Improved Method or Means of Decorating Tiles, Plates, and other Articles of Ceramic Ware.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application 24th Feb. 1896
Complete Specification Left. 29th Oct. 1896-Accepted. 20th Feb.. 1897
Complete Specification Left 29th Oct. 1896-Accepted. 20th Feb.. 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method or Means of Decorating Tiles, Plates, and other
Articles of Ceramic Ware.
We, GEORGE HENRY GRUNDY of 27 Duffield Road, Derby in the County of
Derby, Photo-engraver, and GEORGE ARTHUR LINGARD of 56 Stockbrook Road,
Derby aforesaid, Collotype Printer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to produce a cheap and high class decoration of
tiles, plates and other articles of ceramic ware by the aid of the photo-collographic
process, and our said invention is carried into effect as follows.
Upon a sheet of pure india-rubber or other flexible support is spread a coating
of bichromatized gelatine, this is dried in an ordinary collotype oven and then
exposed to light under a photographic negative, and washed and dried.
When the collographic plate is to be printed from it is moistened with a solution
of glycerine and water in the usual way and then rolled up with an ink composed
of vitrifiable colour, fat oil, linseed oil and collotype varnish, until the picture is
visible. The collographic plate is then placed in a press with the tile or other
article of ceramic ware in contact and an impression taken upon the latter. The
tile or other article is then dried in the "hardening-on" kiln and afterwards dipped
in the glaze and fired, the picture is then finished and is absolutely permanent.
The picture produced by this method is sufficiently strong to obviate the
necessity for hand painting or working up by hand in any way, and, this method of
photographic decoration is much less costly than the "dusting on" or "substitution"
processes now practised.
f
1000
Improved Method or Means of Decorating Tiles, Plates, and other
Articles of Ceramic Ware.
We, GEORGE HENRY GRUNDY of 27, Duffield Road, Derby, Photo-engraver
and Collotype Printer, and GEORGE ARTHUR LINGARD formerly of 56, Stock-
brook Road, Derby, and now of Mount Pleasant, Old Normanton, near Derby,
Collotype Printer, 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 aud by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object the decoration of tiles, and other flat surfaced
articles of ceramic ware, and consists in a direct mode of printing by the photo-
collographic process without the use of transfers, as hereafter described.

page_text: A film of bichromatized gelatine is spread upon an elastic or resilient support
formed of vulcanized indiarubber mounted upon such a rigid surface as a machine-
planed metal bed or backing.
The elastic support for the gelatine film is composed preferably of two qualities
of rubber an upper layer upon which the gelatine is applied, formed of a sheet of
white vulcanized india rubber about one-sixteenth of an inch thick united by
cementing to a substratum of softer and more elastic vulcanized rubber about a
quarter of an inch thick so as to obtain elasticity or yielding under compression
without such an amount of superficial extensibility of the film as would cause
spreading and blurring of the picture. The thin superficial layer of indiarubber is
white in order that the inking up of the picture may be visible to the workman
and is of rather common non-elastic quality, and is somewhat dense or hard in order
that it shall not he too extensible and shall be devoid of air bells in its structure so
as to admit of being very smooth surfaced with sand-paper without becoming
"stringy" when a film is cleaned off for the purpose of coating the rubber for use
again. This thin superficial layer of rubber is cemented upon the thicker
substratum of better quality rubber which is vulcanized on to a canvas backing
which in turn is cemented to the smooth surfaced supporting plate by means
of a solution of gelatine and bichromate of potash in the proportion of, say :-

page_text: purpose the sides of the frame are rebated to receive the ends of a sliding stick
which is locked up against the edge of the tile by quoins. Or other means may
be adopted for retaining the tile.
In order to avoid breakage of the tile it is backed up by a suitable backing such
as a sheet of rubber upon the platen covered by a layer of cardboard against which.
the tile rests.
The tile having been printed is then "hardened on," that is to say it receives a
firing in the kiln to burn out all the oil in the colour so that the bisque tile will
absorb glaze when dipped. The tile is then dipped and fired again at a much-
higher temperature.
The tiles may be printed in any of the following ways:
(1) By printing with under-glaze colours on the "biscuit" surface, glazing with.
a transparent glaze, and firing;
(2) By printing with under-glaze colours on a glazed surface, glazing a second
time with a softer glaze, and firing;
(3) By printing with enamel colours on a tile prepared with a dull matt or
bright glazed surface and then firing sufficiently to fix the image.
The method of operation is similar for other flat surfaced ceramic ware.
The pictures thus produced are sufficiently strong and vigorous to obviate the
necessity for hand painting or working up by hand in any way, and this method
of photo-ceramic printing is much less costly than the "dusting-on" and the
"substitution" processes now practised.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In the method of direct collotype printing on tiles or other ceramic ware
the employment of an elastic support, substantially such as described, for the
photo-collographic film.
2. The herein described method of collotype printing directly on tiles or other
ceramic ware by repeated impressions from a photo-collographic film carried by an
elastic support substantially as specified.
Dated this 20th day of Ontaban 1908
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.