IMPROVEMENTS IN SILWERING CLASS AND OTHER SURFACES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Cimeg, of No. 162, Great Portland, Street,
. in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SILWERING CLASS AND OTHER SURFACES"
Sealed the 28th June 1861, and dated the 13th March 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Cimeg at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his. Petition, on the 13th
March 1861.
I, JOHN CIMEG, of No. 162, Great Portland Street, in the County of
-Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
¡MENTS IN SILVERING GLASS AND OTHER SURFACES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in silvering glass and other
surfaces. For this purpose I employ a mixture of ammonia, nitrate of silver
with a solution of Rochelle salt, (tartrate of potass and soda) this mixture
is applied to the surface of glass to be silvered, and after a short time the
silver is deposited on the glass as a bright' film. The silver is deposited at
the ordinary temperature-of the air, thus it is not necessary to heat. the surface
as when other mixtures: are employed. The film of silver may be strengthened
by depositing over it a cheaper metal, such as copper. The process-abóve
described is also applicable for silvering other surfaces. It is for example,
very useful for giving a metallic and conducting surface to articles on to which
it is desired to deposit copper by electricity, and where the article itself is

page_text: not a conductor of electricity. In order to silver the surface of paper or
of a woven fabric or other similar surface, I first deposit the silver on to
a polished surface, such as glass, then attach the fabric thereto by suitable
cement, and carefully strip the fabric together with the silver from the
polished surface. In some cases I obtain an ornamental effect by depositing
the silver on a surface on which a pattern has been produced by dulling a
portion of the surface.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Cimeg in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th September 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CIMEG, of No. 162, Great Portland Street, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Cimeg, Her special licence that I, the said John Cimeg, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Cimeg, 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 "IMPROVÉ-
MENTS IN SILVERING GLASS AND OTHER SURFACES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Cimeg, my exécutors 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 John Cimeg, 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 has for its object improvements in silvering glass and other

page_text: surfaces. For this purpose I employ a mixture of ammonia, nitrate of silver,
with a solution of Rochelle salt (tartrate of potash and soda); this mixture is
applied to the surface of glass to be silvered, and after a short time the silver
is deposited on the glass as a bright film. The silver is deposited at the ordi-
nary temperature of the air, thus it is not necessary to heat the surface as
when other mixtures are employed. The film of silver may be strengthened by
depositing over it a cheaper metal, such as copper. The process above
described is also applicable for silvering other surfaces; it is, for example,
very useful for giving a metallic and conducting surface to articles on to which
it is desired to deposit copper by electricity, and where the article itself is not
a conductor of electricity.
་
In order to silver the surface of paper, or of a woven fabric, or other similar
surface, I first deposit the silver on to a polished surface such as glass, then
attach the fabric thereto by suitable cement, and carefully strip the fabric
together with the silver from the polished surface. In some cases I obtain an
ornamental effect by depositing the silver on a surface on which a pattern has
been produced by dulling a portion of the surface.
. And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe minutely the manner in
which I prefer in practice to conduct the processes.
In order to silver a sheet of glass I place the said sheet, previously washed
clean with water, on a table, and rub the whole surface of the sheet with a
rubber of cotton or other soft fabric wetted with distilled water, and afterwards
with a weak solution of Rochelle salt in distilled water, about one part of salt
in 200 parts of water. I then take a solution previously prepared by adding
nitrate of silver to ammonia of commerce, the nitrate of silver being very
gradually added until a brown precipitate commences to be produced, and the
solution is then filtered.
.For each square yard of glass to be silvered I take as much of the above.
solution as contains 20 grammes (about 309 grains) of nitrate of silver, and
to this I.add as much of a solution of Rochelle salt in distilled water as con-
tains .14 grammes of salt, and the strength of this latter solution should be so
adjusted to that of the silver solution that the total weight of the mixture of
the two in the quantities above mentioned may be 60 grammes. In a minute
or two after the mixture is made it begins to become turbid, and it is then
immediately to be poured over the surface of the glass, which has previously
been placed on a perfectly horizontal table, but the plate is blocked up at one
end; so as to give it an inclination of about one in forty; the liquid is poured
on to the plate along the higher edge, and it runs towards the lower; the

page_text: pouring is done in such a manner: as to distribute the liquid: over the whole:
surface of the plate; 'without allowing any to escape at the edges. When this
is effected the plate is placed in a horizontal position at a temperature of about
68 Fahrenheit; the silver will begin to appear in about two minutes; .before.
the end of ten minutes the plate will be covered, and in thirty: minutes:suffi-
cient silver will be deposited; this is about two grammes of silver per square
yard, which is enough for most purposes; the mixture is then poured off-the
plate, and the silver; it contains is afterwards recovered. The silvered surface
of the glass is then washed by pouring water over it four or five times, and the
plate is set up to drain and dry. When dry, the silvered surface is varnished
by pouring over it (in the same way as the mixture is poured on, as already.
described) a:varnish, composed of the following materials, viz::!
Gum damar.
Asphalte (bitumen of Judea)
Gutta percha
⚫ Benzine.
20 parts..
5* ”
5.
75"'
This varnish dries and sets hard on the surface, and the glass is then ready
for framing, or otherwise for use as may be required.. When a surface of
glass has been silvered as above described, a layer of copper may be deposited.
over the silver by the ordinary electrotype process, or otherwise, as is well
understood. I do not, however, prefer to do this when the object is: to. obtain
a silvered glass, but in some cases I deposit a considerable thickness of copper.
on to the silver, and then strip the copper and silver together from the glass,
which will be done with facility when the coating of copper is thick. In this
manner a sheet. of any size of plated copper may be produced, plates of other
non-absorbent materials (which will not act chemically on the silver solution)
may be coated with silver in the same manner as plates of glass. When it is
desired to give a metallic and conducting surface to an article which it is
desired to, electrotype, say, for example, a medallion of wax or gutta percha, I
silver it as. already described, sufficient of the silvering mixture being employed
to cover every part of the surface. In order to silver paper, woven fabrics,
and other materials according to my Invention, I, as already mentioned, strip
the silver from the surface on which it is deposited by attaching: to it. the
paper, woven fabric, or other similar material, and then removing the said
material and the: silver film together from the surface. The silver is. first
deposited, by preference as already described, but it. may be otherwise, on to a
surface, by, preference of glass, then on to the silvered surface is poured in the
manner already set out a, varnish consisting of gum lac dissolved in wood
spirit, one part of gum lac; to from six to ten of wood spirit.. When this.

page_text: varnish is dry and hard, a solution of one part of gelatine in from six to ten of
water is also poured over and allowed to set into a jelly, the paper, leather, or
woven fabric, or other similar material to be silvered is laid on and pressed in
contact with the jelly, and it is then left to dry thoroughly, afterwards the
material with the fabric is stripped from the surface, and the process is
varnish is dry and hard, a solution of one part of gelatine in from six to ten of
water is also poured over and allowed to set into a jelly, the paper, leather, or
woven fabric, or other similar material to be silvered is laid on and pressed in
contact with the jelly, and it is then left to dry thoroughly, afterwards the
material with the fabric is stripped from the surface, and the process is
complete.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Cimeg, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
J. CIMEG. (L.S.)