Improvements in Forming Letters, Ornaments, or Designs in Relief by Means of Metal or other Sheets.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 27th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 17th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SEPULTIVATION.
Improvements in Forming Letters, Ornaments, or Designs in Relief
by Means of Metal or other Sheets.
I ARTHUR MARTYN of 209 The Grove Hammersmith in the County of
Middlesex, Glass Tablet Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists in forming raised letters, ornaments or designs upon thin
sheets of ductile metal or other suitable material but preferably lead or pewter &
filling in the concavities at the back with a cement and afterwards supporting the
whole in manner described.
In carrying out my invention I make a die having the desired letters or
ornaments raised upon it and by means of a corresponding dic or "force" I impress
the letters or design upon a thin sheet of lead or other suitable material with an
ordinary screw press.
The lead which will thus have the design raised upon it may be about the
thickness of ordinary brown paper (what is known as 5 oz. lead will answer for
most purposes) and when pressed up will have little or no rigidity the least pressure
being sufficient to alter the shape of the raised portions so that the article would be
of no practical use unless stiffened & the raised portions sufficiently supported.
Therefore having stamped the required letters or ornaments upon the thin lead or
other sheet I next fill in or coat over the concave portions at the back which have
been formed by the raised parts of the die with a cement which will impart the
necessary stiffness or solidity to the parts in relief and prevent them from being
crushed or bent out of shape by pressure at the front & for this purpose I may use
plaster of paris, bitumen, a composition containing glue or any suitable cement.
This being done I lay the impressed sheet so prepared upon a piece of wood,
metal, cardboard, or other suitable support to which it should be cemented or
otherwise fixed in any convenient way, and in this manner sufficient rigidity is
given to the completed article which may for instance be an advertising sign or
decorative panel.
I am aware that raised letters or designs have been and are produced upon metal
surfaces by stamping processes where the stamped article leaves the press having
sufficient rigidity & strength in itself for its purpose but this involves considerable
power in the press and where sharpness and high relief is essential is only
applicable to comparatively small articles. In tin plate or brass as usually
stamped it would be nearly impossible to get high relief & sharp definition on a
large stamping say two feet square.
By employing thin lead or other sufficiently ductile metal or material I am
enabled with comparatively little pressure to bring up the letters or design into
high relief with great sharpness and the sheet operated on may be of any
reasonable size.
So far I have described the way in which I form the required article and the
manner in which it differs from a stamped article as produced by ordinary stamping
but in addition to the stamping up and stiffening the lead or other sheet it may be
desirable that the flat portions of the surface be coloured or decorated differently
from those in relief in order to give the latter due effect and prominence.
This I effect in various ways some of which I will indicate but other suitable
means may be employed.
I can paint the several parts by hand in any desired way, or print the coloured
ground upon the lead or other sheet before pressing it in such a way that the parts

page_text: which are to be raised shall be free from the colour and thus when these parts are
forced up by the die they will stand out distinctly from the coloured ground
especially if the parts in relief be gilt or otherwise decorated. I can also secure a
similar result by using sheets of flock or suitable coloured paper from which I cut
out portions, & this may be done by means of stencil plate, to exactly correspond
with the raised letters or ornaments on the stamped sheet the parts not cut away
corresponding to the ground.
Thus I have as it were a stencil say of flock paper & this being made adhesive I
place it on the stamped sheet in such a way that the portions of the latter in relief
will project through the apertures in the flock paper, the paper itself adhering to
the ground or flat parts of the stamped sheet.
Although for the surface which is to be stamped I find it best to employ a thin
sheet of lead or pewter as giving the best result in sharpness & relief with com-
paratively little pressure I do not confine myself to this but may use any thin
metal or composition sheet or even a suitable paper material but any such sheet
should have so little stiffness or rigidity when the design is impressed upon it as to
be easily defaced by merely handling unless backed up and supported in the
manner described.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Forming Letters, Ornaments, or Designs in Relief
by Means of Metal or other Sheets.
I, ARTHUR MARTYN, of 209 The Grove, Hammersmith, London, Glass Tablet
Manufacturer, 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, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of
drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My invention consists in forming raised letters, ornaments, or designs, upon thin
sheets of ductile metal, or other suitable material, but preferably lead or pewter,
and in filling-in or coating the concavities thus produced at the back of the sheet
with a cement, and in applying a supporting backing to such sheet as hereinafter
described.
