IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INKSTANDS, MUSTARD POTS, AND OTHER VESSELS OF GLASS
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
HALE THOMSON, of Berners Street, Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex,
and EDWARD VARNISH, of Kensington, in the same County, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of
December (One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine), in the thirteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said Frederick Hale Thomson and Edward Varnish, our exors,
adiñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that we, the said Frederick Hale Thomson and Edward Varnish,
our exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Frederick Hale
Thomson and Edward Varnish, our exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INKSTANDS,
MUSTARD POTS, AND OTHER VESSELS OF GLASS;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, that we, the said Frederick Hale Thomson and Edward
Varnish, or one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo performed,

page_text: by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Frederick Hale Thomson and Edward Varnish, do hereby declare that the
nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following descrip-
tion thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists of blowing or forming glass vessels so as to leave
hollow spaces between the sides, so that the effect of silvering will be seen
interiorly and exteriorly, that is, such vessels will show the silvering through
the glass, both on the exterior of the vessels and the interior of the vessels.
In this manner may glass vessels be made, and ornamented, applicable to a
great variety of purposes, such as flower vases, inkstands for ink, glasses,
brush trays, pen trays, ink glasses and covers, muffineers, smelling bottles, for
silver tops and glass stoppers, toilets, caddy basins and sugar basins, butter
dishes, covers, and plates, dishes, goblets, mustards and covers, salt cellars,
mugs with hollow handles, plateaus, wine coolers, finger cups, bottle stands,
cruets, and others.
Linings for Silvers.-In order that our Invention may be understood we will
explain the Drawings hereunto annexed. Figure 1 shows a section of a glass
vessel of a vase form, and in this manner may be made large and small
vases. The upper part is blown and shaped double, the stem and foot
are hollow, and there is a hole a at the bottom, through which the solution
of silver employed for silvering is to be poured, and the solution we prefer
to use for this purpose is one ounce of hartshorn or ammonia and two ounces.
of nitrate of silver, three ounces of water and three ounces of spirit (we prefer
spirits of wine); mixing these carefully together, we allow the liquid to stand
three or four hours and then filter it for use. To one ounce of the filtered
fluid we add about a quarter of an ounce, or less, of saccharine matter dis-
solved in equal parts (say about half a pint of each) of spirit and water.
We prefer grape sugar so dissolved if the solution is allowed to stand a
few hours.
One Invention is applicable for the manufacture of looking glasses, and
every other description of glass, either hollow or a flat surface, that it is

page_text: desirable to coat with silver. It can be employed either in a horizontal or
vertical position, provided the liquid be kept in contact with the surface of the
glass intended to be silvered, the glass being kept heated to about one
hundred and sixty degrees of Fahrenheit during the process. As soon as the
silver on the glass is perfectly dry it may be varnished with common mastic
varnish, which preserves it thoroughly from friction. The superiority of this
Invention over all others yet known consists in its perfect durability, and its
withstanding heat to a very extraordinary extent, as well as damp, which
renders it equally serviceable in all climates; but we make no claim to this
mode of silvering glass, as the same has long been practised in England, neither
do we confine ourselves thereto.
Figure 2 shows an inkstand which is also blown and formed double, and
has a hole a at bottom for the introduction of the silvering fluid. Figure 3
shows a finger glass also blown and shaped double, having a hole at bottom,
as in the former cases. In some cases the interior and exterior parts of
the vessels may be separate, as shown at Figure 4, where a section of a
glass vase is shown made of the two parts a, b, the rim being fixed together
by metal edge or by other convenient means. When the vessels have been
so shaped, the same may be ornamented by cutting, as in other glass vessels,
to aid in producing a greater effect of ornament. We have shown these
vessels as examples, as they represent sufficiently the various classes of vessels
which may be similarly blown and shaped, and ornamented by silvering on
the interior between the double surfaces; by this means a great diversity of
shaped vessels may be made varying only in shape, but still possessing that
double character, that of being silvered on the interior space. The effect of
the silvering will be seen through on the interior and exterior of the vessel
so made, and the silver will not be touched either by the matters introduced
into such vessels, neither will the silver be touched when cleaning the interior
or exterior of the vessels so made and ornamented; for, after the process of
silvering has been performed, the remaining liquid is to be poured, and the
opening a into the hollow space is to be closed, so as to protect the silver.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Hale Thomson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
FRED HALE (L.S.) THOMSON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid Frederick Hale Thomson came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty.