Improvements in Cloisonné Work.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 12th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 1st May, 1897
Improvements in Cloisonné Work.
We, THEOPHIL PFISTER, of 64 and 65 Holborn Viaduct, in the County of London,
Manufacturer, and EMIL BARTHELS, of Mattapoisette, Bedford Park in the County
of London, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of transparent and opaque cloisonné work
suitable for windows, and wall, ceiling and floor decorations, also for lamps, lamp
shades, stoves, screens, blinds, tables, fancy articles, ornamental vases, signs, posters,
advertisements, show cards and the like where permanent decorative effects are desired.
Articles made according to this invention are very effective and much cheaper than
emaux cloisonnés articles or stained glass windows made as heretofore besides being
much more rapidly produced.
According to this invention the outline of the design is formed by thin strips of
brass or other metal or material bent to the required shapes and arranged as desired
on a transparent or opaque backing, although the design may in some instances be
formed by a material which is moulded to the desired shape and then applied to the
backing, or by a material applied to the backing in a liquid state and allowed to set,
the required shape being ensured by a mould. The said strips or moulded material
may be suitably secured to the backing by gum arabic, and when so applied, the spaces
or recesses are filled in with broken glass, marble or other material of different colours
and reduced to any desired degree of fineness according to the effect to be produced.
When the decorative object is required to be transparent the filling material used is
glass, but when an opaque object is desired the filling material used may be marble or
other suitable substance. The broken materials are cemented together with fish glue
or with silicate of potash according to their nature and then a transparent cover plate
is applied and cemented on or otherwise fixed thereto.
The aforesaid is a general description of the invention, but we will now describe
more fully the process of making first a transparent panel and then an opaque panel.
The design to be copied having been drawn and coloured on a sheet of paper the same
is covered by a pane of glass and the outline of the design is then copied in brass
ribbon or other suitable metal or material by bending strips of the ribbon to the
desired shape. The strips are then secured to the glass by gum arabic which has been
found to give the best results although other gums or glues may sometimes be used.
When the gum has set the interstices of the outline are filled in with broken glass of
the required degree of fineness and of the proper colours to match the drawing. The
broken glass may be obtained by breaking up old bottles or other coloured glass
articles, the particles being assorted by passing them through sieves having different
sized meshes. The assorted particles are collected in boxes according to size and
colour so that when executing a piece of work no time is lost in selecting the required
particles for filling the interstices of the design.
Having filled in the design, the next step is the gluing of the particles together in
one mass which is done by diluted fish glue or isinglass suitably warmed for the

page_text: purpose and having a small quantity of bichromate of potash mixed with it to prevent
undue absorption of moisture from the atmosphere and to facilitate the subsequent
drying. A very small quantity of bichromate is used so as not to colour the glue.
I sometimes use silicate of potash in lieu of the fish glue but the process is then more
troublesome and the results obtained are not correspondingly improved. The glue
may be spread over the broken glass by means of a spoon, just sufficient being used to
cover the particles. The panel is then dried at a temperature about 30° C. In
summer time and in warm dry climates the drying can be effected without the use of
artificial heat.
After the drying process is complete a covering sheet of glass is applied to the panel
and secured by cement around the edges so as to exclude the air.
The ornamental effect may be varied by the insertion of lace or other materials
between the two panes of glass, or by omitting the broken glass from parts of the
design.
For the manufacture of opaque cloisonné work we use powdered glass, not suitable
for transparent effects, or powdered china, marble, brick or other similar substance as
the filling material, and silicate of potash for binding the same in a solid mass.
Preferably the silicate of potash and powdered or broken materials are mixed in a
series of pots heated to a temperature of about 30° C. to form a paste. A sheet of
glass is laid over the design and the strips of brass or other metal or material are
applied thereto to form the outline as above described for transparent work and then
the several mixtures of powdered materials and silicate are applied with a spoon to
complete the design. In this case the glass sheet forms the front of the panel; the
back is then covered with a layer of cement to enable the panel to be readily fixed to
a wall for example. The panel is heated to about 30° C. to rapidly dry the same, and
the edges are preferably finished off with cement as above described.
The manufacture of cloisonné work according to this invention is carried out and
completed with the materials in a cold or nearly cold state, so that ovens or firing
stoves such as those employed in ordinary cloisonné work are not required.
In some instances the back plate may be a reflector. The article produced need
not be flat but may be round or of any other desired shape.
Dated this 25th day of January 1897.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants
Improvements in Cloisonné Work.
We, THEOPHIL PFISTER, of 65 Holborn Viaduct, in the County of London,
Manufacturer, and EMIL BARTHELS, of Mattapoisette, Bedford Park, in the County
of London, Merchant, 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 :-
This invention relates to the manufacture of transparent and opaque cloisonné
work suitable for windows, and wall, ceiling and floor decorations, also for lamps,
lamp shades, stoves, screens, blinds, tables, fancy articles, ornamental vases, signs,
posters, advertisements, show cards and the like where permanent decorative effects
are desired. Articles made according to this invention are very effective and much
cheaper than emaux cloisonnés articles or stained glass windows made as heretofore,
besides being much more rapidly produced.
According to this invention the outline of the design is formed by thin strips of
brass or other metal or material bent to the required shapes and arranged as desired

