AN IMPROVED INOXIDIZABLE ALLOY TO BE APPLIED TO STEEL OR OTHER METAL, AND PROCESS FOR APPLYING THE SAME WITH OR WITHOUT A SILVER OR OTHER COATING OR PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter de Villiers, of Silver Hill, St. Leonard's on Sea
Doctor of Medicine, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED INOXIDIZABLE
ALLOY TO BE APPLIED TO STEEL OR OTHER METAL, AND PROCESS FOR
APPLYING THE SAME WITH OR WITHOUT A SILVER OR OTHER COATING OR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter de Villiers at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th August 1880.
PETER DE VILLIERS, of Silver Hill, St. Leonard's on Sea, Doctor of Medicine.
"AN IMPROVED INOXIDIZABLE ALLOY TO BE APPLIED TO STEEL OR OTHER
METAL, AND PROCESS FOR APPLYING THE SAME WITH OR WITHOUT A SILVER OR
OTHER COATING OR COVERING."
My Invention relates to an improved metallic alloy, and to a process for applying
the same to steel or other metal, which may be afterwards coated or covered
with silver or other metal, or left without such a coating or covering as may be
desired.
I have discovered in seeking for an inoxidizable alloy that certain metals will
not unite in certain proportions, and in order to effect the purposes of this Invention,
I proceed as follows, that is to say :-
I make an alloy consisting of eighty (80) parts of tin, eighteen (18) parts of lead,
and two (2) parts of silver.
I take the purest steel used for manufacturing purposes, made, say, into a knife
blade, and I place the same in a bath composed of sulphuric acid and distilled
water, the acid formning only a very small proportion thereof, so that the steel may
be slowly attacked without distorting the blade. The result obtained in ten or
twelve hours is a knife-blade, perforated upon its whole surface, and throughout
its thickness by holes of almost infinitesimal diameter. In this state the knife-
blade is plunged into a metallic bath consisting of the alloy composed of the three
metals above mentioned, namely, tin, lead, and silver. The steel becomes instan-
taneously impregnated with this alloy, and the blade, which on leaving the bath is
hot, is at once thrown into iced water, and so regains all the properties of temper
which it may have lost in the foregoing process. When cold it is polished by an
Price A71

page_text: emery wheel, and becomes as brilliant as pure silver; it has moreover the clear
ring appertaining to that metal, and is almost inoxidizable.
To obtain a complete result, I submit the blade to another metallic bath, that is
to say, it is either placed in hot molten silver, or has silver deposited thereon cold
by means of electro-deposition, so as to obtain a new covering or coating to form
part of the impregnating metal, as the latter forms part of the steel or iron.
The final operation consists in polishing the articles by rotating apparatus,
suitable to the form of the blade or other articles treated, but the objects which
are impregnated by means of the hot bath of molten silver are tempered again when
taken out of said bath and before they are definitively polished.
The articles so prepared, whether originally made of steel, iron, bronze, German
silver, or any other metal or composition capable of bearing the heat to which they
will have to be exposed, according to my Invention, become remarkably hard and
sonorous, these qualities resulting from the impregnation above described.
I have described my process with respect to knife blades as an example, but
desire it to be understood that other articles or objects of many kinds may be
treated thereby with great advantage; for instance, the said process may be applied
with great advantage to many utensils in which inoxidizability is a valuable
quality, and the said Invention may be applied for many industrial or manu-
facturing purposes, which will be apparent and need not therefore be herein set
forth.
This process is not costly, and the difference in the price of articles so made and
that of well finished goods manufactured in the ordinary manners is amply
compensated for by the saving in time and wear in cleaning. Thus, a knife-blade
made as above described only requires to be cleaned by means of soft linen or wash-
leather to preserve its appearance and silver polish. It can moreover be sharpened,
and will keep its edge for as long a time as a steel knife would do.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Peter de Villiers in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
February 1881.
PETER DE VILLIERS, of Silver Hill, St. Leonard's-on-Sea, Doctor of Medicine.
"AN IMPROVED INOXIDIZABLE ALLOY TO BE APPLIED TO STEEL OR OTHER METAL,
AND PROCESS FOR APPLYING THE SAME WITH OR WITHOUT A SILVER OR OTHER
COATING OR COVERING."
My Invention relates to an improved metallic alloy, and to a process for applying
the same to steel, iron, or other metal or alloy, which may be afterwards coated or
covered with silver or other metal, or left without such a coating or covering, as
may be desired.
The said Invention is the result of researches which I have made to discover an
inoxidizable alloy, and in which I have observed that certain metals do not form
perfect alloys, except in particular proportions and under determined conditions as
hereinafter specified.
I have discovered that when tin is suitably combined with lead and silver in the
proportions herein specified an alloy is produced which will not only strongly adhere
to iron and steel, but will impregnate these metals when they have been properly
prepared to receive the alloy. The proportions of the metals in my improved alloy
may be somewhat varied according to the purpose for which the alloy is to be used.
I prefer however to use the proportions indicated in the following formulas by
weight:
=
I prefer the second formula when the alloy is to be applied to iron or steel.
