IMPROVEMENTS IN COLORING, BRONZING, AND PRESERVING IRON AND STEEL
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, Patent Agent, of the
British and Foreign Patent Offices, 24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris,
in the Empire of France, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COLORING, BRONZING, AND PRESERVING IRON AND STEEL."-A communica-
tion from Claude Joseph Thirault, Chemist, residing at 24, Rue du
Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 30th June 1868, and dated the 20th January 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th January 1863.
İ, HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, Patent Agent, of the British and Foreign
Patent Offices, 24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COLORING, BRONZING, AND PRESERVING IRON AND STEEL," a communication
from Claude Joseph Thiralt, a person now residing at 24, Rue du Mont
Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France, to be as follows :-
This Invention consists in forming on the surface of the iron or steel an
adherent coat of peroxyde of iron. For this purpose the pièces of iron or steel
must in the first place be scoured with a solution of potash, or otherwise, or if
they have been tempered they must be "pickled" and then washed with

page_text: a plentiful supply of water. They are next covered successively with one
or more coats of the preparations described below, and after having been
dried at the stove are brushed with iron wool cards, which have already served
for the combing of cloth, or other softer kind of iron brush immersed in a bath
of hot water, and then wiped.

page_text: All the prescribed coats being given to the articles they are next wiped and
greased with olive oil.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th July 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI
ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, Patent Agent, of the British and Foreign Patent
Offices, 24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henri Adrien Bonneville, Her special licence, that I, the said Henri
Adrien Bonneville, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BRONZING, COLORING, AND PRESERVING IRON AND STEEL," a
communication from Claude Joseph Thirault, Chemist, a person now
residing at 24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say:-
This Invention consists in the following operations :-

page_text: First, to form an adherent coat of peroxyde of iron on the surface of the
iron or steel.
Second, to transform, under the influence of water at a temperature of from
90° to 100°, the peroxyde thus formed into black or magnetic oxyde which is
less oxydised.
Third, to repeat the operation until this black coating becomes sufficiently
thick and adherent.
Fourth, to immerse the articles to be coloured in a bath of lukewarm water
in order to remove from their surfaces any salt or acidulated substances
which may adhere, and then to cover these surfaces with a slight coating of
olive oil.
For this purpose the articles are covered with one or more coats of the pre-
parations hereafter mentioned.

page_text: suitable means. If the articles have been tempered or blued by fire, they are
scoured by immerging them for about one minute in water to which one-
twentieth part of sulphuric acid has been added, and then well rinsed and
wiped. A coat of the preparation No. 1 is then spread by means of a sponge
very slightly wetted on the surfaces to be coloured, which completes the
removal of any greasy matters which may still adhere to them, and at the
same time forms a first crust of peroxyde of iron. When this crust is dry,
which drying may be hastened by means of heat, it is removed by brushing.
After having wiped them, a second coat of the same preparation is applied,
producing a new crust of peroxyde, which is removed as before.
One very
important point is never to brush the articles before the crusts are completely
dry. Two coats of the preparation No. 2 are next applied to the surfaces,
which are brushed each time, after which one coat of the preparation No. 3 is
added and allowed to dry, and then without brushing it the article is immersed
for about 10 minutes in an hot water bath heated to between 90° and 100°.
It is next withdrawn from the bath, and wiped, and two new coats of the
preparation No. 2 are applied, the surfaces being brushed each time. Next
the surfaces are covered with a coat of the preparation No. 3, which is allowed
to dry. The article is then immersed as at first without brushing in the bath
heated at from 90° to 100°, where it is as before left during about 10 minutes
and is wiped when cold. The operation is continued by passing three or four
coats of the preparation No. 3 as before. Without brushing the last coat of the
preparation No. 3, which is only wiped with a cloth, the article is covered
with a strong coating of the preparation No. 4, and allowed to dry during
about 10 minutes, next it is replonged in the bath, heated as before to 90° or
100°, allowed to remain about 10 minutes, and then taken out, allowed to cool,
and wiped. At this stage of the operation, and until the end, the articles are
only left a few minutes in the stove. During the summer, or even when the
temperature of the atelier in which these operations are performed is at all
elevated, it will not be necessary to have recourse to the stove. The opera-
tion is finished by applying, with carded cotton instead of sponge, a few coats
(two are generally sufficient for developing the brilliancy) of the prepara-
tion No. 3, weakened by the addition of 90 per cent of water. The surfaces
being brushed for the last time are wiped briskly with a soft rag, slightly
impregnated with olive oil, then plunged during about one minute in the bath
heated to a temperature of from 60° to 80°. They are next taken out, wiped,
and greased with olive oil; a few hours after they are wiped and again oiled.
The articles are brushed briskly, at least those which can bear such treat-

