IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ORNAMEN- TATION OF BUILDINGS, BY THE USE OF WHICH HEWN STONE AND FACED BRICKS ARE DISPENSED WITH IN SOME PARTS THEREOF."
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Olivier Kerautret and Jules Kerautret, of No. 15,
Passage des Petites Ecuries, in the City of Paris, and Empire of France,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ORNAMEN-
TATION OF BUILDINGS, BY THE USE OF WHICH HEWN STONE AND FACED BRICKS
ARE DISPENSED WITH IN SOME PARTS THEREOF."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Olivier Kerautret and
Jules Kerautret at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 11th March 1862.
We, OLIVIER KERAUTRET and JULES KERAUTRET, of No. 15, Passage des
Petites Ecuries, in the City of Paris, and Empire of France, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION AND ORNAMENTATION OF BUILDINGS, BY THE USE OF WHICH HEWN STONE
AND FACED BRICKS ARE DISPENSED WITH IN SOME PARTS THEREOF," to be as
follows:-
The great cost of hewn stone and of fine bricks and the scarcity of good
workmen in these materials have led us to seek some advantageous substitute.
Our process consists in moulding on the spot the shapes, forms, and ornamen-
tations of buildings in course of construction. For this purpose we propose
to use rag or other cheap stones in the rough laying them with good cement.
For ordinary apertures (door, window, or other) we place in the opening and.

page_text: set.
against the frame of the aperture planks tied together by screw bars, and
forming in hollow or projection all the angles of the door, window, or other
opening; we press cement well against the wood so as to penetrate into the
rough angles which are thus filled in, and openings for windows with clean
and solid framings are formed. The mould is withdrawn when the cement is
We thus dispense with hewn stone and brick in the formation of open-
ings and enconomize, firstly, the tooling of the stone which we have used
in the rough. Secondly, the time taken up by masons. in bedding the stones.
If it is desired to have mouldings at the apertures we place within the form
above described and secure with screws or keys as many rods as may be
requisite to form the reverse of the desired profile, the rods being carefully
divided so that they do not remain fixed in the cavities. The moulds are
removed by first taking off the screws and keys from the form which is then
disengaged, the other parts remaining attached to the mouldings from which
they are disengaged by lightly striking them with a wooden mallet. Mould-
ings thus obtained. are much firmer than such as are, moulded, in the, usual
manner as they form one. piece with the masonry itself which penetrates
into the moulding and meeting. the surface of the prepared wood is stopped
and forms there all the contours or shapes designed. For. cornices or even
decorations imitating projecting stonework and other building details we
use the same process, but in some instances we grease the moulds and thus
obtain a more polished surface. For producing ornamental designs we.place
against the forms prepared as above described ornaments with hollow borders
made from a paste composed of Spanish white, and glue,; we work as usual,
and our cement lodging in all the hollows of the paste ornaments take any
form that may have been given to them, and, the moulds being unscrewed
and removed the paste (which contact with the cement will have restored
to its original softness) is removed with a spátula. Thus by our process
only one model is required which we reproduce in masonry as often as
desired.
'
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters. Patent, filed
by the said Olivier, Kerautret and. Jules, Kerautret, in, the Great Seal,
Patent Office on the 10th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wė, OLIVIER
KERAUTRET and JULES KERAUTRET, of No. 15, Passage. des Petites Ecuries, in
the City of Paris, and Empire of France, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Olivier Kerautret and Jules Kerautret, Her special licence that we,
the said Olivier Kerautret and Jules Kerautret, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Olivier Karautret and
Jules Kerautret, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time 'agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ORNAMENTATION OF BUILDINGS, BY THE USE OF
WHICH HEWN STONE AND FACED BRICKS ARE DISPENSED WITH IN SOME PARTS
THEREOF," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Olivier
Kerautret and Jules Kerautret, our executors or administrators, by an in-
strument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
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 Olivier Kerautret and Jules Kerautret,
do hereby declare the nature of our 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 Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and forming part of this our Specification, and
to the figures and letters of reference placed thereon :—
The very high price of hewn stone; the scarcity of workmen, and the want
of good brick's having a durable outward surface have urged us to seek an
improved substitute for these two materials in building. Our Invention
consists in moulding on the spot, that is to say, in the position they are to occupy
all the architectural forms to be given to the building under construction,
For this purpose we use ordinary rough unhewn stone which we bind together
with good cement mixed with a proportionate quantity of sand according to
the finish or durability required. We apply our Invention to ordinary aper-
tures, a door or window for example by placing in the embrasure in the
tablet and against the case boards bound together by screw bars, these boards
forming in hollow or projection all the angles of the aperture. We then set
the inasonry in these boards taking care to press the cement well against the

