IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FORMATION OF PLASTERED CEILINGS AND CORNICES, BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO WALL SURFACES GENERALLY
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Humphry Turner, of Sheffield, in the County of
York, Iron, Steel, and Wire Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FORMATION OF PLASTERED CEILINGS AND CORNICES,
BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO WALL SURFACES GENERALLY.'
"
Sealed the 26th March 1872, and dated the 29th September 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Humphry Turner
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th September 1871.
'
"
I, HUMPHRY TURNER, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Iron,
Steel, and Wire Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FORMATION OF PLASTERED CELLINGS
AND CORNICES, BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO WALL SURFACES GENERALLY," to be
as follows:-
k
My Invention consists of the following:-In the ordinarily constructed
ceilings the wooden laths are nailed to the joists, the plastering being
attached thereto and the ceiling finished, by which method crackings,

page_text: sinkings, and bulgings frequently occur, and this in the most costly and
bigbly finished work; now, to obviate this, is one of the objects of this
Invention, the same system of construction being also applicable to
walls of rooms and apartments generally, and is described as follows:
:-
I use drawn or rolled wire instead of laths, and commence my work of
plastering a ceiling, as follows:- I take a coarse kind of cloth or other
material and lay it under the floor joist, fastening it to the bond timber
in the walls, or if there is no bond timber I would plug the wall, this
cloth or material being stretched tight by means of nails to form a key
for the plaster. I then fix a number of points or needles with eyes at
such distances as may be required for my wire; these points or needles I
fix in the bond timber, also in the joists; this being done, I fasten the
wire to one of the needles in the wall and pass it through all the
needles fixed in the joist, and so through all the needles or eyes
fixed in each wall and joist, the whole of the wire is then strained
and made tight, or it may be done with separate pieces of wire and made
tight at each end. The wire is cut in as many lengths as required for
the ceiling. Thus one way of the joist being fixed with wire, I now
commence the reverse way of the joist, and instead of using the joist,
I make use of the bridging or struts between the joist which are placed
to keep the joists stiff, and place the needles in the bond timber in the
walls and the bridging of the joist, as before described.
I now commence to pass my wire through the various needles from
wall to wall, only in this I interlace my wire into the first series of wires
that were put on, and thereby keep the whole firm and capable of bearing
the weight of plaster when it is laid on in the ordinary way. The
plasterer may now proceed to lay on the plaster.
I would observe that the eyes of the needles are sufficiently large to
allow full play for the wire, so that if there is any shrinking or warping
of the joists, which is a common occurence, it would not affect the
ceiling, because the ceiling would be dependent on the walls, the joists
only being used to hang the wire to, and not as now the laths nailed
closely to the joists and altogether free from the walls, therefore any
displacement occurring in the joists or any shrinking of the wood laths
the ceilings must crack or bulge.
For cornices the same improvements may be effected, using less
material and with greater expedition in labour, brackets being cut to

page_text: the shape of the mould required for the cornice, and wires attached
thereto..
a
On this principle the plasterer and decorators' work may be
carried on and completely got ready for fixing in mansions as soon
as the floors are ready for laying, this may be all done in parts at the
plasterer and decorators' workshop, substituting stoothing or false
framing for the walls, and false joists for the ceiling; the whole may be
securely fixed with my before described method of receiving the
plastering to the floor joists and walls; by adopting this method houses
may be papered, pictures hung, and all furnished at once, without
the fear and annoyance of having the most costly objects spoiled by
damp walls.
•
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Humphry Turner in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th March 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HUMPHRY
TURNER, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Iron, Steel, and Wire
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victória, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Humphry Turner; Her special
licence that I, the said Humphry Turner, my executors, adminis-
trators, and' assigns, or such others as I, the said Humphry Turner,
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 THE FORMATION OF PLASTERED CEILINGS AND CORNICES,
BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO WALL SURFACES GENERALLY," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Humphry Turner, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or

