IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESSES OF DEPOSITING METALS BY GALVANIC ACTION EITHER WITH OR WITHOUT THE AID OF GALVANIC BATTERIES, AND IN THE ORNA- MENTATION OF METAL SURFACES THEREBY
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Dalrymple at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd October 1862.
I, ALEXANDER DALRYMPLE, of No. 18, Eyre Street, Sheffield, in the County
of York, Clothier, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESSES OF DEPOSITING METALS BY GALVANIC ACTION
EITHER WITH OR WITHOUT THE AID OF GALVANIC BATTERIES, AND IN THE ORNA-
MENTATION OF METAL SURFACES THEREBY," to be as follows :-
My Invention consists, firstly, in certain improvements in the processes
employed in depositing metals by galvanic action, more particularly applicable
to the ornamentation of metal surfaces, whereby I am enabled to produce orna-
mental patterns, characters in writing or designs, or marks of any kind, by
depositing upon only certain portions of such metal surfaces ono or more different
metals in such a manner that these different metals are either inlaid in the metal
surfaces or in relief upon the same. For this purpose, I firstly either print by
transfer or paint upon upon the surface of the metal article with a non-con-
ducting composition similar to that employed by etchers, in such a manner that
those portions of the surface.upon which the ornament, character, or mark is
to be formed are left clear of the composition; or I effect this by the follow-
ing process:-I cut out the pattern of the ornament, character, or mark
in parchment or other suitable material, and gum this on to the metal
surface to be acted upon; I then cover all the other portion of the surface
with a suitable non-conducting varnish or composition, and afterwards remove

page_text: the parchment pattern, thus leaving the parts to be ornamented or deposited
upon quite free of the varnish or composition. Or, in some cases, instead of
employing either of the above-described processes for producing the exposed
pattern of the ornament on the metal surface, I cover the same entirely with
a non-conducting varnish or composition, and then chase the pattern of the
ornament through the same, whereby the parts of the metal surface upon
which it is desired to deposit are uncovered or exposed. The metal article
prepared by either of the before-described processes I then place in a decom-
posing cell having a battery action, whereby the portions of the surface not
covered with the varnish or composition, and which have the configuration of
the ornament or character to be formed are eaten out, forming a "bed" of
any required depth. The article is then removed from the cell, and is then
placed in an ordinary depositing bath with battery action containing tho
proper solution of the metal to be deposited, as is well understood, which
metal is then deposited into the exposed parts of the metal article which have
before been eaten out, filling the same in up to or above the level of the
surface of the metal article to any extent that may be required. The metal
article is then taken out of the bath, and the varnish or composition is
removed, when an inlaid pattern, ornament, or characters or marks of any
description will have been formed on the surface of the metal article of the
required different metal. If the article to be ornamented be of zinc, and tho
same be placed after the bed for the pattern has been formed, as above
described, in a strong solution of sulphate of copper, then the copper will be
deposited upon the bed without the aid of a galvanic battery.
If the article to be ornamented has already been electro-plated with gold,
silver, or other metal, then I sometimes cause those portions of the surface of
the same which are to receive the ornament or pattern in a different metal to
be eaten out only to the extent of the thickness of the electro-plating, and
deposit upon those portions the the different metal, as before described. Or,
in some cases, especially for cutlery, I cause the exposed portions to be eaten
out deeply, and then I partially fill them in with zinc or spelter, after which
I deposit upon them gold or silver until the surface is level with the general
surface of the article.
For producing ornaments, characters, or marks of any description upon a
metal surface in two or more different kinds of metal, I first cause one
such metal to be deposited upon the parts required to be ornamented with
that particular metal by any of the above-described processes, and I then
cover the whole surface again with composition or varnish, and chaso in the
same such other parts of the pattern as require to be formed in a different

page_text: metal. These chased lines are then eaten out, and the other metal is
deposited upon them, as before described, and this process is repeated as often
as there are different kinds of metals to be deposited.
When it is required to produce ornainents in relief upon the metal surface,
I sometimes form the exposed pattern by any of the above-described methods,
and deposit the metal upon the exposed surface without first eating out the
surface to form a "bed." In some cases I produce the pattern of the ornament
or character upon the metal surface in the following manner :-I cut out
the pattern in thin sheet metal or other suitable material in a similar manner
to forming stencil plates; I then place this upon the metal surface to be
ornamented, and brush or deposit wax on the metal surface through the
parts cut out in a similar manner to stencilling. The stencil plate is then
removed; the portion of the metal surface not covered with wax is covered
with a non-conducting varnish, and when this is dry, the wax is melted off tho
parts to be ornamented, after which the metal is deposited upon those parts,
as before described.
Another part of my Invention consists in forming moulds or dies in iron
by galvanic deposition. For this purpose, I form a pattern of the mould or
die in any suitable material, and I cover one half of the same with wax or
other suitable non-conducting substance, and the other half with black lead
or any other suitable conducting substance; I then place the pattern in a
depositing bath containing a solution of sulphate of iron, whence iron is
deposited upon the conducting portion of the pattern until the deposited
metal is of the requisite thickness; I then remove the half mould so formed,
and coat that half of the pattern with a non-conducting substance, whilst I
coat the other half with a conducting substance. The pattern is then replaced
in the depositing bath, and the second half of the iron die or mould is
deposited in the same manner as the first half. If the moulds or dies so
formed are to be employed for stamping, they may be case-hardened, and
afterwards brazed on to a solid piece of metal.