PLATING CUTLERY GOODS IN GENERAL
Year: 1794

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HAND, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Plater, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by
His Letters Patent bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-second
day of July, in the thirty-fourth year of His reign, did give and grant
unto me, the said John Hand, His special licence that I, the said John
Hand, during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "PLATING CUTLERY GOODS IN
GENERAL;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso,
requiring me, the said John Hand, under my band and seal, to cause a par-
ticular description of the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within one calendar month next immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Hand, do hereby declare, discover, and make known that my Invention
or method of plating cutlery goods is as follows, that is to say :-
First, I take the blade or other article being hardened, tempered, and pro-
perly prepared by filing, grinding, or otherwise, and make the same bright;
then I dip it into an acid, made of one-half mineral or some other strong acid
and one-half water, and when taken out swilled or rinced well in clean water;
then I scour it bright, the better to prepare it to take the solder. When the

page_text: silver plate is to be soldered to the blade or other article, then 1 melt a quantity
of tin solder, and while it is in a melted state I take the blade or other article
and dip into an acid, made of one pound of sal armoniac and two quarts of
water; then I take it out, and while wet dust it all over with fine rosin; I then
put the article into the melted solder, taking care to spread the solder all
over it; then take it out and put it into the sal armoniac water, as above
described, out of which I take it and then swill or rinse it well in clean water,
and dry it well with clean sawdust (and I think deal sawdust best); I then,
by filing or otherwise, take off all the knots or uneven parts that may be left on
the surface of the article. I then take the silver plate, which is rolled to a proper
thickness in proportion to the article it is to plate, and anneal it, to throw off
all grease and filth, and then dip it or boil it in sal armoniac, argill, allum,
salt, or any other cleansing waters; I then make that side of the silver plate in
particular that is to be next the steel quito clean, afterwards I annoint it all
over with clean sal armoniac water, sublimate water, or any other water or
thing that has a tendency to make the solder flush, after which I dry it on; I
then cut it into a proper shape to fit that part of the article it is to plate, to
which I beat or press it close. When the silver plate is fitted. on quite close, I'
then take two pieces of iron, copper, or some other metal that will stand heat
(but I think copper best), of about one inch thick on each side, the length
according to the size of the blade or article to be soldered; these coppers I
braze or otherwise fasten to one on each side of the pliers or tongs, as by
Drawing annexed, No. 1, and make to fit close to every part of the article that
is to be plated, annointing the metal that is to be next the silver with whiting
mixed with water, or anything else that will prevent the metal soldering to the
silver. The method of soldering, after prepared as above, I perform by heating
both sides of the metal sufficiently so as to melt the solder; I then put in the
article, and in order to preserve the temper of the steel, I tako particular care
not to heat the metal hotter than just to melt the solder. If I find the solder
upon the blade not sufficient, I supply it at the shank of the Figure No. 3, also
delineated in the annexed Drawing, with a thin strip of rolled solder, as I see
necessary. The article so soldered, and whilst hot, I take out and press it close;
I then scour and clean the silver and make it dry, then hammer it, smooth it,
and polish it.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hand, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the First day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and ninety-four.
:
JOHN HAND. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same First day of August,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John Hand came before our
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Eleventh day of August, in the year above written.