CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL SURFACES ON OR WITH IRON, APPLICABLE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STOVES, AND OTHER USES, AND FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN MODIFYING THE TRANSMISSION OF HEAT
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SYLVESTER, of Great Russell Street, Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the sixth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Sylvester, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said John Sylvester, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Sylvester, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my In-
vention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL SURFACES ON OR
WITH IRON, APPLICABLE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STOVES, AND OTHER USES, AND FOR
IMPROVEMENTS IN MODIFYING THE TRANSMISSION OF HEAT;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said John Sylvester, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear..
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Sylvester, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention relates, first, to that class of stoves where heat is conducted

page_text: by surfaces of iron projecting from fire-places into the rooms where they are
affixed, such stoves being fully described in the Specification of a Patent
granted to me on the Fifth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-two, and the best arrangement of such stoves is where the fire bars are
continued out from-the-fire-place, so-as-to produce an-extended- metal surface
over the hearth or floor of the room, whereby the heat of the fire on the fire
bars is conducted along the continuation of the fire bars into the room, and
from such extended surfaces of iron the heat so conducted into the room is
radiated from the surfaces of the iron; and although I prefer, in making such
descriptions of stoves, that each of the fire bars should be continued outwards,
or radiating from the fire, yet that is not necessary, so that one or more sur-
faces of iron project from the fire in such manner that the heat of the fire
acting on one end may be conducted into the room, and radiated principally
from the upper surface of such iron; the object of this part of the Invention
being to take advantage of the, conductive properties of iron, to conduct heat
from the fire into: the room or near the hearth or floor in like manner to
what. was described.in my former. Specification; but in place of allowing the
radiation of heat from the upper surfaces of the iron projecting into the room,
as heretofore, I cause.the.upper.surfaces of iron to be covered or coated with
earthenware, glass, or enamel, or other fragile, substance, to modify the trans
mission of the heat passing. off: from the iron, so conducting heat from a fire-
place into the room. By this arrangement, the heat, in place of radiating from
the naked .iron, as heretofore, will pass through the upper covering of the iron
bars or other iron. surfaces projecting from, and connected with the fire. bars, or
otherwise heated by the fire in the fire-place, by which means a very important
improvement will be produced to this description of stoves, and the coating
may be ornamented by painting, and the same burned in the manner of
enamel or china painting, or the surfaces so added to the iron; may be plain,
according to taste. The coating. surface of, stone, earthenware, glass, enamel,
or other fragile matter may be placed. on and affixed. according to any
convenient means, and I prefer the. means hereafter described when fixing
similar materials to the iron surfaces, of other parts of stoves, as hereafter
explained..
Another part of my Invention, which also relates to the same class of stoves,
consists in casting projections on the conducting surfaces, described in my said
former Specification, in order to, increase, the extent of conducting, and
radiating metal surface; thus, in some cases, I form or cast a succession of
upright or other projections, so. as to produce a fender or guard or standards
for fire-irons; and in order more advantageously to heat such; surfaces of iron by

