IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING ARCHITECTURAL MOULDINGS, ORNAMENTS, AND OTHER WORKS OF PROVISIONAL-SPECIFICATION FORMED WITH SURFACES OF PLASTER OR CEMENT
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Leonard Alexander Desachy, of Great Marlborough
Street, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PRODUCING ARCHITECTURAL MOULDINGS, ORNAMENTS, AND OTHER WORKS OF
PROVISIONAL-SPECIFICATION left by the said Leonard Alexander Desachy
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd October 1856.
I, LEONARD ALEXANDER DESACHY, of Great Marlborough Street, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING ARCHITECTURAL MOULDINGS, ORNAMENTS, AND OTHER
WORKS OF ART FORMED WITH SURFACES OF PLASTER OR CEMENT," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in producing architectural
mouldings, ornaments, and other works of art formed with surfaces of plaster
or cement. For these purposes the plaster or cement in a sufficiently fluid
state is applied to the interior surface of the mould, so as to produce a thin
conting therein, and whilst the plaster or cement is still plastic or moist a
coating of one or more pieces of canvas or suitable woven fabric is applied to
the interior surface of the plaster or cement so as to adhere thereto, size, glue,
or oil being used to aid the adhesion of the canvas or woven fabric to the

page_text: plaster or cement when required. In cases where greater strength is required,
two or more layers of canvas or woven fabric are used cemented together, one
on the other, in the mould, by the aid of size, glue, or suitable cementing
material. To facilitate the fixing of such moulded surfaces to other surfaces,
wires are, when required, laid into and retained between the two or more layers
of canvas or woven fabric. In place of the plaster or cement being introduced
into a mould so as to thinly coat the interior, as above explained, when the
article to be produced is a moulding, or some other regular form, the canvas
or fabric may be first fastened on to a block or shape; and the plaster or
cement may be applied thereto, and the moulding then produced, in like
manner to that now pursued. Flat surfaces of plaster or cement strengthened
with canvas may also be produced, in the manner before described, for the
formation of finishings to walls and ceilings of buildings, and for other works
of art or utility. By these means the cement or plaster employed is only for
producing the exterior surfaces, whilst the requisite strength and stiffness are
obtained by he canvas or woven fabric. The articles thus produced will be
very light, and comparatively of small cost.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Leonard Alexander Desachy in the Great Seal Patent Offico
on the 23rd April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEONARD
ALEXANDER DESACHY, of Great Marlborough Street, in the County of
Middlesex; send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent; bearing. date the Twenty-third day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me;
the said Leonard Alexander Desachy, Her special licence that I, the said
Leonard Alexander Desachy, my executors, administrators, and assigns; or
such others as I, the said Leonard Alexander Desachy, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING ARCHITECTURAL MOULDINGS,
ORNAMENTS, AND OTHER WORKS OF ART FORMED WITH SURFACES OF PLASTER OR
37

page_text: CEMENT," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Leonard
Alexander Desachy, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly 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 Leonard Alexander Desachy, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
.
.This Invention has for its object improvements in producing architectural
mouldings, ornaments, and other works of art formed with surfaces of plaster
or cement. For these purposes the plaster or cement in a sufficiently fluid
state is applied to the interior surface of the mould, so as to produce a thin
coating therein, and, whilst the plaster or cement is still plastic or moist, a
coating of one or more pieces of canvas or suitable, woven fabric is applied to
the interior surface of the plaster or cement so as to adhere thereto, size, glue,
or oil being used to aid the adhesion of the canvas or woven fabric to the
plaster or cement when required. In cases where greater strength is required,
two or more layers of canvas or woven fabric are used cemented together,
one on the other, in the mould, by the aid of size, glue, or suitable cementing
material. To facilitate the fixing of such moulded surfaces to other surfaces,
wires are, when required, laid into and retained between the two or more
layers of canvas or woven fabric. In place of the plaster or cement being
introduced into a mould so as to thinly coat the interior, as above explained,
when the article to be produced is a moulding, or some other regular form, the
canvas or fabric may be first fastened on to a block or shape, and the, plaster.
or cement may be applied thereto, and the moulding then produced, in like
manner to that now pursued. Flat surfaces of plaster or cement strengthened
with canvas may also be produced, in the manner before described, for the
formation of finishings to walls and ceilings of buildings, and for other works
of art or utility. By these means the cement or plaster employed is only for
producing the exterior surfaces, whilst the requisite strength and stiffness are
obtained by the canvas or woven fabric. The articles thus produced will be
very light, and comparatively of small cost.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
The mould from which it is required to take a cast will be prepared in the

page_text: .
ordinary way usually, employed, for making casts, in plaster. On the inner
surface of the mould will then be laid a very thin coat of the plastic material
to be employed, and whilst in the fluid, state small strips of canvas or other
fibrous material; of a size proportioned to the cast, required, are applied, and
pressed on to the surface of the mould with a brush, taking care to, leave, as
small as possible a quantity of the fluid plaster or other plastic material next
the surface of the mould where additional strength is required; the operation
may be again repeated by other strips of canvas or other fabric crossing_the
first, and applied in the same way,by a brush, dipped in the, fluid plaster.or
other cement. Casts taken, in this way will be. found to possess greatly.less
weight than an ordinary plaster cast, whilst they have considerably increased
strength, and are not liable to fracture by a sudden blow or pressure! Wire
er hooks or pieces of wood, may be inserted whilst the plaster is in the fluid
state and enveloped by the strips of canvas
T
Mouldings of large size, or hollow beams of great strength, can also be
made by running the plastic or other, fluid material on canvas or other fabric
on a suitable form, and, by producing, thereon the desired ornamental surfaces;
in the ordinary manner. In the formation of solid slabs, where great strength
is required for ceilings or partitions,, a thickness of plaster or other cement
is floated over a perfectly level surface, and the canvas or other fibrous
material then laid upon it, and on this. again another surface of plaster, may
be floated, and when dry, these slabs may be raised and fixed in their places; by
nails or screws or otherwise astreadily as planks of wood.
In-witness whereof, I, the said Leonard Alexander Desachy, have here-
unto set iny hand and seal, this Twentieth day of April, in the year
fe of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven
A. DESACHY. (L.S.)
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.