IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING AND COVERING CERTAIN METALS AND ALLOYS OF METALS
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
SHORE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Third day of March, in the third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Shore, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Joseph Shore, my exors, admors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Joseph Shore, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVING AND
COVERING CERTAIN METALS AND ALLOYS OF METALS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Joseph Shore, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Shore, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof; that is to say :-
My Invention relates to a mode of obtaining or applying a permanent
covering of copper or of nickel by means of galvanic batteries on articles
manufactured of wrought or cast iron, tin, lead & copper, and of alloys of such
metals, such covering acting as a preservative to some of those metals and alloys
of metals, and in other cases as a superior surface. And in order to give the
best information in my power, I will proceed to describe the means pursued
by me in carrying out the Invention, first remarking that I am aware that the
employment of the galvanic battery to deposit copper on to a metallic surface
in order to obtain copies of coins, metals, and engraved designs, has been prac-
tised by many persons; and I have mentioned such process in order to state
that I make no claim thereto, my object being to obtain a permanent covering
of copper or of nickel on to manufactured articles of the metals and alloys of
metals herein mentioned, in order that such coverings may act as a preserva-
tive external surface to such of the metals as require it, and principally as a
superior surface in other cases, when the common or base metal, tin, lead, or
copper forms the receiver of the permanent covering. The mode of deposit-
ing copper by means of the galvanic battery when employed for obtaining
copies of medals, coins, or engraved surfaces being now well understood, it
will not be necessary to enter into a particular description thereof in this my
Specification further than will enable a manufacturer readily to apply such
process in carrying out my Invention.
In order to obtain a permanent covering on articles manufactured from the
metals or alloys of metals above mentioned, I take an open vessel of a size
depending on the article or articles to be operated on at one time. Such
vessel I prefer to be of wood or of earthenware, and I divide this vessel into
two compartments by a partition of unglazed earthenware or other porous
substance. Into one of the compartments I put pure water slightly acidulated
by preference with sulphuric acid or other material usually employed to obtain
galvanic action, as is well understood; and into the other compartment I put a
solution of a salt of copper, by preference sulphate of copper or nitrate of nickel,
whichever is to be used, as the covering metal; and I find in practice that
solutions of the metals act best when they are kept up to a neutral strength.
Into the first compartment I immerse a piece of metallic zinc or other suit-
able metal easily acted on by the solution, as is well understood; and to such
piece of metal there is affixed a wire, by preference, of copper. This wire is
bent over the partition so as to enter into the solution in the second compart-
ment of the vessel; and the manufactured article to be covered is then to bo

page_text: placed in the second compartment, and the wire caused to be kept in constant
contact therewith, taking care that the article under process is moved from
time to time to prevent any part or parts being left uncovered; and it is
important to observe, that the manufactured articles to be coated are well
thereon
cleansed, in order that the action of the galvanic process may produce
a perfect deposit or coating to the surfaces of the articles under operation, and
for this purpose I prefer to employ heat where the metal to be covered will
allow of being raised to a low red heat, though the other known means of
obtaining clean surfaces to such, and the other metals and alloys of metals
herein mentioned, may be employed. When I employ heat, I prefer to place
the metal articles into a crucible, covering them with sand, charcoal, blacklead,
or other suitable powdered substance, and then raising the crucible and its con-
tents to a low red heat in an oven or in an open fire, and then permitting the
same to cool, when, on the manufactured articles being removed, they will be
found in a good condition for the process, the workman having first removed
any sand or other substance therefrom which may be found to adhere. It
should be stated, that the solutions employed may be either hot or cold. The
time which articles are to be kept under operation depends on the extent or
thickness of covering it is desired to be obtained. The longer the articles aro
under operation the thicker the covering. In covering large articles it will be
found convenient to do each separately; but in covering small articles, such
as iron rails, then I employ an open frame or basket of wire in connection
with the wire affixed to the piece of metal in the first compartment of the
vessel, such frame or basket allowing the small articles to be readily kept
separate and turned, by shaking up or otherwise.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would have it under-
stood that I lay no claim to the depositing copper or nickel on to other motal
for taking copies therefrom; and although I have described the best means I
am acquainted with for depositing copper and nickel on to manufactured
articles of certain metals and alloys of metals for obtaining a permanent
covering on the surfaces thereof to act as a preservative or as a superior
covering on commoner or baser metals, at the same time I do not confine
myself thereto, as the same may be varied. But what I claim is the mode of
treating manufactured articles of the metals or alloys of metals herein men-
tioned, by obtaining a permanent covering of copper or of nickel thereon by
means of the galvanic battery.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Shore, have hereunto set my band
and seal, this Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.
JOSEPH (L.8.) SHORE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirty-first day of August, in
the year of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid Joseph Shore came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Third day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.