IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE of BRICKS OR BLOCKS AND TILES TO BE USED IN BUILDING."
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Lascelles, of Bunhill Row, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE of
BRICKS OR BLOCKS AND TILES TO BE USED IN BUILDING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Lascelles at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th April 1877.
WILLIAM HENRY LASCELLES, of Bunhill Row, in the County of Middlesex,
Builder. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS OR BLOCKS AND TILES
TO BE USED IN BUILDING."
The object of my Invention of improvements in the manufacture of bricks or
blocks and tiles to be used in building is to produce these articles with ornamental
faces in an easy and convenient manner, so that buildings of a highly ornamental
character may be constructed with facility and at a moderate price.
Ornamental mouldings, strong courses, cornices, and other parts of buildings
when not made of carved stone have heretofore been made either with "cut bricks" or
with moulded bricks or blocks, or with terra cotta blocks, but such bricks or blocks
have always been fired, and as this process is apt to put them out of shape, the
work produced is frequently very unsatisfactory.
"Cut bricks" are made by
carving by hand any pattern or part of a moulding on the face of a soft brick made
of homogenous clay, and of uniform colour throughout. These bricks are expensive,
very liable to damage, as they are soft and tender, and their use is therefore very
limited.
By my improvements I am enabled to produce ornamental bricks, blocks, and
tiles at a much cheaper rate than hertofore.
In carrying out my Invention in reference to ornamental bricks or blocks, I form
a mould of wood of suitable size and shape to contain the main body of the brick or
block, which is composed of concrete of any suitable materials, such as gravel,
broken stone, brick, ballast, or other hard materials mixed with cement or lime.
The moulds are filled in nearly full with these rough materials to form the main
body of the block, and when the concrete is partially set, the face is made with
finer materials of any desired colour to imitate natural stone or bricks, and the

page_text: surface is finished with a wooden float, so as to produce a grained face like
worked stone or cut bricks, a suitable quantity of sand having been mixed with
the other surface ingredients for the purpose of producing the grained face
when worked up by the wooden float." Bricks and blocks may be made in this
manner with ornamental surfaces as hard as stone, but sometimes it may be
desirable to further carve or ornament the blocks when in situ, in which cases
the face of the blocks must be composed of such materials as will admit of
being cut with a tool. For this purpose pulverized burnt clay mixed with ground
lime and fine sand will be found to produce a suitable surface which may be easily
carved.
The object of one of my improvements in the manufacture of tiles is to produce
tiles or small blocks of various shapes and sizes with a glazed surface, so that such
blocks may be used to produce a tesselated pavement. To this end the moulds are
made of the desired shape and size, and at the bottom thereof I place a sheet of
glass on to which the materials to form the tile are placed. The tile piece or
block will therefore come out of the mould with a perfectly smooth and polished
surface.
It will be obvious that a number of small pieces or blocks, such as are required
to produce a tesselated pavement, may be cast in one box provided with a glass
bottom, the box being subdivided by means of vertical partitions into any number
of compartments of the desired size and shape.
Sometimes tiles are made with inlaid patterns or designs of different colour, for
which purpose the pattern must be incised, and then filled afterwards with n
up
suitable coloured cement. To this end I lay on the glass surface which forms the
bottom of the mould, core prints made by preference of metal, and I then fill up the
mould with the fine concrete of which the tile is made. When the concrete is set,
I turn the tiles out of the mould and draw out the metal core prints from their face,
and I fill up the recessed parts with cement of suitable colour. The whole will
then dry together and form in appearance an encaustic tile.
It will be easily understood that large slabs or blocks for string courses, cornices,
and other parts of buildings may be produced with incised work of any desired
pattern; or if desired, such incised work may be filled up with cement of different
colours so as to produce ornamental patterns.
'
As none of these bricks, blocks, tiles, or slabs will have been subjected to the
action of fire, it will be evident that they will not be liable to become distorted in
shape.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Henry Lascelles in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th October 1877.
WILLIAM HENRY LASCELLES, of Bunhill Row, in the County of Middlesex,
Builder. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS OR BLOCKS AND TILES
TO BE USED IN BUILDING."
The object of my Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture of Bricks or
Blocks and Tiles to be Used in Building" is to produce these articles with orna-
mental facings in an easy and convenient manner, so that buildings of a highly
ornamental character may be constructed with facility and at moderate price.
Ornamental mouldings, string courses, cornices, and other parts of buildings when
not made of carved stone have heretofore been made either with "cut bricks" or with
moulded bricks or blocks or with terra cotta blocks, but such bricks or blocks have in
their manufacture always been fired, and as this process is apt to put them out of
shape, the work produced is frequently very unsatisfactory. Cut bricks are made by
carving by hand any pattern or part of a moulding on the face of a soft brick made of
homogeneous clay and of uniform color throughout. These bricks are expensive to

