IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPIER MACHÉ, AND IN ARTICLES MADE THEREFROM, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS, STUDS, AND OTHER ARTICLES WHERE METAL AND GLASS ARE COMBINED
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
SOUTER and JAMES WORTON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventeenth day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said James Souter and James Worton, our exors, adñiors, and assigns,
Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the
said James Souter and James Weston, our exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said James Souter and James Worton, our exors,
adñiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPIER MACHÉ, AND IN ARTICLES MADE THEREFROM, AND IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS, STUDS, AND OTHER ARTICLES WHERE METAL AND
GLASS ARE COMBINED;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that we, the said James Souter and James Worton, shall cause a particular

page_text: description of the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the
said James Souter and James Worton, do hereby declare that the nature of
our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
are fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists,-
First, of improvements in papier maché, and articles made therefrom,
Secondly, our Invention consists of improvements in the manufacture of
perforated paper or papier maché buttons, and other articles, such as perforated
beads.
Thirdly, our Invention consists of inlaying perforated papier maché buttons
with mother-of-pearl or other ornamenting shell and metal.
Fourthly, our Invention consists of improvements in making buttons, studs,
and other articles where metal and glass are employed and combined.
And in order that our Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the means pursued by us.
In carrying out the first part of our Invention, which relates to the pre-
paring of papier maché for the manufacture of articles which are to be
japanned, in place of dipping the papier maché into oil, and drying it, as
heretofore, and then, after filing or smoothing the same, causing the surfaces
to be coated over with lamp black mixed with oil or tar, spirits, or other
similar preparation to receive the japan varnish, our improvements consist
of causing the surfaces to be coated with such or such-like materials before
being dipped in the oil. We prefer for this purpose the use of paste, such as
is used by bookbinders, for mixing the lamp black or white lead, flake white,
or other pigment or material which is to be used, and which having been
applied to the surfaces, is to be dry. Tho papier maché is then to be pressed
into the requisite form by rolling or other mode of pressing, and then dipped
in the oil, and treated as heretofore. It is not absolutely necessary that the
material should be mixed with a fluid, as we have found that by rubbing
black lead on to the surfaces of papier maché before dipping the same into
oil, a smoother surface is obtained. By this mode of process much, if not

page_text: all, of the processes of smoothing are rendered unnecessary, and the japan
varnish or other final colour may be applied in the usual manner, and a less
number of coats of varnish will in most cases be found necessary.
We will now describe the second part of our Invention, which consists of
improvements in the manufacture of perforated papier maché buttons. Here-
toforo it has been usual to press the discs of papier maché in moulds or dies, to
bring the same to the form of the button desired. These have then been dipped
in oil, dried; and when the holes have been drilled or pierced out, the edges
have been rendered smooth by files or sand paper. The surfaces have then
been coated with lamp black, and when dry they have been varnished.
Now, according to our Invention, thé discs of papier maché are pressed in
moulds or dies to the form desired, the moulds or dies being arranged with
punches or parts of punches suitable for cutting or piercing the holes through
the material, or else only partially through; and these punches also make
the holes inclined or conical from one or from each surface. This will be
understood by reference to the Drawing annexed. Figs. 1 & 2 represent two
sorts of dies or moulds, the one for piercing the holes completely through,
which will only be coned or inclined in one direction, the other dies being suit-
able for indenting the button blank where the holes are to be, and making
such holes coned from both sides, the holes being afterwards drilled or
pierced out. Fig. 3 shews another form of die which may be employed.
These buttons thus formed are then to be dipped in oil, and rendered
smooth at the edges and other parts as heretofore, and they are then to be
finished as heretofore; or we prefer, before dipping the buttons into oil,
to treat them in like manner to what has been above described as the first
part of our Invention; or, in place of cutting out discs or blanks for buttons-
from dry hard sheets, we sometimes make the blanks from pulp or from the
wet board, and this mode of preparation is particularly applicable when the
buttons are desired to be made thick in the middle. If we use pulp for this
purpose, we strain off the water, and then take portions of the mass, and placé
them in dies which have wire cloth at the bottom made concave on the,
interior, so as to produce a convex blank; and we use punches with concave
ends, by which we press the wet mass to the bottoms of the moulds or dies,
the water getting away freely. These blanks are then dried and finished as
above explained. When we desire to use the wet board from the frames or
seives or composed of a series of wet sheets in the manner of button board,
then, having pressed a sheet between felts, we cause such a sheet, or narrow
fillets thereof, to be pressed between rollers, the surface of which have corre-
sponding hollows of the desired sizes for buttons, or we press such wet board-

