An Improved Process for Coating or Plating Non-metallic Articles with Metal.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 20th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process for Coating or Plating Non-metallic Articles
with Metal.
We, THOMAS MORRIS ASH, HENRY WILLIAM GILL and LAURENCE GREEN,
all of Betchworth Works, Stratford Road, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows s
This invention relates to the coating or plating with metal of non-metallic
articles such as paper, papier maché and other fibrous or textile articles or natural
objects such as the leaves of plants, wood in various forms, or a combination of
these or other non-metallic materials.
The invention consists in first covering the articles to be plated with a suitable
medium containing, or upon which is subsequently placed, metal in a fine state of
division, and then submitting the article to the action of nitrate of silver.
The
article so treated may then be electro-plated in any ordinary way and with any of
the usual metals.
For the purpose of illustration we will describe our invention with reference to
the coating or plating of a leaf of ivy, as from this description the application of
the invention generally will be clearly understood. The leaf being clean and dry
is momentarily immersed in a bath of fine varnish such as copal, shellac, or spirit
varnish, or other adhesive compound not soluble in water, with which is intimately
mixed copper, tin, or the like, in a minutely divided state. The leaf is then
withdrawn and washed in water or brushed over to remove any superfluous metal
or varnish, and after preliminary drying so that the medium is somewhat set, is
immersed for a period of about one half a minute to five minutes in a bath of nitrate
of silver, and on withdrawal therefrom is preferably again washed and dried,
although this is not absolutely necessary, when it will be found to be coated with a
precipitated or reduced metallic film of silver which can be further coated
electrolytically with copper or other metals in any of the usual ways.
If preferred the leaf may be immersed in or brushed over with pure varnish or
other medium, and the copper, tin, or the like in a fine state of division dusted on,
and in lieu of varnish as above described, cullodion, gutta percha, india rubber
dissolved in their solvents, or other vehicle for carrying or retaining the metal may
be employed.
Dated the 11th dow of M
1000
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process for Coating or Plating Non-metallic Articles
with Metal.
We, THOMAS MORRIS ASH, HENRY WILLIAM GILL and LAURENCE GREEN,
all of Betchworth Works, Stratford Road, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturers, 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 to the coating or plating with metal of non-metallic
articles such as paper, papier maché and other fibrous or textile articles or
TD 77

page_text: natural objects such as the leaves of plants, wood in various forms, or a
combination of these or other non-metallic materials.
The invention consists in first covering the article to be plated with a suitable
medium containing, or upon which is subsequently placed, metal in a fine state of
division, and then submitting the article to the action of nitrate of silver. The
article so treated may then be electro-plated in any ordinary way and with any
of the usual metals.
For the purpose of illustration we will describe our invention with reference
to the coating or plating of a leaf of ivy, as from this description the application
of the invention generally will be clearly understood. The leaf being clean and
dry is momentarily immersed in a bath of fine varnish such as copal, shellac or
spirit varnish, or other adhesive compound not soluble in water, with which is
intimately mixed copper, tin or the like, in a minutely divided state. The leaf is
then withdrawn and washed in water or brushed over to remove any superfluous
metal or varnish, and after preliminary drying so that the medium is somewhat set,
is immersed for a period of about one half a minute to five minutes in a bath of
nitrate of silver, and on withdrawal therefrom is preferably again washed and dried,
although this is not absolutely necessary, when it will be found to be coated with a
precipitated or reduced metallic film of silver which can be further coated
electrolytically with copper or other metals in any of the usual ways.
If preferred the leaf may be immersed in or brushed over with pure varnish or
other medium, and the copper, tin, or the like in a fine state of division dusted on,
and in lieu of varnish as above described, collodion, gutta percha, india rubber
dissolved in their solvents, or other vehicle for carrying or retaining the metal may
be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
The improved process for coating or plating non-metallic, articles with metal,
consisting in first covering said articles with a carrying or holding medium and
with metal in a fine state of division and then submitting the article so coated to
the action of nitrate of silver, substantially as described.
Dated the 20th day of November 1893.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Chartered Patent Agent for the Applicants.