IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING MOULDINGS, AND IN PRODUCING THE EFFECT OF CHASING OR EMBOSSING VARIOUS DEVICES AND PATTERNS ON FRAMES OR OTHER WORKS
Year: 1839

page_text: CLEMENTS' SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
CLEMENTS, of Liverpool, Carver and Gilder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Tenth day of April, in the second year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Clements, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said James Clements, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said James Clements, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING MOULDINGS, AND IN
PRODUCING THE EFFECT OF CHASING OR EMBOSSING VARIOUS DEVICES AND PATTERNS
ON FRAMES OR OTHER WORKS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said James Clements, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Clements, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to a mode of preparing mouldings in such manner as
to produce the effect of chasing or embossing various devices or patterns, and
which mode is equally applicable to producing the effect of chasing or embossing
various devices or patterns on frames or other works, and such mode consists
of certain means of obtaining impressions of fabrics made of fibrous materials
on the surfaces of mouldings, or of frames, or of other works requiring such
ornaments produced thereon, and such fabrics are caused to adhere to the
surfaces whether of mouldings, frames, or other works, and the reticulated or
open portions of the fabrics are then filled up with suitable materials, and then
the fabric employed is removed, leaving an impression of the close or solid
part of the fabric sunk on the surface, the other parts of the surface where the
open portions of the fabric are situated being left in relief. The description
of fabrics I have found to answer best are those produced by what are called
warp lace machines, such fabrics being made at very small cost and in the
greatest variety of pattern, and for such reasons offer advantages not so readily
attainable by other modes of making fabrics by netting, lace making, knitting,
and weaving with warp and shuttle, at the same time suitable open or
reticulated fabrics may be made by any of those means proper for performing
my Invention. And I would state generally that the proper description of
fabrics for working according to my Invention are those which are worked in
an open manner, leaving interstices between the threads or yarns of which
they are composed.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to explain
the process pursued by me for carrying out my improvements. Mouldings, or
frames, or other works of wood or other proper material having been formed
by the ordinary means, requiring to have ornamental surfaces having the effect
of chasing or embossing produced thereon, aro to be treated in the following
manner: And in order to make the process readily understood, I will suppose
that it is desired to produce the effect of chasing or embossing on either the
mouldings or the plain surfaces, or of both those parts of a picture frame,
and that the fabric to be employed is ornamental or plain lace produced in
warp lace machines or in bobbin net lace machines. The surfaces of the frame
are to be coated over with the ordinary preparation (size and whiting) used by
gilders, and having produced an even, equal, and smooth surface of such
preparation, in the same manner as at present practised by carvers and
gilders, the same is to be permitted to dry; the lace or other fabric from which
the impression is to be taken is then laid on evenly on the surfaces so partly

page_text: prepared, and by means of a soft hair brush and some size and whiting made
very fluid, the lace or fabric is caused to adhere evenly and correctly all over
those parts of the surfaces of the frame to which it is desired to give such
pattern, and by this means the lace may be caused to follow the plain, or
undulating, or regular as well as irregular surfaces of the picture frame and of
the mouldings thereof, and such will evidently be the case if other mouldings
or surfaces be treated in like manner, taking care not to distort the pattern
of the fabric; the result of this part of the process will be that the
fabric will have the appearance of being, and will in fact be, pasted evenly
over the surfaces. When the same have become dry a coat of the size
and whiting, similar to that first employed, and of a substance equal to thick
paint, is to be laid on in order to fill up all the cavities between the threads or
yarns of which the fabric employed is made, and then by means of a smooth
and even edge of wood of the figure of the moulding, or a straight edge where
plain surfaces are being operated on, the surfaces are made smooth and equal
all over. The surfaces so prepared are allowed to dry; and if all parts are well
filled and even the surfaces completed and the fabric may be removed, but
should there appear any inequalities further quantities of the size and whiting
are placed therein. The fabric employed is readily removed by passing a damp
sponge over the surface, when the threads or yarns becoming damp readily
part or separate from the size and whiting, leaving an impression on the
surface suitable for gilding or otherwise, which will be found a most useful
means of so preparing surfaces of mouldings and of frames and of other works
as to produce the effect of chasing or embossing of very elegant descriptions,
and will be found far superior to any of the ordinary means of working light
surfaces.
Having thus described my improvements, and the best manner I am
acquainted with for performing the same, I would remark that although I
have spoken of size and whiting as the material employed for preparing the
surfaces in such manner as to produce the effect of embossing or chasing, I
have done so because size and whiting are usually employed by gilders and
carvers for preparing such surfaces, and I believe such materials to be the best
and cheapest for the purpose; but I do not confine myself thereto, as other
materials may be used, such as white lead, ochre, as well as other matters in
combination with size or other suitable adhesive materials; but I would have
it understood that my Invention does not consist of the materials employed, but
in the mode of using them in order to produce the objects of my Invention.
Having removed the fabric employed I rub the surfaces when dry with fine
sand paper; the surfaces will then be ready to be finished by gilding, painting,

page_text: or varnishing or otherwise according to the object to which the same are to be
applied.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Clements, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.