page_text: ment, during the employment of the preparations Nos. 1 and 2 with fine iron
cards, or by other suitable means, but after the employment of the preparation
No. 3, and up to the end of the operation, finer kinds of iron brushes must be
used. Such is the general working of the operation, but as it may present
some peculiarities during its course, these peculiarities will be indicated. If
after the second immersion in the bath the surfaces show any stains of a red
colour, they are allowed to cool, then after being wiped a strong coat of the
preparation No. 3 is applied with care, which being exposed to the air during
about 5 minutes the article is next plunged during about 10 minutes in the
bath at from 90° to 100°; when withdrawn they will have taken the black
colour and the operation is finished as explained. If the articles have on
leaving the bath some parts which remain white, the reason is that they have
not been properly cleansed; these parts must be washed with a solution of
potash, or be placed in contact with a piece of red hot iron or the jet of
a blow pipe. The grease destroyed, the white parts become fit for oxydising,
and are submitted to the series of operations described above. Again it may
happen, and particularly with cast iron articles, that certain parts present a
greyish metallic appearance, although cleansed but are not oxydised. These
stains aro generally composed of carburate of iron. In any case they must be
removed by means of glass paper or a fine file, and the operation is then con-
tinued as if for an oil stain, commencing by the employment of the preparation
No. 1. In the above cases the parts which have succeeded are protected as
herein-after described for the partial reparations. Sometimes a piece of tempered
steel resists the oxydisation although it has been scoured, in this case it must
be heated to a blue heat, allowed to cool, and rescoured; it may then be
oxydised.
Lastly, it may happen when the articles have been too much heated, and
particularly during the use of the preparation No. 2, that they become as if
greasy, and that the liquids spread upon their surfaces do not wet them. In
this case the articles are immersed in a bath heated from 90° to 100° during
about five minutes. The greasy effect disappears and the operation may be
-continued. The operation finished, and before greasing the articles, if the
tint is not as uniform as might be desired, nor warm enough, the process is
recommenced, but in beginning with the preparation No. 2 and using half the
prescribed number of coats. If the articles are already oiled, they are cleaned
before recommencing the operation. When the above processes have not
succeeded, if it is found necessary to recommence the operation, it is done as if
for new articles, and according to the series of operations which have been

page_text: described, but as the suroxydisation or red colouring is developed in this par-
ticular case more rapidly, half the number of coatings ordinarily suffices. If
the reparation is only partial, the part or parts are cleansed and brought in
the first place to the red colour, when, before the first immersion in the bath,
a strong coat of the preparation No. 3 is passed over the whole surface. The
operation is then continued as if for new articles. For the ornaments in gold,
silver, platina, or other metals, with which the articles may be embellished,
and which may be protected by covering them with varnish, and care being
taken not to brush them, no change is made in the composition of the liquid
preparations, and after the completion of the operations the varnish is removed.
If the ornamentations cannot be protected by means of varnish and are
made by means of incrustation, the use of the preparation No. 1 is suppressed
and the operation is commenced with the preparation, No. 2 thus modified.

page_text: First, the creation at the surface of the iron or steel of an adherent coat of
peroxyde of iron.
Second, the transformation under the influence of water at an elevated
temperature of the peroxyde of iron into black oxyde, which is less
oxydised.
Third, the renewing of the operation until this black coat is thick and
adherent enough.
Fourth, and the immersion of the articles in a bath of lukewarm water,
for the purpose of removing the acidulated or saline particles adhering to
their surfaces, and allow of their being greased with olive oil.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
H. BONNEVILLE. (L.B.)