page_text: prepare, very liable to damage in transit or handling, as they are soft and tender,
and their use is therefore limited.
By my improvements I am enabled to produce ornamental bricks, blocks, and
tiles at a much cheaper rate than heretofore.
In carrying out my Invention in reference to ornamental bricks or blocks, I form
a mould of wood of suitable size and shape to contain the main body of the brick or
block, which is composed of concrete of any suitable materials, such as gravel or
broken stones, brick, ballast, coke, breeze, or other hard materials mixed with
cement or lime. The moulds which are open at the parts where the ornamental
faces are to be prepared are filled nearly full with these rough materials, so as to
form the main body of the block, and when the concrete is partially set, the face is
made by filling up the mould with finer materials of any desired color to imitate
natural stone or bricks. The surface of the article is then finished with a wooden
float, so as to produce a grained face like worked stone or cut bricks, a suitable
quantity of sand having been mixed with the other surface ingredients for the
purpose of producing the grained face when worked up by the wooden float.
To produce the appearance of an ordinary red brick, I mix oxide of iron with the
cement used on forming the main body of the brick.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a mould for
preparing a brick or block with an ornamental facing or moulding; Fig. 2 is a plan
view of the same, and Fig. 3 an end view.
The sides, bottom, and back a, a, of the mould are made of wood or other suitable
material. The mould it will be seen is open at the top and the front end, and
when it is desired to produce a brick or block the mould is partly filled with rough
ordinary concrete, as at b above mentioned, and when this has become partly set,
the surface materials o of finer material and of suitable color are added until the
mould is filled, as shewn at Fig. 1. The surface is then finished with a wooden float,
as already explained. Bricks and blocks may be made in this manner with orna-
mental surfaces as hard as stone, but sometimes it may be desirable to further carve
or ornament the blocks when in situ, in which cases the face of the blocks must be
composed of such materials as will admit of being cut with a tool. For this
purpose pulverized burnt clay mixed with ground lime and fine sand will be found
to produce a soft and suitable surface which may be easily carved.
The object of one of my improvements in the manufacture of tiles is to produce
tiles or small blocks of various shapes and sizes with a glazed surface, so that such
blocks may be used to produce a tesselated pavement. To this end the moulds are
made of the desired shape and size, and at the bottom thereof I place a sheet of
glass, glazed earthenware, or other glazed or brightly polished surface on to which the
materials to form the tile are placed. The tile piece or block will therefore come
out of the mould with a perfectly smooth and polished surface.
It will be obvious that a number of small pieces or blocks, such as are required to
produce a tesselated pavement, may be cast in one box provided with a glass bottom,
the box being subdivided by means of vertical partitions into any number of
compartments of the desired size and shape.
Sometimes tiles are made with inlaid patterns or designs of different color, for
which purpose the pattern must be incised and then filled up afterwards with a
suitable colored cement. To this end I lay on the glass surface which forms the
bottom of the mould core prints, made by preference of metal, and I then fill up the
mould with the fine concrete of which the tile is to be made. When all the
concrete is set, I turn the tiles out of the mould and draw out the metal core prints
from their face, and I fill up the recessed parts with cement of suitable color. The
whole will then dry together and form in appearance an encaustic tile.
It will be easily understood that large slabs or blocks for string courses, cornices,
and other parts of buildings may be produced with incised work of any desired
pattern; or if desired, such incised work may be filled up with cement of different
colors so as to produce ornamental patterns.
As none of these bricks, bricks, blocks, tiles, or slabs will have been subjected to the

page_text: action of fire, it will be evident that they will not be liable to become distorted in
shape.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture of
Bricks or Blocks and Tiles to be Used in Building," and having explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid,—-
The mode herein set forth of producing concrete bricks or blocks with ornamental
faces.
I also claim producing concrete blocks with surfaces which are capable of being
cut, carved, or ornamented with the ordinary cutting tools by forming the body of
the block of ordinary concrete and facing the same with finer materials, which may
be cut, carved, or ornamented in the same way that stone and soft bricks are now
cut or carved for building purposes.
I further claim producing concrete tiles, slabs, or blocks with smooth, polished, or
glazed surfaces, by casting or moulding the said articles on glass or other glazed or
polished surface as herein set forth.
I also claim making concrete tiles or slabs with incised or encaustic surfaces in
the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Lascelles, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
W. H. LASCELLES. (LS.)