Manufacturer METALLIC INLAID WORK AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A. M and
W. Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents for an Invention of AN IMPROVEMENT IN
A com-
munication to him from abroad by William Charles Edge of Newark in the
County of Essex and State of New Jersey, United States of America,
Manufacturer
METALLIC INLAID WORK AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th December 1882.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M and W Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institue of Patent Agents
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN METALLIC INLAID WORK AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE
SAME [A communication to him from abroad by William Charles Edge of
Newark in the County of Essex and State of New Jersey, United States of
America, Manufacturer.]
"
Heretofore inlaid work showing two or more kinds of metal in a metallic ground
bas been produced by cutting into the metallic ground and then filling the spaces
thus obtained with the metals of different color so as to produce the requisite
design. Damascene work where steel is inlaid with gold or brass and other costly
and beautiful specimens of inlaid work were thus made and were highly prized
because of their great beauty and durability, but the cost of production was
necessarily very great and it required the most skillful attention to produce a
perfect specimen of such inlaid work.
This Invention consists in producing the same effect as Damascene-work, or any
other suitable effect that may be desired, by superposing the metals of which the
work is to be composed, in alices, one upon the other, then embossing them, so as to
raise the lower slice of metal where it is embossed, into the plane of the upper
slice, and then filing or cutting away such portions of the embossed projections as
are desired to produce the design.

page_text: Thus, for example, where only two colors are desired to be shown, namely, one on
the back ground of the other, two slices, of metal, are so placed that the one for the
ground-work, shall be on top, and the other for the ornamental scrolls &c, at the
bottom, the two slices are united by what is known as " plating" or in any other
proper way, to permanently remain in connection with one another, and they are
then placed into an embossing machine, which will strike up such ornaments as it
may be desired to have struck up, for the production of the requisite design. The
en bossing machine is to operate in such a way that the projecting parts of the
lower plate will extend into the plane of the upper plate. The embossed projections
are next filed off, more or less, so that the covering of the upper plate above the
stamped up portions of the lower plate is removed, thus leaving a trace or scroll
of suitable outline of the lower metal visible in the back ground of the upper.
It will be seen that the production of inlaid work on this plan is not expensive,
beyond the mere cost of the metal itself, and that the most beautiful effects can
thus be produced. The greater the number of slices of inetal used, the richer, of
course, will be the effect. Thus we will suppose that three slices are united
together the upper slice being, say of steel, the next lower slice of gold, and the
lowermost slice of silver, or white gold. When these slices have been properly
plated, or united, they are stamped up in the embossing machine, so that the metal
of the lowermost plate is carried into the plane of the upperinost slice at such
parts, where it is desired to show the color of the lowermost plate. At other
parts where that color is not to be brought out, the raise produced by the
embossing machine must suffice to bring the metal of the intermediate slice into
the plane of the upper-most slice. After the embossing machine has done its work,
the filing off commences, and produces on the surface of the steel, which thus
becomes perforated, outlines of gold, or outlines of gold bordered with silver, or if
.desired outlines of silver only. The embossed parts may be filed off entirely, if
desired, so as to leave the upper surface of the top plate quite smooth when the
work is finished, or suitable parts of the embossing may be allowed to remain
raised, so as to heighten the effect. The lower slice may be made of sections of
different metals, placed side by side to increase the effect.
I do not limit myself to any kind of metal from which this work can be made,
nor to any mode of joining the two or more slices, nor to any kind of embossing
machine in which the slices are embossed, nor to any method of cutting off the
embossed projections so as to show the lower metal in the upper, as this may be
done either by filing, shearing, etching, or otherwise.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th June 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the Firm of A, M, and W, Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN METALLIC INLAID WORK, AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE
SAME," A communication to me from abroad by William Charles Edge, of Newark
in the County of Essex and State of New Jersey, United States of America,
Manufacturer.