In carrying out my invention, I prepare a matrix having the desired letters,
ornaments, or designs, cut or otherwise formed therein in intaglio, and a corresponding
die or "force" having the letters, ornaments, or designs, formed in relief thereon.
Or if preferred, the matrix may have the letters or ornaments formed thereon in
relief, and the die or "force" the same letters or ornaments in intaglio. 'With this
matrix and die or "force," I "raise
65
or strike-up" the letters, ornaments or
designs upon a thin sheet of lead, pewter, or other suitable ductile material, by
means of an ordinary screw press or other suitable appliance.
39
In some cases, instead of using a die or "force" having the letters, ornaments or
design formed thereon in relief or cut therein in intaglio, the die or "force" may
consist of a plain sheet of indiarubber placed on the sheet of lead or other material
laid upon the matrix; and pressure being applied to the sheet of indiarubber the
lower surface of the same presses the lead or other sheet into the matrix and raises
or strikes-up the letters, ornaments, or designs.
The sheet of lead, (if such be the material employed) on which the letters,
ornaments, or designs, are thus "raised," may be of about the thickness of ordinary
brown paper; what is known as five ounce lead will answer for most purposes.
When pressed-up, this sheet and the letters or other ornaments "raised " upon it,
will have extremely little rigidity, the least pressure being sufficient to alter the
shape of the raised portions, so that the article thus produced would be of no
practical use unless stiffened and sufficiently supported. In order to stiffen and

page_text: 31
support this " raised or "struck-up" sheet of material, I remove it from the
raising or striking up matrix and die and place it in a plaster of paris or other
suitable mould similar to the intaglio matrix or die by which it has been "raised"
or "struck-up" so that the concavities in the back of the sheet of material are
upwards. I then fill in these concavities or coat them to a sufficient thickness with
a cement which will, when dry, impart the necessary stiffness and solidity to the
parts of the sheet that are in relief, and will prevent them from being crushed or
bent out of shape by pressure exerted at the front. The cement may be composed
of plaster of paris, or bitumen, for example; but the composition I have found to
answer best consists of plaster of paris mixed with glue or gum in proportions that
may be varied according to circumstances and the nature of the material composing
the sheet on which the letters or ornaments are formed: for example with sheet
lead I have found that a composition consisting of 30 parts, by weight, of plaster of
paris and part of glue, with sufficient water to form a cream-like paste, gives
good results. But I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to any
particular kind of cement, as any suitable cement may be employed without
departing from the nature of my invention. I next attach the back of the sheet so
prepared to a more or less rigid backing of wood, metal, cardboard, or other
inaterial, by means of cement similar to that with which the concavities of the
sheet have been filled or coated or by means of other suitable cement or adhesive
material, or otherwise, as may be convenient or desirable. By these means when
the filling and attaching cements have hardened, sufficient rigidity and strength
will be imparted to the metal or other sheet to enable it to serve its purpose,
which may be an advertising sign, a decorative panel or a shop facia for example.
In some cases, I form the entire backing of the same kind of cement as that
employed for filling the concavities of the "raised" or "struck-up "sheet of lead
or other material. Or the backing may be composed of canvas and cement.
the latter case such canvas and cement may form one or more layers or coatings
which follow the contour of the back surface of the sheet of lead or other
material.
In
I am aware that raised letters or designs have been and are produced upon metal
surfaces by stamping processes where the stamped article, when it leaves the
stamping or "raising" press, has sufficient rigidity and strength in itself for its
intended purpose, but in such cases the material has to be of considerable thickness
and consequently great power has to be exerted in the stamping or "raising" press
and where sharpness and high relief are essential, that process is only applicable to
comparatively small articles. In tin plate or brass, as usually stamped or "raised,"
it would be nearly if not quite impossible to get high relief and sharp definition on
a large sheet, say 2 feet square; but by employing lead or other sufficiently ductile
metal or material, in very thin sheets, 1 ain enabled, with comparatively little
pressure, to "raise" or "strike-up" the letters or designs into high relief with great
sharpness, and the sheet operated upon may be of any reasonable size.
