A NEW MODE OF ORNAMENTING AND PAINTING ALL KINDS OF JAPANNED AND VARNISHED WARES OF METAL, PAPER, OR ANY OTHER COMPOSITIONS AND VARIOUS OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1809

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
VALENTINE, of the Parish of Saint James, Clerkenwell, in the County of
Middlesex, Japanner, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twentieth day of
March, in the forty-ninth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Valentine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Charles
Valentine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, during the term of years
therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "A NEW MODE OF ORNAMENTING AND PAINTING ALL KINDS OF JAPANNED AND
VARNISHED WARES OF METAL, PAPER, OR ANY OTHER COMPOSITIONS AND VARIOUS
OTHER ARTICLES;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso,
obliging me, the said Charles Valentine, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, to cause a particular of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one calendar month after the
date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same (relation being
thereunto had) may more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Valentine, do hereby declare that my said Invention is described in
manner following, that is to say:
In the first instance, to produce a painted or gilded effect of a landscape,
figure, or ornament, &c. &c. on the surface of any painted, varnished, or gilded
body or bodies intended to be painted, varnished, or gilded, whether of wood,
metal, paper, or any other composition whatever, it will be necessary to procure
four pieces of copper, which I number 1, 2, 3, & 4, or any other hard metal,
exactly of one size. On the piece No. 1 must be engraved or etched, either in
lines, aquatinta, sets, or hatches, whichever is preferred, the strongest light of
the figure, ornament, or landscape; on the plate No. 2 must be engraved the
second shade, on the plate No. 3 must be engraved a darker shade, and on the
plate No. 4 must be engraved the darkest shade; next procure some fine fan,
tissue, or other soft paper, which is to be strongly prepared with gum arabic,
isinglass, or any other glutinous body dissolved in soft water, the proportion about
a pound to one quart of water; the paper is easily prepared by the striking a
bristle tool charged with the solution separately over every sheet; then procure
some strong burnt linseed oil and grind a sufficient proportion of Frankfort
black till you have produced an ink of thick consistency for the darkest shadow.
For the second shade mix a little flake white; for the third shade, add more
flake white, and for the lightest pure flake, white, then charge the, four plates.
with the different shades, and cover the plate No. 4, which is charged with the
darkest shade, with a piece of the above, prepared paper rather wet, and pass, it
through a printer's rolling press; having obtained the darkest impression, cover,
the, plate No. 3 exactly with the same paper, and pass. it a second time.
through the press, then damp the back of the, impression with a moist, sponge.
and cover the plate No. 2 exactly as before, and pass it a third time through.
the press; then cover the plate No. 1, which has the strongest light, exactly as
before, and pass it a fourth time through the press; the impression must then,
be suffered to dry, in the air for the space of a week till the, shades are perfectly-
dry (unless assisted by heat, which is apt to, cockle the paper,). then mix with
copal varnish the black ground of whatever shade you please, and cover exactly,
with an even coat with a camel hair pencil the whole of the shadows from
outline to outline, taking care the colour is of a sufficient, body, which entirely
depends on the thickness of the varnish; let the whole harden in the air for the
space of a day. or two, then prepare the surface of the wood, metal, paper, or
composition that is to receive the impression with a thin coat of copal varnish,.
and when it has dried a little, so that when the finger is gently pressed; upon, it,
will have a faint impression on the varnish, then apply the prepared, impression,

page_text: or painting in the most even manner, on the back or painted side of the
impression on the varnished surface, and gently press it down with a sponge
well moistened with warm water till the whole is evenly laid; suffer it to, lay
a quarter of an hour in its wet state, till the gum with which the paper is
prepared with is dissolved, and you may then wash with the greatest ease with
a sponge the whole of the paper away, and leave a finished painting of four
shades on the surface of the chosen body. Great care should be taken that the
shades are sufficiently dry before the back ground is applied, or they would be
materially injured by the application; likewise, if the paper is not sufficiently
gum'd there will be a great difficulty to obtain a release of the painting. When
the whole is sufficiently dry they may be varnished and stoved, as other regular
japan work. When more lively or brilliant colours are required than those
described, they must be ground with strong burnt linseed oil, and the plates
charged, as before described. Where only a plain impression of any mezzotint,
aquatint, stipple line, or dot engraving is wanted on the surface or ground of any
gilded, varnished, or painted body without any opake back ground, it may be
done in the most expeditious manner as follows:-Prepare a weak solution of
gum water, by dissolving a quarter of a pound of gum arabic in a quart of soft
water, and prepare the fan or fine tissue paper, as before described; charge the
plate and obtain the impression in the like manner, apply the paper while wet
with the painted side downwards on the surface of the body intended to receive
it, and gently press it down with a moist sponge; suffer it to remain a few
minutes in its moist state, then raise the edge of the paper and gently pull it off;
the paper will readily, leave the impression and come clear off. The body that
has received the impression may then be stoved in as great a heat as it will
bear, and whatever shadows you may think necessary to put may be applied,
when dry, by transparent colours well ground and mixed with copal varnish...
Where the strokes and hatches of the engraving are required to appear in gold
upon any painted or varnished surface, it will be necessary to gild the surface
and secure it by a coat of copal varnish, which you must suffer to dry quite
bard, then prepare it as before described by a second coat of varnish, then
grind a small proportion of virgins wax with the printing ink, and take off the
impression on the prepared fan or fine tissue paper, as before described, gently
press sit down on the gold surface with a moist sponge, suffer it to dry for a few
days in the open air, then mix what colour you please for the ground with a
small proportion of copal varnish, and cover evenly the whole surface of the
gold with a thin coat, suffer the ground to dry in the air, then warm the body
of the composition on which the subject is printed and gently rub the surface
with a piece of cotton, the heat will readily dissolve the ink and wax, and discover

page_text: the gold on every part where the lines of the engraving has laid. Engraving on
box and hard wood are better adapted to produce this effect than those on
copper or hard metals. The impressions may be as readily obtained on the
prepared fan paper by using the letter press instead of the rolling press im-
pressions, and ornaments may be obtained from blocks, cut, carved, or engraved
on holly, box, or some hard bodies, which may be charged with japanners' gold
size instead of painting ink, and passed through a letter press on the prepared
papers, and by a moist sponge the impression may be conveyed upon the surface
of any painted or varnished body, suffering it to remain a few hours to dry,
may be gilt or bronzed with gold leaf, the same as if the gold size had been
applied by the pencil.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Valentine, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
Inrolled the Eighteenth day of April, One thousand eight hundred and
nine.