A PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING FACTITIOUS BLOCKS OF WOOD OF DIVERSIFIED SHADES AND HUES, PROPER FOR VENEERING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gustave Colomb, of Aigle, Canton de Vaud, Switzer-
land, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "A PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING
FACTITIOUS BLOCKS OF WOOD OF DIVERSIFIED SHADES AND HUES, PROPER FOR
VENEERING AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 18th September 1863, and dated the 10th April 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gustave Colomb at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
April 1863.
I, GUSTAVE COLOMB, of Aigle, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A
PROCESS OP MANUFACTURING FACTITIOUS BLOCKS OF WOOD OF DIVERSIFIED SHADES
AND HUES PROPER FOR VENEERING AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in rolling up together joiners' or cabinet makers'
shavings of several shades or colours so as to make bundles, which are closely
heaped up together in a suitable frame, which is dipped in a bath of hot fluid
glue; they are then squeezed or pressed together on the four sides by any
kind of powerful press of the required size and arrangement, which press is
carried to a hot chamber and left there to dry under the action of a hot blast.
The block is then fit for cutting into thin sheets for veneering, for carving, or
work of all sorts.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Gustave Colomb in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GUSTAVE
COLOMB, of Aigle, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of April, 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 Gustave Colomb, Her special licence that I, the said Gustave
Colomb, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Gustave Colomb, 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 "A
PROCESS OP MANUFACTURING FACTITIOUS BLOCKS OF WOOD OF DIVERSIFIED SHADES
AND HUES, PROPER FOR VENEERING AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition,
amongst others, that I, the said Gustave Colomb, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Gustave Colomb, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
My Invention consists in manufacturing factitious blocks of wood of
diversified shades or colours, intended especially to be divided by sawing into
thin sheets for veneering, but the said blocks can be applied to other purposes.
To manufacturo such blocks I take joiners' or cabinet-makers' shavings, mado
by hand planing or by a planing machine; of course the said shavings should
be of some thickness (although not necessarily of equal thickness throughout
their length), and all of the same width or nearly so; these shavings may be
made expressly for the purposes of my Invention from all kinds of woods of

page_text: several colours or shades, either natural or stained. The shavings are rolled
up (by hand, by means of a spindle with crank, or otherwise) compactly
together on each other, and one round the other, to form bundles of any bulk,
several of which are heaped up together in suitable. frames, where they are
closely packed. The bundles of shavings can be of the same or different size;
each of them can be formed with shavings of the same kind of wood or of
several different kinds and colours; I may also in some cases introduce among
the shavings of wood any other thin and pliable substance, such as thin strips of
soft metals, horn, whalebone, ivory, tortoiseshell, papier mâché, made of saw-
dust and any substance capable of being glued together with the wood
shavings. When the frame before mentioned has been filled up with bundles
of shavings it is dipped in a hot bath of well liquefied glue. After this
immersion, and when the shavings are thoroughly soaked with glue or with
any other similar agglutinative substance, such as marine glue or glue made
either with gutta percha or india-rubber, the bundles of shavings are submitted
to a strong side pressure simultaneously on
presses, or by any other suitable means.
some time submitted to this pressure, and
in which runs a draught of hot air, which after a longer or shorter time
brings them to a sufficiently dried state to be cut into thin sheets either by
sawing or cutting off.
the four sides by means of hand
The blocks thus formed remain for
are then carried to a hot chamber
Though I have described as the first operation the rolling up of the
shavings to form bundles, I can in the same manner form striped trusses or
bundles of filigranous or filigree appearance with straight, rounded, or
undulating lines, by mixing the shavings with strips of metal or other sub-
stances which could not be rolled up. The said trusses or bundles are then
submitted to the same processes of glueing, pressing, and drying. I form in
the same manner blocks composed of rolled up bundles and striped trusses or
bundles by combining them in various ways.
It will be understood that the factitious blocks, made as above described
with joiners' shavings, can be applied to several other purposes than for
making veneers; for instance, by carving or turning they could be used for
manufacturing many small objects, such as boxes, picture frames, handles,
ornaments, and all similar objects.
In short, I claim as my Invention,-
Firstly, making blocks of factitious wood with joiners' shavings, by rolling
up or heaping together shavings of natural or dyed wood, so as to form
bundles or trusses of diversified shades or colors, and mixing, if desired, strips
of soft metals or other substances with the said shavings.

page_text: Secondly, beaping up together several bundles in a frame, packing them
tight together.
Thirdly, dipping the same into a bath of hot glue, or any other similar
agglutinative substance.
Fourthly, pressing the blocks thus obtained sideways by suitable presses
when dry enough.
Fifthly and lastly, drying the blocks in a hot room through which runs a
current of hot air, as before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Gustave Colomb, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three.
Signed and sealed in the
presence of
L. D'AUBRÉVILLE, C.E.
G. COLOMB. (L.S.)