Improvements in the Composition and Manufacture of Stucco Ornaments.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 25th May, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Composition and Manufacture of Stucco
Ornaments.
We, CARL HEINRICH KRIEGER, Merchant, and HEINRICH LUDWIG ARTHUR
PUFF, Sculptor, both of 10 Langestrasse, Leipzig-Eutritzsch, in the Kingdom of
Saxony, 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 :-
Stucco ornaments for decorating the interior of buildings are usually made from
plaster of Paris, which owing to its brittleness or want of strength must be made
rather thick and therefore heavy.
Owing to these defects the said ornaments could only be inade in short pieces, up
to 1 yard long, in order to avoid fracture. Moreover, skilled workmen were
required for fixing or mounting stucco ornaments, and in case of strong vibrations
or subsidence of buildings, these heavy stucco ornaments were apt to become loose
and fall, thus causing serious accidents.
Lighter material, such as paper pulp, have also been employed as substitutes
for stucco, but they possess other defects, notably sensitiveness to moisture and
fire.
In order to avoid or reduce the above drawbacks, we use, instead of pure gypsum,
a mass, composed as follows
:―
Gypsum (plaster of Paris)
Sulphite cellulose
Water
Carbolic acid
Roots of althea (marsh-mallow) finely divided
دو
100 parts
62
75
"
4
"
4
"
These parts are well mixed together, so as to form a paste, which is placed in
clay moulds of about 2-3 yards length (which have been slightly impregnated with
linseed oil) and is rubbed into the cavities of the said moulds.
Subsequently strips of woven jute fabric impregnated with a solution of marsh-
mallow root are laid on the mould in such a manner, that the said fabric projects
over the two sides of the mould for half the width of the mould, and the fabric is
then pressed into the depths of the mould by hand. Subsequently a layer of the
said paste is placed on the woven fabric and rubbed between the cells or into
the meshes of the fabric, so as to unite with the paste which had been previously
rubbed into the cavities of the mould, as described above.
The edges and other exposed parts of the mould are now strengthened by means
5 of reeds laid into them, the flaps or projecting parts of the jute fabric are folded
back, so that the two edges overlap each other in the middle or centre line of the
mould, and the paste is enveloped in a second layer of jute.
0
Subsequently a third layer of paste is applied over the fabric, and united with
the two lower layers by rapid rubbing.
The reeds mentioned above serve to prevent the breaking of the ornament
transversely, and are not subject to warping or swelling, nor do they materially
add to the weight of the product.
To prevent longitudinal fracture, strengthening bands are laid on, which consist
of strips of jute fabric twisted or twined together, after they have been drawn
5 through a paste composed as described above.
When the product has completely dried, its rear side is saturated with hot glue
water, in order to increase the cohesion.

page_text: In the accompanying drawings; *--¯
Fig. 1 is a section of a cornice made according to the present invention (full
size);
Fig. 2 is a rear view of a stucco block or slab;
Fig. 3 is a rear view of a cornice armed with strengthening bands (section
through the band);
'
Fig. 4 shows a fracture of a stucco block exposing the cellulose fibre ;
Fig. 5 is a section of a moulding closed on one side by a strip or cornice of wood
(Fig. 6).
In these figures B indicates the composite paste made as described above.
J the woven jute fabric, first layer,
K
ditto,
second layer
S the reeds, or similar vegetable stalks
D the strengthening bands.
i
In some cases, the closing strips of stucco mouldings or cornices are made of
wood, as illustrated by Figs. 5 and 6, where H indicates the wooden closing strip
secured to the stucco ornament by means of dowels or studs.
The advantages which the new product is intended to combine, are as follows;.
Small weight, about 75 per cent. of plaster stucco,
Complete dryness,
Resistance or insensibility to moisture,
Incombustibility.
The new ornaments may be made in lengths up to 3 yards, and in pieces up to
4 square yards, thus requiring but little labour and time for fixing; they may be
fixed by unskilled men, and painted immediately, unlike ordinary plaster stucco,
which must sometimes be allowed to dry for weeks before it can be painted. The
new stucco ornaments also possess some elasticity and are therefore not liable to
crumble, and they are easily cut into pieces of the desired length.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. The process for the manufacture of stucco ornaments, which consists in
preparing a plastic paste from gypsum, cellulose, water, carbolic acid, and root of
marsh-mallow, and introducing this mass into the mould in layers alternating
with woven jute fabric, and preferably with the addition of reeds, substantially as
described.
2. Stucco ornaments made from a plastic mixture, woven fabric and reeds
substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of April 1894.
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
433, Strand, London, Agents.