An Improvement in Metal Letters, Figures, or Devices for Advertisement or Ornament.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1887
Complete Left, 29th Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 11th May, 1888
An Improvement in Metal Letters, Figures, or Devices for
Advertisement or Ornament.
I, JAMES WILLING, of No. 366, Gray's Inn Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Advertising Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of convex metal letters,
figures, or devices, for advertisement or ornament; and has, moro especially,
reference to metal letters which are enamelled on their outer surface.
In carrying my invention into effect, I first produce the metal letters, preferably
by stamping them out of a sheet of suitable metal. This process of stamping may be
effected according to the well-known method; or, the letters may be stamped in the
sheet, and then cut out by a cutter rather larger than the letter.
A limb, or member, of a letter or other article produced according to my invention,
is, in cross section, convex to the front, with two narrow flanges, one on each edge.
The advantage of these flanges are as follows.
The enamel is prevented by the flanges from running off while it is in a state of
fusion. The letter can, therefore, be properly enamelled with a smaller number of
coats of enamel than at present, and with a correspondingly decreased number
of firings.
The letter is strengthened by them. It is consequently less liable to be bent, and
the enamel less liable to be cracked, in the act of fixing the letter.
The adhesion of the enamel to the metal is increased.
The adhesion between the letter and the surface upon which it is fixed is improved.
Dated this 11th day of October 1887.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Metal Letters, Figures, or Devices for
Advertisement or Ornament.
I, JAMES WILLING, of No. 366, Grays Inn Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Advertising Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of enamelled convex-
front letters, figures, devices, and analogous articles, (hereinafter called letters),
adapted to be cemented to windows and other surfaces for the purpose of advertisement,
or of ornament; and refers, more particularly, to the manufacture of metal letters
which are produced by stamping, or equivalent process, and enamelled afterwards.
According to the method hitherto pursued in the manufacture of enamelled convex
metal letters, it has been the practice to produce them by stamping, or other
equivalent process, in such a way that when the letter is laid to the glass or other
surface to which it is to be cemented, it will touch said glass only with its edges
which will be flat thereupon.
The process of enamelling letters produced according to the method above described
is the usual one, but in the practical application of the enamelling process to the
letter, it is attended with a very serious drawback, and that is this. As the enamel
material melts under the heat of the muffle, it naturally runs down the sides of the
several parts of the letter, and off at the edges. The lost enamel must be replaced by
more enamel-material, and the letter fired a second time, and a third, if more
enamel runs off.
It is manifest from the foregoing description of the method of manufacture generally
pursued at the present time that the possibility of loss is so great that the cost of
manufacturing a given number of letters is always a matter of considerable uncertainty.
The first operation may be entirely successful, while on the other hand it may be 2
followed by a series of accidents delaying the completion of the work, and doubling
its cost.
According to my present invention, I prevent the above described drawbacks and
losses by forestalling the chance of their occurrence. This is accomplished by forming
a narrow flange along the edge of the letter. This flange projects outward from the
letter-edge, and prevents the enamel-material running off the letter during the process
of firing in the muffle.
In order that my invention, and the means by which the same is to be carried into
practical effect, may be thoroughly understood, I will now proceed to describe it in
detail, referring in so doing to the accompanying figures, which are to be taken as
part of this specification and read therewith, and in which like parts are marked
throughout the figures in which they occur with the same reference letters.

page_text: Figure 1 is a plan of the front face of a metal letter A, prepared according to my
invention and ready for receiving the coating of enamel-material.
Figure 2 is a reverse plan thereof.
Figure 3 is a section taken on the line A-B of Figure 1, with the addition of the
surface, e.g. a window, to which the letter is cemented.
The letters which it is desired to produce may be stamped in the sheet according to
any suitable method. They may be stamped in the sheet at one operation producing
the convex surfaces, a; and then cut out from said sheet by a second operation
severing them along the outer edges of the flanges, b.
But I do not confine myself to any particular method of producing the letter,
provided that the one made use of is adapted for the economical production of a letter
having a surface convex to the front with a narrow flange on each side of said
surface.
When a metal letter, produced in the way above described, is coated with enamel-
material, and placed in the muffle; the said material will not run down the sides of
the convex surface, a, because it is prevented from so doing by the adhesion of the
enamel-material upon the flange, b, to the said flange. The consequence is that the
letter, or whatever may be the particular article in process of manufacture, can be
successfully fired at one firing without the risk of loss of enamel by the enamel-
material running down the sides of the convex surfaces, and off at the edges.
The secondary advantages of my invention are, 1st, the adhesion between the
enamel and the convex side, a, of the metal, and the adhesion of the letter to the
surface, e.g. a glass window, to which it is fixed are both improved; 2nd, the letter is
strengthened; 3rd, the enamel is less likely to be cracked during the process of
fixation.
I have described the application of my invention to letters manufactured out of
stamped sheet metal, but I wish it to be distinctly understood that my invention is
not confined to sheet metal, inasmuch as it is equally applicable to any material upon
which a fired enamel surface can be produced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In letters, figures, devices, and analogous articles, the outer surfaces of which
are enamelled, the combination of convex surfaces, a, with flanges, b, along the sides
thereof; substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. In the process of manufacturing letters, figures, devices, and analogous articles
destined to be enamelled in a muffle, forming a flange along the edge of said letter,
figure device, or analogous article, substantially as for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
D1 1
تيمم
3
M
1 1000