IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING LETTERS OR OTHER DEVICES UPON GLASS."
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Joseph James Kelly, of Cubitt Town,
C
in the County of Middlesex, Glass Tablet Writer, for the Invention
.:
of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING LETTERS OR OTHER DEVICES UPON GLASS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Joseph James
.
Kelly at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th February 1875.
I, STEPHEN JOSEPH JAMES KELLY, of Cubitt Town, in the County of
Middlesex, Glass Tablet Writer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING LETTERS OR OTHER DEVICES
UPON GLASS," to be as follows;-
- C
"
My Invention relates to the production of illuminated and embossed
letters or other devices upon glass,
For the purpose of producing an illuminated effect I cover the back
of the portion of the glass upon which the letters or devices have to be.
produced with any desired ground or "field," leaving the letters or

page_text: devices themselves blank or uncovered. I then place over the blanks
left for the letters or devices thin pieces of mother-of-pearl or of other
luminous shell, so that the same may be seen through the glass, giving
the letters or devices an illuminated appearance, the effect produced
being novel and attractive. The pearl should be attached to the glass
by any suitable transparent cement or varnish.
For the purpose of producing an embossed effect I paint the letters on
the back of the glass with any suitable transparent varnish to the thick-
ness of about an eighth of an inch, more or less. When dry I gild them;
the body of the letters will then appear in dull gold, and their edges or
outline in bright gold. The varnish I prefer to employ is a mixture of
white turpentine varnish and ground glass.
The ordinary mode of producing embossed letters or devices on glass.
is to cover the glass with an acid resisting material, except at those parts
where the letters or devices have to be produced. These uncovered parts
are then eaten away to a certain depth by acid, after which the acid
resisting material is removed; the embossed letters are then usually
filled in with gold, which appears as dull gold in the body of the letters,
while their edges or outline appear as bright gold. The great objection
to this mode of embossing is that in case any portion of the sheet of
other
any
glass becomes damaged the whole is useless for
the
purpose,
embossing being permanent. Now by my process, as above described, I
produce the same effect at less cost, while the letters can be removed in
case of need.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Stephen Joseph James Kelly in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 12th August 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STEPHEN
JOSEPH JAMES KELLY, of Cubitt Town, in the County of Middlesex,
Glass Tablet Writer, send greeting.
8

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto I, the said Stephen Joseph James Kelly,
Her special licence that I, the said Stephen Joseph James Kelly,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Stephen Joseph James Kelly, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING LETTERS OR
OTHER DEVICES UPON GLASS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Stephen Joseph James Kelly, 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

page_text: In carrying out this part of my Invention I produce the edges of the
letters or devices in burnished silver or gold in the manner well under-
stood by writers, care being taken to back the outline with a material
which will not be affected by the turpentine in the cement or varnish
herein-after described. I then apply to the surface of the letters or
devices with a soft camel's-hair brush a cement or varnish composed by
preference of 3 parts of Damar varnish and one part of clear boiled
linseed oil. This cement or varnish is of such a nature that it will not
set until there has been sufficient time for applying the pearl, as herein.
after explained, and that it will subsequently harden and hold the
work together in a firm and permanent manner. The pieces of pearl,
after receiving a light touch with a brush charged with some of the
same cement are embedded in the cement on the glass, the larger pieces
being (in the case of larger letters or devices) interspersed with smaller
pieces, and small pearl is then dusted over the whole. The glass is
raised, and the superfluous dust thrown off, and there will then be seen
on examining the glass in front a beautiful effect, being in fact inlaid
work in mother-of-pearl (or other luminous shell). In some cases, for
small letters for instance, the dusting with small shell will be dispensed
with. The surrounding portions of the glass are covered at the back (when
required) with any suitable ground or field, and this may be done either
at the commencement of the process (as herein-before mentioned), or at
the termination, according to the nature of the material used.
j For the purpose of producing an embossed effect upon glass, according
to the second part of my Invention, I fill in the letters on the back of
the glass (the bright edge being already produced) with any suitable
transparent varnish to the thickness of about an eighth of an inch, more
or less. When dry I gild them; the body of the letters will then appear
in dull gold, and their edges or outline in bright gold. The mixture I
employ to give this effect is a mixture of white turpentine varnish and
ground glass.
• The ordinary mode of producing embossed letters or devices on glass
is to cover the glass with an acid resisting material, except at those parts.
where the letters or devices have to be produced. These uncovered parts,
are then eaten away to a certain depth by acid, after which the acid.
resisting material is removed. The embossed letters are then usually
filled in with gold, which appears as dull gold in the body of the letters,.
while their edges or outline appear as bright gold... The great objection:

page_text: to this mode of embossing is that in case any portion of the sheet of glass
becomes damaged the whole is useless for any other purpose, the em-
bossing being permanent. Now by my process, as above described, I
produce the same effect at less cost, while the letters can be removed in
case of need.
The combined effect obtained by disposing the illuminated letters and
embossed letters produced as herein-before described in alternate lines
or otherwise upon the glass is very striking.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. Producing illuminated letters or devices upon glass by means
of mother-of-pearl or other luminous shell, substantially in the manner
herein-before described.
Second. Producing embossed letters or other devices upon glass,
substantially in the manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Joseph James Kelly, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of August One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
2 T T TTT T