US1962279A - Process of making flatware - Google Patents

Description

June 12, 1934.

I H. R. LOTT 1,962,279 PROCESS OF MAKING FLATWARE Filed April 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor $3 2.5, 273.7. Howard fr'fazf flllorney 1pm; 12, 1934. o'r'r 1,962,279

PROCESS OF MAKING FLATWARE Filed April 20. 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q Inventor Patented June 12, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS OF MAKING FLATWARE Howard R. Lott, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application April 20, 1933, Serial No. 667,095

8 Claims.

My invention relates generally to metal products and processes of making the same, and particularly to a process for manufacturing flatware and similar ware. The present application is a I continuation in part of my co-pending application type by die striking.

It is also an important object of my invention to provide a process of making flatware in which the shape of the article is achieved by die-striking alone rather than by moulding or casting.

It is also an, important object of my invention to provide a processof the type described for making flatware from alloys resembling gold and similar j precious and semieprecious metals, whereby articles of flatware and the like can be manufactured to the prevailing standards for T such articles at a cost which is many times lower Zwherein for purposes of illustration I have shown examples of my alloy and of the process utilizing my novel alloy.

In the drawings:--

Figure 1 is a plan view showing interlocking .key blanks made from a strip of the alloy.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the key blanks.

Figure 3 is a view of Figure 2 after it has been cross-rolled.

Figure 4 is a view of one of the key blanks after it has been cross-rolled and longitudinally rolled.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of Figure 4.

igure 6 is a View of the shaped key blank after cutting from the cross-rolled and longitudinally "rolled blank shown in Figures l and 5.

tudinally key, blank for a fork.

Figure 11 is a view of Figure after the tining operation.

Figure 12 is a View of Figure 11 after the bowling and striking operation by which the design is imparted thereto.

Figure 13 is a view of Figure 12 after the bowling operation.

Figure 14 is a view of Figure 13 after the clipping and pointing operation.

The manufacture of imitation gold flatware consisting of a metal alloy of eighty five per cent copper, fourteenper cent zinc, one per cent tin and/or nickel, by a die-strikingfiatware process is entirely new and novel. The development of an alloy suitable for such a process and the adaptation of the usual process to the developed alloy has made possible the production of flatware from this particular alloy on a greatly increased volume basis with an extraordinary decrease in cost.

The composition metal alloy has been developed specifically for the manufacture of flatware by a die-striking process, the finished product of which has the appearance of gold, with an exceptional durability and acid resistance and can be sold to the retail trade at a price about ninety per cent less than the price oi"; similar articles made from similar alloys by other processes.

The metal alloy used in this manufacturing process has been invented by a long series of experiments in order to obtain the exact percentages of the metals contained in said alloy so that a color almost indistinguishable from gold can be obtained from the alloy itself, at the same time retaining a malleability and ductility necessary for working the product by a have proved to be the only percentages possible to produce the desired flatware product by means of the die striking process. Any substantial variation in the percentages of the metals contained in the alloy will cause the finished product to lose the effect and appearance of gold. Further, a variation of the percentages will make impractical the manufacture of the article by the process herein described, with a consequent great increase in cost of production. The methods of manufacture heretofore used for flatware consisting of alloys similar in composition to the metal alloy hereinafter described have been confined to casting and moulding,

being for the most part identical with the methods used for the production of articles of flatware manufactured from precious and semiprecious metals. The use however of similar alloys in a die-striking process, particularly the process now under consideration, has never before been accomplished. lhe advantages of the die-striknig process are manifold, permitting an extraordinary mass production with the utmost efiiciency in man labor and permitting the manufacture of flatware from this alloy by this process in volume far greater than was before possible, thereby permitting the sale of the finished product at a price far cheaper than has ever before been considered possible. The finished knife, fork, spoon, or any article of flatware or hollow ware made of this alloy by the process herein described has the beauty and appearance of gold, and has far greater durability and hardness, and a resistance to the acids contained in ordinary food stufis comparable to the resistance of gold or silver.

