IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF ORNA- MENTING OR DECORATING GLAZED EARTHENWARE, PORCELAIN, CHINA, GLASS, ENAMELLED METALS, OR OTHER VITREOUS OR SEMI-VITREOUS SURFACES." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Slater, of Stoke, in the County of
Stafford, and Edward Campbell Hancock, of Worcester, in the County of
Worcester, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF ORNA-
MENTING OR DECORATING GLAZED EARTHENWARE, PORCELAIN, CHINA, GLASS,
ENAMELLED METALS, OR OTHER VITREOUS OR SEMI-VITREOUS SURFACES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Slater and
Edward Campbell Hancock at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 26th January 1882.
WILLIAM HENRY SLATER, of Stoke in the County of Stafford, and EDWARD
CAMPBELL HANCOCK, of Worcester in the County of Worcester. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE METHOD OF ORNAMENTING OR DECORATING GLAZED EARTHENWARE,
PORCELAIN, CHINA, GLASS, ENAMELLED METALS, OR OTHER VITREOUS OR SEMI-
VITREOUS SURFACES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in the method of ornamenting or
decorating glazed earthenware, porcelain, china, glass, enamelled metals, or other
vitreous or semi-vitreous surfaces, in order to produce an appearance of etching or
natting" the surface without the use of acid.
"f
It consists principally in the adaptation for this purpose of the principle of the
affinity for alkali afforded by siliceous or other similar nonvitrifiable matters at
various degrees of heat.
The following method of carrying out our Invention may be adopted with good
results.
(a) For decorating articles by the processes of printing, impressions are taken by
any process with any such or similar materials or combinations of them as arc
indicated herein, after having been mixed with the vehicles necessary for the
particular process desired to be used, and the impressions are then put upon the
wares; or, the impressions may be taken in oils or such like vehicles, put upon
the wares, and when the vehicles are somewhat dry lightly dusted with the
Pin A11

page_text: materials indicated after having reduced them to an impalpable powder. The
engravings used may be the ordinary engraved or photo-engraved or etched metallic
or ligneous plates; lithographic stones or phototypes cut or etched; metallic,
ligneous or other surface-blocks or surfaces; or any articles used or capable of being
used for taking impressions from.
(b). For decorating articles by the process of painting, the materials may be used
as silicates or enamel colours, i.e., mixed with oils or other suitable vehicles in the
regular way.
(c). For decorating articles by the process technically known as "ground laying,"
the ordinary course is pursued and the materials herein indicated are dusted upon
the oiled coating. A design may be scratched or stencilled out of the grounded
surface if desired.
(d). The articles having been thus treated are then placed in a kiln and fired at
such a heat as to cause the materials used to sink into the vitrified or semi-vitrified
surface, owing to the thermal action of the furnace. Upon removal from the kiln
and scouring them with sand they will present more or less incised or intaglio lines
or masses of a depth depending upon the amount of thermal action.
(e). The articles thus treated may be covered with gold, silver, platina or other
metal, or salts of such, or any desired colour and afterwards refired: The metals
may then be suitably burnished, by which means the incisions or depressions are
very distinctly seen upon the otherwise smooth surface. If suitable the designs
may remain intact and destitute of colour other than such as may be left after the
removal from the wares of the fired composition.
(f). The before mentioned decoration may also be done upon wares which have
been previously covered with vitrifiable colours and fired.
(g). The siliceous or like materials before referred to may consist of calcined
flint or silex, carbonate or sulphate of lime or earthy or mineral substances, or any
non-vitrifiable materials reduced to a fine powder, possessing more or less alkaline
affinity, and capable of sinking into a vitrified or semi-vitrified silicated surface by
thermal action. These various bodies may be used alone or in combination, as
experience or necessity may dictate.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Henry Slater and Edward Campbell Hancock in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 24th July 1882.
WILLIAM HENRY SLATER, of Stoke, in the County of Stafford, and EDWARD
CAMPBELL HANCOCK, of Worcester, in the County of Worcester. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE METHOD OF ORNAMENTING OR DECORATING GLAZED EARTHENWARE,
PORCELAIN, CHINA, GLASS, ENAMELLED METALS, OR OTHER VITREOUS OR SEMI-
VITREOUS SURFACES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in the method of ornamenting
or decorating glazed earthenware, porcelain, china, glass, enamelled metals, or other
vitreous or semi-vitreous surfaces, in order to produce an appearance of etching or
"matting" the surface without the use of acid.
