IMPROVEMENTS IN DEPOSITING Engineer, for the Invention of METALS OR ALLOYS OF METALS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DEPOSITING
Engineer, for the Invention of
METALS OR ALLOYS OF METALS."-A communication.
Sealed the 28th January 1854, and dated the 29th July 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 29th July 1853.
İ, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DEPOSITING METALS OR ALLOYS OF
METALS" to be as follows; -
The object of this Invention is to deposit upon a metallic or noll-
metallic surface either a pure metal, such as copper or other metal, or
an alloy of metals, so as to give the appearance of brass, bronze, or
other ornamental metallic surface. If the article to be ornamented
with metal be not metallic the surface thereof must be suitably,
prepared to receive a metallic deposit. The alloys which it is intended
0.יrn

page_text: to employ are, first, an alloy of zinc and copper, which will give
the appearance of brass; second, an alloy of copper and tin, which
will resemble bronze in appearance; third, an alloy composed of the
three metals, copper, zinc, and fin. The solutions to be employed in
the process may be of various kinds, but principally consist of double
salts of the metals and some alkaline base. These metallic solutions
are to be mixed together in proportions depending upon the par-
ticular colour required, and the metals may be deposited either with
or without the assistance of galvanic or electric agency.
:
SPECIFICATION
in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 28th January 1854.
I,
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE
WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,
WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters l'atent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her
special license that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DEPOSITING METALS OR ALLOYS OF METALS,"
being a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement (that is to say).
The alloys which it is intended
The object of this Invention is to deposit upon a metallic or non-
metallic surface either a pure metal, such as copper or other metal, or
an alloy of metals, so as to give the appearance of brass, bronze, or
other ornamental metallic surface. If the article to be ornamented
with metal be not metallic the surface thereof must be suitably
prepared to receive a metallic deposit.
to employ are, first, an alloy of zinc and copper, which will give the
appearance of brass; second, an alloy of copper and tin, which will
resemble bronze in appearance; third, an alloy composed of the three
metals, copper, zinc, and tin. The solutions to be employed in the
process may be of various kinds, but principally consist of double salts
of the metals and some alkaline base. These metallic solutions are to
be mixed together in proportions depending upon the particular color
required, and the metals may be deposited either with or without the
assistance of galvanic or electric agency.
Having thus set forth the general features of the Invention, I will
now proceed to describe the means which I prefer for carrying the
same into effect.
For depositing a coating of brass by galvanic agency I employ the
following solutions, viz*:-
1. A solution of the double chloride of zinc and ammonia.
2.
3.
"
"
4.
"
5.
6.
"
7. A saturated
ammonia.
the double chloride of zinc and potassium.
the double chloride of zinc and sodium.
the double acetate of zinc and ammonia.
the double acetate of zinc and potassium.
the acetate of zinc and of soda.
solution of carbonate of zinc and carbonate of

page_text: 8. A solution of the double tartrate of zinc and of potash, soda, or
ammonia. To one thousand parts of the solution of tartrate of zinc,
marking three degrees on the salinometer, add thirty parts of hydro-
chlorate of ammonia, and eighty parts of hydrochloric acid.
10. Solution of tartrate of zinc in potash or soda.
With each of the above solutions an analogous solution of copper
must be mixed in the proportion suitable for obtaining the required
depth of color.
For depositing copper alone upon wrought or cast iron, either by
immersion or by the battery, the following solutions may be employed:
11. Solution of acetate of copper, marking three degrees of the
salinometer, one thousand parts; hydrochlorate of ammonia, thirty
parts; hydrochloric acid, eighty parts.
12. Aqueous solution of citrate of copper, rendered soluble by an
excess of citric acid.
For bronzing by galvanic agency the following solutions are employed,
viz-
13. Solutions of the double tartrate of copper and of potash, and of
the double tartrate of the protoxide of tin and of potash mixed either in
that state or with the addition of an excess of potash.
14. For depositing a triple alloy of zinc, tin, and copper by
galvanic agency the three following solutions are to be mixed in
suitable proportions, viz', the double cyanide of copper and of potassium,
zincate of potash, and stannate of potash.
15. Or the three following, viz', the double tartrate of copper and of
potash, the double tartrate of zinc and of potash, and the double tartrate
of the protoxide of tin.
When the battery is employed a positive pole must be used, com-
posed either of all the metals which are to be deposited simultaneously.
or of a single one of them, according to the depth of color required
for the alloy to be deposited.
With respect to the scouring of the metallic or preparation of the
non-metallic surfaces upon which the deposition is to be effected, and

