IMPROVEMENTS IN DEPOSITING METALS, AND IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO CERTAIN OTHER SIMILAR USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STANHOPE
BAYNES SMITH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Electro-Plater and
Gilder, send greeting.
...
3
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 Seventh day of June
(One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine), in the twelfth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Stanhope Baynes Smith, my exors, admiors, and assigns, Her espécial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Stanhope
Baynes Smith, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said
Stanhope Baynes, Smith, my exors, admors, or assigns, should át 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, exer-
cise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DEPOSITING METALS, AND IN
OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO
CERTAIN OTHER SIMILAR USEFUL PURPOSES," in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said Stanhope Baynes Smith, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my, said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
1

page_text: .
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 there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Stanhope Baynes Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to
say:
My Invention consists,-
Firstly, of a new or improved solution of silver for plating either with or
without an electrical current.
Secondly, of new or improved methods of bright silvering, that is to say, of
effecting the deposition of silver with a bright or polished surface.
Thirdly, of improvements in the method of manufacturing articles by
electrical deposition.
Fourthly, of an improvement in obtaining motive power.
Fifthly, of the application of part of the said improvements to other similar
useful purposes.
My new or improved solution for plating either with or without an electrical
current consists of a solution of sulphocyanide of potassium, sodium, ammonia,
barium, calcium, alumium, strontium, or magnesium nearly saturated with
sulphocyanide of silver or other salt of silver.
My new or improved methods of bright silvering consist of the addition of
the following substances or compounds to the silver solution herein-before
mentioned, or to the cyanide or other solutions of silver generally employed
for the electrical reduction of silver, namely, the seliniuret of carbon (this I
make by passing the vapour of selinium over ignited carbon, and condensing
the gas or vapour that comes over in a solution of cyanide of potassium, or
some of the silver solutions to be used for plating, and I keep the solution so
obtained in closed bottles until wanted for use; iodine (dissolved in alcohol,
hydrocyanic acid, cyanide of potassium, or other solvents); iodide of nitrogen
(dissolved in cyanide of potassium or other solvents); gun cotton or xyloidine
(dissolved by heat in a solution of cyanide of potassium or caustic soda or
potash; the salts called sulphur salts or double sulphurets (these I dissolve
in a solution of cyanide of potassium, with or without the aid of heat, and I
add this solution to the silver solution in the following manner :-I take about
a gallon of the solution to be brightened and add a little of the sulphur salt
solution, filter or decant the clear liquid from the precipitate which is some-
times formed, and then mix a portion of this solution with the rest in the vat;

page_text: I use in this way the following salts, videlicet, hydrosulphurets, carbo-sulphu-
rets, arsenio-sulphurets, molybdo-sulphurets, antimonio-sulphurets, tungsto-
sulphurets, stanno-sulphurets, tellurio-sulphurets, auro-sulphurets, selenio-
sulphurets, sulphocyanides; the sulphuretted oils (one of which is well known
under the name of balsam of sulphur, dissolved in a mixture of alcohol and
caustic potash used alone or combined with one of the above sulphur salts);
creosote (combined with alcohol and caustic potash); the xanthates (pre
ferring that of potash); the bisulphocarbonate of oxide of methyle; the
following acids, videlicet, acetic, hydrochloric, chloroacetic, hydrocyanic, hydro-
sulphocyanic, hydrosulphuric, selenious, sulphovinic, tartaric, xanthic (these I
dissolve in water or alcohol before adding them to the solution); cyanogen
(condensed or dissolved in water, alcohol, solution of cyanide of potassium, or
the silver solution to be used); sulphurous acid (either alone or combined with
any of the before-mentioned sulphur salts). In using the before-mentioned
substances to produce a bright deposit of silver, I add the solutions in small
quantities to the solution of salt of silver to be deposited from, and continue
the addition until by experiment I find the desired effect is produced.
Although the substances herein-before enumerated act upon solutions of silver,
whether strong or weak, yet I find they operate better on dilute solutions, and
I therefore prefer using a solution of silver for bright silvering more dilute
than that usually employed for electro-plating.
My improvements in the manufacture of articles by electrical deposition
consists,―
Firstly, of depositing metal both on the exterior and in the interior of
a mould of fusible alloy, or any other suitable substance, so as to produce two
articles of different sizes by the use of one mould, and afterwards melting
out or otherwise removing the said mould from between the said articles..
This method of manufacturing is particularly applicable to the production of
cylinders and tubes.
Secondly, in the use of gutta-percha for making moulds, in and on which to
effect the electrical reduction of metals, the surface of the said gutta-percha
having a conducting power given to it by any of the processes used for a similar
purpose.
Thirdly, of the use of gutta-percha dissolved in oil of turpentine, or any
other suitable solvent, as a varnish to stop out portions of a conducting surface
on which it is wished to prevent deposition taking place.
My improvement in the production of motive power consists of the use of
the hydrogen which is evolved from the copper, 'silver, or other inactive metal
of such voltaic batteries as are composed of zinc and. an inactive metal
immersed in dilute sulphuric or hydrochloric acid. I collect the said hydrogen

