PREVENTING THE ILL EFFECTS OF DAMPNESS ON WALLS AND DWELLINGS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Henri Coimbres, of No. 14, Rue des
Prêtres, in the City of Paris, for the Invention of "PREVENTING
THE ILL EFFECTS OF DAMPNESS ON WALLS AND DWELLINGS."-A com-
munication.
Sealed the 17th May 1853; and dated the 24th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Henri
Combres at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 24th November 1852.
I, JOSEPH HENRI COMBRES, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "PREVENTING THE ILL EFFECTS OF DAMPNESS ON WALLS AND
DWELLINGS" to be as follows:_
In order to prevent damp or humidity from passing through walls
and injuring any decorations that may be placed thereon, the walls
are covered all over with sheets of glass, which are attached thereto
either by means of glue mastic or some other suitable composition,
or in any other convenient manner, and the joints between the

page_text: sheets of glass are secured by lead fastening, and further covered
with strips of calico impregnated with some waterproof cement.
The joints are also well payed over with a waterproof cement.
When the sheets of glass are properly secured, the surface must
be covered with a preparation of cement, composed principally of
strong gluc, or size, and white clay. This composition is laid on
with a trowel, so as to obtain a perfectly smooth surface, which may
then be decorated in any manner according to taste.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Joseph Henri Combres in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 24th May 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOSEPH HENRI COMBRES, of No. 14, Rue des Prêtes, in the City of
Paris, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November, in
the
year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in
the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Henri Combres,
Her special license that I, the said Joseph Henri Combres, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Joseph Henri Combres, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time,
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "PREVENTING THE ILL EFFECTS OF DAMPNESS ON
WALLS AND DWELLINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Joseph Henri Combres, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Henri Combres, do
hereby declare the nature of my said İnvention, and in what man-
ner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say): -
My Invention has for its object to prevent damp or humidity
from passing through from the outside or from the foundations to
the inner surface of walls, and injuring the face thereof, or any
decorations, objects or things that may be placed on or against the
face of the said walls. This object is effected by the employment
of sheets or plates of glass, combined with other materials, and
properly prepared, in the manner herein-after explained, and adapted
to and affixed to the walls or surfaces, so that they may be orna-
mented with any devices that may be desired.
For the purposes of my Invention, I prefer to use sheets or plates
of glass, measuring about seventeen inches by twenty, but any other
convenient size may be used. These sheets or plates of glass are to
be covered with unbleached calico, linen, or any other suitable mate-
rial, in the manner hereafter explained, and are secured to the walls
by means of nails (such as are used by slaters), together with bands
of thin sheet lead. The joints between the sheets or plates are filled
with painters' putty, and a cement composed as hèrein-after men-
tioned. The sheets or plates of glass being ready, I cut the calico,
linen, or other material with which they are to be covered, into
pieces, according to the dimensions of the sheets or plates of glass;
I then soak this linen or calico in a solution of very clear glue or
paste the pieces of linen or calico having been soaked two hours at
least, are then laid with great nicety on each sheet or plate of glass
and left to dry: when the covering of the sheets or plates of glass,
become dry, I paint them over with a brush with the following
composition:-To fifty parts of linseed oil, add fifty parts of essence.
of turpentine, five parts of litharge in powder, and five parts of
yellow ochre ground in oil; well mix the whole, and make it a
liquid preparation suitable to be laid on with a brush, and for giving

page_text: a strong coat on the surface of the sheets or plates of glass when
covered with the calico, linen or other material. The sheets or
plates of glass thus prepared with the calico, linen or other material,
may then be fixed on the wall in the following manner :-I trace the
outline of the first sheet or plate on the wall, and then nail on the
lead for attaching the sheets or plates to the wall, the heads of the
nails being within the outline, and at a short distance, it may be
from one third to half an inch, from the angles: I then cover three of
the edges of the sheet of glass with strips of painters' putty, leaving
free the upper edge of this sheet, in order to introduce a certain
quantity of fine sand. In applying the sheet or plate to the wall,
it is necessary to support it in all its parts, so as to allow only an
interval of about the twentieth part of an inch between the sheet or
plate and the wall to admit of the sand; I then partly divide the lead
bands with one or two slits; the one half. I lay down on the sheet
already fixed, and the other half I leave to be laid down on the
sheet which will be fixed at the side: the part of the glass covered
with the calico or other material must always be placed outside.
I
fix the remaining sheets of the first course in the same manner.
The first course being fixed in its place, and the bands being well
attached, the sand is then introduced between the wall and the
sheets of glass; the upper courses are fixed in the same manner, and
when the part of the wall to be covered with the sheets is completed,
the joints must be coated over with mastic (herein-after described)
for the width.at the least of the bands and for their full thickness.
When the joints are dry, the surface of the plate or sheet must be
covered with the mixture herein-after mentioned, which must be laid
on with a trowel or other suitable tool, so as to obtain a perfectly
smooth surface. The surface is then ready to receive all kinds. of
painting or decorations; and mouldings, plinths, and other embel:
lishments can be nailed on or otherwise attached, without doing any
injury to the work.
The cement above referred to for covering the joints is composed
as follows: Take twenty parts of whitehead ground in oil, twenty
parts of glaziers' putty, five parts of clear litharge, five parts of

page_text: ninium in powder; mix these together with white chalk or whiten-
ing, to render it like painters' putty. The mixture or mastic above
referred to for coating the sheets of glass, when fixed on the wall, is
composed as follows:-I pound painters' glue in a sufficient quantity
for the parts to be covered, and heat this, and when very hot, I
infuse in it chalk or whitening, so as to obtain a sufficiently thick
paste to be laid on with the trowel; I add thereto a suitable quan-
tity of linseed oil. The first layer of this cement is put on pretty
thick, to hide the fastenings and joints, and when this is dry I give
it another coat to obtain a perfectly smooth surface.
Having now described my Invention, and the best means with
which I am at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect,
I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, covering
walls or surfaces with sheets or plates of glass as aforesaid, for the
purpose of preventing humidity or dampness from passing through
the same.
In. witness whereof I, the said Joseph Henri Combres, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
JOSEPH HENRI COMBRES. (L.S.)
MC. de Chopey, Colosse