Improvements in, or relating to, the Electro-plating and Burnishing of Certain Articles, and in Apparatus to be used therein.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Oct., 1999
Complete Specification Loft 3rd July 1000 Accented 3rd Oct.
1000
vale vi Application,
Complete Specification Loft, 3rd July, 1000 Accepted 3rd Oct.
1900
PROVISIONAL
DI MUIFICATION.
Improvements in, or relating to, the Electro-plating and Burnishing
of Certain Articles, and in Apparatus to be used therein.
We, BENJAMIN JAMES ROUND and ALEXANDER ROUND, of the Firm of
B. J. Round and Sons, of Northampton Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Electro-platers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention has relation in the one part, to the deposition of metals, princi-
pally gold, upon certain articles of jewellery such as alberts, chains, curb brace-
lets, necklets and the like in which a series of connected together links of base
metal are employed; secondly, to the polishing or burnishing of such articles
after gilding or plating, and thirdly, to the apparatus to be used in both the
plating and the burnishing processes.
The objects of our invention as applied to the gilding of chains, alberts and
the like, is to obtain an even coating or casing of gold over every part of the base
metal link, including the solder, at a low cost, but of such a thickness as to resist
the action of acids, whilst the object of our invention in regard to the burnishing
is to obtain a perfect and even finish in a gilt article, mechanically, or without
hand burnishing.
In connection with that process of gilding in which a number of chains or
articles to be gilt are placed within a small perforated plating barrel, immersed
within a suitable plating solution and then rotated, we have now discovered,
that by imparting a jerking or up-and-down action to the barrel as it rotates,
the work contained within it is agitated or given a movement other than a steady
rolling one, whereby the whole of the links are kept on the move and their
interstices or inner parts are better exposed to the action of the solution and an
even coating or casing of the whole surface of each individual link is obtained.
This compound movement of the rotating barrel may be obtained in various
ways. For instance, the journals at its ends may be mounted in slots in the
carrying frame and so have an amount of vertical play and we may arrange on
each or either end of the barrel, a cam plate or a channel cam, with a series of
rises and sudden drops, acting in conjunction with a fixed peg, stud or abutment
on the framing, or in a separate support, whereby as the barrel rotates it is lifted
and then allowed to smartly drop again, thus agitating the work. The spindle
ends or journals may have a number of flats with flat bearings whereby a jerky
rotation is obtained. or the barrel, in rotating, may be arranged to wipe over
and be raised and then allowed to fall by, projections or fixed cams arranged
underneath it. Or a series of pegs on each end of the barrel may act in conjunc-
tion with fixed cam plates, inclines or lifters on the frame.
Or instead of imparting a vertical or oblique rise and fall to the rotating
barrel we may cause the same to reciprocate to and fro horizontally as it rotates.
by arranging a channel cam around it, into which a fixed peg on the frame
engages.
To prevent the chains or articles being plated assuming a straight position

page_text: along the barrel due to the rotation of the latter and which is apt to interfere
with the proper plating of the links, we propose to sub-divide the barrel trans-
versely or transversely and longitudinally by one or more partitions and into
each small chamber thus formed, a number of doubled up or bunched-together
chains are placed, which, as the barrel makes its compound movement, loosens
the links and causes the insides of them to be presented to the action of the
electrolyte equally with the outsides. The barrel may be driven by a flexible
shaft which admits of the same being readily removed from the plating solution
when required.
We propose to burnish or polish the plated articles by rotating them for a
suitable period in a perforated and preferably small vessel together with a quantity
of hard steel balls working in a lubricating solution such as soap suds. The
container may be of any construction and is driven by suitable gear and the
solution is contained in a vat or open-topped vessel, preferably kept hot by
suitable means whilst the polishing operation is in progress. By thus rotating
or tumbling the work together with a number of small steel balls or other small
hard objects placed loose within the rotating vessel and working the whole in a
solution of hot soap suds or the like, a perfect even burnishing of every individual
link of a chain is obtained at a much less cost and with better results than when
hand burnishing is employed.
Dated September 30th 1899
Improvements in, or relating to, the Electro-plating and Burnishing
of Certain Articles, and in Apparatus to be used therein.
We, BENJAMIN JAMES ROUND and ALEXANDER ROUND, of the Firm of
B. J. Round and Sons, Northampton Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Electro-platers, 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 has relation, in the one part, to a process of depositing metals,
principally gold, upon certain articles of jewellery, such as alberts, chains,
curb-bracelets, necklets and the like, in which a series of connected together links
of base metal are employed; and in apparatus to be used in such process, this
said part of our invention being an amplification or developement of the inven-
tion described in the Specification of previous Letters Patent granted to Benjamin
John Round conjointly with the present Applicants on the 6th day of March 1899
No. 4865, whilst a second part of our invention relates to the polishing or bur-
nishing of such articles after they have been gilt or cased with gold or plated
with other metals.
The object of the first part of our invention is to obtain an even coating or
casing of gold or deposited metal over every part (including the solder) of each
of the component base metal links of the articles, at a low cost, but of such a
thickness that will effectually resist the action of acids.
In the specification of our aforesaid former patent we described a process of
gilding in which a number of chains or articles to be gilt were placed within a
small perforated barrel, which was immersed within a suitable plating solution
and then rotated, and we have now discovered that by imparting an intermittent
rise and fall or up and down action to the barrel as it rotates, the work contained
within it is agitated or given a movement other than a steady or continuous rolling

