IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL ARTICLES IN WOOD AND METAL WITH MOULDED OR RELIEVO SURFACES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George William Ley, of St. John's Road, Croydon, in the
County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF ORNAMENTAL ARTICLES IN WOOD AND METAL WITH MOULDED OR RELIEVO
SURFACES
"
Sealed the 6th April 1877, and dated the 21st December 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George William Ley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st December 1876.
GEORGE WILLIAM LEY, of St. John's Wood Road, Croydon, in the County of
Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL ARTICLES IN
WOOD AND METAL WITH MOULDED OR RELIEVO SURFACES."
To manufacture relievo work in wood I take thin sheets or veneers of wood and
brush them over on each side with a spirit varnish or cement, such as that known
as leather varnish; when sufficiently dry I give them a second coating of varnish
and again allow them to dry. Afterwards I place them one over the other, to the
number of 20 or 30, usually with the grain of the alternate vencers crossing the
grain of the veneers above and below them.
The pile of vencers I press between flat metal plates in a hydraulic press, sub-
mitting them to a pressure, say, of about 30 to 40 tons to the square foot. The slabs
so formed are when taken from the press put aside to dry; subsequently they are
by a hydraulic press pressed into dies to mould their surface to the form desired.
One of the slabs may for this purpose be placed on to the die, and a plunger roughly
corresponding with the die, but with the design reduced in depth and shortness, be
pressed down on to it by the press with a pressure, say, of about 50 or 60 tons to
the square foot.
In order to construct, at a cheap rate, a plunger so conforming to a die, especially
when of large area, I cast a plunger in a mould formed from a pattern obtained from
the die. Owing to the shrinkage of the metal the plunger so formed will be smaller
than the die; to extend it uniformly over its whole surface I force its face into a
block or slab of hard wood, and then by repeated hammerings on the back extend
the plunger to the size desired.
In place of employing a plunger corresponding to the die a force or plunger of
hard wood, placed endwise of the grain, may be interposed between the slab and the

page_text: press, or the slabs may be laid on to a bed of sawdust, or such like granular material,
confined at the sides in a shallow frame, and the dies may be placed on to the slabs
and forced down on to them by the press. When the slab has been moulded to
form in the die it is subsequently planed, or otherwise made level at the back, and
the back is coated with cement. When dry the moulded slab is again placed into
the die and a thin slab consisting, say, of 3 or 4 veneers cemented, as before
described, is placed on to its cemented back; the whole is then again pressed in the
press with a pressure slightly exceeding that previously given to it. By this means
a panel or other piece of relievo work, with the under side or back flat and smooth,
is produced; the slab is also by this means rendered less liable to alter its form than
if the backing of flat veneer were not added to it.
In a similar manner to that above described I also produce moulded panels and
other surfaces with the face of metal, or partly of metal. For this purpose, before
pressing one of the slabs into a die, I cover the die with a thin sheet of metal and
press the slab into the die, as herein-before described; the sheet metal is then
moulded to form simultaneously with the slab. When the slab has been removed
from the die the moulded sheet metal is detached from its face, the metal and the
slab are coated with cement, and when this is dry, or nearly so, the metal is again
placed into the die, the slab is placed above it, and the whole is again submitted to
pressure. Papier machic or millboard may, in the same way, be used as a backing
to the metal, but not, I believe, so advantageously.
By the above means a metal surface is obtained of thin sheet metal, supported at
all points by a backing of wood, and united to it by cement; the surface of the
metal also is in exact conformity with the die, and work far sharper than can be
got by casting or other ordinary methods may be obtained.
If parts only of the surface are to be coated with metal the parts of the moulded
sheet metal which are to be used are detached from the other parts, and are placed
into the die in the positions they previously occupied, and are caused to adhere to
the slab by cement and pressure in the manner previously described. By this means
panels or other pieces in relievo can be produced with a face of inetal, or with some
part of the design in wood and others in metal.
Various degrees of sharpness of design on the metal surface may be secured by
interposing two or more sliects of metal between the slab and the dic. In the same
way, when thicker metal is used, the metal may be brought gradually to correspond
with the die by interposing between it and the die two or three sheets of metal at the
first, and removing the sheets one by one, and renewing the pressure after each
removal of a sheet.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and of
•
an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said George William Ley in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th July 1877.
GEORGE WILLIAM LEY, of St. John's Road, Croydon, in the County of Surrey.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ORNAMENTAL ARTICLES IN WOOD AND
METAL WITH MOULDED OR RELIEVO Surfaces."
'
To manufacture relievo work in wood I take thin sheets or veneers of wood and
brush them over on each side with a spirit varnish or cement, such as that known
as leather varnish; when sufficiently dry I give then a second coating of varnish
and again allow them to dry. Afterwards I place them one over the other, to the
number of 20 or 30, usually with the grain of the alternate veneers crossing the
grain of the veneers above and below them.
The pile of veneers I press between flat metal plates in a hydraulic press, sub-
mitting them to a pressure, say, of about 30 to 40 tons to the square foot. The
slabs so formed are when taken from the press put aside to dry; subsequently they

