Iм- PROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF PRODUCING ORNAMENTATION ON PORCELAIN, GLASS, METAL, AND OTHER SURFACES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of." Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF PRODUCING ORNAMENTATION ON PORCELAIN,
GLASS, METAL, AND OTHER SURFACES."-A communication from abroad by
Frédéric Kuhlmann, Professor, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris.
Sealed the 24th January 1865, and dated the 9th August 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with. his Petition, on the 9th
August 1864.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF PRODUCING ORNAMENTATION
PORCELAIN, GLASS, METAL, AND OTHER SURFACES," to be as follows:-
ON
This Invention relates to improved methods of decoratingand ornamenting
glass, metals, papers, and other fabrics, which consist, 1st, in producing various
designs or crystallized ornamentation of all kinds on polished surfaces, such as
glass, porcelain, me tals, or others, by the application thereon in a cold state of
Prica 8d.1

page_text: saline solutions, or other crystallizable matters, either alone or combined with
amorphous substances, and facilitating the formation of large crystalline
configurations by the aid of gum, dextrine, gelatine, or other suitable matter.
The designs are formed, as well understood, by the crystallization of the salts
or other matters, the crystals of which never dispose or combine themselves
alike. The ornamentation may also be varied by changing the salts in this
manner, the very element itself of the design, viz., the small crystal, will
assume another form, and the design be entirely changed in appearance. The
amorphous or non-crystallizable substances, which may in certain cases be
added to the saline solutions, are absorbed in the crystallization, and become
part of the crystals themselves.
The Invention consists, 2ndly, in protecting, fixing, and preserving these
desigus produced by crystallization in the manner described from the action
of water, by means of mastic or other varnish, or chemical compositions, con-
sisting of collodiou, or it may be pyroxiline dissolved in ether, which are
afterwards fixed by exposing the design to a sufficiently high temperature to
vitrify the saline combinations obtained by crystallization.
3rdly, in chemically transforming thebodies so disposed in crystallizedsheets
by means of various reactions; for example, I may transform these bodies,
into sulphurets by exposing them to the vapours of hydrosulphate of ammonia
which become decomposed thereby; in the same manner sulphate of copper
may be employed, which will produce sulphuret of copper, serving to preserve
the crystalline properties of the sulphate.
4thly, in reproducing by the aid of photography, engraving, galvanoplasty,
moulding, or means of gutta percha, with sheets of lead or copper, or
other known process, the designs obtained in the manner described by
crystallization, with a view to obtain copper plates for printing paper or
fabrics, or moulds for reproducing designs. In the case of continuous designs
intended for printing paper, hangings, or fabrics, I fix the primitive designs
on rollers.
5thly, in the application of the above-described methods for fixing and
producing frosted designs on glass or metallic plates, the operations being
effected at very low temperatures.
6thly, in obtaining plain or other colored crystallized designs, whether the
colors be obtained by means of solutions of colored salts, or artificially colored,
either before or after crystallization.
7thly, in the reproduction by engraving with aquafortis or hydrofluoric acid
of crystallized designs on sheets of copper, steel, or glass, by forming reserves
on said sheets, which are coated with crystals in the manner already described.

