Improvements in the Production of Embossed or Raised Designs in Wood, Card, Mill-board, or other Material.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 10th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 9th Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Embossed or Raised Designs in
Wood, Card, Mill-board, or other Material.
A communication from abroad by THE CHAS. W. SPURR COMPANY, of 465 and
467, East Tenth Street, New York, United States of America.
I, PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows
This invention relates more particularly to the production of raised or embossed
designs in wood, although the invention may be also applied when stamping up mill
board and like substances.
If a series of sheets or veneers of wood are employed they may be embossed or
stamped up to a greater or lesser degree by the aid of heated dies as is now well
known, but if the embossing is in high relief and the angles sharply defined so as to
represent carved work, such sheets are more or less likely to split or crack and the
wood to be ruptured.
According to the present invention the wood veneer or sheet may be backed with
mill board or cloth (if desired) cemented to it preferably by a composition of rubber
or the like. The sheet so formed is then placed between the dies and the design
impressed thereon. Small pieces of veneer are then cemented to the raised or face
side of the portions to be most highly stamped, and a complete layer or sheet of veneer
is cemented on these, and the panel again subjected to the pressure of the dies. The
cycle of operations is repeated until the desired thickness and strength of the entire
panel is obtained.
It is frequently desirable to lay the small pieces across the grain of the wood, and
generally to employ heated dies for effecting the stamping. The finished surface may
show the stamped wood, or be covered in the final pressure of the dies with silk, cloth,
or other material cemented thereto.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Embossed or Raised Designs in
Wood, Card, Mill-board, or other Material.
A communication from abroad by THE CHAS. W. SPURR COMPANY of 465 and
467, East Tenth Street, New York, United States of America.
I, PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE, of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 :—
This invention relates more particularly to the production of raised or embossed
designs in wood, although the invention may be also applied when stamping up mill
board and like substances.
If a series of sheets or veneers of wood are employed they may be embossed or
stamped up to a greater or lesser degree by the aid of heated dies as is now well
known, but if the embossing is in high relief and the angles sharply defined so as to
represent carved work, such sheets are more or less likely to split or crack and the
wood to be ruptured.
According to the present invention which is an improvement over that set out in

page_text: specification 11371 of 1886 the wood veneer or sheet may be backed with mill board
or cloth (if desired) cemented to it preferably by a composition of rubber or the like.
The sheet so formed is then placed between the dies and the design impressed thereon.
Small pieces of veneer are then cemented to the raised or face side of the portions to
by most highly stamped, and a complete layer or sheet of veneer is cemented on these,
and the panel again subjected to the pressure of the dies. The cycle of operations
is repeated until the desired thickness and strength of the entire panel is
obtained.
It is frequently desirable to lay the small pieces across the grain of the wood,
and generally to employ heated dies for effecting the stamping. The finished surface
may show the stamped wood, or be covered in the final pressure of the dies with silk,
cloth, or other material cemented thereto.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference is made to the
accompanying drawings in which-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation on the line ax of Figure 2 showing a sheet of
veneer faced with millboard cemented thereto and after having received an initial
pressure in the dies.
Figure 2 is a plan or face view of the same.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation on the line y y of Figure 4 and shows strips of
vencer as having been placed on the raised portion of the design and a covering sheet
of veneer as being applied.
Figure 4 is a plan or face view.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation on the line of Figure 6 and shows small strips
or pieces of vencer as having been applied to those portions of the design which are
to be in highest relief with a final or covering sheet of veneer as being applied.
Figure 6 is a plan or face view of same and
Figure 7 is a sectional view of the finished panel.
It will be understood that for the purpose of illustration the thickness of the veneer
is much exaggerated in the drawings as for practical work from 80 to 180 sheets are
cut from each inch of thickness of the log.
or
The process of manufacture is as follows. For the body of the article a piece of mill
board, textile fabric, metal or other suitable material A is employed and when it is
desired to give to the article the appearance of being genuine or of solid carving
or made of but a single kind of wood or material, I apply to one surface of the body
a coating of vulcanizable cement or rubber and next to said surface one
more veneers B, if more than one be applied the grain of one veneer running at
right angles or in a direction across that of the other, the contiguous surfaces of the
veneers also having applied to them a coating of the said cement. The piece thus
prepared is subjected to pressure between preferably steam heated dies not shown and
is thereby embossed moulded or stamped with the ornamentation or figure of the dies
as illustrated on the drawings. The moulded piece is then removed from the dies and
a coating of the aforesaid cement is applied to the top of veneer A and upon this a
series of small pieces or short strips of vencer are arranged so as to cover the figure
or ornamentation, said pieces Clapping on each other and over and upon them and so
as to cover the entire surface of the body is laid a sheet of veneer D-see Figures 3
and 4, the grain of the strips of veneer running in the same direction with that of the
sheet of veneer the surfaces of course having first been coated with the vulcanizable
cement or india rubber. The piece is again applied to the dies and subjected to further
pressure.
The advantage of applying the small pieces or strips of the veneer to the figure as
described and then the covering of them with a single or whole sheet of veneer is that
the pieces or short strips can slip on each other while being forced into the cavities
or stretched over the raised portions or sharp edges of the figure in the dies and
will not be ruptured in the same places that the whole sheet will be, therefore the
ruptures in the whole sheet will be filled or covered by the pieces or strips; and as
the grain of each runs in the saine direction and the cement connecting them
becomes vulcanized under the heat of the dies, when the piece is removed therefrom

