AN IMPROVED STUCCO
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Claudot, of Paris (France), Architect, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED STUCCO,"
Sealed the 15th June 1855, and dated the 13th January 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Claudot at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th January 1855.
gas
I, JOSEPH CLAUDOT, of Paris (France), Architect, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invertion for "AN IMPROVED STUCCO" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in forming a stucco resembling marble by mixing
slaked lime in powder with water charged with carbonic acid under
pressure. This, in the state of milk of lime, may be applied to face walls and
other surfaces by being laid on in thin layers, compressed and then sinoothed.
and polished to resemble marble. To form solids, the milk of lime may
be allowed to settle in moulds under a strong pressure of carbonic acid gas,
or the powdered lime, either alone or mixed with powdered shells, quartz, or
siliceous or calcareous matter capable of mixing well with lime, may be mixed
with just sufficient water..to form a stiff paste, which is then forced into a
mould by strong mechanical pressure, and after being withdrawn from the
077
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page_text: mould and dried, is placed in a receiver, and subjected to highly compressed
carbonic acid gas. The stucco may be colored by mixture with suitable
coloring materials, and the carbonic acid gas I prefer to obtain from the oven
on kiln in the pranaration of the lime
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Claudot in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS (SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
CLAUDOT, of Paris (France), Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Joseph Claudot, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Claudot,
my executors; administrators, and assigns, or such others as the said
Joseph Claudot, my exccutors, administrators, 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 "AN IMPROVED
STUCCO, upon the condition (amongst others) that the said Joseph-Claudot,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manuer
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
A
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Claudot, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
::
My process has for its object and result to imitate marble by compounding
a product possessing all the elements of marble. These elements, taking
Carrara marble as the type, consist of lime and carbonic acid, whence it is
classed amongst the carbonates of lime. The elements of my compound pro-
duct are the same, whether the carbonic acid is combined naturally with the

page_text: lime, that is to say, by means of that which is contained only in the air, or
whether it is introduced, artificially.
. But to apply the principle of the great affinity of lime for carbonic acid, so
as to obtain a product similar to natural marble, it becomes necessary to favor
this chemical action. Now, as this can only be effected from one molecule to
another, that is to say, by the reciprocal contact of all parts of the matter, it
can only be effected by dividing the liinquntil it is almost reduced to a solution,
and by employing a pressure upon the coatings of milk of lime, so as to bring
together the particles amongst themselves, not only as regards cohesion, but
also that the carbonic acid, by infiltration amongst the molecules of the lime,
may augment the density of the coating, which is an essential characteristic
of marble.
Such is the principle of my Invention; for the mode of operation to produce
a marble surface or coating, I proceed to describe the process which I
generally employ. This process consists in taking lime slaked in any of the
ordinary ways, and putting it in a tub or vessel, filled with water; it is then
stirred strongly, and when the lime is reduced to a state of milk of lime it is
drawn off from the surface into a second vessel by a small sluice; fresh water
is then poured upon the line, which is again stirred up and again drawn off,
and so on, until the lime is exhausted..
Upon the desired surface,a stone wall, for example, and with a round brush
a first coat of milk of lime is laid, which is then spread regularly by means of
what is called a "cod's tail brush," slightly wetted and worked in all directions
so as to efface all the marks of the brush, in order to obtain a smooth surface.
When the coating has become set, it is compressed by means of the same
brush, or, what is better, by means of a third brush, slightly wetted, but without
proceeding so far as to obtain a polish, as that would prevent the next coating
uniting with the preceeding one. The proceeding is continued until the whole
survace is covered; and in cases where coatings already applied have been
allowed to dry,care must be taken to wet the surface before the application of
a fresh coat.
.
When the whole surface.is entirely covered, it is strongly compressed still
by means of the brush, until the polish and brilliancy of marble are obtained.
This surface thus composed gradually absorbs the carbonic acid contained in
the atmosphere until it presents the hardness of marble; in fact, as the lime
in this state contains no foreign substance, it possesses its whole power of
affinity for the carbonic acid, with which it becomes quickly saturated. When
I wish to hasten the process, I inject the surface with water charged with
carbonic acid before applying each coat of milk of lime, and that several times

page_text: upon the last layer. Sometimes, with the same view, and also to obtain a
coating having a translucid appearance, similar to that of alabaster, I make
my milk of lime with a paste of lime saturated with carbonic acid, which I
obtain by making a very thick milk of lime in a vessel fitted with an agitator,
into which I introduce carbonic acid at a pressure of about four atmospheres
until the lime has absorbed a volume equivalent or of its weight, or even
more. When this carbonated lime is deposited and become a somewhat firm
paste, I subject it to the action of a mill or crushing rollers, and I make with
it a milk of lime, as with slaked lime, and I employ it as before described and
by the same processes. I should observe, that when the surface presents
portions which are not equally covered with the coats of the composition, I
have recourse to the trowel to apply a slight coating to these parts.
I do not limit myself to the use of a brush in compressing thus when I
would give a certain thickness to the coats. I sometimes employ the trowel
and also for smoothing and polishing. Also, to give the final polish to the
surface when it is thoroughly dry I employ a woollen rubber, having, when
requisite, slightly moistened the surface with acidulated water. When the
places to which my marble wash is to be applied are damp or wet, I make my
milk of lime from hydraulic lime.
I also color the milk of lime at pleasure, and thus I can make marbles of
different colors, and even frescoes, only taking the precautions required in
proportioning the lime according as the colors are light or dark. With the
exception of these precautions, which the artistalone can decide upon,according
to the nature of his work, the colors and even the shadows made in this lime
painting are smoothed in the same manner as the marble layers, and without
fear of injuring the designs, the molecules of the lime being very minutely
divided, and therefore brought very closely together.
Lastly, with the paste charged with carbonic acid, before described, I can
with moulds produce solids of all forms by saturating these objects with car-
bonic acid, by placing them in a receiver into which I force the gas at a high
pressure. According to the size of the object I add to the lime in powder,
the powder of land shells, or of quartz, or silicious or calcareous substances
and when the moulded object, saturated with carbonic acid gas, is perfectly
hard and dry, I polish it with emery and with oil, like marble.
از
I do not confine the application of my marble coating to stone or to surfaces
made of mortar or plaster, but I apply it to wood or to iron. In this latter
case I find it useful, in order to facilitate the adhesion of the molecules of the
lime to the surface, to add to the milk of lime some thickening or glutinous
substance, as gum or size; and as lime has the property of destroying organic

page_text: matter, the progressive destruction of these substances leaves vacancies which
are gradually filled with carbonic acid gas from the atmosphere, so that the
proportion of the gas becomes equal to that of marble.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I declare that I do not limit myself to the details
of execution here given, as they may be varied, according to the various cases
in which the process may be applied; but I claim as my Invention, the com-
position of a marble coating of greater or less thickness formed by the laying
upon a surface of stone or plaster, or of other analogous materials, of successive
layers of milk of lime, compressed and smoothed, and then polished until the
hardness and brilliancy of marble are obtained. I claim also the addition
of carbonic acid thrown upon these surfaces, as described above, and also
the mixing colors with the milk of lime, in order to produce surfaces
imitating colored marbles or frescoe paintings, as before described in this
Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Claudot, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
0 Witness,
CHARLES REYNARD.
JOSEPH CLAUDOT. (L.S.)