page_text: wood in order to penetrate into the angles, which must eventually form
the ridges or sharp edges,. we lay all the stones in a bed of mortar and
proceed in like manner with the lintel or the arch, placing the stones in the
direction of the curve. The cement being set we unscrew and remove our
wooden framing leaving an aperture of the form required and capable of
resisting all the attacks of the weather, no hewn stone or bricks having been
used, thereby economising the cost of tooling the stone (which we have used
in a rough state) and the great length of time which masons usually take to lay
stones vertically. Further the plummet is no longer required, our boxes
being placed against the walls, all that is required is to fill them, binding the
rough stones together. If mouldings are required to the aperture, we affix
inside the form or framing above described securing them from the outside
by screws or keys as many rods and bars or fillets as may be requisite to
form the inverse of the required profile. Care must be had to keep the
rods apart so that they may not become entangled in the cavities, and when
the moulding frame is taken off (by undoing the screws and keys), they
are removed by tapping them gently with a small wooden mallet very long
and narrow at the extremities. The mouldings thus obtained are firmer
and better than those pressed into the caliber in the usual manner, they
form but one piece with the masonry itself which penetrates into the moulding
and coming in contact with the surface of the prepared wood is there arrested
and forms the required outline. To form a cornice or plain decoration in
imitation of saillant stones or other building detail, we use the same processes,
but sometimes grease the mould, this giving a better polish and facilitating
the removal of the moulding apparatus. In some instances we place
against the forms ornaments made of a paste or composition of Spanish white
and glue, build up as usual, and the cement penetrating into all the cavities
of the paste assumes its form; we then unscrew the framing or form and
remove the paste from the cavities with a spatula, as notwithstanding the
great consistency it has attained, contact with the cement, and the humidity
thereby absorbed has rendered the paste as soft as when first made. To
sum up, we require but one model in wood, plaster, or any other material
to reproduce the same design or decoration in masonry as often as may be
desired, and in an economical and durable manner. To produce apertures
in masonry using rough stones or rag, moulded in position with cement,
mortar, it is not necessary to remove the boards composing the frame in
the entire light of the openings and it may in some cases be both easier and
cheaper to proceed as follows:-Prepare two wooden moulds or frames (as
shewn at Figure 1 in the Drawing) of the requisite dimensions and an inch

page_text: or two higher than the layers of stone required, dividing the mould or frame into
four parts (A, B, C, D, Figure 1,) or into a greater number as circumstances
may require with grooves to permit their sliding easily into each other.. Two
iron joint clasps or cramps are placed at top and bottom of each mould or
part of frame which may be brought together by a pin, and the entire mould
be raised by the handles E. The holes for the pin of the joint clasps must
be sufficiently free to allow the screw F play in a horizontal direction.
Two bars G one with. pin for the top, the other with a screw bolt and nut
for the bottom, keep the parts asunder, the second being removed before
the cement is set.. The moulds being thus arranged they are filled, and
when the cement is set two workmen unfasten the screws F, and by the
handles E raise, the mould, to the height or level of the second layer, and
the operation is renewed until completion of the first jamb, the lintel and
arch being then made in one operation as above described. It will be evident
that if it is advantageous to execute ordinary. work in the manner above
described, that a still greater advantage is obtained in the case of mouldings
as the apparatus required is comparatively trifling in cost, and would occupy
nothing like the space when not in use that the builder is under the existing
method compelled to devote to, the variety of profiles he requires.
.
At Figure 2 is a jamb with ornamental mouldings moulded in a similar
manner to that shewn Figure 1, but with greater care. The moulds, might
be made of galvanised sheet iron or copper, but we prefer wood as being
cheaper and working quite as clean if the workman is careful. Horizontal
mouldings are produced in the same manuer by placing under the mould a
rabbet sliding upon a rule fixed to the wall and running in the cement from
stone to stone stopping or closing the mould in the direction in which the
work is progressing. In certain cases, however, and more particularly when
the profile is simple, it is better to use great lengths of mould, in which case
the greater portion of the timber not being cut it may be easily used for
other purposes after, the moulding is executed. To ornament the jamb shewn
Figure 2, with the mouldings shewn Figure 3, we arrange our mould or frame
as at Figure 2, excepting that where the ornamentation is to be effected, we
place a piece of wood independent of the other parts of the mould, and upon
which is permanently fixed the design well hollowed (by casting or stamping
or otherwise) in copper, lead, sulphur, or other material capable of resisting
the action of the cement. For this kind of work it is desirable to have the
ornamental pieces the exact height of the layer and firmly united by a joint
to the centre of a moulding, the plain parts of the same mould should on the
contrary be from 6 to 8 inches wider in order that when the mould is filled-

