Process for Imparting an Artificial Shaded Colouring to and for ¡Speckling or "Curling" Wood and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Process for Imparting an Artificial Shaded Colouring to and for
¡Speckling or "Curling" Wood and the like.
I, GEORG MICHAELSON, of No. 33, Unter den Linden, Berlin, in the Empire of
Germany, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
.
Hitherto, in order to obtain that peculiar shade and colouring, speckling.or
"curling "which, is used for decorating furniture of the better class, veneers have
been adopted. These, as is well known, are thin wood boards, cut from. expensive
timber, mostly imported from distant foreign countries fixed to the surfaces to be
decorated. To this end, the veneers are glued on to the dry wood or the like (of
which the article to be decorated is made) and are then polished in the usual
manner, zinc plates being generally used to assist the polishing operation.
Obviously, such a process as this must, materially add to the cost of the goods to
which it is applied, and furthermore veneers are attended with the disadvantage of
being liable to warp, crack, or "cast," under the influence of varying temperatures,
of dampness, such as not unfrequently prevails even within doors, of solar heat,
and the like; they consequently come off, here and there, from the surfaces to
which they have been fixed, and swell into unsightly bosses or protuberances.
Again, the influence of the glue, employed in fixing the veneers; becomes noticeable
in course of time owing to the very thinness of the veneers; and this influence
eventually renders itself manifest by imparting to the veneers a grey hue and a
mean or unsightly appearance.
The object of this invention is to decorate articles of wood or the like, with the
desired shades of colouring, and with speckles or "curlings," without the employ-
ment of any veneers requiring to be fixed' in place with glue; the shaded colouring,
"clouding" and "curling" being obtained, according to the improved process, by
evenly spreading a specially prepared liquid over the properly ground, and
"primed" surface of the article to be decorated; while the peculiar, shaded
designs, of which it is intended that the decoration should consist, are produced, in
a subsequent stage, by the use of the palm of the hand and the fingers.
The liquid to be employed in the performance of this improved process..is
prepared in the following manner :-Shellac, and aniline colouring matter of the
desired shade, are dissolved together, in approximately equal parts, in alcohol, the
quantity of which should be from twenty (20) to twenty-five (25), times greater
(by weight) than that of the ingredients named, and the solution being made at
the normal temperature. On the other hand, a certain amount of shellac should
preferably be dissolved in alcohol separately, in an iron vessel, internally-tinned;
iron rust or some other oxide of iron being added to the solution, together with
granulated copper or lead, or other metals acting in an analogous manner. These
metals and oxides of metals are allowed to act upon the solution of shellac for
several days; their quantities, by weight (assuming that an equal number of parts
of each are used), equalling jointly the quantity, by weight, of the shellac dissolved
in the tinned vessel. A certain amount of the liquid thus obtained is added to the
first-mentioned solution of shellac and aniline; which should be stirred the while;

page_text: the addition being so proportioned as to represent about a twenty fifth (25) part
. of the first mentioned solution. The mixture is then allowed to stand for about
one hour. After this, an adequate quantity of soot, previously mixed with
turpentine to form a paste or pulp, is added to such compound solution, and
thoroughly mixed with the same, while it is being stirred; and the semi-liquid
mixture thus obtained, after having been energetically shaken, is allowed to rest
for a number of hours, whereupon it is filtered through flannel strainers. The
quantity of soot employed depends upon the shade and consistence which it is
desired that the mixture should possess. In most cases, however, an addition of
soot, amounting to from a fortieth (4) to a fiftieth (3) part of the liquid will
give the most satisfactory result, and it should be borne in mind that it is advisable
to previously mix the turpentine,--which is to be employed in preparing the soot-
paste, with an alcoholic extract of galanga root.
.
In order to obtain the desired shaded colouring or "curling" by means of the
liquid prepared in the manner hereinabove described, the surface to be decorated
is first primed with oil and ground, and then polished with shellac polish. To the
surface thus prepared the liquid is next applied in an even layer, by means of a
ball of cotton wool or the like, and lastly the requisite shading, clouding or curling,
imitating the natural texture of wood (for example), is effected either by hand (the
soft part of the palm or the fingers), or by other suitable means. After allowing
the liquid to dry, the surface thus prepared is carefully rubbed or "dulled" with
much worn sand paper, whereby the design, or artificial speckling, apparently
disappears for the time being. Then, the said surface is polished with the half-dry
ball previously used in priming, which will make the shades and speckles reappear
and stand out boldly, so as to give a pleasing aspect to the whole.
The artificial shaded colouring, obtained by this process, is by no means less
resistant or durable than that which is produced by means of veneers glued to the
object to be decorated in the manner usual hitherto, in fact it is a great deal more
resistant, and, if dextrously performed, it is certainly not inferior to the ordinary
veneer decoration in appearance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A process for imparting an artificial colouring to, and speckling or
wood, or the like, as a substitute for the usual veneer decoration; such process
"curling,"
mainly consisting in spreading a specially prepared liquid, by means of a ball of
cotton wool or the like, over the surface to be decorated, which surface has
previously been primed with oil, then ground, and polished with shellac; the said
liquid being obtained by causing metals and metallic oxides, such as copper,. lead,
or iron rust, to act upon an alcoholic solution of shellac, and mixing the resulting
liquid with a solution of aniline colouring matter and shellac in alcohol; the
desired shades of colouring being produced with the fingers or in any other
convenient manner; and the surface thus treated after drying being carefully
dulled and finally re-polished.
2. With a view to the practical performance of the process referred to in the
first claim, for producing a shaded, clouded or speckled colouring, preparing the
requisite liquid therefor, by dissolving an aniline colouring agent of the desired
shade, and shellac, in equal proportions, in a quantity of alcohol from 20 to 25 times
greater than the aniline colouring agent and shellac, and adding to this solution
another alcoholic solution of shellac (of say I part by weight of shellac for every
3 or 4 parts of alcohol), which has been acted upon by iron rust or some other
oxide of iron, lead and copper whereupon while the mixture is heing stirred-a
small amount of soot (say, one fortieth of the quantity of liquid) brought to the
condition of paste by an admixture of a small quantity of turpentine and alcoholic
galanga root extract, is superadded; the whole being thoroughly shaken, allowed

page_text: to rest for a number of hours, and eventually filtered through strainers of flannel
or other suitable material.
Dated this 28th day of September 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.