page_text: in vessels filled with the acid used in the battery, the said vessels...being
inverted over the said inactive metal, so as to receive and retain the bubbles of
hydrogen as they rise through the liquid, and I then mix the said hydrogen
with oxygen or with atmospheric air, in proportions suitable to form an
explosive mixture, and use the said explosive mixture to actuate any of the
various machines which have been or may be used for the purpose of obtaining
motive power from explosive mixtures. I am aware that explosive imixtures
of hydrogen or its gaseous compounds with oxygen or 'atmospheric air, have
been used for the purpose of obtaining motive, power, and I do not claim the
use of such mixtures for that purpose as my Invention; but my said Invention
consists. in the application of the hydrogen evolved by voltaic, batteries, and
which hydrogen is usually allowed to escape into. the air, for producing a
motive power by mixture and detonation with oxygen or atmospheric air:
.That part of my Invention which consists of the use of a solution of gutta,
perclia for stopping out portions of a conducting surface on which it is wished
to prevent deposition taking place, I also apply to the following purposes,
that is to say, I use the said solution of gutta-percha for the purpose of stop-
ping out portions of a 'metallic surface to be etched, whether the said étching
be effected by electricity or by the use of acid, the said solution of gutta-percha
being used in the same way as ordinary etching ground, or the various kinds
of varnish which are used for the same purpose..
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood, that I do not
limit myself to the precise methods of carrying the same into effect, herein-
before described, as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of my said Invention; for example, I have described, with regard to the
second part of my said Invention, the methods by which, I prefer using
the substances therein enumerated for the purpose of producing bright,silvering,
but the same substances may be used in other ways for producing the same
'effect. But I claim,―
*. First, the dissolving of salts of silver in solutions of sulphocyanide of potas,
sium, sodium, ammonia, barium, calcium, aluminum, strontium, or magnesium
for the production of a solution for plating either with or without an electrical
current..
Secondly, the use of seliniuret of carbon, iodine, iodide, of nitrogen, gun
cotton or xyloidine, sulphur salts; sulphuretted oils, creosote, xanthates,
bisulpho-carbonate of oxide of methyle, acetic, hydrochloric, chloroacetic,
hydrocyanic, hydrosulphocyanic, hydrosulphuric, sulphurous, sėlenious, sulpho,
vinic, tartaric, and xanthic acids added to solutions of salts of silver for pro,
ducing bright silvering.

page_text: Thirdly, the manufacturing of articles by electrical deposition, both in the
interior and on the exterior of the same moulds.
Fourthly, the use of gutta-percha for making moulds on which to effect the
electrical deposition of metals, and the use of a solution of gutta-percha for
stopping out portions of conducting surfaces on which metals are deposited.
Fifthly, the use of the hydrogen evolved from voltaic batteries for producing
motive power by mixing and detonating the said hydrogen with oxygen
or atmospheric air.
Lastly, the use of a solution of gutta-percha for an etching ground, whether
the said etching be effected by electricity or by the use of acids.
..
In witness whereof, I, the said Stanhope Baynes Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine
STANHOPE BAYNES (L.s.) SMITH.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the First day of December, in
the year of our Lord 1849, the aforesaid Stanhope Baynes Smith came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
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 Third day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.