US1604557A

US1604557A - Method of manufacturing decorative glassware

Info

Publication number: US1604557A
Application number: US737009A
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul W Jenkins
Original assignee: MACBETH EVANS GLASS CO
Current assignee: MACBETH EVANS GLASS CO; MACBETH-EVANS GLASS Co
Priority date: 1924-09-10
Filing date: 1924-09-10
Publication date: 1926-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 1943-10-26

Description

Oct. 26 r926. 1,604,557

P. w. JENKINS METHOD OF MANUFACTURING DECORATIVE GLASSWARE Filed Sept. 10, 1924 waoflooou a a o o a u o a gun oomm oooo Oououg INYENTOR M1 WM retested ca. 2a, 1926.

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nnrrso STATES PATENT,Omar, ,l

PAUL w. annxrns orormnnnnoit, PENNSYLVANIA, assienoaro Mercantile- Evans a r ess coivrreivv, or rrr'rsnnnen, PENNSYLVANIA, A oonroaa rrolt or rEnnsYL- Van a.

utn'rnon or mauuracrunrne n aconnrrvn eLAsswAREQ Application filed September 10,1924. SeriaINo. 737,009.

neinvention relates to the manufacture of what is commonly known as incrusted glassware, or, more specifically described, that type of decorated glassware in which 5 the decoration consists of or includes coated relief or i11taglio, both of which are hereinafter referred to as relief. Y i

The practice followed for manydecades in the'manufacture of decorated glassware of the character herein contemplated has been first to form,usually by blowing, glass articles having plain surfaces, then to. form,

by the etching process relief designs on such areas of the glass asit was desiredto have decorated with coated relief designs, and finally to coat the so-called relief. design areas, usually with a suitable paint which 1s generally, but notnecessarily, gold. Later the coated articles are fired to set-the coating. Not only does the etching step form a relief design, but it forms the design such sharp outline, and leaves the surface 1n such condition that it readily retains the coating subsequently applied to it.

Articles so decoratedare very attractlve, but they are necessarily very expensive because of the time required for, and hence the expense involved in their manufacture. By far the largest item ofexpense is incident to the etching process for forming reliei designs on the areas which are later coated. This is done by first coating an article with wax or some other material which is resistant to the action of acid, then removing the wax to leave the glass exposed in, a negative of the pattern which it 1s desired to ultimately have stand out in relief,

and finally immersing the thus-prepared article in an acid which attacks the portions of the surface of the glass from which the wax has been removed, and leaves the wax-covered portions stand out in relief. Later the wax is entirely removed from the article, which further adds to the expense of the relief-forming step.

Aside from the expense involved in this method, it has further objectionable characteristics. When applied to thin blown glassware, and this is the type of ware to which it is usually applied, the thinning of the glass by acid further weakens the inherently fragile articles. Furthermore, regardless of what type of glassware the method is applied to, the relief design cannot for practical reasons, project from or beyond the undecorat'ed surface of an article.

The object of this invention is to provide a method of manufacturing decorated glassware of the type explained, whereby such glassware may be produced ata greatly res ducedrcost, a method which does not weaken the glasswaraand a method which may be.

used to form relief designs which are either flush with or project beyond-the undecorated surfaces of glassware. According to this invention the relief forming step of the prior method of manu factureis effected simultaneously with the shaping of an article of glassware from a mass of plastic glass, it having-been found that a coating-retaining relief design maybe so formed. A mass of plastic glass is placed in a mold having an area of its surface provided with a relief design, and pressure is applied to the mass to simultaneously shape the article and to form a coating-retaining relief design on an area of its outer surface. Later an adhering coating is formed on the relief area of the article.

While the relief design may be variously formed on the mold, as for example by milling or otherwise cutting the mold with tools,

it is preferably formed by the etching proc-' ess. In other words, the procedure which has heretofore been carried out on each glass article is, according to the preferred manner of practising this invention, carried out on a mold with which thousands of articles may be manufactured Preferably the design is etched as intaglio in the mold so as to appear as a relief design on the surfaces of the articles formed in the mold. This has the advantage that the thickness of the wall of the article is not diminished by the formationof the design. However, by etching or machining or both etching and machining the design may be formed as relief on the mold so as to appear as intaglio in the articles. It has been found that by etching the design in the mold and by the proper application of pressure to a body of plastic glass in the mold there results the formation of a relief design on the article which is capable of retaining a coating subsequently applied to it.

The pressure applied to the glass to form an article with a coating-retaining relief design on its surface may be effected by the relative approach of cooperating molds in a glass press, but is preferably effected by the blowing air used in a glass blowing machine. In either case high pressure is preferably used so as to produce a relief design having a ,sharp outline which facilitates adherence of coating. After the article is formed, its relief design area is coated and the article is fired to further cause thecoating to adhere to the design area thus formed. As previously indicated, the coating is preferably gold, but may be silver or other colors.

In the accompanying drawing there is shown a perspective View of a thin blown tumbler manufactured according to the method herein disclosed, the outer surface of its mouth being provided with a coated relief band. It has been found that decorated tumblers of the type so illustrated may be manufactured according to this method at a cost less than one fifth of that incident to the method of manufacture which has been followed for decades; that tumblers manufactured according to this method have the same appearance as those made according to the old method; and that the coating adheres to the relief area just as firmly as if the relief area of each article were formed on the article by the etching process.

I claim:

1. The method of manufacturing an incrusted glass article, which comprises blowing a mass of plastic glass within a mold having an area of its surface provided with a relief design, and by such blowing simultaneously shaping the article and forming a shallow coating-retaining relief design of sharp outline on an area of the outer surface of the article, and subsequently forming an adherent coating on said relief area of the article.

2. The method of manufacturing an incrusted glass article, which comprises blowing under high pressure a mass of plastic glass within a mold having an area of its surface provided with an etched relief design, and by such blowing simultaneously shaping the article and forming a shallow coating-retaining relief design of sharp out line on an area of the outer surface of the article, and subsequently forming an adherent coating on said relief area of the article.

In testimony whereof, I sign my name.

PAUL W. JENKINS.