page_text: on a suitable plate, although the design may in some instances be formed by a.
material which is moulded to the desired shape and then applied to the plate, or by a
material applied to the plate in a liquid state and allowed to set, the required shape
being ensured by a mould. The said strips or moulded material may be suitably-
secured to the plate by gum arabic, and when so applied, the spaces or recesses are.
filled in with glass, marble or other material broken or reduced to any desired degree
of fineness and preferably of different colours according to the effect to be produced.
When the article is required to be transparent the filling material used is glass, but
when an opaque object is desired the filling material used may be marble or other
suitable substance. The broken materials are cemented together with fish glue or with
silicate of potash according to their nature and then a transparent cover plate is
applied and cemented or otherwise fixed thereto.
The aforesaid being a general description of the invention the process of making
first a transparent panel and then an opaque panel by way of example will now be
more fully described. The design to be copied having been drawn and coloured on a
sheet of paper the same is covered by a pane of glass and the outline of the design is
then copied in brass ribbon or other suitable metal or material by bending strips of
the ribbon to the desired shape. The said strips are secured to the glass by gum.
arabic which has been found to give the best results although other gums or glues
may sometimes be used. When the gum has set, the interstices of the outline are
filled in with broken glass of the required degree of fineness and of the proper colours.
to match the drawing. The required filling material may be obtained by breaking up.
old bottles or other coloured glass articles, the particles being assorted by passing them
through sieves having different sized meshes. The assorted particles are collected in
boxes according to size and colour so that when executing a piece of work no time is
lost in selecting the required particles for filling the interstices of the design.
Having filled in the design, the next step is the glueing of the particles together in
one mass which is done by diluted fish glue or isinglass suitably warmed for the
purpose and having a small quantity of bi-chromate of potash mixed with it to prevent
absorption by the glue of moisture from the atmosphere and to facilitate the
subsequent drying. A very small quantity of bi-chromate is used so as not to colour
the glue. I sometimes use silicate of potash in lieu of the fish glue but the process.
is then more troublesome and the value of the results obtained is not correspondingly
enhanced. The glue may be spread over the broken glass by means of a spoon or
similar instrument, just sufficient being used to cover the particles. The panel is
then dried at a temperature of about 30° C. In summer time and in warm dry
climates the drying can be effected without the use of artificial heat.
After the drying process is complete a covering sheet of glass is applied to the panel
and secured by cement around the edges so as to exclude the air.
The ornamental effect may be varied by the insertion of lace or other materials.
between the two panes of glass, or by omitting the broken glass from parts of the
design.
In some instances for more expensive work a thin sheet of celluloid may be
interposed between the glass plate and the broken materials so that in case the glass
plate should be broken it can be readily replaced without injury to the panel. The
glass plate would be glued to the celluloid. The celluloid may be used sometimes.
both at the back and front and the glass sheet omitted especially for curved work.
For the manufacture of opaque cloisonne work powdered glass, not suitable for
transparent effects, or powdered china, marble, brick or other similar substance may
be used as the filling material, silicate of potash being employed to bind the same in
a solid mass. Preferably the silicate of potash and powdered or broken materials are
mixed in a series of pots heated to a temperature of about 30° C. to form a paste.
A sheet of glass is laid over the design and the strips of brass or other metal or
material are applied thereto to form the outline as above described for transparent
work and then the several mixtures of powdered materials and silicate are applied
with a spoon or other instrument to complete the design. In this case the glass sheet
forms the front of the panel; the back is then covered with an opaque plate or with a

page_text: layer of cement to enable the panel to be readily fixed to a wall for example. The
panel is heated to about 30° C. to rapidly dry the same, and the edges are preferably
finished off with cement as above described."
The manufacture of cloisonné work according to this invention is carried out and
completed with the materials in a cold or nearly cold state, so that ovens or firing
stoves such as those employed in ordinary cloisonné work are not required.
In some instances the back plate may be a reflector. The article produced need
not be flat but may be round or of any other desired shape.
In the accompanying drawing is shown in perspective a panel having a design
formed on it in outline by means of thin strips of metal. The drawing shows the
back plate and outline before the filling material is applied. A is the backing, B is
the outline of the design.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
:-
1. A method of producing cloisonné work which method consists in forming and
securing a raised outline design upon a transparent plate, then filling the interstices
of the design with suitable materials, broken or powdered, and preferably of different
colours, and cementing the same into a solid mass by means of fish glue or silicate of
potash or their equivalents, and then securing thereon a transparent cover plate in the
case of a transparency or a suitable cement or opaque plate in the case of opaque work,
substantially as described.
2. A transparent or opaque cloisonné article produced as herein described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.