A NEW AND USEFUL PROCESS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IMI- TATION BRAIDS, TRIMMINGS, LEATHER, WOOD, AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Loewenberg at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
February 1875.
I, HENRY LOEWENBERG, Chemist, of Charlottenburg, near Berlin, in
the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW AND USEFUL PROCESS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IMI-
TATION BRAIDS, TRIMMINGS, LEATHER, WOOD, AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to the manufacture of flexible or elastic casts
forming facsimiles of natural or artificial objects, such as straw goods,
leather, or woven goods, wood ornaments, leaves, and other objects or
works of art, by the following process:-I in the first instance form a
mould of the article of which a facsimile is to be produced, such mould
being by preference formed of a compound of such a nature that when
in a liquid state it will readily enter into all the cavities or recesses on
the surface of the pattern, so that when the mould has solidified and is
removed from the pattern, it will present a perfect facsimile thereof.
For such compound I employ by preference eight parts of a solution of
glue having the consistency of honey, mixed with from two to four parts

page_text: of crude glycerine of 30° Beaumé. The mould may however be prepared
in any other suitable known manner whereby a perfect facsimile of the
pattern can be obtained. Into the mould so prepared I then pour a
compound consisting of a solution of glue mixed with oil or soap,
glycerine, and colouring matter, varying the proportions of these
substances according to the nature of the object to be produced, as will
be presently described. Before the solution has set or almost imme-
diately after the mould has been filled, I pour the greater part of the
solution off again, leaving a layer in the mould of any desired thickness.
When this has solidified it is removed from the mould, when its' surface
will present an exact facsimile of the object to be imitated.
In order to prevent the cast from adhering to the mould when this is
formed of the gelatinous compound before specified, I treat the mould
with chromic acid or acetate of iron, or other known substances having
analogous properties, and I also treat the casts with these substances
after removal from the mould, when it is desired to render them water-
proof and heat resisting. The casts so obtained are flexible or elastic,
and can be attached to any suitable material, such as textile fabrics or
paper, by applying the material to the back of the compound in the
mould- before it has set.
The compound which I use by preference for imitation leather or
woven goods, is made of a mixture of about 16 part of a solution of glue
of the consistency of honey or molasses, with 6 to 9 parts of glycerine at
30° Beaumé, from 5 to 8 parts of soap or oil, and from 2 to 5 parts of
coloring matter.
For imitation wood, stone, and the like, I use 32 parts of the glue
solution, with 5 to 7 parts of glycerine, 3 to 5 parts of soap or oil, and
from 4 to 8 parts of coloring matter. The oil I prefer is boiled linseed
oil.
The proportions of the above ingredients may however be varied
according to the nature of the article to be produced. Such flexible or
elastic casts may be employed for articles of dress or for ornamentations
of various kinds.