IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF METALLIC SURFACES AND ARTICLES OF VARIOUS FORMS BY CHEMICAL MEANS AND THE ELECTRO-DEPOSITION OF METALS, WHICH SURFACES OR ARTICLES ARE PRODUCED EITHER HIGHLY POLISHED, DEAD OR Matted, wanza AD AUDITSE ORNAMENTED.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Tony Petitjean, of Islington, in the County of
Middlesex, Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PRODUCTION OF METALLIC SURFACES AND ARTICLES OF VARIOUS FORMS BY
CHEMICAL MEANS AND THE ELECTRO-DEPOSITION OF METALS, WHICH SURFACES
OR ARTICLES ARE PRODUCED EITHER HIGHLY POLISHED, DEAD OR Matted,
wanza AD AUDITSE ORNAMENTED.
"
Sealed the 3rd June 1873, and dated the 5th December 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Tony Petitjean at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th December 1872.
I, TONY - PETITJEAN, of Islington, in the County of Middlesex,
Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF METALLIC SURFACES AND ARTICLES OF VARIOUS
FORMS BY CHEMICAL MEANS AND THE ELECTRO-DEPOSITION OF METALS, WHICH
SURFACES OR ARTICLES ARE PRODUCED EITHER HIGHLY POLISHED, DEAD OR MATTED,
ENGRAVED, OR OTHERWISE ORNAMENTED," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates; first, to the production of very highly polished
or reflective surfaces and articles either flat or varied in form, such
surfaces consisting either of gold, silver, platinum, nickel, or other

page_text: metals; and this part of my improvements is carried out by employing
glass moulds or surfaces representing the object or articles to be repro-
duced by first depositing by chemical means upon such moulds or
surfaces a thin coat of the desired metal required for the outer or
polished surface of the object or article it is intended to produce. This 5
thin coating of gold, silver, or other metal is deposited upon
the surface
of the glass by means of a chemical solution of the particular metal to
be deposited, consisting of a mineral salt or oxide of such metal in com-
bination with one or several alkaline vegetable salts, depending upon the
particular metal to be deposited.
Having thus deposited a coating of gold, silver, or other metal upon
the surface of the glass mould I; afterwards thicken the same by con-
tinuing to deposit a further coating thereon of the same or an inferior or
cheaper metal by. electro-deposition, as is well understood.
When the deposit has attained the desired thickness it is detached
from the glass mould (which in some cases it may be necessary to
destroy), and the surface of the metal which was deposited upon the
glass will have received a polish or surface corresponding therewith.
"
In order to produce objects or articles in metal with a dead or matted
surface in accordance with my improvements I employ glass moulds,
and those portions which are intended to produce dead or matted effects
upon the metal deposited thereon, as previously described, are ground
abraded with sand or by other means, as is well understood.
In order to produce very perfect or uniform dead or fine dull metallic
surfaces upon objects or articles the ground glass portions of the moulds
are submitted to the action of a weak solution of fluoric acid, by which
means very beautiful and novel effects are produced upon the metallic
surface deposited thereon. Those portions of such glass moulds which
are left unground will produce highly polished surfaces, as previously
described, and any device or ornamental design engraved or in relief
upon or applied to the mould will be reproduced upon the metal surface
deposited thereon.
I'do not limit my improvements to the use of glass moulds exclusively,
although I prefer to employ such moulds in all cases to which they are
applicable on-account of their resistance to the action of the chemical
solutions employed for depositing metal thereon; and in some cases I
find it advantageous to employ moulds in accordance with my Invention
1

