IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING FIGURES OR ORNAMENTS IN ARTICLES MADE OF CLAY OR PLASTIC MATERIAL
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Venables and Arthur Mann, both of Burslem,
in the County of Stafford, Earthenware Manufacturers, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING FIGURES OR ORNAMENTS IN ARTICLES
MADE OF CLAY OR PLASTIC MATERIAL"
Sealed the 24th April 1855, and dated the 3rd January 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Venables and
Arthur Mann at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 3rd January 1855.
We, JOHN VENABLES and ARTHUR MANN, both of Burslem, in the County
of Stafford, Earthenware Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING FIGURES OR ORNAMENTS IN
ARTICLES MADE OF CLAY OR PLASTIC MATERIAL," to be as follows:-
articles which are pro-
For this purpose, we
figures or devices by
We apply our said Invention to the ornamenting of
duced from clay or other material in a plastic state.
first print or produce upon paper or cloth raised
means of engraved plates or pieces of metal, wood, or other proper material.
Upon these plates or pieces of metal, wood, or other material we make the
necessary engravings for producing the figures or ornaments which we require,
but we cut or make the cuttings or engravings much deeper than is used in
any description of plate engraving or printing which we are acquainted with,
so that the engraved or countersunk parts may be enabled to receive and
contain the amount or quantity of material necessary for causing the figures or
ornaments when produced to be of the substance requisite for producing the
intended effect.

page_text: We take a plate with engravings of this description, and after filling the
engraved or countersunk parts with the paste or other material (whether
coloured or not) of which the figures or ornaments are to be formed, press the
plate against the surface of a piece of paper or cloth, so as to cause the paste
or other material contained in the engraved parts of the plate to adhere to the
surface of the paper or cloth, in order that when the paper or cloth is separated
from the plate, the paste or other material contained in the engraved parts of
the plate may be left upon the surface of the paper or cloth, and thus form
figures or, devices upon the surface of the paper or cloth, to be used as herein-
after described. We apply impressions of figures or devices made upon paper
or cloth in this way to the ornamenting of such articles as above mentioned,
either after they have been formed but whilst still in a plastic state, or
during the formation of such articles from the plastic materials of which
they are made.
When we intend to ornament an article which has been formed, we apply
impressions of the intended figures or devices made upon paper or cloth, as
above described, to the surface of the article whilst still in a plastic state, by
laying the printed side of the paper or cloth against those parts of the article
which are to be ornamented, and then press those parts of the paper or cloth
which bear the figures or devices against the plastic article, until the figures or
devices impressed upon the paper or cloth are pressed into the substance of the
plastic article, so that when the cloth or paper is removed, the figures or devices
eft by the paper or cloth may appear to be inlaid or pressed into the substance
of the material of which the article is composed, and be level, or nearly so, with
its surface. Instead of applying such figures or devices in this way to articles
the whole of which are in a plastic state, the application may be made in like
to articles the surfaces or parts only of which are plastic, or plastic to
the depth or extent requisite for permitting the figures or devices to be pressed
into the body or substance of each article, as above described.
left
manner
When we apply impressions of figures or devices made upon paper, or cloth,
as above described, to the ornamenting of such articles, as before mentioned,
during the formation thereof from the plastic materials from which they are
made, if the articles are to be formed within or upon a mould, we place a piece
or pieces of paper or cloth with the intended figures or devices thereon upon or
against the face or faces of the mould at those parts where we intend that
the figures or devices shall be applied to each article to be made, placing the
paper or clotli with the figured or impressed side, so that when the clay or other
plastic material is placed within or upon the mould, it may be pressed, against
and receive the figures or devices impressed upon the paper or cloth, and the

