A PROCESS TO RENDER GOLD AND SILVER MALLEABLE AND DUCTILE
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gustave Ghesquière, of No. 11, Quai Conti, in the
City of Paris, in the Empire of France, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "A PROCESS TO RENDER GOLD AND SILVER MALLEABLE AND DUCTILE."
Sealed the 24th April 1860, and dated the 29th October 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gustave Ghesquière at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 29th October 1859.
I, GUSTAVE GHESQUIÈRE, of No. 11, Quai Conti, in the City of Paris, in
the Empire of France, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A PROCESS TO RENDER GOLD AND SILVER MALLEABLE AND DUCTILE,'
to be as follows:-
"
Hitherto no method has been known by which gold or silver not sufficiently
malleable for the mint or gold workers generally could be rendered ductile
by one fusion, and in one pot or crucible, and the object of these improvements
is to obtain such result.
The first part of my Invention, relative to the alloying of gold or silver, is
alloying with copper (pure or of good quality), and preserving to these metals,
when united, the same malleability which they possess separately. I melt the
gold or silver by itself, and when sufficiently hot and in a state of fusion, I
throw into the bath one part of the following preparation for every thousand
parts of the metal under treatment, namely, 95 parts of melted borax, and
5 parts of protoxide of manganese. These substances, before use, will have
been melted together, well mixed, run into cakes, and piled with care. The

page_text: addition of these substances in the crucible leaves on the top a fluid matter,
which preserves the copper from oxidation at the moment of adding it to the
gold or silver, by forming a sort of oily coating on the copper upon its
introduction.
The second part of my process relates to the treatment of metals entirely
harsh and brittle, the laminating of which is impossible. To render malleable
and ductile metals which are not so from the presence of some of the bodies, or
one of the substances occasioning its brittleness, I operate as follows:-When
the metallic bath has attained an elevated temperature I direct upon it from
a bellows a current of atmospheric air, which will oxydize the metals inimical
to malleability, and the oxides formed will be seen melted on the surface of
the bath. These oxides are generally very liquid in their nature, and I give
them consistence by throwing into the crucible either vegetable charcoal dust
or coke dust. In this state the oxides are easily withdrawn by an iron spatula,
a little curved at the extremity, and coated with cinder, that the gold may not
attach itself to it. The nature of the process prevents any precise analysis;
but to accelerate these operations, when the foreign metals which give
brittleness to the gold or silver contain no lead, a quantity equal to the pre-
sumed weight of the refractory metals should be added. Any excess of lead
will not injure, but simply retard the operation. There are cases when the
non-malleability of metals is occasioned by foreign bodies, the oxides of which
are dry; in such circumstances they could be withdrawn from the bath without
the addition of the coke or other dust, but to render all the operations uniform
a small quantity of lead or bismuth should be added, in order to give the
oxides the usual fluidity, which considerably abridges the operation of ducti-
lization. If, in consequence of using impure copper (or other cause), the gold
become brittle or barsh, recourse should be had to the preceding means, by
adding a little metallic lead to the bath to facilitate the operation, and in this
case the one-thousandth part of lead will often bring the gold to complete
malleability.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Gustave Ghesquière in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GUSTAVE
GHESQUIÈRE, of No. 11, Quai Conti, in the City of Paris, in the Empire of
France, Gentleman, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me;
the said Gustave Ghesquière, Her special licence that I, the said Gustave
Ghesquière, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Gustave Ghesquière, 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 "A
PROCESS TO RENDER GOLD AND SILVER MALLEABLE AND DUCTILE," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Gustave Ghesquière, 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 Gustave Ghesquière, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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):-
The constant study of directors of mints, refiners, goldsmiths, and all others:
who melt and' work gold and silver, is to obtain these metals very malleable,
and to preserve this quality. And the means to which recourse-lins liitherto
been had for this purpose are, firstly, refining by sulphuric acid; secondly,
successive remeltings in the case of metals eager or brittle yet not so much so
as to render their use impossible; thirdly, cupellation to disengage from these
eager metals the foreign substances which cause their brittleness. But the
first method is long and expensive, the second is often employed without
success, and the third; which is not always more efficacious, is costly, and
occasions the creation of residues containing many rich matters which can
only be treated with advantage in special establishments, and not in mints,
workshops, and similar places. Hitherto, therefore, no means has been
known of rendering ductile by one fusion in the same crucible matters not
sufficiently malleable to be worked in the mint, or by gold or silver smiths, no
matter the quantity to be treated. Gold and silver, pure or alloyed with
copper; are often brittle and eager from the presence in the meta' of larger or