page_text: it will be difficult to find any portion of the body that is not covered by the
veneer.
In cases where but low relief is required in the ornamentation, the article in its
present stage will be suitable for use, but where high relief is desired the repetition
of the application to the embossed portion of it-of the series of pieces or short strips,
covered by a single or whole sheet of veneer and having their next adjacent surfaces
coated with the vulcanizable cement or india rubber as herein before described may
he repeated successively (say as indicated by Figs. 5 and 6) until the ornamentation
shall stand out in bold relief, except that in cases when high relief is required the
grain of the first series of short strips applied to the figure of the body A-is
arranged in a direction at right angles or thereabouts to that of the sheet of veneer
applied to them, to give additional strength, but afterwards each succeeding series of
strips and the sheets to cover them are arranged with the grain of each running in
the same direction for the purpose herein before set forth.
When the ornamentation of the article has attained the required prominence it is
next to be subjected to a final pressure between the dies of longer duration
than any preceeding pressure of it, after which it is considered as completed and
ready for use.
For some purposes I apply the veneers to the ornamented side of the body only-and
in cases where it is desired to have the ornamented side covered with cloth or a fabric,
I take a piece of card board or textile fabric or other suitable material cut to the
required shape for the body and emboss it and after building it up as hereinbefore
described to cover and strengthen the parts broken and separated during pressure
between the dies, next i apply to the ornamented side a coating of the cement-then
the cloth or fabric with which it is to be covered and turn the edges of said fabric
over and lap them on the under side of said body, next cement is applied to the said
underside then one or more veneers to the cemented surface, and the article is next
applied to the dies and pressed to the necessary extent, and on removal therefrom is
ready for use. The article finished in the manner last described can be used in many
ways particularly for decorative and funereal purposes.
In embossing in high relief the different materials above enumerated are liable
to fracture, and the fracture is not confined to the same locality every time the article
is acted upon by the dies, but occurs in different parts of the figure of the article,
more particularly in the prominent parts of it, and in strengthening said parts it is
necessary to repeat the operation of building up the figure of the article by means of
the short strips and sheets of veneer until the figure of the article or panel has imparted
to it the desired representation of genuine carved work.
The dies are preferably arranged with a thin space between them and on the male
lie I use a thin paper force covered or protected by a thin metallic shield, usually made
of copper which is placed on top of the paper force, both of these are first impressed
with the configuration of the dies.
If it is found that after the panel or article above described has been subjected to
the action of the dies (acting through the said paper force and metallic shield) that
there are portions of the configuration that are not sufficiently prominent, I remove
the metal shield from the paper force and apply to those parts of the figure
on the said paper force that are lacking on the article one or more additional
layers of paper as may be necessary, then I cover the force with the shield-
next-lay the article on the shield, then force the dies together and subject the article
to further heat and pressure; on removal from the dies it will be found that the faint
portions of the figure have by these means been given due prominence.
In this way
the dies can be made to perform their work satisfactorily and in a practically perfect
manner.
The advantage of using the shield with the paper force applied to the male die as
set forth is that in building upon the said force the pieces of material laid thereon-
on being covered by the shield will be held in position and thus prevented from
becoming disarranged while the article is being placed between the dies to be again
subjected to pressure between them..

page_text: Although the process has been described particularly with relation to the production
of embossed or raised designs in wood, it will be evident that it may also be
applied to card, or millboard or other material capable of being "stamped up."
The cement above referred to may conveniently be the compound employed by
manufacturers of rubber articles for coating the surfaces although other vulcanizable
cements may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my Foreign Correspondents I declare that what I claim is :—
1st. The improvements in the production of embossed or raised designs which con-
sists in first embossing the body by means of dies; next, coating the face side of the
embossed figure of said body with suitable cement or india rabber; then covering the
said side of the figure with small pieces or short strips of the material next covering
the said pieces and the entire surface of the body with a sheet or sheets thereof,
the next adjacent surfaces of the said sheet or sheets, the pieces and the surface
of the body being coated with the aforesaid cement, the grain of the said pieces and
the sheet or sheets of material running in the same direction or otherwise as
described next, again pressing the body thus prepared between the dies heated
sufficiently to vulcanize said cement, all substantially as set forth.
2nd. In the production of embossed or raised designs in wood or other suitable
material the method of perfecting and strengthening the figure of the panel which
consists in applying to the said figure small pieces or short strips of the material
substantially as described.
3rd. The production of embossed or raised designs in wood card or millboard or
other suitable material substantially as set forth.
Dated this 8th day of February 1890.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE.