IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNAMENTING GLASS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Austin, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Engineer, and William Sutherland, of
the same place, Decorative Painter, for the Invention of "IM-
"
Sealed the 19th February 1853, and dated the 1st October 1852.
PROVISIONAL
Sam
xusu
and William Sutherland at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 1st October 1852.
We, WILLIAM AUSTIN and WILLIAM SUTHERLAND, of Birmingham,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ORNAMENTING GLASS " to be as follows, that is to say:
Our Invention consists in a cheaper and more expeditious method
than those at present in use of producing designs upon glass, either in
gold, silver, Dutch metal, colours, or other suitable medium, according
to taste.
The required design having been engraved on copper, steel, zinc,
wood, or stone, we prepare the engraving with an ink composed of
boiled oil & slow drying japanner's varnish, mixed with Frankfort
or drop black or other colour; and from the engraving thus prepared
we take an impression on a sheet of thin tissue paper, such as is
ordinarily used in the printing of earthenware. This impression is then

page_text: laid on its face on a perfectly clean sheet of glass, and gently rubbed
with a flannel. It is now carefully raised, when the design will be
seen transferred to the glass, and if it be not solid or dark enough
it must be dusted whilst wet with finely powdered Frankfort black or
other colour, after which we subject the glass to a moderate heat in an
oven or kiln to harden the impression. When this has been done
we thoroughly clean the glass, and brush over all such parts of the
design as may be intended to receive metallic embellishment with a
thin solution of isinglass or other glutinous and perfectly colourless
vehicle that may be suitable, and then lay on the gold, silver, or other
metal with a gilder's "tip" or camel's hair tool whilst the adhesive
solution is wet. When thoroughly dry, we take japanner's gold size,
or any quick and hard drying varnish or paint, and with it paint over
the whole of the parts of the design that are intended to have the
metal left on. When this size or paint is dry and hard, we wash off
all the superfluous metal with water, & fill in the remaining parts of
the design with paint of any colour, according to taste.
In some cases we reverse this latter process, painting on the colours
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Austin and William Sutherland in the
Great Seal Patent Office, on the 30th March 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
WILLIAM AUSTIN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engraver,
and WILLIAM SUTHERLAND, of the same place, Decorative Painter, send.
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said William Austin and William Sutherland, Her
especial license that we, the said William Austin and William Su-
therland, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said William Austin and William Sutherland, our executors.

page_text: administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ORNAMENTING GLASS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said William Austin and William Sutherland, by an instrument
in writing under our hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same 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 we, the said William Austin and William
Sutherland, do hereby declare the nature of our 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:
Our Invention consists of improvements in the method of ornament-
ing glass for purposes in which emblazoned or lettered designs may be
required, and our mode of operation is as follows:-
The design having been first engraved on copper, steel, zinc, wood,'
or stone, the engraving is afterwards prepared with an ink composed of
boiled oil and slow drying japanners varnish, mixed with either
Frankfort or drop black, or any color, according to taste. From the
engraving thus prepared we take an impression on a sheet of thin
tissue paper, such as is ordinarily used in the printing of earthenware..
The glass having been first thoroughly cleansed, the impression of the
engraving is laid with its face on the glass, and lightly rubbed with a
flannel. After which the print is gently raised, or the paper may be
washed away with water, when the design will be found to have been
transferred to the glass. If it be not solid or dark enough, it is dusted
over whilst wet with finely powdered Frankfort black, or whatever
other colour may have been used in the preparation of the ink, after
which the glass is subjected to a moderate heat in an oven or kiln to
harden the impression. The glass must then be thoroughly cleaned,
and, if it be desired to embellish the design with gold or other metal
leaf, such parts of it as are intended to receive the metal are brushed

page_text: over with a thin solution of isinglass or some other glutinous and
perfectly colourless vehicle, and the gold or metal leaf is laid on with a
gilder's tip or camel's hair tool whilst the adhesive solution is wet.
It is then allowed to dry thoroughly, and we then take japanner's gold
size or any other quick and hard drying varnish, and coat over with it
all such parts of the design as may be intended to have the metal left
on. When this varnish has become dry and hard, all the superfluous
metal leaf is washed off with water, and the remaining portions of the
design filled in with colours, according to taste.. In some instances we
find it desirable to reverse the latter part of the process by filling in the
colours first, and leaving the spaces clear for the gold or metal leaf.
The following is another modification of the Invention, more particu-
larly applicable to the purposes of lettering on glass, as the letters may
be printed instead of being worked by hand on the glass. The gold
or metal leaf is first caused to adhere to the cleaned sheet of glass by
the use of the glutinous solution before named, and the print on the
tissue paper is then laid on, after which the paper is. washed away,
leaving the impression of the engraved design upon the metal leaf.
This is dried and hardened in a kiln, and the superfluous gold washed
off. The design is then ready to receive any ornamental colouring in
manner before stated.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be clearly
understood that what we claim is, the method of ornamenting glass,
and the several modifications of the same operation, herein described
and set forth:
In witness whereof, we, the said William Austin and William
Sutherland, have hereunto-set 'our hands and seals, this Twenty-
fourth day of March, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
WILLIAM (S.) AUSTIN.
WILLIAM (L.s.) SUTHERLAND.