The Production of a Special Surface on Various Articles and Materials Applicable for Use in the Manufacture of Artificial Plants and other Articles
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th July, 1899-Accepted, 23rd Sept.,
1899
The Production of a Special Surface on Various Articles and Materials
Applicable for Use in the Manufacture of Artificial Plants and
other Articles,
A communication from ERNST RICHARD BÖHME, of Dresden, in the Kingdom of
Saxony, Germany.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement:-
.
In the production of artificial flowers and imitations of the parts of plants,
such as the whoolly or moss-like stems, leaves, the calyx of moss roses and on on-
the corresponding bodies were first coated with some adhesive material and then
covered with wool dust, sometimes also with cloth dust or with silk dust. To use
for that purpose prepared finely cut natural moss was hardly possible owing to
the high price of the material. The other materials used for that purpose, how-
ever, only imitated the desired appearance in a very clumsy and unnatural way.
The mossy surface produced by such material has too much regularity and smooth-
ness about it to represent to any degree the characteristic appearance of moss-
like growth.
According to the present invention to produce stems &c. so as to faithfully
represent natural stems the fibre used for strewing over the body or foundation
is first curled, the material used being hemp fibre or tow. According to the
experiments of the inventor the said material seems to be the only one up to the
present that can be curled to the required shape and remain curled.
The fibre is "curled" in hanks. This is conveniently done by means of heated
and ribbed plates or cylinders, such as, for instance, those employed in crimping
machines, the fibres being passed between heated fluted or ribbed cylinders in
order to give the threads a "curled" or crimped appearance. The fibres thus
"curled " are then cut into very small pieces, the material thus obtained being
used to strew over the threads, stems, etc. after the latter have been covered with
an adhesive material.
In the same manner as threads and stems are treated other materials can also
be treated, from which different parts of plants or flowers may be cut, and which
may also be used for book bindings as well as for other ornamental or useful
articles.
Particularly pleasing and perfect effects can be obtained by a combination of
the old with the new method. Moss-like formations of the highest perfection are
obtained by first strewing the bodies with a coarser kind of curled hemp fibre cut
into small pieces and afterwards covering the hemp fibres with some thin adhesive
material and then strewing them with wool-cloth or silk-dust. The coarser
hemp fibres will act here as the stiffer threads and stems of the mosses while the
In such a
fine wool dust will represent the delicate branches and runners.
-

page_text: manner calyxes of moss roses of especial beauty and great faithfulness can be
produced.
Such a combined treatment may also be applied to stems and textile surfaces.
As regards the principle of the invention it does not matter of what substance
the body or foundation is made which is strewed or covered in the manner above
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:―
1. The production of moss-like plant parts and other formations consisting
in applying to the stems or foundation material adhesive material and then
strewing or applying "curled" hemp fibre or tow to such prepared surface, sub-
stantially as described.
2. A modification of the process described consisting in applying to the stems or
foundation material first adhesive material, then "curled "hemp fibre, then again
applying adhesive material and lastly finely cut wool dust or the like, whereby the
dust particles are caused to adhere to the hemp fibres, substantially as described.
3. Artificial plants and other formations substantially as described.
Dated
171
του,
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.