I have, after a long series of experiments, finally evolved a metal alloy consisting of eighty five per cent copper, fourteen per cent zinc, and one per cent tin and/or nickel, which has proved to be the only alloy having the malleability necessary for working the metal in the diestriking process, and which would at the same time produce the appearance of gold which it was sought toimitate. Any substantial varia 'tion of the percentages would produce an alloy which would not meet the requirements essential to the appearance of the finished article and essential to the method of manufacture. For example: If the copper percentage were increased to ninety per cent and the zinc and tin percent-ages correspondingly decreased, the finished product, although workable in the flatware process, would be of a deep reddish tinge or copper color, bearing no marked resemblance to gold. This alloy would also have an unfavorable acid reaction and would tarnish quickly when exposed to air. If the copper content were decreased slightly, say two to five per cent, the zinc remaining constant and the tin and/or nickel correspondingly increased so that the alloy would have an approximate composition of eighty per cent copper, fourteen per cent zinc, and six per cent tin and/or nickel, the resultant alloy would lose its gold appearance, and be much lighter in color (a silvery yellow) and would be less malleable and ductile, which would make its workability in the ordinary flatware process more difficult, requiring further annealing steps and would greatly increase the cost of the finished product. Further experiments have shown that increasing the tin and/or ickel content and correspondingly decreasing the zinc, the copper remaining constant, increases the hardness of the resultant metal proportionately, making the manufacture of flatware products from this alloy by the die- .striking process progressively more diflicult and expensive to a point where a decrease in zinc and corresponding increase in tin and/or nickel of five per cent, would make the manufacture by the process impossible from any practical standpoint, and would require manufacturing flatware from this alloy by the current method of casting and moulding as with precious metals. Of course the finished product would have no resemblance to gold whatsoever. So too, increasing the copper content above the percentages obtained through the inventors experiments would make the finished product so red in color that the similarity in color to gold would no longer exist. Decreasing the copper and nickel contents and correspondingly increasing the zinc content would not only alter the color of the alloy substantially (resulting in a dull silvery yellow) but would so increase the softness of the product that it would not stand the shock of the hammer, would roll unevenly, and the finished product would be unfit for ordinary household use. Accordingly, the only practical and efiicient percentages are as follows:

Copper eighty five per cent Zinc fourteen per cent Tin and/or nickel one per cent For the tin may be substituted an equal quantity of nickel, which makes the alloy slightly harder and more durable, or tin and nickel may be combined to form one per cent of the alloy. It is possible to increase and decrease the percentages of the metals stated by a small margin, as per the accompanying table, but any greater increase or decrease therein will result in an undesirable change of color, and/or greatly increased or decreased malleability and ductility so as to present insurmountable diificulty in working the metal so as to make production on a quantity basis impractical and increase the cost beyond reason.

Possible variations-table Copper eighty two to eighty eight per cent Zinc twelve to sixteen per cent Tin and/or nickel one to three per cent As pointed out above, I have found that the tin content can be substituted by nickel with no change in color or variation in workability. The combination of tin and nickel can be used, the combination however, or the individual metals, cannot exceed the maximum of three per cent of the total alloy.

This composition alloy differs materially from other known alloys, none of which have been used in the manufacture of flatware and hollow ware in the die-striking process. The alloy itself is not basically novel. It has been used in the proportions of seventy six per cent copper, nineteen per cent zinc, and five per cent tin in the manufacture of bells, by casting, and in still greater proportions with the addition of aluminum and iron in the manufacture of table ware and hollow ware, by casting and moulding, with subsequent grinding to smooth and burnish the finished product. Similar alloys with different proportions of copper, zinc and tin, and usually with an addition of two to three per cent lead, have been used for casting bronze statues. The composition alloy discovered by me and having the percentages given in the above tables has never before been used, nor has this alloy itself varied to any extent in its component parts, ever been used in any die-striking process for the production of flatware, hollow ware, or any kind of product. The alloy itself is therefore distinctiii ly novel, and the application of the alloy to a die-striking process for the manufacture of flatware and hollow ware has never before been considered possible or practical.

The conventional flatware processes used for manufacturing alloys of this general type have been changed by me as to possess several important and critical steps, which have been developed particularly for manufacturing ware from this alloy, but the process with the exception of those steps, is generally similar to the conventional called a key blank.

iii.

ecame process used in the manufacture of nickel silver and silver plated fiatwareand hollow ware. One of the most important and critical steps in the process which makes it possible to produce the necessary ductilityand malleability in this alloy for die-striking is the annealing, which must be done with great care. Another critical step necessary for the successful production of the finished article is the step: immediately following the annealing, i. e., the pickling and bright dipping, all of which: steps in the process will be more particularly described in their respective orders. It is unnecessary to describe the process used in the manufacture of the alloy, since this process is no different from the ordinary process used in the commingling of elemental metals into any ordinary alloy. The percentages of copper, zinc and tin however are highly important and must be maintained throughout by the maintenance of temperatures and by the use of ordinary fluxes.

Blanking After the metals have been commingled and the alloy formed, the cooled bulk is rolled into sheets of different thicknesses, usually between .090 and .175 inches in thickness and ordinarily from 5 to 8 inches in width. The length of the strips will be determined by the bulk of the metal, but is usually 8 to 12 feet in length. These strips are then fed into blanking machines, which are ordinary presses, with dies in the size and form of the blank required. The top die is pressed upon the sheet and, by cutting through, cuts out a blank in the form of a paddle 5 (see Figures 1 and 2) with handle attached, which is commonly These key blanks differ in size and shape according to the article of flatware to be manufactured therefrom. The blanking machine automatically strikes the blanks from the metal strip by an interlocking die, which enables many blanks as possible to be cut from a given strip of metal, making possible a substantial saving of metal. The key blank shown in Figures 1 and 2 is the one used in manufacturing the ordinary teaspoon.