It consists principally in the adaptation for this purpose of the affinity (which
we believe exists and which our experiments have led us to conclude) for alkali
afforded by siliceous or other similar non-vitrifiable matters at various degrees of
heat.
The following method of carrying out our Invention may be adopted with good
results:-
(a) For decorating articles by the processes of printing, impressions are taken
by any process with any such or similar materials or combinations of them as are
indicated herein after having been mixed with the vehicles necessary for tho
particular process desired to be used, and the impressions are then put upon the
wares, or the impressions may be taken in oils or such like vehicles, put upon
the wares, and, when the vehicles are somewhat dry, lightly dusted with the
materials indicated after having reduced them to an impalpable powder.
engravings used may be the ordinary engraved or photo-engraved or etched-
metallic or ligneous plates, lithographic stones or photo-types, cut or etched ;
metallic, ligneous or other surface blocks or surfaces; or any articles used or
capable of being used for taking impressions from.
The
(b) For decorating articles by the process of painting, the materials may be
used as silicates or enamel colours, i.e. mixed with oils or other suitable vehicles in
the regular way.
(c) For decorating articles by the process technically known as "groundlaying,"
the ordinary course is pursued, and the materials herein indicated are dusted upon
the oiled coating. A design may be scratched or stencilled out of the grounded
surface, if desired.
(d) The articles having been thus treated are then placed in a kiln and fired at
such a heat as to cause the materials used to sink into or render "mat" the
vitrified or semi-vitrified surface, owing to the action of the furnace. Upon
removal from the kiln and scouring them with sand they will present more or less
incised or intaglio lines or masses of a depth depending upon the amount of action
of the furnace or kiln.
(e) The articles thus treated may now be covered with gold, silver, platina or
other metal, or salts of such, or any desired colour, and afterwards re-fired. The
metals may then be suitably burnished or scoured, by which means the incisions
or depressions are very distinctly seen upon the otherwise smooth surface. If
suitable, the designs may remain intact and destitute of colour other than such as
may be left after the removal from the wares of the fired composition.
(f) The before-mentioned decoration may also be made upon wares which have
been previously covered with vitrifiable colours and fired.

page_text: (g) The siliceous or like materials before referred to may consist of calcined
flint or silex, carbonate or sulphate of lime, or earthy or mineral substances, or any
non-vitrifiable materials reduced to a fine powder, possessing (as we believe) more
or less alkaline affinity, and capable of sinking into or "matting "a vitrified or semi-
vitrified silicated surface by the action of a furnace or kiln. These various bodies
may be used alone or in combination, as experience or necessity may dictate.
This Invention will be found applicable to a great variety of ornamentation in
the pottery and like trades, as the etched or incised surfaces produced may be
covered or filled up with various colours or materials for ornamentation either
picked in by hand or dusted on after having slightly oiled the parts desired to be
covered, as, for instance, the ground may be in metal or lustre of one colour, and
the incised pattern, after firing, in metal or colour of another tint. The degree of
comminution of the silica or non-vitrifiable material used will of course regulate the
character of the incised surface, and the choice of the materials to be employed
will depend upon the character of "grain" required: for instance, carbonate of
lime or whiting if used coarsely will produce a grained effect similar to morocco
leather;
if used in a finer state will produce a more delicate grain, while silica (or
finely ground flint) produces a "matted" or deadened but ungrained effect. It will
be obvious by the above remarks that the exact degree of fineness or combination
of materials cannot be here clearly laid down as the user of the process must vary
the necessary and specified material according to the result desired. The principle,.
however, in all cases is substantially as before described.
Having now described our Invention, and the best manner known to us of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that wo do not claim the
various processes such as printing, painting or "ground-laying" by which this
method of ornamenting or decorating is effected, as they are well known, but what
we believe to be novel and original and desire to claim under the hereinbefore in
part recited Letters Patent is the hereinbefore described method of ornamenting
or decorating glazed earthenware, porcelain, china, glass, enamelled metal
or other vitreous or semi-vitreous surfaces by the use of more or less fine siliceous,
calcareous or other like non-vitrifiable matters put on glazed or semi-glazed
surfaces or on completely vitrified wares (as for example by the processes
illustrated), so that the subsequent firing of the surfaces or wares shall cause the
pattern or material to act upon the glaze or ware, and produce a more or less
incised, "Inatted" or deadened effect.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Campbell Hancock, have on behalf
of myself and the said William Henry Slater hereunto set my hand and
seal this Eighteenth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand
aight hundred and sighty two