Improvements in the Manufacture by Electrolysis of Sheets or Objects of Polished Metal.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Aug., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 3rd May, 1898-Accepted, 9th July, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture by Electrolysis of Sheets or
Objects of Polished Metal.
I, LOUIS EMILE DESSOLLE, of Epinay-sur-Seine (Department Seine), in the
Republic of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
―:
This invention relates to an improved system of manufacture for obtaining
directly by electrolysis and finishing, burnishing or polishing in the bath,
without supplementary labour, metal sheets as well as objects or tools of
kind (for instance reflectors, shades, saucepans, etc.) covered or not covered with
a precious or other metal such as gold, silver, etc.
any
The products are obtained by the use of kathodes prepared especially in order
that the deposit formed thereon does not adhere, and also by the use of a bath
of such nature that the deposit thereby formed is sound and regular.
The kathodes used have the form convenient for the objects to be made; they
are formed of an alloy or of any metal; they are prepared by depositing on
them another metal which is not attackable by the solution in which the operation
is to be afterwards pursued; the kathodes thus prepared are then saturated with
hydrogen at their surface in order to prevent the metallic deposit which will be
made subsequently thereon from adhering to them; they are then finally
polished.
In order to obtain very sound deposits, the kathodes are suspended on con-
ductors placed on a frame mounted on bars in order to be able to give to this
frame, and consequently to the kathodes, which are suspended thereon, a
continuous to and fro movement which prevents the gas disengaged in the bath
from attaching itself to the kathodes, further the latter are placed each in the
interior of a porous vessel in the bath to prevent any foreign material that there
may be in suspension in the bath from attaching itself to the kathodes.
In order to cover on only one side with a precious metal an object to be formed.
in another metal the precious metal is at first deposited, then the other metal
by changing the bath or by changing to another vat is deposited thereon as
will be well understood.
When the metal forming the body of the object is to be covered with a
precious metal on two sides one changes the bath or vat for a third time. The
objects so produced are already completely finished and ready for commerce,
they are detached without difficulty from the kathode.
For the manufacture of hollow bodies, the form of which would prevent their
removal from the kathode, the latter is made of a metal or alloy fusible at
a low temperature and covered in an electrolytic manner with a metallic coating
not attackable by the baths which serve subsequently for the deposit of the
object to be formed. In order to remove the kathode heat is applied to melt

page_text: the fusible metal or alloy which is poured out and the metallic coating previously
on such fusible kathode can be easily stripped from the finished object.
Dated this 5th day of August 1897.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London.
Improvements in the Manufacture by Electrolysis of Sheets or
Objects of Polished Metal.
I, LOUIS EMILE DESSOLLE, of Epinay-sur-Seine, in the Republic of France,
Engineer, 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:-
This invention relates to an improved system of manufacture for the direct
production by electrolysis in the bath without supplementary labour of finished
or polishd sheets of metal as well as objects or tools of any kind for instance,
reflectors, shades, saucepans, covered or not with a precious or other metal,
as for instance, gold or silver.
These products or objects are obtained by the use of kathodes especially
prepared in order that the deposit formed thercon does not adhere and also
by the use of a vat arranged in such a manner that the deposit forming therein
is sound and regular.
In the annexed drawing:-Fig. 1 shows the vat half in vertical section and
half in elevation. Fig. 2 shows the apparatus half in horizontal section half
in plan view as seen on the lines 1-2 3-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse
section on line 5-6 of Fig. 2.
The kathodes used have any form convenient for the objects to be made;
in order to prepare them I take any metal or alloy on which I deposit another
metal which is not attackable by the solution in which I shall have to operate
subsequently. Thus for instance, in order to deposit and to form an object
of copper, I make preferably a deposit of platinum on my kathodes.
For an object of silver I make a previous deposit of nickel or of gold on my
kathodes.
The kathodes being prepared as hereinbefore indicated, that is to say, platin-
ized, nickled, gilded, etc. according to the case, they are saturated at their surface
with hydrogen before putting them into use in order to prevent the deposit
of metal which will be made subsequently from adhering to them; for this
purpose I place them in a receiver containing an acidulated or alkalinated
solution; they are at the negative pole and I surround them with anodes insoluble
in the bath and connected with the positive pole; I then pass during 2 or 3 hours
a current, the difference of potential of which must be of at least 2 to 3 volts;
at the end of this period of immersion the kathodes are taken out, and polished;
they are then finally ready to be used.
In the figure of the drawing the kathodes dd are flat; that is to say, they
have the desired form for obtaining sheets of metal for obtaining the latter as
well as objects of any forms, I use a receiver or vat a in which there are arranged
receivers formed by a wooden framing 6 and flannels cc; a kathode d is placed
in the interior of each of these receivers which are intended to prevent any foreign
bodies in suspension in the hath from attaching themselves to the kathode and
consequently, producing faults in the deposit.
The kathodes dd are each suspended on one of the metallic cross bars g9