In practising my Invention I proceed as follows, that is to say :-
The tin is first melted, and when a brilliant whiteness of the surface of this
metal indicates its thorough fusion, the lead is added in a granular state and the
mixture is slowly stirred, preferably with a rod of very dry fir-wood..
The silver separately melted is then added to and mixed in like manner with the
compound.
At this moment the fire under the melting-pot or crucible containing the alloy
must be quickly increased till the surface of the metal has a slight yellow tinge.
It is then rapidly stirred and run into moulds to form ingots.
When I have the choice between iron or steel for the manufacture of any article
to be treated with my improved alloy, I take the purest steel used for manfacturing
purposes. One very important use of my Invention is its application to table-
cutlery. For this purpose I proceed as follows:-The blade is immersed in a bath
of a solution of muriatic or sulphuric acid in the following proportions by weight,

page_text: viz., one hundred (100) parts of distilled water or filtered rain water, and from
one (1) to ten (10) parts by weight of muratic acid or of sulphuric acid. The blade
must remain in this bath for a longer or shorter time according to its thickness, in
order that it may be slowly and thoroughly penetrated by the same, this result
being indicated by the appearance of spots on the surface of the metal. Instead of
the acid solution I may use aqua fortis, the time of immersion in this case being
very short.
When the blade is withdrawn from the bath, it must immediately be plunged
into pure water to be quickly and completely washed, and then it is wiped and
dried as rapidly as possible with a piece of old linen, soft leather, or a very dry
sponge.
It is then subjected for about five minutes to a dry heat in a furnace or oven
heated to 70 or 80 degrees centigrade; it is then withdrawn and again wiped.
The preceding operations have for their object the preparation of the iron or
steel for impregnation with the alloy, the result being that the said iron or steel is
perforated with a multitude of holes almost infinitesimally small. In iron, unless
this metal is of excellent quality, the size of these holes is extremely variable, and
sometimes there are defective parts which make the subsequent operations very
difficult. In steel the difference of diameter of these holes is almost imperceptible,
so that the subsequent operations are performed without difficulty. This is the
chief reason of my preference for steel.
The knife-blade or other article after its preparation as above described is
immersed in a metallic bath composed of the alloy made according to one or the
other of the formulas hereinabove given.
The ingots are melted over a moderate fire in a crucible or pot formed of
plumbago or refractory clay, and not in an iron vessel, as particles of the iron
would mix with the alloy and render the same liable to oxidize in the open air,
thus impairing the appearance of the impregnated knife-blade or other article.
The iron or steel previous to immersion in the metallic bath or alloy must be
heated to a temperature of 50 or 60 degrees centigrade; the bath must be perfectly
liquid and is stirred with a dry rod of fir-wood or poplar, and the surface of the
molten alloy must present a fine silver white color, which is obtained by slow
fusion and by stirring only when the whole of the mass is liquefied.
If these precautions are observed the impregnation of the iron or steel will
proceed rapidly, and the alloy will enter the artificially produced holes and the
pores of the metal, which are slightly dilated by the previous heating of the said
metal.
For a knife-blade or similarly thin object an immersion in the alloy of a very
short time, say, a few seconds, will suffice. A period of from two to five minutes
will be required for pieces or articles of greater thickness, such as horse's bits,
stable-chains, and the like.
When withdrawn from the metallic bath the blade or other article of iron or
steel is at once immersed in cold water, or is otherwise properly treated to harden
or temper it or to restore its temper, as required. If left in the cold water for too
long a time, the metal sometimes becomes brittle, but carefulness on the part of the
operator will prevent any difficulty of this kind.
The blade or other article having been wiped and dried without the application
of heat is polished in any suitable manner. It will then have the whiteness
and lustre of silver, and will have a ring or sound analogous to that of the latter
metal, and may be considered inoxidizable under ordinary atmospheric conditions.
But by the further treatment hereinafter described, these articles can be rendered
thoroughly proof against oxidation or corrosion by ordinary acids, such as vinegar,
lemon, or other fruit acids or pickles, so that when used in contact with the same,
or with fish, fatty matters, or culinary preparations of any kind, or with potable
liquids or the like, they will not impart flavour or taste thereto, nor will the taste
or smell of any of these substances adhere to such articles.
To attain these results I take the blades or other articles that have been prepared

page_text: and subjected to the alloy, as above described, and rub the same gently with an
amalgam which I compound as follows, viz. :-
I make this amalgam as follows, that is to say --I first melt the tin, and when the
same is rendered properly liquid, pulverized silver is thrown upon its surface and
melts somewhat rapidly. The whole is then stirred by means of a very dry rod of
fir-wood, and the mercury is added gradually with continual stirring. The mixture
is then allowed to cool in an earthenware vessel. It is then reheated over a
moderate fire without stirring. This operation of reheating is repeated three or
four times. The amalgam is then ready, and has to be kept in a close vessel and
protected from light.
