IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNAMENTING SURFACES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Mac Ewan, of Mauchline, in the County
of Ayr, Manufacturer of Fancy Woodwork, for the Invention of
T
IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNAMENTING SURFACES”
Sealed the 26th February 1875, and dated the 10th September 1874.

page_text: .
In ornamenting a surface (of wood for example) according to my
Invention I proceed as follows:-I take a mould or pattern cut out of
stiff paper, sheet metal, wood veneer, or other flexible material, the said
mould or pattern having such a figure that when placed on the surface
to be ornamented it covers the whole of the surface, excepting that
part which in the finished surface is intended to have the darkest tone
or colour. Pigment of the desired colour (generally a dark colour,
mixed with a vehicle in the ordinary way so as to make a liquid paint,
is now sprinkled over the partly covered. surface by means of a brush
containing the paint, being struck a short distance above and over the
whole of the surface. Or the sprinkling may be effected by drawing a
comb or wire netting over the charged brush. On the removal of the
mould or pattern the surface will appear to be inlaid with a design or
part of a design corresponding to the portions of the surface not
covered by the mould or pattern. By now placing another mould or
pattern of a different design or figure from the first on the part of
the surface uncoloured during the treatment with the first mould or
pattern, and again springling colour on the partly covered surface, the
whole of the uncovered surface will receive the colour, the portion
coloured by the first sprinkling having received a double amount of
colour will be darker than that now sprinkled. On removing the mould
or pattern the surface will have the appearance of wood inlaid with two
designs or parts of a design in woods of different depths of colour. By
covering the uncoloured portion of the surface with a third mould or.
pattern and again sprinkling with colour another coloured design or
part of a design is produced, the two previously made ones, so far as they
are uncovered by the last mould or pattern applied being darkened by
the additional sprinkling.
The sprinkling described may be repeated any required number of
times; either the same or different colours may be used in the different
sprinklings; and although I have for convenience of description
described only the production of dark designs on a light ground yet
light designs on a dark ground may be produced in a similar manner by.
employing a dark ground and sprinkling with light colours.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Mac Ewan in the Great Seal Patent Office.
on the 3rd March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
MAC EWAN, of Mauchline, in the County of Ayr, Manufacturer of
Fancy Woodwork, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Mac Ewan, Her special license
that I, the said Edward Mac Ewan, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Mac Ewan, my 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 lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ORNAMENTING SURFACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said. Edward Mac Ewan, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 Edward Mac Ewan, 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:-.
"B
My Invention has for its object the ornamenting of surfaces of various
materials, particularly of wood, papier mâché, leather, or American cloth,
and other non-metallic substances in such a way as to produce the
appearance of inlaying.
In ornamenting a surface (of wood for example) according to my
Invention I proceed as follows:-I take a mould or pattern cut out of

page_text: stiff paper, sheet metal, wood veneer or other flexible material, the said
mould or pattern having such a figure that when placed on the surface
to be ornamented it covers the whole of the surface excepting the
part which in the finished surface is intended to have the darkest tone
or color. Pigment of the desired colour, generally a dark colour, mixed
with a vehicle in the ordinary way so as to make a liquid paint,
is now sprinkled over the partly covered surface by means of a brush
containing the paint, being struck a short distance above and over the
whole of the surface. Or the sprinkling may be effected by drawing a
comb over the charged brush, or the brush over a wire netting. On
the removal of the mould or pattern the surface will appear to be inlaid
with a design or part of a design corresponding to the portions of the
surface not covered by the mould or pattern. By now placing another
mould or pattern of a different design or figure from the first, on the
part of the surface uncolored during the treatment with the first mould
or pattern, and again sprinkling color on the partially covered surface,
the whole of the uncovered surface will receive the colour, the portion
coloured by the first sprinkling having received a double amount of
colour will be darker than that last sprinkled. On removing the mould
or pattern, the surface will have the appearance of wood inlaid with two
designs or parts of a design in woods of different depths of colour. By
covering the uncolored portion of the surface with a third mould or
pattern and again sprinkling with colour another coloured design or part
of a design is produced, the two previously made ones, so far as they
are uncovered by the last mould or pattern applied, being darkened by
the additional sprinkling.
The sprinkling described may be repeated any required number of
times. Either the same or different colors may be used in the different
sprinklings, and although I have for convenience of description
described only the production of dark designs on a light ground yet
light designs on a dark ground may be produced in a similar manner by
employing a dark ground and sprinkling with light colours.
I sometimes use only one mould or pattern instead of a scries as
already described. In using the single mould I temporarily cover or
protect with paper or other flexible material such portion of the designs
as I wish to have a different tone or tint from the other portions, different
portions of the mould being exposed and covered after each sprinkling
process until the required design has been applied to the surface. The

page_text: covering or protecting of portions of the mould may be applied to any
portion of any mould when using a series for the ornamenting process.
Or two or more moulds may be simultaneously applied to the surface,
and the colour sprinkled thereon. In this way the desired effect may be
rapidly and satisfactorily obtained on the surface under treatment.
The colours which I prefer to employ in carrying my Invention into
effect are water colours. When I use water colours I grind the pigments
in the usual way and afterwards, when necessary, add starch, albumen,
gelatine, gum, or other adhesive substance. When I use oil colours the
pigments are ground with boiled or linseed oil, or with copal or other
varnish, and reduced by turpentine or other suitable vehicle to a con-
sistency somewhat thinner than that which would be employed if it were
intended to use the paint in the ordinary way, that is, by laying it
on with a brush. The object of making the paint thus thin or liquid
is to make it leave the brush during the sprinkling process more readily
than it would were it of a denser consistency. I do not however limit
myself to the use of oil paints in carrying my Invention into effect as
water colours may be used as well as oil paints.
When I carry my Invention into effect by means of water colour the
finished design requires to be varnished for the purpose of preventing
the removal of the design. In either case, that is, whether water or
oil colour be employed, the color sprinkled at each stage of the orna-
menting process must be allowed to harden or dry before the applica-
tion of a mould or pattern for the succeeding stage of the ornamenting
process."
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same may be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but
I claim as my Invention, the improvements in ornamenting surfaces
herein-before described, that is to say, ornamenting surfaces so as to
give them the appearance of having been inlaid by the use of a mould
or pattern, or by the use in succession of a series of moulds or patterns
of the kind described in combination with a sprinking process, the said
mould or pattern or moulds or patterns being placed on the surface to be
ornamented, and either water or oil colour applied by means of the said
sprinkling process to those portions of the surface not covered by the

page_text: mould or not otherwise covered the application of different parts of the
same mould or pattern or moulds or patterns, of different kinds or
designs, and the sprinkling process being repeated for the production in
varying depths of colour or in different tints, of the different parts of
the design, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Mac Ewan, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
Witness,
HUGH MILLER,
Mauchline,
Ayr.
EDWARD MAC EWAN. (L.S.)