page_text: the fire, I sometimes cast the fire-place or parts of the fire-place or stove to such
conducting surfaces of iron, by which means the conducting surfaces projecting
or radiating into the room from a fire-place may have an encreased extent of
heating and radiating surface, to which heat is conducted and radiated there-
from to the air of the room; and such 'additional or projecting surfaces may
be coated as above described in respect to the conducting' surfaces on or near
the hearth or floor.
The second part of my Invention relates to a means of forming surfaces of
stoves or parts of stoves, by combining earthenware, stone, glass, or enamel
with iron, in such manner that the surfaces of earthenware, glass, or other
fragile matter used may offer ornamental surfaces, and that the iron shall
become the strength and support of the mass, while the fragile substance forms
the ornamental and heat transmitting surface; such surfaces, when used in the
constructing of stoves, in addition to the beauty obtainable by painting upon
them, or otherwise, also act as modifying means of transmitting the heat con-
ducted by the iron to the atmosphere of the room, as the heat will pass through
the covering matters and radiate from such surfaces; and the means of com-
Bining iron and earthenware or other fragile matter for the making of parts of
stovės: consist, first, of applying such surfaces of earthenware, glass, or other
fragile matters, by causing the same to adhere to the surfaces of iron by means
of vitreous cement. Secondly, applying.a vitreous or enamel surface to iron or
parts of the iron used in the manufacture of stoves. And, thirdly, combining
cast iron with outer surfaces or layers of earthenware, glass, or other fragile
mattér, by arranging the parts or slabs of earthenware, glass, or other fragile
matter into suitable moulds and casting iron thereon, by either of which means
the fronts and other parts of stoves anay be made of a highly ornamental cha-
racter, and at the same time offering the important advantage of modifying
the heat transmitted by the iron.
In applying slabs, tiles, or other shaped pieces to the iron for fron'ts and
other parts of stoves by means of vitreous cement, I cause the 'tiles, slabs, or
surfaces of earthenware, glass, stone; or other fragile matter to be fixed over
the front surfaces of the iron for the fronts or other parts of stoves, and cause
such slabs, tiles, or surfaces to adhere to the iron by inmeans of heat acting on
vitreous' cement placed between the iron and the earthenware or other fragile
matters used; the heat causing the vitreous matters to run, and thus 'join the
iron to the fragile matter or matters placed thereon, and such fragile matters,
when or before being so applied; may be ornamented by painting, and the
colors fixed by firing, in the manner of enamel or china painting; and the
description of vitreous cement I prefer to use' is borax and glass (two parts

page_text: of calcined borax to one of crown glass), but I do not confine myself to
such cement so long as a vitreous cement is employed, care being observed
that the vitreous cement used does not require so high a degree of beat
as will injure the previously painted surfaces when previously painted
surfaces are used. When the iron for the fronts and other parts of stoves is
to be simply coated with enamel, then I proceed in like manner to that
ordinarily practised in enamelling surfaces of metal when for other purposes,
and I cause the same to be ornamented painting or left plain, according to
taste; by this means I obtain very ornamental fronts or other parts of stoves,
with the additional advantage of transmitting the heat from the iron through
the enamel to the atmosphere in place of directly from the naked iron. And.
in regard to the coating or covering of iron with an ornamental surface of
enamel or glass, or in firing the same when ornamented by painting, I cause
the same to be placed within a muffle or suitable enamelling furnace, and
make use of the ordinary methods of enamelling, and of the ordinary means
of cleaning and preparing the surface of the iron to be enamelled; and I
sometimes cover the. surfaces of iron with a semi-vitreous glaze, compounded
of the waste of earthenware or porcelain pulverized and mixed with powdered
glass into a state fit to be laid upon iron in a thin coat, thus producing a dead
ground, upon which beautiful devices may be drawn and burnt in by means
of an enamel more easily fusible than the ground. And in regard to the
coating or covering of iron with a surface of earthenware or other fragile
matter by casting, I form blocks, plates, or tiles of porcelain or other
earthenware having one or more ornamental surfaces in tasteful devices;
and I make at the back or unornamental sides of the blocks certain
protuberances, in the nature of tangs or clutch-like projections, of such
form that iron cast at the back or sides of a block shall secure the same
firmly to the mass; and when I require a plate of iron carrying many
of such blocks, I lay the requisite nuniber of them side by side in a flask or
mould of sand, loam, or other suitable material, preferring to place the faces
uppermost, and propping up the blocks by means of their tangs against the
upper part of the mould, taking care to allow for shrinking of the iron as it
cools by not placing the blocks quite in contact with each other, and pre-
venting the iron flowing between the plates, blocks, or surfaces by a paste of
whiting laid over the joints, and then, baving heated, the mould and the blocks.
or surfaces, I pour the melted iron in under the blocks, which flowing around
the tangs will hold the whole together, and constitute a plate or other form
having an ornamental surface on one side and a common surface of cast iron
on the other side; and sometimes I buuld up such blocks in the form of a

