Improvement in Moulding Process for Cast Works of Art, such as Busts, Figures, Flowers, and similar Articles of Ornament.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Dec., 1896-Accepted, 13th Mar.. 1897
Improvement in Moulding Process for Cast Works of Art, such as
Busts, Figures, Flowers, and similar Articles of Ornament.
We, JOHANNES GAULKE and WILHELM MIERSCHKE, Sculptors, both residing
at 3 Liesenstrasse, Berlin N., Kingdom of Prussia, Empire of Germany do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The present invention relates to a process of manufacturing metal articles of art
in large quantities, but resembling the originals in artistic finish.
The methods known till now are merely based either on the process of glue-
moulding, in the way that from the original an elastic-negative was taken in which
latter an elastic positive was produced. The moulds were then made of refractory
material on the positive; or they were based on the process of waxmelting, for
which an artistic wax positive was required. However, the latter process was very
costly because of the artistic finish of the wax model and the model getting
destroyed in it. As regards the glue-process, this permitted of the mould to be
made several times, but in using the negative, which gets easily dislocated, the
positives as such became inaccurate, and the exactness of the produce had to
considerably suffer through the strewing-in of powdered gypsum and the washing
with alum necessary in order to separate this glue-mould from the glue-casting.
The new process however is based on the making of the negative which is made
in artistic finish of metal, gypsum, clay, or the like. In this the glue positives are
made, and over the latter, in the known manner, the moulds are produced. The
advantages of this new process are the possibility of giving the firm negative the
artistic form, and its absolute indifference to time and external influences, so that
the material to be poured in can even be introduced into the negative under pressure,
and every line of the negative appears in full clearness on the elastic positive.
The moulds made over such an exact positive again enable to obtain a perfectly
accurate metal reproduction.
In order to be separated from the glue poured or pressed in, the firm negative
only requires a simple oiling. Strewing with any sort of powder for the same
purpose is dispensed with.
The firm negative can be used for the production of any number of equally good
positives and thus enables a wholesale manufacture of such works of art.
The firm negative can always be used at once again, and therefore saves an
elastic negative, to be taken between from the original, when the manufacture of
the castings is to be taken up again. Thus the new process saves one, ore,--as an
elastic negative mostly enables to make but one in some measure useful posititive
even several intermediate actions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
A moulding process for cast works of art, characterized by positives being made
from a firm negative of metal, gipsum, or the like, by the pressing-or pouring-in

page_text: of elastic material such as glue, which positives are used in the known manner for
forming the mantle and the core, substantially as described.
Dated this 1st day of December 1896.
JOHANNES GAULKE and
WILHELM MIERSCHKE,
c/o Erich Peters.