page_text: between plates with similar hollows, by which several convex forms will be
produced, which being dried and cut out will be suitable blanks to be pressed
into dies such as above described, and finished by dipping in oil and japan-
ning, as before described. The description of perforated papier maché buttons
we prefer to make are such as are shewn in the Drawing with two or three
holes, but they may be made with four or five holes. We would, however,
remark, that it is an improvement in papier maché buttons to make them with
two or three holes, as they offer greater strength then when perforated with
four holes. In making beads and such like perforated articles, they would
be made in like manner to that above explained in regard to buttons, but
they are to be perforated each with one hole.
Another improvement consist of applying a strengthening disc of metal to
the centre of each perforated papier maché button. It is well known that
the four-holed papier maché buttons heretofore made have been weak by
reason of the perforations. The improved ones which we make as above
described with only two or three perforations are much stronger; but all per-
forated papier maché buttons may be strengthened, according to this part of
our Invention, by inlaying a dise of metal perforated either before being
introduced into the button or afterwards. In making perforated papier maché
buttons according to this part of our Invention, we form the dies or moulds
in such manner as to make a recess in each button blank suitable for receiving.
a metal disc, which may be done in dies previous to introducing the blanks
into the dies above described, or the dies above described may be formed so
as to produce the recess necessary, and the metal disc having been introduced,
the same is to be again pressed in the dies, and the disc of metal will be
retained secure when the button is japanned.
We will now describe the third part of our Invention, which consists of
an improvement in manufacturing perforated papier maché buttons, inlayed
with mother-of-pearl and other ornamenting shell, or metal may be similarly
inlaid, in like manner to what papier maché buttons with shanks and other
japanned articles have been inlaid with such shells or substances. In carrying
out this part of our Invention we make the papier maché buttons by prefe-
rence in the manner above explained, though other modes may be employed,
and we then inlay the same, and finish the buttons in the manner of finishing
other inlaid japanned articles.
We will now describe the fourth part of our Invention, which consists of
combining metal with glass in the manufacture of buttons, studs, and other
articles. The object of this part of the Invention is to use sheet metal with
several perforations therein, in order to obtain the appearance of jewels set

page_text: in metal.
And we would remark that we are aware that it has before been
the practice under a previous Patent to make like articles by casting glass
with projections, which, when introduced into a perforated shell, protrude and
have the appearance of jewels set in metal; and this part of our Invention
consists of casting or. moulding the glass into the metal, the perforated metal
being placed in the mould, so that by the act of casting or moulding the glass
it will be fixed in the perforated metal shell thus:-Supposing it be desired
to produce an ornamental shell for a button, stud, or other article, the shell
is to have the several perforations made therein, and such shell is to be laid
into the die or mould in which the glass is to be cast or moulded, and the
perforations in the metal are to be made to correspond with the several
recesses in the mould or die, so that when the fluid glass is pressed into the
mould or die it will pass through the several perforations in the metal, and
6ll the recesses in the mould or die, and be fixed to the metal. Where, how-
ever, it is desired that the glass shall only come flush with the outside of the
metal, then no recesses will be required to be made in the mould, by which
means of combining glass with metal not only will a saving result, but
a better result will be obtained than when the glass is first cast and then
fixed in or combined with the metal, as has been done under the previous
Patent.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we do not confine
ourselves to the details as herein described, so long as the peculiar character
of any of our improvements be retained.
But what we claim is,
First, the improvements herein described in the manufacture of papier
maché, and articles made therefrom.
Secondly, we claim the improvements herein described in manufacturing
perforated papier maché buttons and beads, or such like perforated articles.
Thirdly, we claim the improvements herein described in the manufac-
ture of perforated papier maché buttons, by inlaying the same with shell or
metal. And,
Fourthly, we claim the improvements herein described in manufacturing
buttons, studs, and other articles where metal and glass are combined.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Souter, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousaud eight hundred and fifty-two.
JAMES
(L.S.) SOUTER.
C

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifteenth day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid James Souter came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the 5
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.