and semi-transparent colours
will have a bright but quiet richness of tone. I also produce a some-
what similar effect by painting upon ground or smooth glass with

page_text: from injury, and the method of cementing the said slabs or cubes to the
painted glass, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Sutherland, have hereto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
WILLIAM SUTHERLAND. (L.S.)