IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL TILES
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALFRED
FRANCIS, of Vauxhall, in the County of Surrey, Roman Cement Manufacturer,
and ISAAC FUNGE, Workman in the employ of the said Alfred Francis, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Tenth day of June, in the sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Alfred Francis
and Isaac Funge, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho
rity, that we, the said Alfred Francis and Isaac Funge, our exors, admors,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Alfred Francis and Isaac Funge,
our 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, our Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL TILES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said Alfred Francis and Isaac
Funge, or one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Alfred Francis and Isaac Funge, do hereby declare that the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained in and by t the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon (that is to say):-
Our Invention relates, first, to improvements in the form of the ornamental
roofing tiles, for which a Patent was granted unto Richard Sheppard, on the
Seventeenth day of August, 1835.....
And, secondly, our Invention relates to subjecting such ornamental tiles of
the said Richard Sheppard, and other. ornamental tiles, in the course of their
manufacture, to certain processes herein described, so as to obtain such erna-
mental roofing tiles of different colors-to-what-would result from the ordinary
process of burning in a kiln.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawing and the processes
pursued by us.
In making tiles according to the Patent of the said Richard' Sheppard, as
heretofore practised; the whole of the backs, excepting the grooved edge or
side, had been of a level plane. Now, according to the present Invention, it
is proposed to produce lighter tiles, reducing the substance of each tile in the
centre part thereof, by forming the same into a pannel, the outer edges giving
sufficient strength to such tiles
Figure 1'is a plan of a tile, shewing the upper surface; Figure 2 is an
under side view, shewing the recessed pannel; Figures 3 and 4-are end/views
of the tile; Figure 5 is a section of the same. And it will be seen that the
grooved edges are more round than those shewn in the Specification of? the
said Richard Sheppard, the object being to avoid the sharp angular edges,
which were liable to' injury. Figure 6 shews a plan of parts of six tiles.com-
bined; and Figure 7 is a section of two tiles combined. And it will be
observed that the upper surfaces and the lower ends are reeded, to give them
a more ornamental appearance, but the upper surface- may be plain or have
other devices impressed 'thereon, and, if desired, the lower ends; in place of
being straight, may be 'rounded or formed to any other desired device. ⠀
"We will now 'describe the second part of our Invention, which relates to
processes for changing the color of Sheppard's and other ornamental tiles;
and it is known that by the ordinary firing of such tiles they would be either
red or of a drab 'or stone color. We altogether change the color of his and
other ornamental tiles throughout their body, and this we do by the following

page_text: process: Tiles being made of clay, moulded in the usual manner, of such
shape as may be required, are burned in a kiln, and when burnt sufficiently
and cooled they are then to be repacked and subjected to a second process of
heat in the kiln, muffled in coke, coal, breeze, or other bituminous or vegetable
substances, either with or without a proportion of chalk, and by the exclusion
of air are thus changed throughout their substance to a greyish or slatish
color, and if afterwards dipped in a solution of any of the sulphurets with
their bases a further alteration to green or other colors takes place; and such
would also be the case if the tiles were so dipped in such solution before the
second burning, but the color would be more likely to fly off. Manganese
and other metals, as well as different earths, can be used to obtain alteration
of color, but we prefer the mode of burning them grey, as being the most
economical. Tiles can be burned grey by the process described above without
a second burning; but they would not be so hard or so likely to retain their
color.
And, further, Sheppard's or other ornamental tiles are capable of absorbing
any of the various gases when thrown into them during the first burning of
the clay. The top of the kiln being closed or muffled, chlorine or other gases
immediately affect the oxides already in the clay (which we prefer mixed with
chalk), and thus green or other colors are produced. Gas would be obtained
in the usual way in retorts, and converted among the tiles through pipes
leading into the bottom of the kiln.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Francis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.