IMPROVEMENTS IN SCULPTURING OR FORMING ORNAMENTAL AND OTHER DEVICES ON AND IN MARBLE, STONE, AND. OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Abdiel Hawkins, of No. 65, Hatton Garden, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SCULPTURING
OR FORMING ORNAMENTAL AND OTHER DEVICES ON AND IN MARBLE, STONE, AND.
OTHER SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 30th April 1867, and dated the 12th November 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Abdiel Hawkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
November 1866.
I, ABDIEL HAWKINS, of No. 65, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SCULPTURING OR FORMING ORNAMENTAL AND OTHER DEVICES ON "AND IN MARBLE,
STONE, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sculpturing or forming
ornamental and other devices on and in marble, stone,' and other substances.
For these purposes blocks or moulds usually of iron or steel are employed
(but other material may be used in forming them) having the reverse of the
devices formed therein or thereon according as the device to be sculptured or
formed is to be in relief or sunk. Such blocks or moulds have a quick motion
imparted to them to and from the surface of the marble, stone, or other
substance, striking the same again and again in quick succession. Water and
sharp sand or other suitable grit is copiously supplied to the surface which is
being sculptured or formed by this process of beating. Thus supposing it-tó

page_text: be desired to produce in relief the profile of a human head the block or
mould would have the device sunk therein, and in regard to other devices -
which are required to be produced more or less in relief or more or less sunk
the blocks or moulds will be formed accordingly with parts of the beating
surface sunk or in relief as required by each particular device. In some cases
it is desirable to perform the rougher parts of the work by hand or by ordinary
carving machines, and to complete the production of the devices by the
successive blows of the moulds .or blocks. In the case of devices which
require undercutting, such undercutting.is.performed_by.hand.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 1
by the said Abdiel Hawkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ABDIEL
HAWKINS, of No. 65, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Abdiel Hawkins, Her special licence that I, the said Abdiel Hawkins, my s
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Abdiel
Hawkins, 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 SCULPTURING
OR FORMING ORNAMENTAL AND OTHER DEVICES ON AND IN MARBLE, STONE, AND
OTHER SUBSTANCES," upon the condition,, (amongst, others) that I, the
said Abdiel Hawkius, my; executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one 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 Abdiel Hawkins, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement thereof, that is to say:-
:
This.Invention has for its object improvements in sculpturing or forming.
ornamental and other devices on and in marble, stone, and other substances.
For these purposes blocks or moulds, usually of iron or steel are employed,
(but other material may be used in forming them) having the reverse of the
devices formed therein or thereon according as the device to be sculptured or
formed is to be in relief or sunk. Such blocks or moulds have a quick
motion imparted to them to and from the surface of the marble, stone, or
other substance striking the same again and again in quick succession.
Water and sharp sand or other suitable grit is copiously supplied to the.
surface which is being sculptured or formed by this process of beating;.
thus supposing it to be desired to produce in relief the profile of a human head-
the block or mould would have the device sunk therein, and in regard to other.
devices, which are required to be produced more or less in relief or more or
less sunk the blocks or moulds will be formed accordingly with parts of the
beating surface sunk or in relief as required by each particular device.. In some
cases it is desirable to perform the rougher parts of the work by hand or by,
ordinary carving machines, and to complete the production of the devices by
the successive.blows of the moulds or.blocks. In the case of devices which
require undercutting, such undercutting is performed by hand...
:
And in order that my said Invention, may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe: more in detail the manner
in which I prefer to conduct the processes:
I prepare in the first place a model. in clay, wax, or other material of the
portrait, design, or ornament to be carved. ¡This model should; be what is
technically termed exaggerated, that is to say, all the very small parts, depths,
or markings, should be rendered 'a. little stronger than is required in.the.
finished carving. From this a good. mould or reverse must..be:obtained by
preference in cast iron, other metals and compounds may be used, but iron
is the cheapest and most convenient. The stone should have the intended.
design roughly carved thereon by any of the present carving machines.or
processes. The roughly carved stone and the finishing mould are then to be.
placed opposite to each other, so that the raised and sunken parts may fit into
each other or register. A regular supply of sand or other grit is 'then to be:
provided and so directed that it may be equally distributed together with an
efficient supply of water over the whole carved surface of the stone. An
impinging or striking motion is then given to the mould, which thus acts
the part of a mallet or hammer, while each particle of: grit acts as a species of >

