GB1580297A - Production of artistic models or plaques - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE PRODUCTION OF ARTISTIC MODELS OR PLAQUES (71) I,MYER LOUIS BERSON, of 177 Street Lane, Leeds LS8 1AA, in the County of York, a British subject, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a Patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to the production of works of artistic craftsmanship in the form of models or plaques, and in this specification the term "plaque" is intended to have a broad scope and to include within that scope such things as murals, screens and display facia or sign boards.

In its broadest aspect, the invention provides a method of producing an artistic model or plaque by engraving into suitable transparent material a three-dimensional artistic design, the method comprising the steps of preparing in a suitable material a three-dimensional model of the design; casting the model in a block; separating the model from the cast block so that the block constitutes a master for reproductions of the model; securing the master to the table of a copy milling machine so that the stylus of the machine can follow the vertical variations in contour of the master; and operating the machine to die-sink a reproduction of the design into suitable transparent material secured to the table of the machine.

The invention includes within its scope an artistic model or plaque produced by the method outlined in the preceding paragraph.

One model embodying the invention is shown, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawing. The model, and the way in which it is made, will now be described in detail with reference to the drawing.

Figure 1 of the drawing shows, in sectioned side elevation, the method of diesinking reproductions of the artistic design into plastics material; and Figure 2 shows the completed model embodying one such reproduction, in perspective.

The first step in creating the artistic model shown in the drawing involves the fashioning by hand of a three-dimensional "original" of the design which the finished model is to display. In this particular case, the artistic design takes the form of a tomb-figure of a mediaeval knight standing with his sword unsheathed. The original is made in any suitable material, such as a carving wax or plaster, and is fashioned by hand in three dimensions using suitable carving tools. It can then be polished, textured or detailed to give a desired artistic effect.

The original is then cast into a block of casting material (for example, epoxy resin) by first securing the original in a mould box with its detailed surfaces facing into the box; then, pouring liquid casting material around the original and into the mould box; and, when the cast has set hard, separating the original and the mould box from the cast, which effectively constitutes a master reproducing the original design in reverse.

The resin master produced so far is then transferred to the table of a copy milling machine. These machines are known in themselves, and although they may require slight modification to carry out the present invention such modifications are within the scope of those skilled in the art without needing further inventive re-design. They may be automatic or they may take the form of, for example, a hand-traversed copy engraving machine.

The resin master is secured firmly to the table of the copy milling machine underneath the copying head of the machine, with the detailed surfaces of the master facing the stylus of the copying head. Thus, the stylus in use can follow the vertical variations in contour of the detailed artistic design formed in reverse in the master.

Sheets or blocks of transparent plastics material are firmly secured to the table of the machine under the respective milling head or heads of the machine. A suitable plastics material would be the clear transparent acrylic material sold under the trade name "Perspex".

When the machine is operated, the stylus of the copying head die-sinks a reproduction of the artistic design "in reverse" into each of the plastics blocks or sheets operated on by the milling head or heads. The copying stylus, starting from one end of the master, systematically traverses the entire area of the master, with the stylus following the vertical variations in contour of the design.

When the entire design has been traversed in this way, the plastics blocks with their diesunk reproductions are removed from the machine table. They can then be subjected to an appropriate hand-finishing operation. This may include finishing by polishing and texturing the surfaces milled out during diesinking, but it can also include hand-undercutting of certain details in order to highlight the design further. This hand-undercutting is a highly skilled artistic craft which the copy milling machine cannot undertake at all.

During this final finishing stage, reflective elements, such as for example mineral crystals, could be incorporated into the design. Similarly, certain parts of the design could be tinted or wholly coloured. The precise treatment given in detail to the design will depend on the effect which is finally to be achieved when the model is completed.

To complete the model, the block or sheet containing the finally-finished design is mounted on a hollow plinth inside which one or more electric lamps - for example, miniature fluorescent tubes - are housed. Unlike the block which it supports, the plinth is not transparent. There is, however, a gap cut into the top of the plinth, and the block or sheet seats inside this gap so as to be edgeilluminated by the lamps within the plinth.

The effect of this illumination is to highlight the carved finished design within the block, whilst leaving the remainder of the block virtually unaltered in appearance. This gives to the carved figure in the block a selfluminous appearance. The figure in effect appears to be "floating" inside the clear block of plastics material which surrounds it.

The reflective elements previously referred to can highlight this effect dramatically.

Another way of highlighting the overall effect is to use coloured illuminative lighting within the plinth. The reflective elements can make parts of the figure appear to "sparkle" when edge-illuminated.

The die-sinking technique of the invention gives many totally unexpected advantages to the completed model. For example, a suitable forward-feed is 0.010" between successive traverses of the stylus. This leaves a succession of fine horizontal or vertical lines, spaced at 0.010" intervals, over the entire finished design, and the visual effect given by these lines can be most distinctive especially when the design centres around such things as knights clad in chain mail.

These fine lines can selectively be polished out during the hand-finishing of the die-sunk design. For instance, in the figure of a knight, the sword blade and helmet could have their pick-feed lines erased whilst the chain mail and certain other parts of the figure could remain untouched. The hand-undercutting referred to above can be crucially important in determining the visual effect of the finally illuminated design.

The invention is of course not restricted to the use of transparent plastics material. Any "suitable" transparent material (i.e. any transparent material which can be secured to the table of a copy milling machine and die-sunk as required by the following claim 1) can be used.

One possible example of such a material is lead crystal, which could give very beautiful effects to the finished work.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A method of producing an artistic model or plaque by engraving into suitable transparent material a three-dimensional artistic design, the method comprising the steps of preparing in a suitable material a threedimensional model of the design; casting the model in a block; separating the model from the cast block so that the block constitutes a master for reproductions of the model; securing the master to the table of a copy milling machine so that the stylus of the machine can follow the vertical variations in contour of the master; and operating the machine to die-sink a reproduction of the design into suitable transparent material secured to the table of the machine.

2. A method according to Claim 1, incorporating the further step of handundercutting parts of the die-sunk design and thus imparting into the finished design details which the machine is incapable of imparting.

3. An artistic model or plaque produced by a method according to either of the preceding

Claims (1)

1. Claims 1 and 2.

   4. A model or plaque according to Claim 3, in which means are provided to edgeilluminate the transparent material so that, when the said material is viewed from the front, the design cut into its rear surface will be visually highlighted.

   5. A model or plaque according to Claim 4, in which surfaces of the design are colourtinted to enhance the visual effect upon illumination of the transparent material.

   6. A model or plaque according to Claim 5, in which reflective elements are embedded or otherwise secured into surfaces of the design to enhance further the illuminated visual effect.

   7. A model or plaque in accordance with any of Claims 4 to 6, in which the said material is supported by a plinth in which the illuminating means are housed, and an edge or edges of the material communicate directly with the interior of the plinth to facilitate the necessary edge-illumination.