page_text: are by a hydraulic press pressed into dies to mould their surface to the form desired.
One of the slabs may for this purpose be placed on to the die, and a plunger roughly
corresponding with the dic, but with the design reduced in depth and sharpness, be
pressed down on to it by the press with a pressure, say, of about 50 or 60 tons to
the square foot.
In order to construct, at a cheap rate, a plunger so conforming to a die, especially
when of large area, I cast a plunger in a mould formed from a pattern obtained from
the die. Owing to the shrinkage of the metal the plunger so forined will be smaller
than the die; to extend it uniformly over its whole surface I force its face into a
block or slab of hard wood, and then by repeated hammerings on the back extend
the plunger to the size desired.
In place of employing a plunger corresponding to the die a force or plunger of
hard wood, placed endwise of the grain, may be interposed between the slab and the
press, or the slabs may be laid on to a bed of sawdust, or such like granular material,
confined at the sides in a shallow frame, and the dies may be placed on to the slabs
and forced down on to them by the press. When the slab has been moulded to
form in the die it is subsequently planed, or otherwise made level at the back, and
the back is coated with cement. When dry the moulded slab is again placed into
the die and a thin slab consisting, say, of 3 or 4 veneers, cemented as before
described, is placed on to its cemented back; the whole is then again pressed in the
press with a pressure slightly exceeding that previously given to it. By this means
a panel or other piece of relievo work, with the under side or back flat and smooth,
is produced; the slab is also by this means rendered less liable to alter its form than
if the backing of flat vencer were not added to it.
In a similar manner to that above described I also produce moulded panels and
other surfaces with the face of metal, or partly of metal. For this purpose, before
pressing one of the slabs into a die, I cover the die with a thin sheet of metal and
press the slab into the die, as herein-before described; the sheet metal is then
moulded to form simultaneously with the slab. When the slab has been removed
from the die the moulded sheet metal is detached from its face. The metal and the
slab are coated with cement, and when this is dry, or nearly so, the metal is again
placed into the dic, the slab is placed above, and the whole is again submitted to
pressure. Papier naché or millboard may, in the same way, be used as a backing
to the metal, but not, I believe, so advantageously.
By the above means a metal surface is obtained of thin sheet metal, supported at
all points by a backing of wood, and united to it by cement; the surface of the
metal also is in exact conformity with the die, and work far sharper than can be
got by casting or other ordinary methods may be obtained.
If parts only of the surface are to be coated with metal the parts of the moulded
sheet metal which are to be used are detached from the other parts, and are placed
into the die in the positions they previously occupied, and are caused to adhere to
the slab by cement and pressure in the manner previously described. By this means
panels or other pieces in relievo can be produced with a face of metal, or with some
part of the design in wood and others in metal.
Various degrees of sharpness of design on the metal surface may be secured by
interposing two or more sheets of metal between the slab and the die. In the same
way, when thicker metal is used, the metal may be brought gradually to correspond
with the die by interposing between it and the die two or three sheets of metal
at the first, and removing the sheets one by one, and renewing the pressure after
each removal of a sheet.
I claim,―
First. The manufacture of ornamental articles in wood, with moulded or relievo
surfaces, from slabs formed of a series of thin sheets or veneers cemented together,
one over the other, and moulded to the required form by pressure, substantially as
described.
Second. Employing a plunger or "force" of wood, placed endwise of the grain, to
press the slabs into the dies.

page_text: Third. Employing a plunger or "force" of sawdust, or such like granular material,
to press the slabs into the dies.
Fourth. Reducing the back of the slabs to a plane surface after they have been
moulded by pressure, and then uniting to the back a thin slab of veneers, or it
might be other slab, substantially as described.
Fifth. Forming moulded panels and other surfaces with the face partly of wood
and partly of metal, or with the face entirely of metal, substantially in the manner
described.
Sixth. The means herein described of forming, at a cheap rate, a metal plunger
conforming to the pattern of a die.
In witness whereof, I, the said George William Ley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
CODE WILTTAM TV
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