IMPROVED PROCESSES OR METHODS OF ALLOYING, UNITING, AND COVERING METALS WITH OTHER METALS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter de Villiers, of Silver Hill, St. Leonard's-on-Sea,
Doctor of Medicine, for an Invention of "IMPROVED PROCESSES OR METHODS
OF ALLOYING, UNITING, AND COVERING METALS WITH OTHER METALS."
(Void by reason of the Patentee having neglected to file a Specification in
pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter de Villiers at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st December 1881.
PETER DE VILLIERS of Silver Hill, St. Leonards-on-Sea Doctor of Medicine.
"IMPROVED PROCESSES OR METHODS OF ALLOYING, UNITING, AND COVERING
METALS WITH OTHER METALS."
My Invention relates to novel processes of alloying combining permeating and
covering or coating metals with other metals.
The said Invention is chiefly designed to impart to those metals which are
usually employed by reason of their strength, hardness, and cheapness, such for
instance as iron or steel the qualities of silver gold nickel and the like in respect of
their capability of resisting oxidation or corrosion.
In the following description I have referred more particularly to the impregna-
tion, alloying, and covering of iron or steel as these are the metals which are most
subject to oxidation, but it will be understood that other metals or alloys may be
subjected to my said processes to render them inoxidizable or less oxidizable
and in some cases to improve their appearance or for other purposes.
I employ for this purpose solutions of metallic salts from which, by decomposi-
tion and recomposition, I obtain fine metallic alloys.
In applying my Invention to the combining or alloying of iron or steel with
silver I commence by thoroughly cleaning the surface of the iron or steel which is
to be rendered inoxidizable, for which purpose I can use a bath of concentrated

page_text: solution of caustic potash. Then I immerse the article or piece of iron or steel
thus cleaned, in a bath of a weak solution of sulphuric acid. In a short time,
varying from about five to twenty minutes, I withdraw the said article or piece
from this second bath or solution, wash it freely in water, then dry and heat it in
an oven at a temperature of about 150° centigrade.
At this moment it is plunged into a boiling solution contained in a vessel of
earthenware or enamelled ironware, which solution is composed of distilled water
ten (10) gallons and tartaric acid ten (10) ounces or more. When this solution is
perfectly clear I introduce into the same, while stirring it with a glass rod, melted
chloride of tin two (2) ounces diluted in twenty (20) times its weight of water and
white chloride of silver (dissolved in a concentrated solution of hyposulphite of
soda) in any desired quantity not exceeding one half the weight of the chloride of
tin, according to the desired richness of the alloy to be produced. The chloride of
silver is diluted in sufficient water to form a concentrated solution previous to its
being added to the chloride of tin.
When these different solutions have been properly mixed they are allowed to
boil together for about a quarter of an hour.
The article or piece of iron or steel, suspended by a piece of zinc wire or
galvanized iron wire is immersed quickly in the boiling solution, its dilated or open
pores immediately absorbing the alloy which is formed by the solution, and in a
short time its surface will be covered with a coating of the same alloy. The iron
or steel being thus impregnated and covered with a metal which is quite as
inoxidizable as pure silver; will then be effectually protected against oxidation.
I may by obvious modifications of the above described process, employ salts of
various other metals for the impregnation and coating of iron or steel with alloys
of such metals.
For example I combine sulphate of nickel and sulphate of copper in the
proportion of one (1) ounce of the former with ten (10) ounces of the latter and
thus produce an alloy of nickel and copper which will render iron or steel
inoxidizable.
An alloy of aluminium and copper is obtained from the double chloride of
aluminium and the sulphate of copper combined in the proportion of one half
ounce (oz.) of the former and two pounds (2 lbs.) of the latter. This alloy will
impart to the iron or steel the property of inoxidability and will also render the
same very sonorous.
I may obtain an alloy of silver and nickel by using the salts thereof in the
proportion of one (1) ounce of nitrate of silver and one (1) ounce of sulphate of
nickel which will penetrate or impregnate iron or steel and render them
indestructible by oxidation or corrosion.
Bichloride of platinum may, by a process or treatment similar to that above
described, be combined with either gold or silver. For producing the first of these
alloys I use the salts in the proportion of one half (1/2) ounce of chloride of gold
and one eighth (1/8) ounce of bichloride of platinum. When the iron, steel, or other
metal to be protected has been properly cleaned and all traces of oxide and acid
have been removed it may be impregnated, combined, or coated with the said alloy
in a bath acidulated with sulphuric acid. This alloy possesses to a great extent the
quality of durability and as compared with pure gold is equally inoxidizable but of
a somewhat paler colour. The same salt of platinum may be combined with salts
of silver in the proportion of one half (",) ounce of bichloride of platinum and two
(2) ounces of nitrate of silver. The alloy thus produced like that just previously
described is remarkable with regard to its effect in rendering iron or steel inoxidiz-
able and may for the same purpose be applied to other metals.
In using such compositions or combinations the process will be substantially the
same as that above described, that is to say, the two salts are reduced or decomposed
by the action of the proper chemical agents and the metals resulting from their
decomposition form alloys which, without the aid of electric or galvanic appliances,
impregnate and cover the metal or alloy placed in the bath and subjected to their

page_text: influence. The objects, articles, or pieces thus treated are susceptible of a fine
polish and a brilliant colour. But to further improve their appearance I subject
them to the action of an electro-plastic bath composed of the following substances,
viz carbonate of soda two (2) pounds, sulphite of soda two (2) pounds, chloride of
zinc four (4) ounces, acetate of copper one (1) ounce, arsenious acid five (5) grains,
the whole being diluted with a solution of cyanide of potassium (No 1) in a
sufficient quantity of distilled water to form a clear bath. If any deposit is found
at the bottom of the bath it may be removed by decantation. Then the objects or
articles prepared as above described are placed in this bath and subjected to the
process of electro-deposition whereby they receive a second coating or covering
which is white, hard and susceptible of a very fine polish though the polishing is
unnecessary if the surface is covered by the usual electro-plating process. I may
add a few grains of crystallized nitrate of silver to the bath of white metal to give
to the same a decided silver color, and to produce a more perfect adhesion between
the layers of metal. But in either case I obtain as the final result the impregnation
of the iron or steel with a white inoxidizable surface whose quality is improved by
each successive operation, and the articles or objects thus treated will preserve for
an indefinite time the qualities and appearance of silver. It will however be
understood that the final coating may be silver, gold, platinum or other metal or
alloy according to the appearance or quality desired to be given to the object or
article which has been treated by my process.
I may also treat, according to my Invention, salt of nickel to obtain this metal
therefrom, or I may obtain an alloy of nickel in different proportions with various
metals for permeating iron, steel, or other metals or alloys.
According to another modification of my Invention I apply, a coating or covering
of bronze to iron or steel as follows, that is to say, I make a bath or solution
composed of water ten (10) gallons, bichloride of tin two (2) ounces, sulphate of
zinc two (2) ounces, and sulphate of copper one (1) ounce; the proportions of the
different salts may be varied without inconvenience according to the size of the
pieces of iron or steel to be treated by this process. The said solution must be
heated to boiling point.
The iron or steel to be coated should be cleaned and heated and then is immersed
in, or otherwise subjected to, the boiling solution for about one half hour, more or
less, according to the desired thickness of the coating.