page_text: one, whereby the whole of the links are kept on the move and their interstices
or inner parts are better exposed to the action of the solution and a more even
coating or casing of the whole surface of each individual link is obtained. This
compound movement of the rotating barrel may be obtained in various ways.
For instance, the journals at the ends of the barrel may be mounted in slots in
the carrying frame, and so have an amount of vertical play, and we may arrange
on each or both ends of the barrel, a cam plate, or a channel cam with one or
more rises and sudden drops, acting in conjunction with fixed pegs, studs or
abutments on the framing, or on a separate support, whereby, as the barrel
rotates, it is lifted and then allowed to smartly drop again. Or the spindle ends
or journals may be formed with a number of flats and work upon flat bearings
whereby a jerky rotation is obtained, or the barrel, in rotating, may be arranged
to wipe over and be raised and then allowed to fall by, projections or fixed cams
arranged underneath it. Or a series of pegs on each end of the barrel may act
in conjunction with fixed cam plates, inclines or lifters on the frame.
Or instead of imparting a vertical or oblique rise and fall to the rotating
barrel we may cause the same to reciprocate to and fro horizontally as it rotates
by arranging a channel cam around it into which a fixed peg on the frame
engages.
To prevent the chains or articles being plated assuming a straight position
along the barrel due to the rotation of the latter, which is apt to interfere
with the proper plating of the links, we propose to sub-divide the barrel trans-
versely or transversely and longitudinally by one or more partitions and into
each small chamber thus formed, a number of doubled up or bunched together
chains are placed, which, as the barrel makes its compound movement, loosens
the links and causes the insides of them to be presented to the action of the
electrolyte equally with the outsides.
The barrel may be driven by a flexible shaft, or by bevel gearing having a
sliding pinion, or other mechanism which admits of the compound movement
and of the said barrel being readily removed from the plating solution when
required.
The object of the second part of our invention is to dispense with hand
burnishing and to perfectly and evenly finish articles, such as chains and the like
that have been plated by the before-described process, in an economical manner
and in quantities, by means of a wet polishing or burnishing process, and to
this end, we propose to enclose a number of the articles within a small perforated
vessel or barrel, together with a quantity of steel balls or equivalent small bodies
having a hard polished surface, and then to rotate the barrel containing the
work and polished balls within a bath of some suitable lubricant, such as soap
suds.
The container may be of any construction and is driven by suitable gearing,
and the solution is contained in a vat or open-topped vessel, preferably kept hot
by suitable means whilst the polishing or burnishing operation is in progress.
By thus rotating or tumbling a number of chains or articles collectively with
a number of small polished steel bodies placed loose within the rotating vessel,
and working the whole in a lubricant solution of hot soap suds or the like which
has a free circulation and access to the work through the perforated container,
a perfect even burnishing of the surface and interstices of every individual link
(in the case of chain work) is obtained at a much less cost and with better results
than when each link has to be burnished separately by hand.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
First. In apparatus for gold-casing or gilding chains and analogous articles
by the process described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 4865 of 1899;
imparting an intermittent rising and falling movement to the rotating barrel

page_text: or vessel in the manner, or by the mechanical means, herein described, and for
the purpose specified.
Secondly: A perforated barrel or work container for use in the aforesaid
process of gold-casing or gilding chains and analogous articles, partitioned off
internally into two or more separate compartments and to which a continuous
rotation and an intermittent rising and falling movement is imparted by the
mechanical means herein described.
Thirdly The process herein described of burnishing or polishing electro-
plated chains and articles in quantities, consisting in rotating or tumbling the
said articles collectively with a number of hard polished steel balls, or their
equivalent, placed loose within a rotating and perforated vessel or container
working within a lubricant solution of soap suds or the like, which has free
circulation and access to the articles under treatment through the perforations
in the container.
BENJAMIN JAMES ROUND.
ALEXANDER ROUND.
By Arthur T. Sadler,
Agent.