Improvements in Plating Metallic Surfaces, and also Prepared Surfaces of Non-conducting Substances, by Electro-chemical Deposition.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 10th Aug., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Plating Metallic Surfaces, and also Prepared
Surfaces of Non-conducting Substances, by Electro-chemical
Deposition.
I, PASCAL MARINO of No. 4 Rue Bregnet Paris, Chemist 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 :-
The object of this invention is to deposit upon or coat surfaces, whether inside
or outside with metals which strongly resist corrosion.
My invention is applicable to the covering of metals, for instance iron or steel,
and also wood or other materials such as stone or earthenware, which may be
exposed to the action either of salt or fresh water, or air-as in the case of ships,
piers, buildings, cannons, or other materials with large surfaces.
My process is as follows: I construct a covering, which may be metallic or non-
metallic, impervious to electro-plating solutions, so that when held in position over
the surface to be plated a sufficient intervening space shall be left for holding and
using the depositing fluid.
Fig. 1 shows in perspective the covering or jacket.
A. is the outside of an iron ship, which is taken as an example of a surface to be
coated.
B. is a metallic, or non-metallic, waterproof covering or jacket forming a
reservoir for the depositing or electro plating solution which may either be poured
into the jacket as a reservoir or partly held in an interior padding of absorptive
material such as felt or spongeo-piline. B may either be a metallic plate forming
the positive electro-plating pole, or may be of watertight material with a series of
positive metallic plates suspended within it, opposite the surface to be coated.
b, b, indicate the position of projecting rods of attachment, as shown in Fig. 2,
by which to suspend and move the jacket.
c, c, are flexible ends and bottom of the jacket, of waterproof and nonconducting
material such as vulcanite to be pressed by the attachments b, b, (shown in Fig. 2)
against the outside of the surface to be electro plated.
The edges of the jacket to be thus held by pressure in position against the
surface to be plated may be conveniently made of an elastic material or tubing
such as india rubber or vulcanite so as to adapt readily, to curves or inequalities of
such surface.
The outer supporting frame e, e, of the jacket is made of material such as wood
or steel sufficiently flexible to follow the curve of the surface to be coated, when
under pressure.
A stopcock f, may be employed for drawing off the electro plating solution
before the jacket B is shifted to another part to be electro plated; or a pump may
be employed for the same purpose to return the fluid to a reservoir above on the
deck of the ship or other surface, and the filling of the jacket may readily be
made by means of a syphon with a flexible tube from such reservoir.
The line g. indicates the connexion of the positive pole or pole plates with the
dynamo-electric machine wherever placed, or with the positive pole of any other
source of electricity.
Fig. 2 is a section of the above described jacket with attachments to hold it
against the surface to be electro plated, an iron ship being similarly employed as
an example.
A, A, as shaded, represent the ship.
D
1

page_text: D, is the electro-plating solution within the jacket. c, c, are the flexible ends
and bottom of the jacket, as in Fig. 1, which are pressed against the surface to be
coated by the projecting rods of attachment b, b.
The jacket is held in position for the time required for electro plating by the
double winch, or winches, h, with wire rope or chains i, i which are payed out by
the winch; or winches, on one side of the vessel, and drawn in on the other, the
ropes or chains passing under the keel. Springs or accumulators j, j are inserted
in the ropes or chains to assist flexibility and allow give and take.
In order to guide the paying out and drawing in of the ropes or chains the
pulleys or sheaves k k are employed and held to the bulwarks by screw regulated
clamps.
Fig. 3 is a section and Fig. 4 a side view of another method of attaching the
jacket.
As before A indicates for the sake of example an iron ship's side.
B, the jacket. bb the points of attachment. c, c the flexible ends and bottom
of the jacket.
D, the electro plating solution in the jacket.
i, i, guiding ropes or chains attached to the jacket at b, b, and worked from deck.
kk, pulleys or sheaves over which the ropes or chains pass which are clamped to
the bulwarks as in Fig. 2, and can be shifted as required.
m, m, are rods pivotted to the ends of b, b, and so curved that they can press
with their extended lower ends against the flexible bottom c, c, of the jacket B.
The pressure is produced by the leverage of upper arms with weights n, n.
The metallic surface of A to be plated is connected to the negative pole of the
dynamo-electric machine or other source of electricity employed, as in other
figures.
Figs. 5 and 6 show my invention applied to the outside of a ship from the bottom
of a dry dock. For convenience the apparatus is attached to a movable platform r,
on wheels.
The upper part of the jacket B containing plating solution D is held against the
surface of the ship A by arms o, o, which are regulated in their position by chains
passing over pulleys k, k and worked by winches p, p.
The arms o, o work on pivots at their lower ends fixed to the platform at 3, s.
The arins o, o support pivotted arms m, m with weights n, n at their bent ends as
in Figs. 3 and 4. These arms m, m press upon the flexible bottom edge of the
jacket B, as in Figs. 3 and 4, owing to the leverage exercised by the weights n, n.
The jacket is filled and emptied by syphon and stop cock or pump as explained
in Fig. 1.
A sufficient counterpoise weight w, is placed on the movable platform r, and the
jacket is raised or lowered as required by means of the winches p p, which also
assist as counterpoises.
The dotted line g, as in the other figures, indicates the positive pole connexion.
In using a porous lining to the jacket or clectro plating reservoir the distance of
the pole plate from the surface to be coated is maintained at its best point by the
thickness of the lining which may be varied as required in dealing with inequalities
of such surface.
When employing the electro-plating solution without a porous lining, I vary the
electric power by placing pole plates (anodes) nearer to the surface to plate any
cavity, or further away when opposite projecting parts, so that the plates, when a
number are employed, may follow the inequalities of surface and be at an equal
depositing distance as regards one another.
The distance of the pole plate or plates from the surface to be coated is to be
such as ordinarily used in electro plating with the various solutions, and the plating
solution may be any selected of suitable character, preferably solutions of such
metals or alloys as best resist corrosion under the various conditions to which the
coated surfaces may be exposed.
As an alternative process for coating corners or inequalities of the surface I also

page_text: employ a rolling cylinder, the spindle of which is rotated slowly and is of metal
forming the positive pole and covered to the requisite thickness with porous
material saturated with the solution.
Care must be taken beforehand to carefully cleanse the surface to be electro-
plated and non conducting surfaces should be prepared or coated with plumbago
or other conductor in the usual way before electro-plating.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The employment of movable and adjustable jackets or outer coverings for
holding electro plating solution against exterior or interior surfaces, such as those
of ships, buildings, torpedoes, and cannons, and depositing metallic coating there-
from, upon such surfaces substantially as described.
2nd. The use of a metallic plate as the outside of such herein before described
jacket which is employed as the positive or depositing pole of the electro plating
apparatus, such plate not forming part of the bottom or end of the jacket.
3rd. The construction of such electro plating jackets so as to be sufficiently
flexible to be adapted readily to curves or inequalities of the surfaces to be plated.
4th. The employment of apparatus substantially as described for applying
pressure to the elastic edges of the bottom and ends of the jacket, so as to render
it temporarily water tight, while holding the electro-plating solution against the
surface to be coated.
5th. The use of an absorptive material such as felt, or spongeo-piline within the
jacket, as a vehicle for the electro-plating, when found desirable.
6th. The use of a syphon and stop cock for filling and emptying the jacket with
the electro-plating solution, and also their partial opening during the plating
process so as to facilitate it by producing a slight movement in the solution.
7th. The various apparatus and appliances for the foregoing purposes substantially
as described.
Dated thin 7th day of A woust 1802
PASCAL MARINO.