IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING METALS OVER HARD, VITRIFIED, OR ANY OTHER SURFACES BY GALVANO-PLASTIC PROCESS."
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Eugène Theodore Noualhier and Jean Baptiste
Prévost, both of Paris, in the Empire of France, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING METALS OVER HARD, VITRIFIED, OR ANY OTHER
SURFACES BY GALVANO-PLASTIC PROCESS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Eugène Theodore Noualhier
and Jean Baptiste Prévost at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 1st January 1857.
We, EUGENE THÉODORE NOUALHIER and JEAN BAPTISTE PREVOST, both of
Paris, in the Empire of France, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING METALS OVER HARD, VITRIFIED, OR ANY
OTHER SURFACES BY GALVANO-PLASTIC PROCESS," to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in applying metallic coatings (principally copper)
over hard, vitrified, or soft surfaces by galvano-plastic process.
1st, on articles of pottery and crockery ware, such as china, earthenware,
or pottery of any description, so as to supersede similar articles made at present
of tinned or enameled wrought or cast iron or copper. The piece to be coated
with metal is first covered with a layer of varnish or common gilders' size;.
when this coating is dry enough a very thin sheet of copper is applied over it,
and it is then suffered to dry completely, and any dust which may be present.
on the article is removed and it is placed in a bath containing sulphate of
copper in solution, and is connected with a galvanic battery, as usual, for obtain-
ing a deposit of copper. In lieu of applying a thin sheet of copper for giving
a metallic surface to these articles, as above mentioned, it may be preferable
to make use of copper powder, commonly called bronze powder, or Dutch gold

page_text: (ormoulu). It may be preferable to mix and triturate this copper powder
with common salt, and hot water is to be poured on this mixture; the liquid
is then drawn off, and the metallic powder, being dryed, is applied over the
surface of the article.
2nd, by a similar process the silvering of looking glasses may be preserved
from damp, and the glasses themselves from breakage in packing up for
removal. To effect this the glass is previously dipped in a bath of melted
tallow and bees'-wax, whence it is immediately taken out, and when cold it is
rubbed over with copper powder and treated as above.
3rd, for giving a metallic surface to articles which have soft or supple surfaces,
such as animal bodies or corpses, which are to be preserved from decomposition,
or to be mummified. The corpse being first well washed, and dried by being
gently wiped, all apertures are closed with modelers' wax; the skin is then
rubbed over with a finely powdered metallic salt, preferably nitrate of
silver, which, by the greasy nature of the skin, sticks to it, and penetrates in
all the pores; the corpse is then wiped with a soft brush and placed in a bath
containing a solution of sulphate of copper, where, by the action of a galvanic
battery, it is entirely covered with a coating of copper as thick as may be
required, which thickness depends on the time it is left in the bath.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Eugène Theodore Noualhier and Jean Baptiste Prévost in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EUGÈNE
THEODORE NONULHIER and JEAN BAPTISTE PREVOST, both of Paris, in the
Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of January, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her
heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Eugene Théodore
Nonulbier and Jean Baptiste Prevost, Her special license that we, the
said Eugene Théodore Nonulhier and Jean Baptiste Prevost, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Eugene Théodore
Nonulhier and Jean Baptiste Prevost, our executors, 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

page_text: of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING METALS OVER HARD, VITRIFIED, OR ANY
OTHER SURFACES BY GALVANO-PLASTIC PROCESS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Eugene Théodore Nonulhier and Jean Baptiste
Prevost, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of their 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 Eugene Théodore Nonulhier and Jean
Baptiste Prevost, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
"Our improved process for coating with metals, is applicable, 1st, to vessels
utensils, or other objects made of hard or of vitrified materials, such as china,
earthenware, pottery, crystal, glass, or other substances of that kind; 2ndly, to
objects of or covered with soft or supple substances, such as leather, caoutchouc,
gutta percha, or other organic substances.
Our process for coating vitrified or enamelled surfaces is as follows:-
Suppose the object to be treated by our process to be a china vessel, cover
first that part of it which is intended to receive the coating of metal with a
layer of varnish, or of the gilding mixture known, we believe, under the name
of gold size, and when the layer of the said varnish lias become sufficiently
dry apply copper leaf to it, so as to cover it well, and leave the whole to dry
completely carefully remove all dust from the surface, and place the vessel
so prepared into a bath containing a solution of sulphate of copper. By sub-
mitting now the vessel so prepared to the action of a galvanic battery, as usual
a deposit of copper takes place; and when the said deposit has acquired a
sufficient thickness, for which purpose we find about 60 hours immersion to
be necessary, the Nessel is taken out of the bath, cleaned, and smoothed by
filing off the asperities, and finished with pumicestone, to be finally polished
Las
as required This coppering may be effected by another process, which we
consider to be as efficacious, and more convenient and easy, than that which
we have just described. It consists in making use of German gold dust or
bronze powder containing much mercury; this metallic powder is a very good
conductor. It is to be triturated with common salt; when well mixed it is put
into an earthen basin and hot water is poured over the mixture, the salt then
dissolves and the copper dust is left to settle. The deposit thus formed is

page_text: collected, dried, and used as a conductor for the metallic coating to be given
to the vessel.
By a similar process we can preserve the silvering of looking glasses from
the effects of dampness, the glass being thus rendered at the same time less
liable to break. It is done as follows:-Melt together equal quantities of
bees wax and tallow; when the mixture has become completely fluid and quite
homogeneous, the glass is dipped into it and taken out immediately; it is
allowed to cool, and the parts which are required to be coppered aro prepared
with metallic powder, and treated in the same manner as before mentioned.
For metallising objects the surfaces of which are soft, such as animal bodies,
we proceed in the following manner :--First stop all the apertures with
modellers' wax, or some other convenient material, and place the dead animal
body, which may be a human corpse, in a suitable attitude, and spread over the
skin, which is of a greasy nature, a layer of a suitable metallic salt; we use in
preference pulverized nitrate of silver, which is very easily applied; this salt
then penetrates into the pores of the skin, and when a sufficient quantity of
nitrate of silver has been thus applied to the body in question, by means of a
brush or otherwise, it is then put into a bath of sulphate of copper, and the
galvanic current being established, the whole surface soon becomes covered
with a metallic deposit of copper of the requisite thickness, the result being a
metallic mummy.
Similar objects, either of china or earthenware, may be covered with iron
instead of copper by preparing thein as above described and plunging the said
objects in a bath containing a solution of protosulphate of iron. The objects
which have been thus coated with copper may receive afterwards another
coating of either silver, gold, or platinum.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and scals, this
Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred oul Gifte catron
Signed and sealed in the presence of
L. D'AUBREVILLE,
Civil Engineer,
E. T. NOUALHIER. (L.S.)
86, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris.