Improvements in Tiles, Plates, Tablets, and Signs for Advertisement, Useful, or Decorative Purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Le t, 22nd June, 1892-Accepted, 23rd July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tiles, Plates, Tablets, and Signs for Advertisement,
Useful, or Decorative Purposes.
1, JAMES CHALLIS, of No. 22 Cricketfield Road, Clapton, London, Commercial
Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My object is to produce tablets &c. for exhibiting any printed design or wording,
which shall be inexpensive, strong, attractive, and unaffected by variations of tem-
perature or humidity.
By my method colors are preserved whilst gold or bronze printing is improved in
brilliancy of effect and kept from tarnishing.
I take a sheet of rough cast plate glass, which in its normal state is translucent
because of the light being refracted, owing to the unevenness of the glass surface;
but when a sheet of paper or other material is affixed to the glass upon its roughest
side, the glass becomes transparent and a clear crystal effect is produced, the
brilliancy being enhanced by the unevenness of the glass. I therefore attach the
printed side of the paper or other material to the rougher side of the glass by means
of a suitable transparent varnish or cement, and when so mounting generally prefer
to leave a small margin of glass beyond outer edges of the mounted material in
order to protect the edges of the latter. I then size the back of the mounted
material (when necessary) and paint the same and the margin of glass (if any) with
a suitable paint to render all thoroughly impervious to moisture.
For certain purposes I may cement a fabric upon the back of the paper and
paint the same for additional security. Tiles, plates, tablets, and signs, are all
prepared by similar process.
The tablets may be used in various positions, such for instance as the fronts of
window boxes, and may be framed in the usual way for exhibition.
The tiles, slabs &c. are shaped and mounted according to the purpose for which
they are required.
Dated this 28th day of November 1801
JAMES CHALLIS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tiles, Plates, Tablets, and Signs for Advertisement,
Useful, or Decorative Purposes.
I, JAMES CHALLIS, 22 Cricketfield Road, Clapton, London, 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 object of my invention is to produce for exhibition of printed matter or
designs, tiles, plates, tablets or signs, inexpensive but strong and durable in con-
struction, attractive in appearance and not liable to be affected by humidity or
changes of temperature so that colours, gilding or other ornamentation employed
have their brilliancy enhanced and maintained.
For this purpose, on a sheet of glass which preferably, for large tablets, is the
strong unpolished plate glass, I cement a sheet of paper on which the word matter
or design is printed, lithographed or otherwise marked or drawn. The paper may
be attached to the glass by any transparent varnish or cement or preferably by
gelatine in the following manner. The sheet of glass is first heated by hot water
or otherwise.
A hot solution of gelatine, which (if it is desired that the gelatine should be

page_text: rendered insoluble by exposure to light) may have bichromate of potash or chrome
alum mixed with it, is poured on the heated glass or applied to it freely by a brush
or otherwise, and, on this is laid, face downwards, the paper sheet which had been
previously extended by being damped. The paper is pressed into close contact
with the glass by a roller or brush, so as to extrude all air and excess of gelatine.
When the paper is dry, I apply to its back two coats of size, and then paint the
edges of the paper and the border of glass beyond the edges with enamel pigment
or with gold bronze and size. This hardens the edges of the paper, and at the
same time the enamel or gold bronze shews through the glass as an ornamental
margin or mount. When the edges are dry, I paint all over the back with two
coats of enamel, varnish, or paint, preferably that known as magnetic oxide paint,
and, before the second coat dries, I sand it all over, and finally paint over the sand.
Instead of treating the back with enamel, varnish or paint, it may be protected by
coating it with cements of various kinds or with these as well as paints. A good
cement for this purpose is a mixture of Portland cement, about 68 parts by weight,
with 1 part of Scotch glue made up with about 20 parts of water, heated and spread
over the sized or painted paper. Or a mixture of equal parts of plaster of Paris
with rosin and pitch may be melted and while hot spread over the back of the
tablets. This protective backing is especially suitable for tablets exposed to acid
or other chemical fumes, and, when it is liable to be exposed to sun or other heat,
it may be rendered more durable by ironing a sheet of canvas on the backing, so as
to prevent the resinous material from running.
A tablet or sign prepared as above described, when intended for exhibition, is
fixed in a suitable frame, which may be of wood preferably impregnated with
preservative.
For tiles, and generally for ornamental plates frames are not required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A tile, plate, tablet or sign for advertisement, useful or decorative purposes, con-
sisting of a sheet of glass having paper with words or designs printed, lithographed
or otherwise marked thereon, cemented to the glass and covered on the back with
waterproof coating substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1892.
ABEL & IMKAY,
Agents for the Applicant.