IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING ORNAMENTAL AND OTHER DEVICES OR EFFECTS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Walter, of Long Acre, in the County
of Middlesex, Gold and Silver Refiner, and Charles Henry, of Bar
tholomew Place, Hertford Road, Kingsland, also in the County of
Middlesex, Artist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING ORNAMENTAL AND OTHER DEVICES OR EFFECTS ON
Sealed the 25th January 1861, and dated the 4th December 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas Walter
and Charles Henry at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 4th December 1860.
We, WILLIAM THOMAS WALTER, of Long Acre, in the County of Middlesex,
Gold and Silver Refiner, and CHARLES HENRY, of Bartholomew Place,
Hertford Road, Kingsland, also in the County of Middlesex, Artist, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
OR PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING ORNAMENTAL AND OTHER DEVICES OR EFFECTS ON METAL,
GLASS, STONE, AND EARTHENWARE," to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to means or processes for obtaining the effect of
engraving or cutting by the action of acids.
According to our processes all the parts of the surface to be obtained in
relief are first coated with some oleaginous or other suitable matter not
readily acted upon by the acid employed, and when such oleaginous or other
matter is dry the surface is to be immersed in acid till a thin layer has been

page_text: decomposed therefrom, say to the thickness of a thin sheet of paper, except at
the protected parts. The whole surface (including that previously protected)
is then cleaned, if required, dried, and coated with a protecting varnish or
composition; when this varnish or composition is dry the parts not yet acted
upon by the acid will, with the protecting varnish or composition thereon, be
still in relief or projecting. By removing the coating alone from the pro-
jecting parts, a design will be exposed, leaving the remaining parts previously
acted upon by the acid now alone protected. The surface is now to be
submitted to the action of acid till by decomposition the amount of recession
required is obtained at the parts previously protected. The surface will now,
if desired, be well washed, and the protecting varnish removed, when the
higher surface may be polished if required. In this manner may metal, glass,
stone, and earthenware be acted upon, using in each case a decomposing agent
adapted to it, and protecting coating or varnish adapted to the acid or
decomposing agent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Thomas Walter and Charles Henry in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 4th June 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
THOMAS WALTER, of Long Acre, in the County of Middlesex, Gold and Silver
Refiner, and CHARLES HENRY, of Bartholomew Place, Hertford Road, Kings-
land, also in the County of Middlesex, Artist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Thomas Walter and Charles Henry, Her special licence
that we, the said William Thomas Walter and Charles Henry, our execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Thomas Walter and Charles Henry, 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
awfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
avention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING ORNA-
DENTAL AND OTHER: DEVICES OR EFFECTS ON METAL, GLASS, STONE, AND EARTHEN-

page_text: WARE," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Thomas
Walter and Charles Henry, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of
one of us or them, 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 Charles Henry, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The improvements relate to means or processes for obtaining the effect of
engraving or cutting by the action of acids.
According to our processes all the parts of the surface to be obtained in
relief are first coated with some oleaginous or other suitable matter not readily
acted upon by the acid employed, and when such oleaginous or other matter is
dry the surface is to be immersed in acid till a thin layer has been decomposed
therefrom by the action of the acid, say to the thickness of a thin sheet of
paper, except at the parts protected as stated. The whole surface (including
that previously protected) is then cleaned, if required, dried, and coated with
a protecting varnish, such as engravers' or other varnish, or a composition
such as the following,-20 parts good printing ink, 10 parts of Burgundy
pitch, 1 part of pine tallow, 20 parts of bees' wax, and which we combine in
the following manner:-We first melt each part separately to the tem-
perature of from 90° to 100° Fahrenheit until the water contained in it is
evaporated; then we mix the whole with essence of lavender to the consistency
required, and cover the same to exclude dust and let it cool. The composition
thus obtained we mix with oil of lavender for use. This composition when
applied may be allowed to dry naturally, say during the space of ten or twelve
hours, or the drying may be facilitated by the application of heat to the tem-
perature of 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty or twenty-five minutes.
When this varnish or composition is dry, the parts protected by the oleaginous
or other suitable matter in the first process, and which have therefore not yet
been acted upon by the acid, will now, with the protecting varnish or com-
position thereon, be still in relief or projecting. By removing the coating
alone from the projecting parts of the surface of the metal or other material
being treated, a design will be exposed thereon, leaving the remaining parts
or those which had previously been acted upon by the acid now alone
protected, and we remove such first coating by means of a polishing stone,

page_text: knife, or scraper. The surface is now to be submitted to the action of acid
till by decomposition the amount of recession required is obtained at the parts
previously protected. The surface may now, if desired, be well washed, taking
care not to touch the parts of it with the band, and the protecting varnish is
'to be removed when the higher surface left may be polished if required.
In some cases we proceed further in the following manner :-By means of
a soft brush of camels' hair we apply powdered Burgundy pitch as a protecting
coating to the edges of the design. The plate or other surface upon which
the design has been obtained, as explained, is then heated until the com-
position on such plate or other surface assimilates with the powder. And this
operation is repeated until the edges of the design are all covered, care being
taken not to apply too much heat. The plate or other surface is then to be
allowed to cool again, when it is to be immersed in the acid again till the
next finest points are sufficiently deep, and we proceed thus until the whole of
the design is sunk, and other points remain in relief. Or, if required, we
disintegrate the design from the base, for which latter purpose the opposite
side of the design should be carefully covered with a composition such as that
before referred to. In this manner may metal, glass, stone, and earthenware
be acted upon, using in each case an acid or decomposing agent adapted to the
matter to be acted upon, and a protecting coating or varnish adapted to resist
the influence of the particular acid or decomposing agent employed.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the means we
adopt in carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood that what
we claim is the method of obtaining ornamental and other effects or devices
on metal, glass, stone, and carthenware, by removing the varnish or other
composition from the design after the first decomposition of the base, and
operating substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
WILLIAM BROOKES,
73, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agent.
C. HENRY. (L.S.)