page_text: clay or other plastic material is pressed against the paper or cloth, so that the
figures upon it may be pressed into the substance of the clay or other material,
and when the article is removed from the mould present the appearance before
mentioned. In making articles of any description of pottery ware in a mould
by means of the material in a liquid or slip state, after the paper or cloth has
been placed within or upon the mould, as already mentioned, we introduce or
apply the liquid material, and cast or manufacture the intended article in the
usual way.
Instead of placing the paper or cloth within or upon a mould when an article
is to be made of pottery, clay, or other plastic material, as above mentioned,
the piece or pieces of paper or cloth may be applied to a sheet or sheets, bat or
bats of clay or other material, so that the figures or devices upon such paper
or cloth may be pressed against and into the surface of such clay or other
material, in manner above described, before such clay or other material is
introduced within or placed upon the mould, after which we place the pieces of
clay or other material, with the paper and cloth adhering thereto, against the
mould; so that the intended article, when pressed or moulded into the intended
form within or upon the mould, shall have the ornamental figures or devices in
their proper places.
Figures or devices, such as above mentioned, may also be applied to the
ornamenting of articles made of powdered clay, pressed into a mould by means
of a powerful press, to cause the cohesion of the powder when brought into the
form impressed upon it in the mould. For this purpose, we take a piece or
pieces of paper or cloth upon which figures or devices have been impressed,
as above mentioned, and place such piece or pieces within and upon the
faces of the mould, in manner above described. We then introduce the
powdered clay into the mould, and apply pressure to it, so as to press and
mould the clay into an article of the shape and description required, with
the ornamental figures or devices upon the paper or cloth pressed upon and
into the substance of such article for ornamenting the same, as above
:described.
We sometimes vary the effect produced by the sevaral kinds of ornamenting
above described by covering the articles with a thin film or coat of material,.
through which the form or colour of the figures may be more or less visible,
according to the thickness of the film or coat applied.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Venables and Arthur Mann in the Great Seal'
Patent Office on the 30th June 1855.
TO ALL. TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,. JOHN.
VENABLES and ARTHUR MANN, both of Burslem, in the County of Stafford,
Earthenware Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord. One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,.
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,. the
said John Venables and Arthur Mann, Her special licence, that we, the said.
John Venables and Arthur Mann, our executors, administrators, and assigns,.
or such others as. we, the said. John Venables and Arthur Mann, our
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING FIGURES OR ORNA-
MENTS IN ARTICLES MADE OF CLAY OR PLASTIC MATERIAL," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said John Venables and Arthur Mann, by an s
instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal
of one of us, 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 within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Venables, on behalf of myself
and the said Arthur Mann, do hereby declare the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
Our said Invention consists of a mode or modes of ornamenting articles
which are produced from clay or other material in a plastic state. We produce
raised figures or ornaments which we intend to use for the purpose of
ornamenting any such article upon paper, cloth, or any sheet or thin layer
of material, upon the surface of which the raised figures or ornaments can be
printed, deposited, or produced by means of plates or pieces of metal, wood, s
stone, or other material having their faces or surfaces engraved or countersunk,
in the manner requisite for the purpose of producing such figures or ornaments.
Upon such plates or pieces of metal, wood, or other material we make or

page_text: produce the necessary engravings or countersunk parts for producing the raised
figures or ornaments by any ordinary mechanical, chemical, or other means, oni
the faces or surfaces of such plates or pieces of metal, wood, stone, or other
material; but we cut or make the cuttings, engravings, or countersunk parts
much deeper than is used in any description of plate engraving or printing
which we are acquainted with, so that the engraved or countersunk parts.may
be enabled to receive and contain the amount or quantity of material necessary
for causing the figures or ornaments when produced to be of the substanc
requisite for producing the intended effect.
We take a plate or piece of metal, wood, stone, or other material, having
its face or surface engraved or the requisite parts thereof countersunk, as
above mentioned, and after filling the engraved or countersunk parts with
the paste, composition, or other material (whether coloured or not) of which the
figures or ornaments are to be formed, press the engraved or countersunk face
or surface against the surface of a piece, sheet, or layer of paper, cloth, or other
material, so as to cause the paste, composition, or other material (whether
coloured or not) contained in the engraved or countersunk parts of the engraved
or countersunk face or surface, to adhere to the surface of the piece, sheet, or
layer of paper, cloth, or other material, in order that when the engraved or
countersunk surface shall be removed from the surface of the paper, cloth, or
other material, it may leave the paste, composition, or other material contained
in the engraved or countersunk parts upon the surface of the piece, sheet,
or layer of paper, cloth, or other material, and thus form or leave raised
figures, ornaments, or devices thereon, to be used or applied as herein-after
described.
The paste, composition, or material used for filling the engraved or counter-
sunk parts, before mentioned, we form of the materials which we intend to use,
ground or otherwise reduced to a fine powder, and mixed with some oil, gym,
or other proper material for forming the same into a plastic glutinous mass,
which, when introduced into the engraved or countersunk parts, before men-
tioned, will cohere together, and when by pressure caused to adhere to the
surface of paper, cloth, or other material, will leave the engraved or countersunk
parts into which it may have been introduced.
Thus, a paste a composition for forming such raised figures or devices, as
aforesaid, may be made by boiling a mixture of vegetable oil (such as linseed
oil) with sulphur, red lead, and resin, until the mixture is brought into a
glutinous state, after which it is mixed with the requisite quantity of the
earthy or other material of which the ornaments are intended to be formed, and
the whole is then ground, rubbed, or worked up together until the materials