page_text: the arrangement and mode of working of the galvanic apparatus, these
are to be effected and carried on in the ordinary manner.
The following may be employed for depositing brass in place of the
solutions above indicated for that purpose:-Take a solution of oxide of
copper or of any salt of copper in cyanide of potassium, and add
thereto (in proportions suitable for obtaining the desired color) a
solution of oxide of zinc or of any salt of zinc in ammonia.
It is advisable to leave a slight excess of cyanide of potassium and of
ammonia, also not to concentrate the compound beyond eight degrees
of the areometer, and to carry on the process at a temperature of from
one hundred and twenty degrees to one hundred and forty degrees
Fahrenheit.
Or an inverse combination may be employed, viz, a solution of
oxide or of any salt of zinc in cyanide of potassium, to which is
added an ammoniacal solution of copper.
For bronzing by galvanic agency the following may he employed,
viz, a solution of the oxide or of any salt of copper in cyanide of po-
tassium and a solution of protochloride of tin in potash; these are to
be mixed together in suitable proportions to obtain the required color,
and the operation is to be carried on in the hot state.
Another part of this Invention consists in the application as a coat-
ing to metallic or other bodies of an alloy of zinc and manganese,
and also in obtaining great thickness of coating by depositing successive
layers of metals or alloys, or alternate layers of metals and alloys.
The coatings which may be thus successively applied are as follows:-
Firstly, the following metals:-1, zinc; 2, lead; 3, tin; 4, nickel;
6, cobalt; 6, copper; 7, palladium; 8, platina. Secondly, the follow-
ing alloys, copper and zinc; 10, copper and tin; 11, zinc and
manganese; 12, copper, zinc, and tin.
The means to be employed for effecting these various depositions are
well known, and therefore no detailed description of the processes is
required.
The process for producing the double alloy of zinc and manganese
to be applied by galvanic agency is as follows:-Mix in suitable propor-
tions solutions of chloride of sodium, sulphate of zinc, and chloride of

page_text: manganese. Or the chloride of manganese may be replaced by sulphate
of manganese; the chloride of sodium by sulphate of ammonia, hydro-
chlorate of ammonia, or chloride of potassium; and the sulphate of
zinc by chloride of zinc.
By successively laying on these various layers in different order,
according to circumstances, a coating may be obtained of sufficient
thickness to afford complete protection from rust to iron which may be
exposed to the air or to damp.
The same result may be obtained by alternately or successively
employing different solutions of the same metal or alloy, instead of
different metals, as above explained.
By means of the processes above described various novel appli-
cations are arrived at, and which may be classified or enumerated as
follows:-
First, a metallic coating for preserving articles of cast or wrought
iron or steel, whether hardware or in other branches of manufacture,
such as iron wire, nails, fastenings for apparel, pianoforte strings and
pins, busks for stays, and various articles for exportation.
Second, metallic coating for preserving various articles made of iron
or steel, and employed in buildings, such as locks, latches, hinges,
knobs, banisters, balconies.
Third, metallic coatings for preserving metal articles of large size,
such as beams for roofing, anchors, supports, pillars, or columns.
Fourth, metal coatings for preserving those portions of heating
apparatus which, although not exposed to a high temperature, are
liable to be soon injured by the soot when made of iron.
Fifth, for preserving metals employed in the construction of iron
vessels or railway carriages.
Sixth, for preserving works of art cast in iron, such as candelabra,
vases, fountains, sculpture.
Seventh, the substitution generally of these metallic coatings for the
paint usually employed for preserving metals.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to
me as aforesaid, I would observe, in conclusion, that as the propor-
tions in which the various solutions must be employed will depend

page_text: entirely upon circumstances, and the peculiar appearance and coating
which it is required to produce or obtain, 1 have not thought it neces-
sary to give any definite proportions, but have preferred (after de-
scribing the solutions it is proposed to employ) to leave the proportions
to the discretion of the manipulator. And I would here observe, that I
am aware that some of the chemical substances herein mentioned have
been heretofore used for similar purposes; 1 do not, therefore, intend
to claim the use of such ingredients separately. But I do claim them
when used in combination with the other materials. And I also claim
the use of the double salts of the metals combined, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-four.
15
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)