page_text: These reserves are produced at all points not occupied by the crystals, which
may be readily ascertained on washing with water, when the crystals in
question become dissolved. The resinous solution above mentioned is obtained
by dissolving one part of gum lac in six to eight parts of alcohol, containing
90 to 95 per cent. of spirit. If the design is on metal, the resinous varnish
is applied, and after drying washed with water, which removes the soluble
parts, and leaves a resinous negative, when by the action of nitric acid on the
denuded parts an engraving is produced. If the design be on glass instead.
of metal, the method is the same, with the exception that instead of nitric
acid hydrofluoric acid is employed.
8thly, in an improved. method of engraving on glass by the aid of hydro-
fluoric acid, obtained by displacing said acid with sulphuric acid, the latter
acting on certain insoluble fluorides, such as, for example,fluorides of calcium,
barium, or strontium, applied on the glass either during the formation of the
crystallized surfaces before described, or by means of a brush or transfer from
an impression on paper.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARE, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark,
my executors,administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Clark, 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 MEANS OF PRODUCING ORNAMENTATION ON PORCELAIN, GLASS, METAL, AND
OTHER SURFACES," a communication to me from abroad by Frédéric Kuhlmann,
Professor, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that I, the said William Clark, 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 Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to improved methods of decorating and ornamenting
glass, metals, papers, and other fabrics, which consists, 1st, in producing
varied designs or crystalline ornamentation on all kinds of polished surfaces,
such as glass, porcelain, metals, or others, by the application thereon in a cold
state of saline solutions or other crystallizable matters, either alone or
combined with amorphous insoluble substances held in suspension, and in
facilitating the formation of large crystalline configurations by thickening the
concentrated solutions with gum, dextrine, or gelatine, the two former being
the most suitable for the purpose. Any solid matter may be held in suspension
in these solutions, including mineral colors, colored enamels, or others, pro-
vided they are finely pulverized, or in the form of hydrates; other liquids,
such as alcohol, for example, may also serve as a solvent. Similar abnormal
crystallizations may also be obtained with water in which the above solid
matters have been diluted, which are then frosted in thin layers. By the slow
evaporation of the water the solid matters will remain deposited on the glass
or metal while retaining their crystalline arrangement, and may be fixed or
reproduced by the processes herein-after indicated in the course of the
present description.
The Invention consists, 2ndly, in protecting, fixing, and preserving these
designs produced by crystallization in the manner described from the action of
water or friction by means of mastic or other varnish, or collodion, which
designs are afterwards fixed by exposure to a sufficiently high temperature to
Collodion and
vitrify the saline combinations obtained by crystallization.
varnish serve merely as superficial means of fixing the designs, but if colored
enamels in powder are employed in the crystallization, and even when the
enamel forms part of the design produced by freezing the water in which
they are diluted, they may after the slow evaporation of the water be fixed by
vitrification in a muffle furnace, such as used for paintings on glass.
3rdly, in chemically transforming the bodies so disposed in crystallized

page_text: sheets by means of various reactions; for example, I may transform these
bodies into sulphurets by exposing them to the vapours of hydrosulphate of
ammonia, which become decomposed thereby; in the same manner sulphate
of copper may be employed, which will produce sulphuret of copper, serving
to preserve the crystalline properties of the sulphate,
4thly, in reproducing copper plates (stereotypes) by the aid of photography,
engraving, and galvanoplasty, moulding by means of gutta percha, or pre-
cipitation by the galvanoplastic process; these stereotype plates of copper
may also be produced by simple pressure between rollers, or in hydraulic
presses by the compression of sheets of iron, steel, or German silver, having
the crystalline designs applied thereonagainst sheets of annealed copper, which
latter will serve for printing papers, fabrics, leather, and other substances.
In order to obtain continuous designs suitable for paper hangings and fabrics,
I produce the original designs on rollers of cast iron or steel, and transfer
them by pressure on to plates or rollers of annealed copper or other soft
metal, the latter serving for impressing or producing plates or rollers with
designs in relief. The designs, as applied on paper for the production of
bank notes, especially when printing with blue ink on paper with a yellowish
ground, would prevent the possibility of forgery.
5thly, in the application of the above-described methods for fixing and
producing frosted designs on glass or metallic plates, the operations being
effected at very low temperatures. Frosted designs produced on steel plates
at a temperature not lower than about twenty-three degrees Fahrenheit may
be produced concave in lead or annealed copper by means of rollers, and then
reproduced by direct impression or by the production of relief plates. The
designs on metal plates with solid bodies disposed in the form of crystals by
freezing water may be produced in a similar manner after the slow evaporation
of the water, and if these bodies consist in vitrifiable enamels, they may be
fixed by means of heat. The designs obtained with saline matters and gum
may often be beautifully modified by effecting their crystallization at tem-
peratures below the freezing point of water, which presents one means of
varying the designs.
6thly, the Invention consists in producing colored crystalline designs, either
by applying color on the glass, by fixing the design by means of colored
varnish, or lastly, by an alcoholic solution of fuschine or other derivative of
aniline or suitable color.
7thly, in the reproduction of the crystalline designs on sheets of copper
by engraving with aquafortis, on steel by engraving with hydrofluoric acid,

