Improvements in Decorating Metallic Surfaces.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1389
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Decorating Metallic Surfaces.
I HERBERT JOHN HADDAN of the firm of Herbert & Co., l'atent Agents of
18 Buckingham Street, Strand W.C. in the County of Middlesex Civil Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me frein abroad
by Leon Favré of New York in the United States of America, Artist 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 a process for applying pictures or representations to metal,
as set forth in the following specification and claim. The process is serviceable in
reproducing photographs engravings and paintings upon metal.
In carrying out the process I prepare a negative of the image or representation to
be reproduced.
This stereotype or negative must be a reverse of the image or representation to be
produced, that is to say, what appears in the original as the right hand side must
appear in the negative as the left hand side and vice versa so that when the image or
representation is finally applied to the metal surface, the parts of the image or repre-
sentation will be again in their position to correspond to the original. When the
negative is finished and properly touched up I take carbon paper and sensitize it in
any suitable well known way as by means of a suitable sensitizing preparation such as
bichromate of potash.
The paper when sensitized is dried in a dark place or room.
The dry paper is applied to the negative and the whole is exposed to the light in a
photographic press so that the light shining through the negative will produce a
photograph or reproduction of the latter upon the sensitized paper. By means of
a photometer it can be ascertained if a good proof has been obtained.
A plate or piece of polished metal such for example as gold is then treated with
pumice stone and water applied by means of a brush until the polish is dimmed.
The dimming is confined to the place where the representation is to be applied which
is generally the centre of the plate, and care is taken to have the dimming as regular
as possible and provided with a soft finish. Or if desired a dim gilding or dim
silvering can be applied to a metal plate thus also producing an effect as pleasing as
the dimining by means of pumice stone.
When the surface is sufficiently dimmed I cover it with a layer of collodion and
then dip the metal surface or plate in cold water for about five minutes. The carbon
paper proof is then also dipped into the same bath and is then applied to the metal
surface which has been treated with collodion. The photograph picture or repre-
sentation should be placed well in the centre of the dimmed surface. Then a soft
sponge is gently pressed onto the carbon paper so as to remove the air bubbles and
excess of water. This treatment continues for about ten minutes after which the
plate with the pictures or representation is dipped into warm water and at times
gently moved or agitated. The carbon paper is thus dissolved or washed away
leaving the representation on the collodion film adhering to the metal. I continue the
treatment with warm water until all foreign matter has disappeared from the plate
when there remains a perfect representation on the metal surface. I then wash with
cold water and leave the representation and plate to become dry. To fix the repre-
sentation upon the metal surface a coating of collodion or varnish is applied which is
dried and hardened at a temperature of about one hundred degrees Centigrade.
This invention will be found very useful in decorating gold watch cases but I do
not restrict myself to this single use of the invention.
Instead of dimming the metallic surface I can apply to such surface a layer of
enamel upon which I transfer the picture as above described. This enables me to

page_text: colour the picture. To preserve the colouring a layer of collodion or varnish is
applied as above described. Whether the metallic surface is dimmed or covered with
enamel the process of applying the picture is the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The process of applying carbon prints to metallic surfaces which consists in
dimming the surface of the metal applying to the metal surface an adhesive such as
collodion, applying the carbon print to the adhesive and washing off or removing the
carbon paper and foreign matter so as to leave the print adhering to the metal sub-
stantially as described.
2. The process of applying carbon. prints to metallic surfaces which consists in
enamelling the surface of the metal applying to the enamelled surface an adhesive
such as collodion applying the carbon print to the adhesive and washing off or
removing the carbon paper and foreign matter so as to leave the print adhering to
the enamelled surface substantially as described.
Dated this 12th day of November 1889.
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.