page_text: 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 Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Humphry Turner, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
.
5
My Invention consists of the following:-In the ordinary way 1
ceilings are constructed of laths nailed closely to the joists, and the
plastering being attached thereto, by which method sinkings, bulgings,
and cracks frequently occur, and this in the most costly and highly
finished work. Now to obviate this is one of the objects of this
Invention, the same system of construction being applicable to walls of 1
rooms, and is described as follows :-
I use wire or other strong material of sufficient strength to carry the
weight of plaster to be attached thereto, which I roll or draw to the
shape shewn on Drawing, Fig. 1 representing front view, and Fig. 2
section of same. My wire being cut in lengths, according to the size of 2
the ceiling or wall to bo plastered, I commence my work by stretching
coarse cloth or other material across the joist from wall to wall, nailing
it on one side to the bond timber closely, and stretching the cloth to the
opposite wall and nailing it to the bond timber, as before described,
closely under the joist. I then drive a number of hooks or needles into 2
the bond timber closely under the cloth or other material fixed before.
I then thread as many needles as there are joists with the number of
wires intended to be used, these wires may be fixed from half an inch to
one and a quarter inch apart, having as many needles as required on all
my wires.
.
. I now proceed to fix my wires by turning the ends at right angles.
and dropping them into the hooks or needles fixed in the bond
timber. The needles before described which were placed on the
wires are now driven into the joist, care must be taken that
all those needles shall stand out a regular distance from the
joists so that the surface of the wire may be even, and that the
wires may have full freedom or play. The wires being thus suspended

page_text: from the joist and being securely fastened to the walls cannot be
affected by any shrinking or warping of the joist, as the wires would
have full play through the eyes of the needles. The wires all being
fixed in the manner before described, I proceed to lay on the plaster
in the usual way and in this matter thero will be a great saving of
labour and material. By the means of this Invention of suspended
ceilings laths are entirely dispensed with, which doubtless has been
the prime cause of those cracks and disfigurements in ceilings, laths
being sometimes very thin and at no time so thick but they get
saturated with the first coat of plaster that is laid on, and is kept
in this state more or less while the second third coats of plaster are
laid on, and when the work is completed and the room apparently dry
the laths still remain not dry, but when fires become regularly used
in the room, then the ceilings give way in consequence of the shrinking
of the laths.
Architects and builders frequently get censured for not having
a proper amount of labour used in the work or for doing it with
bad materials, while everything has been done that skill could suggest,
and no niggardliness has been allowed in procuring the best materials.
The wire suspended ceilings, with good workmanship and materials, the
ceilings will be always agreeable to look at, having a freedom from
the before-named defects.
For cornices the same improvement may be effected by using less
material and with greater expedition in labour. Brackets being cut
and fixed the shape of the mould required, the cloth attached covering
the brackets would prevent a large quantity of material being wasted, as
is now the case in cornice work. The wire may now be stretched from
wall to wall, as described for ceilings.
On this principle the plasterers' and decorators' work may be carried
on and completely got ready for fixing in mansions as soon as the floors
are got ready for laying at their workshops by substituting stoothing or
false framing for the walls, also framework for the ceilings which may
be securely fixed to the joists.
By adopting these methods, houses may be papered, pictures hung,
; and all furnished at once without the fear and annnoyance of having the
most costly objects spoiled by damp walls costly objects spoiled by damp

page_text: Having thus described the nature and objects of my said Invention,
I declare that what I claim and desire to be secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
Firstly. The rolling or drawing of wire or other suitable material to
the shape or configuration shewn on Drawing.
a
And, secondly. The improvements in the formation of plastered ceilings
and cornices, which said Invention is also applicable to wall surfaces,
generally, substantially as herein-before described, or any mere modifica-
tion thereof.
'
In witness whereof, I, the said Humphry Turner, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
HUMPHRY TURNER. (L.S.)