page_text: composed partly of glass and partly or wholly of other suitable sub-
stances, such as stearine or stearic acid, paraffine, scaling wax, or other
like substances or materials which are capable of receiving thin, fine,
delicate, and compact deposits of metals from chemical solutions of such
metals in the manner previously described.
When using the above substances or materials for moulds in accord-
ance with this part of my improvements, I take great care in making
and preparing them from models of the objects or articles to be repro-
duced, in order that exact copies of the originals may be obtained, not
only in regard to their shape, outline, or ornamental character, but also
so as to obtain a perfect reproduction or representation of the surfaces,
however delicate, of the original models from which such moulds arc
taken without any subsequent finish being required to be given to the
surface of the object or article thus reproduced by the deposition of
metals upon such moulds.
In order to ensure a perfect deposition of the previous thin coat of
metal from the chemical solutions employed when using substances or
materials other than glass, I take care to select and employ substances
or materials for making the moulds which will not prejudicially act or
be acted upon by the particular chemical solution employed for
depositing the thin coat of metal thereon, as previously described in the
first part of my improvements, as the fineness of the surface of the thin
coat of metal constitutes one of the most important features of my
improvements.
By varying the chemical combination of the solutions employed in
carrying out my improvements, various substances may be employed for
the moulds, so as to obtain a perfect deposition of the thin coat of metal
thereon.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in
the thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Tony Petitjean, Her special
license that I, the said Tony Petitjean, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Tony Petitjean,
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 PRODUCTION OF METALLIC SURFACES AND ARTICLES OF
VARIOUS FORMS BY CHEMICAL MEANS AND THE ELECTRO-DEPOSITION OF METALS,
WHICH SURFACES OR ARTICLES ARE PRODUCED EITHER HIGHLY POLISHED, DEAD OR
MATTED, ENGRAVED OR OTHERWISE ORNAMENTED," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Tony Petitjean, 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 per-
formed, 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 Tony Petitjean, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates, first, to the production of very highly polished
or reflective surfaces and articles either flat or varied in form, such
surfaces consisting either of gold, silver, platinum, nickel, or other
metals; and this part of my improvements is carried out by employing
glass moulds or surfaces representing the object or articles to be repro-
duced by first depositing by chemical means upon such moulds or.
surfaces a thin coat of the desired metal required for the outer or
polished surface of the object or article it is intended to produce. This
thin coating of gold, silver, or other metal is deposited upon the surface
of the glass by means of a chemical solution of the particular metal to
be deposited, consisting of a mineral salt or oxide of such metal in

page_text: combination with one or several alkaline vegetable salts, depending upon
the particular metal to be deposited.
Having thus deposited a coating of gold, silver, or other metal upon
the surface of the glass mould, I afterwards thicken the same by con-
tinuing to deposit a further coating thereon of the same or an inferior or
cheaper metal by electro-deposition, as is well understood.
When the deposit has attained the desired thickness it is detached
from the glass mould (which in some cases it may be necessary to
destroy), and the surface of the metal which was deposited upon the
glass will have received a polish or surface corresponding therewith.
In order to produce objects or articles in metal with a dead or matted
surface in accordance with my improvements I employ glass moulds,
and those portions which are intended to produce dead or matted effects
upon the metal deposited thereon, as previously described, are ground
or abraded with sand or by other means, as is well understood.
In order to produce very perfect or uniform dead or fine dull metallic
surfaces upon objects or articles, the ground glass portions of the mould
are submitted to the action of a weak solution of fluoric acid, by which
means very beautiful and novel effects are produced upon the metallic
surface deposited thereon. Those portions of such glass moulds which
are left unground will produce highly polished surfaces, as previously
described, and any device or ornamental design engraved or in relief
upon or applied to the mould will be reproduced upon the metal surface
deposited thereon.
I do not limit my improvements to the use of glass moulds exclusively,
although I prefer to employ such moulds in all cases to which they are
applicable on account of their resistance to the action of the chemical
solutions employed for depositing metal thereon; and in some cases I
find it advantageous to employ moulds in accordance with my Invention
composed partly of glass and partly or wholly of other suitable sub-
stances, such as stearine or stearic acid, paraffine, sealing wax, or other
like substances or materials which are capable of receiving thin fine,
delicate, and compact deposits of metals from chemical solutions of such
metals in the manner previously described.
When using the above substances or materials for moulds in accord-
ance with this part of my improvements, I take great care in making and

page_text: preparing them from models, of the objects or articles to be reproduced,
in order that exact copies of the originals may be obtained, not only in
regard to their shape, outline, or ornamental character, but also so as to
obtain a perfect reproduction or representation of the surfaces, however
delicate, of the original models from which such moulds are taken,
without any subsequent finish being required to be given to the surface
of the object or article thus reproduced by the deposition of metals upon
such moulds.
•
In order to ensure a perfect deposition of the previous thin coat of
metal from the chemical solutions employed when using. substances or
materials other than glass, I take care to select and employ substances
or materials for making the mould which will not prejudicially act or
be acted upon by the particular chemical solution employed for
depositing the thin coat of metal thereon, as previously described in the
first part of my improvements, as the fineness of the surface of the thin
coat of metal constitutes one of the most important features of my
improvements.
By varying the chemical combination of the solutions employed in
carrying out my improvements, various substances may be employed for
the moulds, so as to obtain a perfect deposition of the thin coat of metal
thereon.
carrying out my improvements, various substances may be employed for
the moulds, so as to obtain a perfect deposition of the thin coat of metal a
thereon.
In witness whereof, I, the said Tony Petitjean, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.