US1433892A - Process of printing on vitrified ware - Google Patents

Description

J. F. KELLY.

PROCESS OF PRINTING 0N VITRIFIED WARE.

APPLICATION Fl LED OCT. 24. 1921.

1,433,892; 7 Patented 001:. 31, 1922..

I INVEWLDV:

Patented @ot. m, 1922 JAMES F. KELLY, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNQR T OHARA WALTHAJTI DIAL CO. INC., 0F WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATIGN 0F MASSACHU- SETTS.

PROCESS OF PRINTING 0N 'VITRIFIED WARE.

Application file d Uetober 24, 1921. Serial No. 509,848.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs F. KELLY, a citizen of the United States, residingI at Newton, county of Middlesex, State of l assachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes of Printing on Vitrified Ware, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to a new and useful improvement in process of printing on vitrified ware. Tt is especially intended for application to enamel dials but it is adapted for use in printing on any kind of an article made '15 of vitrified ware, such for instance as porcelain, enamel, china, pottery, glass, or any other kind of vitrified article, and the-claims are intended to cover application to any such kind of articles. The term printing 2c is intended to be used in a broad sense,

whether letters, figures, or any decorative design.

The invention is more particularly intended for application in the printing of White.

' or light-colored lettering, marking, or design on a dark background.

Heretofoie, so far as I am aware, it has been possible to make in quantity such an article having light-colored lettering or marking on a dark background only by exensive photographic process, although a ight-colored dial with dark letters has been made by the so-called offset process.

The reason that light printing cannot be 5 satisfactorily put on a dark background in the same way that a dark print can be put on a light background, is that light colors cannot be made opaque enough so that the dark background will not show through.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claims 4.5 at the close of this specification.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an enameled article which is to be marked.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the article after so the color resist has been applied in the form of the design.

Fig. 3 is a diagram representing a section on line 3 of Fig. 2

and 3).

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 after the ummy substance constituting the vehicle or the coloring matter has been applied.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 after the coloring matter has been applied.

Fig. 6 is a view similarto Fig. 5 after the article has-been fired and before the heat resist and the coloring matter superimposed over it has been brushed oil, the gum having vanished by the firing.

Fig. 7 is a plan View of the finished article after it has been fired and that portion 'of the coloring which was laid over the resist and the resist itself are both rubbed off.

Fig. 8 is a diagram representing a section on line 8, 8 of Figure 7.

In all the views, the thickness of the coatings is shown greatly exaggerated, especially the gum which is very much exaggerated.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 represents a porcelain or enamel article which is to be decorated or lettered by my improved process. For simplicity of lllustration, the article 1 is shown as a small plate. The blank as shown at 1 may be of ordinary porcelain having an enamel surface 2 and made in exactly the same way as in the case of an ordinary white dial, that is, with a plain white surface.

lln' carrying out my invention, as the first step in the process, the form of lettering or other, marking desired is marked on there? enamel surface by the use of a heat resisting substance 3 which will be hereinafter re ferred to as the heat resist. (See Figs. 2 This heat resist consists of some material which has a very much higher melting point than the enamel of which the artie ole is made or of the'minera'l coloring 5 hereinafter referred to. It can have for a basis, chalk, whiting, zinc oxide, finely ground quartz, or any other powder wlnch has a high melting point. This heat resist is made into a paint. As a vehicle for making this powder into the paint, any of the usual oils can be employed. Some of these oils are fat oil of turpentine, Canada balsam, Venice turpentine, oil of thyme, lavender oil, or any group of these in appropriate proportions. The'above enumerated oils are merely illustrative. Any other suitable oils or gums may be employed. lit is preierableto a small touch of lamp black in this he- Mill surface.

shown at 3, by any suitable process of which there are many in use.' I have had the best.