page_text: become thoroughly mixed and incorporated with each other, so as to form
a homogeneous glutinous paste or composition sufficiently plastic to be pressed
into such engraved or countersunk parts, as aforesaid.
The paste or composition may, however, be made in any other manner
which may be deemed convenient, according to the nature of the materials of
which the raised figures or devices to be used as ornaments shall be interided
to be composed, and the paste or composition may be mixed with any colouring
matter, or matter capable of producing color (by the action of fire' or otherwise)
which may be desired. We apply raised impressions of figures or devices
made or deposited upon paper or cloth in this way to the ornamenting of such
articles, as above mentioned, either after they have been formed but whilst still
in a plastic state; or during the formation of such articles from the plastict
materials of which they are made. "
.
of
When we intend to ornament an article which has been formed by means
any such raised figures ór devices, we apply the raised or devices- made or
deposited upon sheets, picces, or layers of paper; cloth, or other material, as
above described, to the surface, of the article,whilst still in, a plastic, state, by
laying the side of the sheet, pièce, or layer of paper, cloth, or other material
upon which the raised figures: or devices have been made or deposited against
those parts of the article which, are. to be ornamented, and then press.those
parts of the paper, cloth, or other material, which bear the raised figures, orna-
ments, or devices against the plastic article, until the: raised figures.or devices
upon the surface of the paper, cloth, or other material, shall be pressed into the
substance of the plastic article, so that when the cloth, paper, or other material
upon which the figures or devices were deposited shall be removed, the figures
or devices left by the paper, cloth, or other material, máy appear to be inlaid or
pressed into the substance of the niaterial. of which the article 'is composed,
and be level, or nearly. so, with its surface. Instead of applying such figures
or devices'in this way to articles the. whole. of which are. in a plastic state, the
application of them may be made in like manner to; articles the surfaces or
parts only of which are plastic, or plastic to the depth or extent requisite for
permitting raised figures. or devices to be pressed into the .body or substance of
such article, as above described.'
...
When we apply raised figures or devices upon paper, cloth, or other material,
as above described, to the ornamenting of, such 'articles, as before mentioned,
during the formation thereof from the. plastic materials of which they are
made, if the articles are to be.formed within or upon a mould, we place a piece
or pieces of paper,. cloth,!or other material with the intended figures or devices
thereon, upon or against the face or faces of the mould at those parts where

page_text: we intend that the figures or devices shall be applied to the article to be made
for ornamenting it, placing the paper, cloth, or other material with the figured
or impressed side, so that when the clay or other plastic material is placed
within or upon the mould, it may be pressed against and receive within it.the
raised figures or devices upon the paper, cloth, or other material, and the clay
or other plastic material is pressed against the paper, cloth, or other material
containing the raised figures or devices, so that those, figures or devices may be
pressed into the substance of the clay or other plastic material, and when the
article is removed from the mould, present the appearance before mentioned.
In making articles of any description of pottery ware in a mould by means
of the material in a liquid, semi-fluid, or slip state, after the paper, cloth; or
other material containing the raised figures or devices has been placed within
or upon the mould, as already mentioned, we introduce or apply the liquid
material, and cast or manufacture the intended article in the usual way...
Instead of placing the paper, cloth, or other material containing the orna
mental figures, or devices within or upon 'a, mould, when. an article is to be
made of pottery, clay, or other plastic material, as above mentioned, the piece
or pieces of paper or cloth may be applied to a sheet or sheets, bat or bats of
clay, or other material, so that the raised figures or devices upon such paper,
cloth, or other material may be pressed, against and into the surface of, such
clay or other material, in manner above described, before such clay or other
material is introduced within or placed upon the mould; after which we place
the pieces of, clay or other material with the paper, cloth, or other material
containing the figures or devices adhering thereto' against the mould,, so that
the intended article, when pressed or moulded into the intended form within or
upon the mould, shall have the ornamental figures or devices in their proper
places.
'Figures or devices, such as above mentioned, may also be applied, to the
ornamenting of articles made of powdered clay, pressed into a mould by means
of a powerful press, to cause the cohesion of the powder when brought into the
form impressed upon it in the mould. For this purpose, we take a piece, or
pieces of paper, cloth, or other material upon which raised figures or devices
have been impressed or deposited, as above mentioned; and place such piece or
pieces within and upon the faces of the mould, in manner above described;
we then introduce the powdered clay into the mould, and, apply pressure to it,
so as to press and mould the 'clay into an article of the shape and description
required with the ornamental figures or devices upon the paper, cloth, for
other material, pressed upon and into the substance of such article for orna
menting 'the same, as above described