page_text: to the level of the first layer fresh ornamental pieces may be placed above
those which must first be fastened. The second mouldings being fixed and
filled above the first to a height of from 6 to 8 inches, we raise the united
parts until the whole of the first layer is uncovered, and the first ornamented
parts are exposed (that is to say, the pieces used for ornamenting) and these
must be disengaged with the mallet to be replaced in due time upon the
second, and so on unto the end of the operation. For escutcheons, capitals;
and other decorations, plaster moulds may be used suitably arranged upon
salient tablets or shelves in front of the masonry, or as set forth above in the
case of ornamental mouldings. It would be impossible, as it is needless here, to
enumerate every application of our Invention; we desire, however, to observe
'that it will be used with advantage in the construction of church pillars
whether isolated in the nave or supported against the lateral walls. We
have hitherto treated of the erection of new buildings only, but our Invention
.is equally applicable and useful in the restoration of old edifices. . Taking
for example a window casing of an old house, we in the first place deeply
strip, brush, and wash with care the site of the intended mouldings or decora-
tions, we then place as necessity, and the projection of the work to be executed
may dictate, iron clamps, bolts, old nails, or any other fastenings likely to
bind firmly the new ornaments to the old masonry. This preparatory work
done, we take moulds such as we have above described, but which instead of
grasping in their thickness two coping stones of the masonry are arranged as at
Figure 4. Two rules A, B, Figure 4, are applied vertically to the wall the
entire height of the window casing or of the intended moulding. The mould
is placed against these rules and as it is impossible to introduce large stones
through the orifice of the mould it is necessary to have ready some coarse
gravel before running in the cement, and to throw some into the mould as
fast as it fills, this applies also to horizontal mouldings.
Our Invention can also be used to form bulky interior decorations in
plaster. Mouldings pressed in the caliber in the usual manner are not
solid or lasting because they are formed by throwing several layers of plaster
successively one on top of the other and cannot therefore possess much
adhesion by reason of the differing strength of the mixings, and that each
must necessarily be beaten or bruised by the manipulation, without which
it is impossible to form mouldings; again if the mouldings exceed the usual
dimensions several workmen and special apparatus will be required which
becomes costly. These inconveniences are avoided by using our Invention
as illustrated at Figure 5 which represents plan of small church columns and
mould. If holes and saillant stones are left in the walls in raising the

page_text: masonry, the mould placed against the rules will be successively filled from
layer to layer up to the top of each group of small columns with tinted plaster
mixed very strong and pieces of brick and stones which indent at intervals
into the holes or ally with the jutting stones left for that purpose. In mould-
ing ornamental pavement in position, we lay upon the beton previously
arranged laths.of hard wood shaved off at the bottom in order to obtain a
clean and easy removal. The laths must be of the thickness required for
the pavement usually somewhat less than an inch. If the pattern is repeated
which is most usual, we prepare the needful for the moulding of two lengths.
Portland cement is in our opinion the most suitable for this kind of work.
The laths of the first length are then raised to begin a third, after which we
fill the cavities with cement of different colors according to the exigencies
of the pattern and when the whole has become consolidated we rub with
sandstone to obtain smoothness.
In witness whereof, we, the said Olivier Kerautret and Jules Kerautret,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of Septem-
ber, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-two.
KERAUTRET, OER. (L.S.)
KERAUTRET, J.
(L.S.)
KERAUTRET, OER. (L.S.)
KERAUTRET, J. (L.S.)