page_text: smaller quantities of lead, zinc, tin, irridium, bismuth, antimony, arsenic, and
oxyde of copper. My processes permit the removal of these substances, which
oppose the malleability of the gold and silver metals, alloyed or not with
copper. When metals allied with copper and small quantities of other metals,
are in question, rendering the matter brittle, the standard does not sensibly
alter, as it is often but the fraction of a thousandth part. The simplicity of
my processes, the small cost of the apparatus and of the substances employed,
permit a single workman to use them with advantage. In mints and establish-
ments making standard gold for working it is usual to alloy gold only with the
first quality of pure copper, which is sometimes only to be obtained at a heavy
charge, but my processes will permit the use of copper of any quality by
discharging from that which is not pure the substances which render it eager
and obstruct its ductility.
The first of my processes, which I will explain, is that of alloying malleable
gold or silver of a high standard with copper, pure or of good quality. To
preserve to these two metals united the malleability which each separately
possesses, I proceed as follows:-I melt the gold or silver by itself in a
suitable crucible, and when the metal is in fusion and suitably heated, I throw
into the bath one part in weight of the following composition for every thou-
sand parts of the metal, namely, ninety-five parts of melted borax, and five
parts of protoxyde of manganese, which, previous to being used, shall have
been melted together, well mixed, run into sheets, and piled with care. The
addition of these substances in the crucible has the effect of leaving at the
surface of the bath a fluid matter, which preserves the copper from oxydation
at the moment of adding it to the gold or silver, as a sort of oily coat, a
preservative from all oxydation, fornis on the surface of the copper at the
moment of introduction to the bath.
I will now describe a second process by which I treat metals completely
brittle or eager, upon which laminating or hammer hardening is impossible.
To render malleable and ductile metals which are not so from the presence of
one of the bodies and one of the substances occasioning their brittleness,
I proceed as follows:-I direct upon the metallic bath, when it has acquired
an elevated temperature, a current of atmospheric air from a bellows; this
current of air will oxydise the metals which oppose the malleability, and the
oxydes which form will present themselves melted on the top of the bath.
These oxydes, from their nature, are generally very liquid, and I give them
consistence by throwing into the crucible either vegetable coal dust or coke
dust. In this state the oxydes are easily removed by an iron spatula, slightly
curved at the end, and coated with a luting of ashes that the gold may not adhere

page_text: to it. This process, from its nature, dispenses with any precise analysis, but
to accelerate the operations it is requisite, if amongst the foreign metals which
give brittleness to the gold or silver there be no lead to add a quantity of this
last metal equal to the presumed weight of the refractory metals. Any excess
of lead can only retard the operation without other detriment. Cases present
themselves when the non-malleability of the metal is occasioned by foreign
bodies, of which the oxydes are dry, and in such cases they may be withdrawn
from the bath without the addition of the coal dust. But to render the
operations uniform, it is desirable that a small quantity of lead or bismuth be
added to communicate to the oxydes the usual fluidity, which also quickens
the process of ductilization.
of ductilization. If from the use of impure copper in the alloying,
or from other undetermined cause, the gold has become eager and brittle,
recourse should be had to the above process, adding to the bath a little metallic
lead to facilitate the operation.
In witness whereof, I, the said Gustave Ghesquière, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
Je certifie comme véritable la Signature
de Mr. G. Ghesquière
F. GAZIN,
à la Monnaie de Paris.
G. GHESQUIERE. (L.S.)