page_text: When an article has had raised figures or devices impressed upon or pressed
into the substance thereof whilst in a plastic state, in manner already described,
the paper, cloth, or other material adhering to its surface, and upon which the
raised figures or ornaments were originally printed, impressed, or deposited,
may be removed by any convenient means, so as to leave the figures or devices
remaining in the substance of the article uncovered. This removal may in
some cases be effected by washing or moistening the paper, cloth, or other
material with water or other fluid until it is removed, or until it can be
removed from the raised figures or devices upon it without injury or without
material injury to such figures or devices.
We sometimes vary the effect produced by the several kinds of ornamenting
above described by covering the articles or causing them to be covered with a
thin film or coat of material, through which the form or color of the figures
or devices may be more or less visible, according to the thickness of the film or
coat applied.
One mode of effecting this object is as follows:-We take a mould, the
interior or face of which we cover with a thin film or layer of material, either
in a state of powder or in a semi-fluid state (clay in such semi-fluid state being
in china and earthenware manufactures called "slip "), and then we place the
paper, cloth, or other material with the surface upon which the figures or
devices have been printed, impressed, or deposited against the film or layer of
material covering the interior or face of the mould; we then introduce or place
the clay, or other plastic material of which the article is to be composed,
into the interior of or against the face of the mould, so as to adhere to the
back of the paper, cloth, or other material holding the figures or devices
upon those parts of the mould which are covered therewith, and also so as to
adhere to the film or layer in other parts not covered with such paper, cloth, or
other material, the quantity of such clay or other plastic material used being
sufficient to make the article of the intended strength.
The same object may also be effected by placing the paper, cloth, or other
material holding the raised figures or devices impressed or deposited thereon,
in manner aforesaid, upon the surface of a bat, or piece of clay, or other plastic
material intended to be introduced into or pressed against a mould, and after
covering such paper, cloth, or other material and the figures or devices thereon
(if placed upwards) with a thin film or layer of the material, in manner afore-
said, introducing or placing the bat or piece of clay or other plastic material
into or against the mould, and pressing the ornamented side thereof against the
face of such mould.
An article ornamented by having raised figures or devices deposited upon its

page_text: surface and pressed into the substance thereof, in any manner herein-before
described, may also have such ornaments and its ornamented surface covered
with a thin film or layer of material either in the powdered or semi-fluid state,
as herein-before mentioned. If a powdered material be used to form the
film, a coat of some adhesive material should be applied, in order to cause
the powder to adhere; and if the material be used in a semi-fluid state, the
article may be dipped into a vessel containing it, or the requisite quantity of
the semi-fluid material may be applied in any other convenient manner. Any
article ornamented in manner aforesaid should, when necessary, be dried,
baked, or burnt, so as to make it permanent. And when the article is to be
burnt (as in case of china, and some other articles made of clay), the burn-
ing thereof may be sufficient to remove or destroy the paper, cloth, or other
material used for impressing the ornamental figures or devices thereon.
Having described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we hereby declare that we claim as of our
Invention, the mode or modes of placing or inserting figures or devices upon
or within the surfaces of articles made of plastic material for the purpose of
ornamenting the same, in manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Venables, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
JOHN VENABLES. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the above-named
John Venables, in the presence of
THOS. PRICE,
17, Moorgate Street, London,
Solicitor.