IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL SURFACES ON METAL AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, THOMAS
SKINNER, of Sheffield, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of
August (One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one), in the fifteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Skinner, my exors, adñors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas
Skinner, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Skinner, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL SURFACES ON METAL AND OTHER
MATERIALS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I,
the said Thomas Skinner, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Skinner, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of certain means herein described of producing orna-
mental surfaces on metal; and, secondly, my Invention consists of certain
means of ornamenting ivory and bone.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me, first,
however, remarking that this part of my Invention consists chiefly of the
use of the combined processes of transferring impressions from engraved or
printed surfaces on to metal, and electro-plating or electro-gilding them after
biting out the metal, so as to leave the desired design sunk or in relief.
The process of transferring impressions from copper or other plates, or
from lithographic or other printing surfaces, to china and to zine and steel
being well known, little description thereof will be necessary, in order to
enable a workman to perform this process on metal which is afterwards to be
electro-plated or electro-gilded. The metal surfaces to be treated according
to this part of my Invention are to be well cleansed, which I usually do
by rubbing with wash leather and powdered lime. On to the clean surfaces,
impressions, taken by preference on tissue paper, are to be placed face down-
wards, and these are to be rubbed with flannel or other suitable material,
after which the paper is to be washed or sponged off. If stronger paper is
used for taking the impressions, then I cause the back of the paper to be
smeared over with black lead and to be rubbed with a smooth ivory surface or
other hard smooth surface, after which the paper may be stripped off from the
metal surfaces; I then take a dissolved gum (preferring for this purpose guin
guaiacum dissolved in spirits of wine), and by means of a camel's hair brush or
otherwise I lay a ground or coating of it over the metal; after this ground or
coating is dry, I use a little cotton wool or other suitable material dipped in
turpentine, and I wash off the impression, which may readily be done, as the
gum does not fix itself to the impression. By these means the metal where
the impression previously covered it will be left clean, and will allow of the
same being bitten out with acid, in like manner to that practised by engravers
and etchers. After the design has been bitten out the coating or ground is to
be removed; or in place of proceeding in the manner above explained, when
an impression has been transferred on to a surface of metal, in place of
applying a ground or coating as before stated, I reverse the process and stop
the acid from acting on the part of the metal where the impression is made,

page_text: by which the ornament or design will be left in relief; for this purpose, when
the impression has been obtained on to the metal, I dust over the same resin,
asphaltum, or other suitable matter in powder, which will adhere to the
impression and not to the clean metal, and I dust off the superfluous quantity,
and I cause the matter thus implied to melt by warming the metal, and this
application of material will resist the acid when the other parts of the surface
are bitten out thereby, after which the impression is to be removed by a
suitable solvent; and in order that the metal surfaces thus treated may be
rendered most fit for being electro-plated or electro-gilded, the effect of the
acid on the metal is to be removed, which I do by means of hot water
having dissolved therein a small quantity of potash or soda, and then by
scratching with a wire brush, as is well understood. The metal surfaces thus
prepared by the aid of transferred impressions and by being bitten out are
then to be electro-plated or electro-gilded as heretofore practised, and as is
well understood. I would state that although this part of my Invention
consists chicfly of employing the combined processes herein described for
producing ornamental surfaces on metals, it is new and a very advantageous
means of producing ornamental surfaces on Britannia metal and German
silver, simply to transfer impressions and to bite them out with acid without
the aid of the further process of electro-plating or electro-gilding; and it
constitutes part of my Invention thus to ornament these two metals.
I will now prcoeed to describe the second part of my Invention, which has
for its object the ornamenting surfaces of ivory and bone; and this I do in the
following manner :-I cause an impression to be transferred on to ivory or
bone in the manner above described, after which I cover the surface with a
coating or ground of gum, as before explained, and remove the impression
with turpentine, and then by the application of diluted acid the pores of the
ivory or bone are opened, and by the aid of ink or dye the parts where the
impression was received may be dyed, or the same may be dyed without the
application of acid, or the parts may be bitten out with acid, in like manner to
what has been described for metal surfaces, and the work may be filled in
with sealing wax dissolved in spirits of wine or other suitable solvent, or gum
lac or other substance may be used in place of scaling wax, and the work
may be buffed, which will give a high polish.
Javing thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the details as herein described, and the same may be varied without
departing from my Invention so long as the peculiar character of either of my
improvements be retained; but what I claim is,

page_text: First, the means herein described of producing ornamental surfaces on
metals.
And, secondly, I claim the means herein described of producing ornamental
surfaces on ivory and bone.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh
day of February, in the year of our Lord Christ One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-two.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Thomas Skinner in
the presence of us,
Devox
THOMAS (L.S.) SKINNER.