page_text: resting at their extremities on electrical conductors of the same pole ii (negative
pole) resting themselves on a framing of mounted on rods hh in order that they
may receive a to and fro movement by means of any mechanism z for instance.
This arrangement allowing of the to and fro movement prevents the polarisa-
tion on the kathodes and prevents also the gas disengaged in the bath from
attaching itself thereon, which would have as result the formation of a deposit
of granular surface.
The anodes placed on each side of the kathodes are suspended on the metal
cross bars resting at their extremities on the electric conductors of the same
pole mm (positive pole).
The conductors ii, mm are connected to any source of electricity .
For the formation of an object of only one metal it is sufficient to allow the
deposit to accumulate a more or less long time according to the thickness which
this object is to have.
For obtaining an object in silver plated metal and polished, I take a kathode
polished and prepared by the before indicated means, I dip it into a silvering
bath contained in a vat similar to that described and I leave the kathode a more
or less long time in this bath according to the thickness of the silver layer
which is to cover the non precious metal.
When the thickness of the silver is obtained I take the kathode from the
silvering bath, wash it and dip it then into the bath or the non precious metal to
form the body of the object and this immersion will also be more or less pro-
longed according to the thickness of the object.
The kathode is then taken out washed, then again silver plated to obtain
two silver plated faces or simply washed then dried if one side is to be kept
uncovered with precious metal.
When dried, the deposit in then taken from the kathodes with the same facility
as one could take a wet sheet of paper off a glass plate; one has only to trim
the borders in order to have the object ready for the market.
For the manufacture of hollow bodies, the form of which would oppose the
removal of the kathodes, I use for forming the body of the kathode, a metal
or alloy fusible at a low temperature then by electrolysis, I coat this kathode
with a light layer of copper, which I cover then with nickel or platinum or any
other metal not attackable by the baths which I shall have to us subsequently,
I operate then as is indicated previously for the finishing of the preparation of
the kathode and for the deposit of the metal to form the object. In order to.
remove the kathodes I melt the fusible metal or alloy at a low temperature and
tear out the coating of copper and nickel or of platinum left in the interior of
the object.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inventon,
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is;
-
In a process of direct manufacture by electrolysis of sheets or objects of
polished metal.
1. The method of preparation of the kathodes consisting of depositing on them
a thin layer of a metal which is not attackable by the solution in which the
kathode will be subsequently employed: subsequently saturating with hydrogen
the surface of the thin layer of the metal, with which one has previously coated
the kathodes in order to prevent the adherence of the metallic deposit to be
afterwards made, and lastly polishing the surface of the kathode in order to
obtain deposits equally polished.
2. The process which consists in first coating the kathode, with the precious
metal, with which the produced objects shall be plated and subsequently
depositing the baser metal on said precious metal.
3. A vat having the kathodes suspended on cross bars 9 resting by their ends

page_text: on the conductors ii these conductors resting on a frame f supported by rods h
in order to receive continuous to and fro movement for the kathodes during the
duration of the deposit in order to prevent the gas disengaged from the bath
from attaching itself to these kathodes, the said kathodes d being in the interior
of receivers formed by a wooden frame and flannels cc for the purpose of pre-
venting foreign bodies in suspension in the bath from attaching themselves on
the kathodes.
4. The preparation of kathodes of fusible metal or alloy and covered with a
copper coating covered itself with nickel or any other metal not attackable by
the baths to be subsequently used for the manufacture of hollow bodies from
which the kathodes are removable by melting.
Dated this 3rd day of May 1898.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C.