success by the use of the oil'set dial painting process, so-called. g

After the lettering has been applied, as above described, the background or dark color of the article is put on'by the following means :-'A very light coat 4 of sticky gum of some kind is applied over the entire surface of the article; the preferred method of applying it is by spraying. For this urpose, the gum employed is gum mastic, anada balsam, or any other sort of oil or gum which will turn to gas at the firing temperature. (See Figure l.)-

While this coating of gum or oil is still in a tacky state, a finely ground black or dark mineral coloring 5 is sifted onto the tacky (See Figure 5.) A suitable mineral coloring for this purpose is what is known "to the trade as enamelers oxides or china decorating colors. A thin coat of the mineral coloring will stick to the gum. Any excess can be brushed ofi with a fine brus such, for instance, as'a camels-hair brush. The article is now ready to be fired. The preferred method of firing is to put it in a mufile furnaceat from 1200 to 1800 Fahrenheit until the dark or black mineral color which has been dusted on is fused into a. uniform coat. {j

The heat resist 3, previously referred to, with which the lettering or design was marked out, serves to insulate the white metal background covered b said heat resist, so that the mineral coloring will not adhere to thatportion covered by the heat resist. Where it is not so insulated, the mineral coloring will adhere firmly and uniformly to the surface. It will not adhere to the portioncovered by the heat resist paint because the said resist paint consists mainly of heat resisting powder which will not melt at the firing temperature, and therefore the dark vitrified mineral color for the background does not adhere to the white-surface covered by the resist aint.

The resist powder b oils or ot er vehicle contained in the resist paint will evaporate. (See Figure 6.) The dark colored mineral paint superimposed over the resist paint and which has there been insulated from the white background, can easily be brushed ofi', leaving the white or light colored markings of the same design as originally printed on the article by the paint will be turned to a dry the heat of the firing, .and the.

enace heat resist paint, and theremainingsurface the firing temperature, then applying a thin coat-of mineral coloring onto the tacky sur-- face, then firing the article at a sufiiciently hi h degree of heat a fuse the mineral co oring, and then removing the heat resist substance which was first applied in laying out the design forthe marking as any mineral coloring which adheres thereto.

2. The process of printing onvitrified ware consisting of applying to the surface of the article a, heat resist substance in the form of a design with which the article is to be marked, said heat resist substance having a higher melting point than the enamel surface of the article, then spreading over the surfaceof the article a coat of sticky substance having .the characteristic that it will turn to gas at the firing temperature, then applying a coat of mineral coloring to the tacky surface made by the sticky substance,

then firing the article at a sufficiently high for the marking, therebyleaving the article with a background formed by the fused mineral coloring and with an exposed portion of the original vitrified surface in the form of design which was marked out with the heat resist substance.

3. The process of printing on vitrified ware consisting 'of marking upon the vitrified surface of the article the desired design with a heat resist substance which has a higher melting point than the vitrified surface of the article, then applying to the surface of the article a coat of sticky substance having the characteristic that it will turn to gas at the firing temperature, then applying a coat of mineral coloring to the tacky surface made by the sticky substance, then firing the article in a muflle furnace at a temperature high enough for the mineral coloring matter to be fused into a uniform coat, and then removing the color resist substance and'any' surface matter which may adhere thereto.

4:.Tl16 process of printing on vitrified ware consisting of marking upon the surface of the article! the form of the desired mark with a substance which will not melt at the fusing point of the vitrified article, then apits aeaeea plying to the enamel surface of the article a substance which has the characteristic 01. disappearing at the fusing temperature, then applyinga coat of fusible coloring substance and firing the article to a sufficient degree to fuse the coloring substance, and then removing the substance with which the design was first marked out.

5. The process of printing on vitrified ware consisting of marking upon the surface of the article the form of the desired mark with a substance which will not melt at the fusing point of the vitrified article, then applying to the surface of the article a coat of fusible coloring matter by means of a vehicle which has the characteristic of disappearing at the fusing temperature, then firing the article to a sufiicient degree to use the coloring substance, and then removing the substance with which the design was first marked out,

In. testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JAMES F. KELLY.

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