Process for Preparing Metal Wire for Gilding.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Nov., 1887
Specification Accepted, 16th Dec., 1887
Process for Preparing Metal Wire for Gilding.
I, CHRISTOPH SEILER, of 33 Veillodter Street, Nuremberg Bavaria, Germany,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
As
well known, wetal wire with genuine gilding is prepared by providing a core
of copper or other ductile metal with a coating of silver, and then coating this with a
comparatively thin layer of gold, either by hot gilding or by electro gilding.
With this thin layer of gold however, the silver coating, or if this is also very thin,
the metal core itself, will soon show through. The rapid deterioration or wearing
away of the wire could in that case only be prevented by a specially thick gold
coating. This is however not possible when a cheap product is required, the object
being to produce a manufacture of good appearance with the smallest possible
expenditure of pure gold.
According to my present invention I employ in place of the comparatively
expensive and yet inefficient silver coating, a coating of an alloy having the colour
of gold, whereby I obtain a manufacture of good appearance by cheaper means than
heretofore employed.
I employ, for the said intermediate coating, for example, alloys of copper such as
bronze, or brass, also aluminium and silicon bronze; generally speaking, there
may be
employed for this purpose all metallic alloys, which have a gold-like appearance, one
or other of these being used according as the colour of the gold employed, (whether
yellow gold, or red gold) may require.
The application of this coating to the core of copper, or other metal of low
value having the requisite ductility, is effected, according to the thickness it is required
to have, either,
1stly. By fusion.
2ndly. By drawing tubes thereof upon the metal core.
3rdly. By galvanic deposit.
4thly. By vaporisation of the metal with prevention of oxidation, and condensation
of the metallic vapour upon the core to be coated.
For applying thin intermediate coatings, the processes 3 and 4 are suitable, while

page_text: for thicker coatings the processes 1 and 2 may be employed, but the said processes
may also be used indifferently either for thin or thick coatings. After the core has
been coated by the one or the other process, the coating with gold is effected according
to the thickness required, by either of the known processes of dipping the wire in a
bath of gold, or by electro gilding or by hot gilding.
The result of the application of the gold-like intermediate coating is, that while a
better appearance of the wire is produced than with the old process, only about one
fifth the quantity of gold need be used, so that a very great saving is effected as
compared with the existing processes.
The finished product will at the same time have a deep gold colour, or a fine
permanent gold lustre, and notwithstanding the very thin coating of gold, it will
resist wear for a considerably longer time than the existing manufactures, being
protected from discolouration and deterioration in consequence of the gold-like inter-
mediate coating.
The nature of the core employed does not materially signify as regards the effect
produced; it may be of copper or its alloys, nickel or its alloys, aluminium alloys,
and even silver may be gilt by the aid of the said gold-like intermediate coating
and in all cases the deep lustre will be obtained, because the gold-like intermediate
coating will prevent the shining through of the core when this is of a lighter or not
gold-like colour.
Wire of any thickness may be treated by this process, as also any description of
wire, for whatever use, whether for spinning, for lace, or the like.
It is also unimportant whether the intermediate coating is thick in comparison to
the core or whether it consists only of the thinnest wash.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
The process of preparing metal wire for gilding wherein the wire is provided
by any known means, such as melting, drawing, galvanic deposit, or deposit of
condensed metallic vapours, with an intermediate coating of a gold-like metal
or alloy, whereby the subsequent gilding will receive a deep permanent gold
lustre.
Dated this 15th day of November 1887.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
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