page_text: column, of a cylindrical, prismatical, or other figure, and surround it with sand
or loam, well rammed within a proper case for holding the blocks compactly
together, and I place a core inside the column of blocks of such proportionate
diameter as shall leave space around the core for a convenient thickness of
iron to be cast in, and to envelope all the tangs, so as to form a hollow column
having iron at the inside and porcelain or other earthenware at the outside;
and sometimes I make the earthenware or other fragile matter for such a
column in the form of rings or portions of rings piled up one upon another,
having the outsides ornamented and the insides furnished with tangs, within
which a hollow cylinder or prism or other figure of iron is to be cast on a
core, as in the case of the column or prism last mentioned; and I use such
columns for flues or for the circulation of air or other media, whereby heat
may be transmitted in a modified form through the substance, and given.off
from the surface of the column, prism, or other figure.
Another part of my Invention relates to obtaining ornamental surfaces
on or with iron for decorative purposes and for architectural purposes,
and this part of my Invention consists in enamelling cast-iron surfaces, where
articles of cast iron have surfaces more or less in relief, and also in painting
surfaces of enamelled cast iron with various devices for ornamental purposes,
whether the same is in relief or not, thus allowing the enamel to become the
means of very beautiful decoration; thus the ground may be in one color
and the raised or relief parts in a different color or colors, or the whole may
be of one color, depending on taste. By this means cast iron may be
brought more largely and ornamentally into use for decorative purposes,
in architecture, and for furnishing purposes. I would remark that I do
not claim the enamelling, surfaces of cast iron generally, but only when the
surfaces are of an ornamental character more or less in relief; at the same
time I do claim the enamelling of plain surfaces of cast iron when the
same is ornamented by painting thereon in the manner of enamel painting,
so as to produce decorative plates or surfaces of cast iron for decorative pur-
poses, for architectural, and furnishing purposes; the enamelling and painting
of cast iron for such purposes being performed in the ordinary manner of
enamelling and enamel painting on other metals.
Another part of my Invention relates to the lining of vessels with earthen-
ware plates or slabs, or parts formed to fit. the figure or shape of the vessel, by
causing such earthenware slabs or plates to adhere to the iron by a vitreous
cement, in the manner herein-before described; by this means, the heat from
the iron in being transmitted to the fluid or matter contained is modified. I
would remark that I do not claim. the lining of vessels with earthenware

page_text: generally, but only when done by means of vitreous. cement causing the
earthenware to adhere to the metal.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means
I am acquainted with for performing the same, I would wish it to be under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise details so long as 'the
peculiar character of either part of my Invention be retained; but what I
claim is,
First, the application of a covering or coating of stone, earthenware, glass,
or other fragile matters to the projecting surfaces which conduct heat from
a fire-place into a room, as herein described; and I also claim the casting
guards, fenders, or other protruding matters on to the conducting surfaces of
the descriptions of stoves herein described.
Secondly, I claim the modes of applying surfaces of earthenware, stone,
glass, or other fragile matters to iron used in the manufacture of stoves, as
herein described, in order to produce ornamental surfaces; and to modify the
transmitting of 'heat to the air from the iron; and I also claim the enamel-
ling of surfaces of cast iron where parts are more or less in relief; and I
also claim the painting enamelled surfaces of cast iron, whether plain or in
relief, for decorative uses, in architecture, and for furnishing purposes.
And, thirdly, I claim the mode of lining vessels with earthenware slabs or
surfaces formed of suitable shapes, by applying the same and causing them to
adhere to the metal by vitreous cement.
In witness, I, the said John Sylvester, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One. thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
SENIOR.
JOHN (L.s.) SYLVESTER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-eighth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord 1843, the aforesaid John Sylvester came
.before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and.all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.