So far I have described the way in which I form the required article, and how
the same differs from a stamped article as produced by stainping in the ordinary
way but in addition to stamping up or "raising" and stiffening the lead or other
sheet, it is sometimes required that the flat portion. of such sheet should be coloured
or decorated differently from the parts in relief, in order to give the latter due
effect and prominence. This may be effected in various ways, some of which I will
now proceed to indicate, but other suitable means may be employed.
I sometimes paint the several parts by hand in any desired way, or print the
coloured ground upon the lead or other sheet, before pressing it, in such manner
that the parts which are to be raised shall be free from the colour, so that when
these parts are forced up by the die they will stand out distinctly from the
coloured ground, especially if the parts in relief be gilded or otherwise decorated.
I sometimes produce similar results by using sheets of flock or other suitably
coloured paper, from which I cut out portions, with the aid of a stencil plate or

page_text: otherwise, to exactly correspond with the raised letters or ornaments on the sheet.
of metal or other material, the parts not cut away corresponding to the ground.
Thus I obtain, as it were, a stencil composed of say flock paper, which I attach by
suitable adhesive material to the face of the stamped or "raised" sheet in such
manner that the portions of the latter that are in relief will project through the
apertures in the flock paper, which latter adheres to the ground or flat parts of the
"raised "sheet.
In producing an object or design in relief, I sometimes secure to the lead or other
sheet a paper print of the subject to be "raised" and press this up into shape along
with the lead or other material.
Although I find a thin sheet of lead or pewter gives the best results in sharpness
and height of relief with comparatively little pressure, I wish it to be understood
that I do not confine myself to those materials as I may use other thin metal, or
alloy of metals, or sheets of other composition, or even a suitable paper material;
but it is an essential feature of my invention that whatever material be employed,
it should be sufficiently thin to secure the desired sharpness, and sufficiently ductile
to enable it to be pressed up to the required degree of relief and when possessing
those characteristics, such sheets will have so little stiffness or rigidity, when the
designs are impressed upon them, that they will be easily defaced or deformed
unless backed up with cement and supporting material in the manner hereinbefore
described.
In the drawings hereto annexed,
Figure 1 is a front view of part of an advertisement sign made in accordance
with iny invention,
Figure 2 a section of same taken on line X X of Figure 1, and
Figure 3 is a section of the plaster of paris or other mould with the thin sheet of
metal or other material, which has been previously "raised," lying therein, the
cementing material having been filled into its concavities ready to receive the
backing or supporting material to be applied thereto.
"
A is the thin sheet of lead or other material that has been "raised or
"struck-up "by the matrix and die as above explained.
B the cement or stiffening material filling the concavities at the back of the
"raised "
or' "struck-up" sheet A.
C the backing or supporting material.
D the plaster of paris or other mould on or in which the sheet A is placed whilst
having its concavities filled or coated with the cement B.
Figure 4 shows the cement filling thickened-up so as to form the supporting
backing, and Figure 5 shows the backing composed of canvas and cement applied
as a coating which follows the contour of the back surface of the sheet A.
Similar letters of reference relate to like parts in all the figures of the drawings.
It will be understood that the tablets or plaques thus formed may be enclosed in
suitable frames or be otherwise finished off or ornamented round the edges
according to taste, and to suit the purposes for which they are to be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First The method or process of forming letters, ornaments or designs in relief,
which consists in "raising" or "striking-up" such letters, ornaments or designs in
or on thin sheets of ductile metal or other suitable material, in filling-in or coating
the concavities thus formed, at the back of such "raised" or "struck-up" sheets,
with a stiffening cement or composition, and in attaching to the back of such
"raised" or "struck-up" and stiffened sheet a suitable more or less rigid supporting
backing, substantially as herein before described, and illustrated in the drawings.
Second The improved letters, ornaments or designs in relief, consisting of a
"raised
or "struck-up" sheet of thin ductile metal or other suitable material, a

page_text: cement or other suitable filling or coating and stiffening material, and a more or
less rigid supporting backing, combined and arranged substantially as hereinbefore
described, and illustrated in the drawings.
Third The improved letters, ornaments or designs in relief, constructed or
formed substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated the 17th day of November 1891.
A. MARTYN.
W. H. Beck,
Per G. E. Gunyon,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.
A. MARTYN.
W. H. Beck,
Per G. E. Gunyon,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.