Heretofore, inlaid work showing two or more kinds of metal in a metallic
ground, was produced by cutting into the metallic ground, and then filling the
spaces thus obtained with the metals of different color so as to produce the
requisite design. Damascene work, where steel is inlaid with gold or brass, and
other costly and beautiful specimens of inlaid work, were thus made, and were
highly prized, because of their great beauty and durability, but the cost of
production was necessarily very great, and it required the most skilful attention to
produce a perfect specimen of such inlaid work.
This Invention consists in producing the same effect as Damascene work, or any
other suitable effect that may be desired, by superposing the metals of which the
work is to be composed, in slices, one upon the other, then embossing them, so as
to raise the lower slice of metal where it is embossed into the plane of the upper
slice, and then filing or cutting away such portions of the embossed projections as
are desired to produce the design.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1
represents a face view of the stamped metal from which the improved inlaid work
is made. Figure 2 is a cross section of the same. Figure 3 is a plan view thereof,
after the projections have been cut away to show the lower metal. Figure 4 is a
cross-section thereof and Figure 5 is a cross-section showing the inlaid work made
from three thicknesses of metal.
Where only two colors are desired to be shown, namely, one on the back ground
of the other, two slices a 6 of metal are used, as in Figures 1. 2 3 and 4. These
two slices are so placed that the one a, for the ground-work shall be on top and
the other b for the ornamental scrolls &c at the bottom. The two slices a bare
united by what is known as "plating" or in any other proper way, to permanently
remain in connection with one another and they are then placed into an embossing
machine, which will strike ap such ornaments as it may be desired to have struck
up for the production of the requisite design (see Figures 1 and 2) The embossing
machine is to operate in such a way that the projecting parts of the lower plate b
will extend into the plane of the upper plate a as is clearly shown in Figure 2.
The metal having been brought into the condition shown in Figure 2 the embossed
projections are next filed off, more or less, so that the covering of the plate a above
the stamped up portions of the plate b, is removed, thus leaving a trace or scroll of
suitable outline of the lower metal visible in the background of the upper metal.
It will be seen that the production of inlaid work on this plan is not expensive
beyond the mere cost of the metal itself, and that the most beautiful effects can be
produced. The more slices of metal are used the richer, of course, will be the
effect. Thus in Figure 5 are shown three slices, a. b. c united together say the
upper slice a of steel, the next lower slice b of gold and the lowermost slice o of
silver, or white gold. When these slices have been properly plated, or united, they
are stamped up in the embossing machine, so that the metal of the lowermost

page_text: plate c is carried into the plane of the uppermost slice a at such parts, where it is
desired to show the color of the lowermost plate. At other parts where that color
is not to be brought out, the raise produced by the embossing machine must suffice
to bring the metal of the slice b into the plane of the slice a After the embossing
machine has done its work the filing off commences, and produces on the surface of
the steel, which thus becomes perforated, outlines of gold, or outlines of gold
bordered with silver, or if desired outlines of silver only. The embossed parts may
be filed off entirely, if desired, so as to leave the upper surface of the plate a quite
smooth when the work is finished, or suitable parts of the embossing may be
allowed to remain raised, so as to heighten the effect. The lower slice may be
made of sections of different metals, placed side by side to increase the effect
I do not limit myself to any kind of metal from which this work can be made,
nor to any mode of joining the two or more slices, nor to any kind of embossing
machine in which the slices are embossed, nor to any method of cutting off the
.embossed projections so as to show the lower metal in the upper, as this may be
done either by filing shearing, etching or otherwise.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is.
1 The method herein described, of producing inlaid work, which consists in
intimately connecting two or more slices of metal, in then embossing them so
as to bring parts of the lowermost slice into the plane of the uppermost slice,
and in then cutting down the embossed parts to show the metal of the lower
slice or slices in that of the upper, substantially as described.
2nd Inlaid work composed of an upper perforated slice a of metal, and of one or
more lower slices each of which extends beneath the slice a, and projects also into
the perforations of said slice a, substantially as described.
In witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set
my hand and seal this fifth day of June A.D. 1883