page_text: pick or chisel, and the perfected design soon begins to shew itself. The process
is to be carried on until all the pattern or carving is perfected. A finer grit
can then be introduced until the desired quality of finish is obtained. The
sand or grit should be passed through a sieve with 40 wires to the inch before
being used, as a small stone might break. or seriously damage parts of the
carving giving great trouble to work such broken part up again. A 60 or 70
wire sieve will furnish as good a finishing material as need be required for
marble, but a finer can be used at pleasure. The supply of grit should not
be too free, the supply of water needs more attention as dry and fine grit
will bruise the stone; boiled starch may be added to the water if a thicker
meristram is desired; cameos and other such small work require a smaller
machine and a finer grit, but in all other respects a similar mode of treatment.
For seals and other such small sunken patterns, portraits or designs, a small-
machine should be used, and the pattern made use of to produce the same.
must of course be in relief and not. sunken as for carvings; if the stone of
the seal be too hard for emery.to cut. it can be operated upon with oil and
diamond dust. Sunken work or ground patterns can also be mixed with
ordinary carvings by inserting them in the original model.
Another method is to execute the rough carving or removal of the waste
stone by hand labor either at once, or, which is better, at intervals during the
progress of the work, proceeding in all other respects as before directed; this
will supersede the use of the carving machine in cases where there may not
be a sufficiency of profitable work to warrant the first outlay. In order to
ork by this method I proceed, as before described, in so arranging and
ádjusting the plain stone and the mould that the carving may.come in the
right place; I set the mould in action with its proper supply of grit. and
water, and the outline of the design is soon formed upon the stone; as soon
as the outline of the .design is sufficiently well.defined the stone is to be
moved from under the mould, as herein-after described, and the waste.stone
removed by means of the chisel and mallet; this done, the stone and the
mould are again to be placed together and set in motion as before, when as
soon as the pattern or design indicates that it is working upon mere waste
stone it should be again relieved, and so on until the design is finished.
A third method of working this Invention is to adjust the stone and mould,
as before.directed, then set the mould in motion, and. so work the entire
pattern or design out of the solid stone without any assistance either from the
carving machine or from hand labor; this method of course consumes more
time, yet it can be advantageously adopted in all cases where the desired
carving is in very low relief, or where time and power are of no consideration..

page_text: When this method of working is adopted, and the pattern or carving being
very deep the mould has become, worn, a new mould should be inserted in the
machine to finish with, or if that is not thought worth while, the last finishing
touches can be rapidly imparted by hand. It is best to work upon the solid
block of stone, and when the work' is finished then to cut it off to any desired
thickness, but thin pieces of stone can be fastened to another stone by means
of plaster of Paris or other means and so: worked, but this involves some risk
of breakage...
The machine that I use, and which I at present prefer, consists of a strong
triangular stand or framework of iron, say five feet high; against the front of
this stand, which is inclined at an angle of, say, 30 degrees from the vertical,
an iron grating or rack to receive the block of stone to be operated on leans;
this grating is made with a bottom square to the side, and it is jointed to the
frame in front; in this grating or frame the block of stone to be carved is
placed leaning against the triangular stand; this frame with the marble is
made so as to lift into an upright position by moving in the sockets in the
forefront, and is held in this position by being temporarily fastened to the
stand by a latch, so that the block of stone stands upright ready for inspection or
for working upon, and when put back owing to its being in this moveable iron
stand it will again register or fit the mould, its own weight keeping it suffi-
ciently steady. On the upper part of the same inclined side of this triangular
stand guides are fixed, and in these a moveable iron framework which carries the
mould is made to slide. An axis with four cams or lifts upon it as it revolves
raises this frame and mould a set distance, usually from one to three inches,
letting it fall each time against the face of the stone. India-rubber springs may
be attached to the sides so as to bring the mould down with greater force or
speed, or to lessen the force of the blow as occasion may require. The cam
axis is driven in any convenient manner; it may be geared with a crank handle
turned by manual labour. Over the top of the stand is a reservoir or hopper
for grit extending across the stone so as to feed the full breadth of work
to be carved; a roller covered with vulcanized india-rubber forms the bottom
of this hopper, and it is caused to revolve so as to bring down the grit by a
small strap with a slow action driven by the machinery. A perforated tube
also is fixed across the whole breadth of the work immediately below the grit
reservoir or hopper to supply water; below and resting on the extreme edge
of the stone is placed a sloping board so as to lead the supply of grit and
water to the upper edge of the block which is being worked, and then in con-
sequence of the inclination of the work it runs uniformly over its upper
surface. When it is desired to examine the progress of the work the block

page_text: and the grating or rack which holds it are raised.into an upright position, the
grating or, rack turning on the joints which connect it with the frame, and
when the examination is complete they are allowed to return, and the block.
goes back exactly to its former position.
In witness whereof, I, the said Abdiel Hawkins, have hereunto set my
. hand and seal, this Eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
ABDIEL HAWKINS. (L.S.)