Silver, or Platinum on Pottery and other Articles.
Year: 1887

page_text: Silver, or Platinum on Pottery and other Articles.
We, MAX FRIEDRICH LEOPOLD EHRLICH Chemist, and CARL THEODOR STORCK,
Merchant, both of 19 Bockenheimor Landstrasse, Frankfort on the Main, in the
German Empire 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 :-
The methods heretofore employed for producing decorations in bright gold, (silver
or platinum) on pottery and other articles consisted therein that first the merchantable
liquid gold composition was applied to the articles to be treated by means of a brush
or pen and that the ceramic ware was then burnt in an oven or muffle.
For a better understanding of our invention we shall first give a prescription for
producing the liquid gold composition above referred to (See Strele's Manual for
China and Glass Painting), viz. :
Dissolve 10 gramms of metallic gold in aqua regia or nitro-muriatic acid, then put
this compound in a water- or steam bath and let it cool. The product received is a
crystalline, reddish body of the formula Au Cl, (muriate of gold). Add to it a
mixture of equal amounts of essence of lavender and balsam of sulphur. The latter
is received by boiling for some time 50 gr. of Venetian turpentine and 10 gr. of
sulphur. By intimately mixing both matters with the muriate of gold you produce
sulphuret of gold, containing balsam of sulphur, both dissolved in the liquids used.
When having stood for twenty-four hours add to this liquid compound 1 gr. of finely
pulverized bismuth of nitrate for each 2 gr. of metallic gold contained in the compound.
There are still several other methods for producing gold compounds, having the
same qualities, but these methods are kept secret by some laboratories, which hower
sell such productions all over the world.
The merchantable liquid gold composition thus or by similar processes received,
did not hower allow a wholesale production of china ware &c., ornamented with said
compositions, as the latter could not be applied by printing, reprinting, stenciling,
stamping, dusting or the like, because the gold composition was to liquid and in
consequence thereof did not adhere to the printing form or to the article in a
sufficiently thick layer or coat for printing purposes.

page_text: If we would make this composition more gluey by adding resin or balsam of
sulphur, the percentage of the pure gold contained in this mixture would become to
small, and the article when burnt would not receive a bright and saturated
decoration.
If, however, a gold composition is used which is gluey and which has 12% of pure
gold at least, this composition will then be available for printing purposes.
Such a composition we obtain by mixing 200 gr. of the above characterized
merchantable liquid gold composition with 800 gr. of ether or similar precipitating
mediums. We receive a residue, which we separate from the liquid by a filter; the
residue consists of a gold compound of brown color in the form of dust, when dry.
This compound consists of a sulphuret of gold chemically combined with balsam of
sulphur.
The compound thus produced in the form of dust we apply to the ceramic ware in
different ways which shall now be described.
We either take 100 gr. of this dry composition, mix it with 50-70 gr. of nitro-
benzole or similar resin dissolving matters and add 50-100 gr. of balsam of sulphur,
stir it well until all substances are dissolved, whereby a tough and glucy matter is
received, which is apt of being printed directly on the ceramic ware or first in the
well known manners on albumenized paper and then by reprinting on the china.
After this has been done, the china is burnt.
Or we disperse the gold composition gained in the form of dust, over the surfaces
of the china, after having coated them with a gum-lac. The dust will then stick to
the coated surfaces, and subsequently the covered surfaces are subjected to the
influence of nitrobenzole or similar media which dissolve sulphuret of gold with
balsam of sulphur. Also in this case the gold composition in the form of dust will
become dissolved and will no more change when being burnt.
Of all the methods of printing this metalliferous compound to a surface, we prefer
that which is called reprinting and the whole process, which shows some particulars
and which will be described for better understanding is the following:
We take the dry gold compound which we received of the merchantable liquid
gold composition by the precipitating influence of ether and by filtering the residue
from the liquid and mix this compound with balsam of sulphur. This mixture is
dissolved in another quantity of the above mentioned liquid gold composition (for this
composition is a dissolving medium too, as well as nitrobenzole for the dry gold
compound mixed with balsam of sulphur) and it results a tough and gluey paste.
Now I first coat the printing-block by means of printing-rollers with this tough gold-
paste and then I print the design on albumenized paper. I now subject the thus
prepared albumenized paper to the influence of the vapors of nitrobenzole.
By this operation the surface of the paste becomes more even and level, and by
passing then the paper between metallic pressing rollers I increase this property of
the printed surface.
After having first coated the surface which is to be ornamented with a gum-lac, we
apply the albumenized leveled paper to the surface in the well know way as used in
reprinting; the design of the gold composition is thus transferred from the paper to
the surface, and after having washed off the paper, the article which bears now the
printed design is burnt.
This compound and the method for producing it may well be used in ornamenting
ceramic ware &c., which when burnt receives a bright colour.
In the same manner as described with regard to gold compound, we produce silver-
compound and platinum-compound capable of being printed or reprinted or dusted on
surfaces.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. A method for producing a metalliferous compound such as gold silver or
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curfus hy Grstly procinitating from the

page_text: merchantable liquid gold compositions described the sulphuret of gold (silver,
platinum) chemically combined with the balsam of sulphur by means of ether or
similar media, which precipate such compounds and by then redissolving the residue
received in nitrobenzole or similar inedia which dissolve the sulphuret of gold (silver,
platinum) with balsam of sulphur for the purpose as described..
2. A method for producing a metalliferous compound such as gold, silver or
platinum, capable of being printed on surfaces, by firstly precipitating from the
merchantable liquid compositions described, the sulphuret of gold (silver, platinum)
chemically combined with balsam of sulphur by means of ether or similar media which
precipitate such compounds and by thon redissolving the residue received in another
quantity of the merchantable liquid composition (gold, silver, platinum), for the
purpose as described.
3. A method for producing a metalliferous compound such as gold, silver,
platinum, capable of being printed on surfaces, by firstly precipitating from the
merchantable liquid compositions described the sulphuret of gold (silver, platinum)
chemically combined with the balsam of sulphur by means of ether or similar media,
which precipitato such compounds by dissolving the residue received in another
quantity of the merchantable liquid composition (gold, silver, platinum) or similar
media, which dissolve the sulphuret of gold (silver, platinum) with balsam of sulphur,
and by then subjecting the received gluoy paste, after having printed it on
albumenized paper, to the vapors of nitrobenzole or of similar media, which dissolve
the sulphuret of gold (silver, platinum) with the balsam of sulphur for the purpose as
described.
4. A methods for producing a metalliferous compound such as gold, silver or
platinum, capable of being dusted on surfaces by firstly precipitating from the
merchantable liquid compositions described the sulphuret of gold (silver, platinum)
chemically combined with balsam of sulphur by means of ether or similar media,
which precipitate such compounds, by separating the residue received from the liquid
and drying it, and by then subjecting the received dust, after having dispersed it
over the surface which is to be ornamented and which bears the design, to the vapors
of nitrobenzole or of similar media, which dissolve the sulphuret of gold (silver,
platinum) with balsam of sulphur, for the purpose as described.
Dated this 10th day of November 1887.
MAX FRIEDRICH LEOPOLD EHRLICH.
CARL THEODOR STORCK.
By A. Kuhnt & Deissler,
38, Alexander Str., Berlin, Germany,
their Agents.