The polished articles must be lightly rubbed with this amalgam by means of a
soft-cotton cloth or other suitable material previously impregnated with a solution
containing one (1) part of nitrate of potassa (saltpetre) in one hundred (100) parts
of filtered water by weight. This cloth is to be used only when thoroughly dry
and rendered supple by rubbing it between the hands. When once permeated by
the amalgam it will serve for an indefinite time.
The above described successive operations result in the incorporation or union
with the iron or steel, first of the metals of the alloy, and then of the amalgam.
The following proceedings complete and render practically perfect the series of
combinations whereby an article or object to which my Invention is applied has
the various metals thereof as intimately and inseparably united as in any true alloy.
The articles of iron or steel prepared up to this point, that is to say, by the
application of the amalgam, are finished by electro-deposition or otherwise, with a
coating or covering of silver, which is combined or incorporated by the aid of the
amalgam with the substance of the article itself and the alloy with which the same
is impregnated, and thereby my Invention differs from the processes hitherto known,
which only cause a simple superposition of the silver or other coating metal upon
the surface of the metal covered thereby.
If the final coating or covering of the knife-blade or other article is to be of.
gold, I prefer to apply this metal by electro-deposition upon the surface of the
silver.
In cases where it is desirable to economize the process above described, I make
an alloy of tin and lead without the silver, in the proportion of about ninety (90)
parts of tin and ten (10). parts of lead, and immerse in it the iron or steel in the
manner above described, and then apply the amalgam and the silver coating or
covering, but I do not think the result in this case will be so satisfactory as
when the alloy used consists of silver, lead, and tin in the proportions above
specified.
I may apply my Invention not only to iron and steel but also to bronze, German
silver, and other metals and alloys which are capable of resisting the heat required
for the divers operations above described, and I thereby increase the hardness and
sonorousness of such metals.
I have hereinabove chiefly described my Invention as applied to knife-blades,
but I wish it clearly understood that other objects or articles can be treated in the
same manner with great advantage. The said Invention is applicable to household
utensils used for culinary or other purposes wherein inoxidability is desirable,
likewise to a great number of objects or articles used in the arts and
manufactures.
My process is inexpensive, and the difference in price between any articles or
objects manufactured in the best manner by any processes hitherto known, and
similar articles or objects produced or finished by my said process is in favour of

page_text: the latter. The articles prepared by my process do not require the frequent
or severe rubbing or polishing which in the case of ordinary table cutlery and
other articles necessitates a considerable expenditure of time and labour, and soon
renders knives or other articles subjected thereto unfit for use; whereas a knife
impregnated by my process will be kept clean and bright by simple washing with
warm water and without the use of a knife-board or a cleaning or polishing-
machine, and such knives may be sharpened in the usual manner, and will keep
their edge like pure steel.
It will thus be obvious that by my Invention, table-cutlery and other articles are
rendered practically imperishable, with ordinary care, and will retain the appearance
and brilliancy of polished silver.
In my improved alloy the different metals thereof impart to the same specific
properties or qualities without which it would be unfit for the purpose of my
Invention, that is to say, the tin imparts pliability to the said alloy, the silver
renders it hard, lustrous, and inoxidizable, and the lead increases its fluidity and
power of penetration into the interstices and pores of the iron, steel, or other
metal, and I thus produce an alloy in which a very small proportion of silver
imparts to the alloy and to steel or other metal to which the same is applied the
hardness, whiteness, lustre, and inoxidability of pure silver.
Having thus fully described my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I do not claim the mere application of silver
or other like metal as a covering or coating for articles made of iron or steel, as I
am aware that knives and other articles have been coated with silver by the aid
of an intermediate layer of brass or copper applied to the surface of the steel to
form a surface to which the silver can adhere, as this latter metal cannot with
advantage be applied directly or without some intermediate metal to the surface
of steel or iron; moreover, I am aware that silver, tin, and lead have been alloyed
together in the course of scientific investigation with regard to the properties of
alloys, and that alloys of these metals have been used by coiners of counterfeit
money, but all of such alloys contain a very large proportion of silver (about 40
to 60 per cent.), and are practically useless for ordinary manufacturing purposes,
and especially unfit and inapplicable for the purpose of my Invention. And it was
only by a long continued course of experiments that I discovered the precise
manner or progressive order of combining these metals to make the above described
alloy, in which the silver unites with the tin and lead in the proportions and with
the results above specified; and I particularly wish it understood that I do not
claim any alloy in which the three metals are not combined in such proportions
as will impart to the alloy the peculiar properties or qualities necessary for the
purpose of my Invention as above specified, but I claim,-
First. The alloy consisting of tin, lead, and silver combined in, or about in, the
proportions and in the manner above described for the purposes specified.
Second. The process whereby steel, iron, or other metal is first prepared by
immersion in or washing by an acid solution or bath, and then subjected to the
action of the said alloy in such a manner as to be impregnated with or permeated
by the same, the process being either terminated at this point or continued by the
application of the amalgam and a final coating or covering of silver or other metal,
all substantially as and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter de Villiers, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
PETER DE VILLIERS. (L.S.)