page_text: and on glass by forming reserves on said sheetshaving the crystalline designs
produced in the mauner already described with a resinous alcoholic solution.
These reserves preserve the surface from the action of the acid, taking effect
at all points not occupied by the crystals, which may be readilyascertained on
washing with water, when the crystals in question become dissolved. The
resinous solution abovementioned is obtained bydissolving one part of gum lac
in six to eight parts of alcohol containing ninety to ninety-fiveper cent.of spirit.
If the design is on metal, the resinous varnish is applied, and after drying
washed with water, which removes the soluble parts, and leaves a resinous
negative; an engraving may then be produced by the action of the nitric acid
on the denuded parts. If the design be on glass instead of metal, the method
is the same, with the exception that instead of nitric acid hydrofluoric acid is
employed. In order to produce abnormal crystallizations on glass or porcelain,
it is simply necessary to expose the sheet of glass or porcelain objects coated
with the crystals to the action of the vapors of hydrofluoric acid; in this
manner the access of the vapors to the surface of the glass or porcelain is
more or less retarded by the inequalities in the thickness of the crystallizations,
all the details being thus perfectly reproduced. Glasses so engraved may be
silvered by a process based on the reduction of nitrate of silver used for
silvering looking glasses. Crystalline designs are thus obtained possessing
all the metallic lustre of silver. I can also by a similar process precipitate
other metals after silvering in the manner described, as I may gild silver film
by precipitating gold with a bath of cyanide of potassium containing chloride
of gold in solution, the precipitation being facilitated by the simultaneous
contact of a zinc plate with a film of silver and gold bath, or it may be pro-
duced by the aid of a galvanic pile. In this manner I obtain sheets of glass
having crystallizations presenting the appearance of gold on the one side and
silver on the other.
Sthly, the Invention consists in an improved method of engraving on glass
by the aid of hydrofluoric acid, displacing said acid from its combination with
certain fluorides insoluble in water by means of gaseous sulphuric acid, or
preferably liquid concentrated sulphuric acid. The fluorides in question are
applied on the glass during the formation of the crystalline designs, as before
described, or they may be applied with a brush, or by transfer from an
impression on paper. For engraving on glass in this manner fluorides of
copper and ziuc give the best results. It is sufficient to simply immerse the
sheets of glass covered with the crystalline designs (produced by the deposit
of fluorides of copper, or it may be the same fluoride applied with a brush

page_text: and a little gum water, by the aid of hard brushes and plates of copper having
the designs cut out, or, lastly, by transfer,) in the sulphuric acid for several
hours; in this manner a very perfect engraving may be produced.
This improved process is also suitable for engraving on porcelain as well as
glass, the silvering and gilding processes being also applicable.
In order to obtain crystalline designs at a low temperature I do not limit
myself to the temperature of the air in winter, but also employ artificial cold
obtained by mixing ice and salt, or other freezing mixtures. The sheets of
glass or metal covered with a thin layer of water or of the crystallizable sub-
stance are placed in the mixtures, so as to obtain a large surface of contact.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the production of ornamental designs similar to the frosting of window
glass, but varied in arrangement by means of solutions of crystallizable matters
applied in thin layers on suitable polished surfaces.
Secondly, I claim fixing the designs by means of varnish collodion, or
more effectually by vitrification in cases where enamels are employed in the
crystallizations.
Thirdly, I claim employing vitrification as a means of fixing the frosted
designs in which enamels or vitrifiable matters have been introduced after
being diluted in water, and applied in thin layers on the glass, to be after-
wards submitted to a freezing process, in the manner described.
Fourthly, Iclaimreproducingcrystallinedesigns with crystallizablesolutions,
saline or otherwise, and also frosted designs by the aid of photography or
galvanoplasty, and by pressing the crystalline desigus on sheets of copper, the
operation in the case of frosting being effected at low temperatures. Lastly,
I claim as an important feature under this head of the Invention the re-
production of designs, frosted or otherwise, on paper or fabrics with copper
plates, obtained in the manner described.
Fifthly, I claim applying these impressions for the manufacture of bank
note and other similar paper.
Sixthly, I claim reproducing, by means of engraving, the crystalline or other
designs produced on glass with a brush by transfer from the crystallizations, or
by the application with a brush of metallic fluorides, and particularly those of
copper and zinc, said designs being submitted to the action of hydrosulphuric
gas, or preferably to that of concentrated sulphuric acid.
Seventhly, 1 claim reproducing these crystalline designs on porcelain or
glass, by exposing the articles so covered with the designs to the action of the

page_text: vapors of hydrofluoric acid. The articles engraved according to these two
methods may be afterwards gilt or silvered in the ordinary way of silvering
looking glasses.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.