Annealing The key blanks are placed in boxes and sprinkled with a boracic acid solution and then put into a furnace where they are subjected to a temperature of 1300 Fahrenheit for a period of fifteen minutes. The most efficient annealing of this metal can only be accomplished by the maintenance of an even and unvarying temperature of 1300 and by drawing the blanks from the furnace at the end of a fifteen minute period of time. This is the most critical point in the process, for on it depends necessary malleability of themetal, and the color of the finished product, as well as the workability of the metal throughout the other steps in the process without waste. of time for which the metal is subjected to the heat of the ann aling furnace may however vary according to the amount of metal placed in the furnace at one time. The above figures are based upon the usual amount of 100 pounds, which is found to be the best weight to use as a basis.

The alloy, thus subjected to the temperature for the period of time aforesaid, will be heated to a blue color, just verging on pink as a predominant tinge, and when this color is obtained, the metal must be immediately withdrawn from the furnace.

The period Pickling After this annealing, the blanks are dipped, While hot, into a solution eighty five per cent water and fifteen per cent sulphuric acid (66 commercial). This dipping is known as pickling, and may be done immediately after the blanks-are removed from the furnace. If done at this time, the h at of the metal will agitate the acid to a high degree and will dispose of a large portion of the scale on the annealed blanks, brightening the blanks generally, but causes a substantial waste of acid solution. This waste does not take place, however, if the blanks are allowed to cool for approximately ten minutes before being dipped into this acid bath.

Bright dipping The blanks are then dipped into another solution consisting of fifty per cent, by volume, of sulphuric acid (66 commercial), twenty five per cent, by volume, of nitric acid (36 commercial), and twenty five per cent, by volume, of water. This step is known bright dipping, the primary purpose of which is. to remove any remaining scale remain 11g after the initial acid bath.

Rinsing and air blast drying When the blanks are removed from this solution, they are rinsed first with cold water at an ordinary temperature and water, after which theyare placed on screens stretched over hot pipes and subjected to air blasts in order to cry the blanks as quickly as:

Cross roZZing In cross rolling, the paddle or plate 6 of the key blank is inserted crosswise into the cross rolling machine, which is a heavy machine consisting of two rolls, between which the paddle end 6 of the key blank is rolled to the desired width and thickness for the bowl of the spoon or forkto be manufactured therefrom as shown in Figure 3 at 6c. On the larger pieces, such as desthenwith boiling sert spoons and tablespoons, the rolls may also flatten a portion of the handle to bring it to the desired width and thickness. These widths are predetermined and can be reduced or increased by using different sizes of rolls and changing the pressure with which they are brought together.

Grading or long rolling The stacked blanks are taken from the cross.

rolling machine to a grading or longitudinal rolling machine, in which the cross rolled key blanks portion between the paddle and the tapering handle, to retain its original thickness to give the fork or spoon strength. The elliptical characteristic of the roll is barely visible to the naked eye, varying from a perfect circle by a few hundredths of an inch. When the key blank comes from this machine, it has the proper longitudinally graduated thickness and length and the required widths for the particular article to be manufactured therefrom.

Cutting out The next step in the process is to stamp from this key blank the desired outline of the fork or spoon, depending upon the pattern, and this is done by inserting the blank into a punch press, which cuts the blank to the desired outline 51) shown in Figure 6. The key blanks 5b drop from the punch press into containers and are then ready for a final annealing before being shaped into spoons and forks and stamped with the decorative designs or patterns.

Final annealing A further annealing process is imperative at this point and constitutes a critical step in the process because of the unworkable condition oi the alloy, which become much hardened by the great pressure exerted upon it while undergoing the cross rolling, grading or long rolling, and cutting out steps, and is so brittle that it would otherwise split before taking the impression of the forming dies. The extraordinary pressure to which the metal is subjected in the preceding steps causes complete loss of malleability, which it is necessary to restore. The annealing at this stage, however, does not differ from the first annealing step, and is accomplished by placing the shaped blanks into a furnace and maintaining therein an even and unvarying temperature of 13ilil Fahrenheit, for a period of time not exceeding fifteen minutes for 100 pound lots. The blanks 5b are withdrawn from the furnace after they have reached the heat between blue color and pink tinge (see pickling and bright dipping) and are dipped in the manner before described in a solution consisting of 15 per cent sulphuric acid and per cent water, and immediately thereafter bright dipped in a solution consisting of 50 per cent sulphuric acid, 25 per cent nitric acid and 25 per cent water, by volume, and subsequently rinsed in cold water of ordinary temperature and again rinsed in boiling water, and then dried by the air blowing process to prevent tarnish. The blanks are then ready to be struck into the form of the finished product and to have impressed upon them the pattern selected.

Bowling The first step in the formation of the blanks into the finished product is called bowling, and is accomplished by placing the bowl end of the blank under drop hammers of different weights, depending upon the thickness of the metal which is to be bowled. The bottom die is stationary and the paddle or bowl end of the blank is laid on its base, and held firmly in position by the operator until the movable die attached to the hammer falls two to three feet in striking. The

blow of the hammer causes the paddle or bowl end of the hat blank to take the impression of the bowl of an ordinary spoon or fork as shown at 60, at the same time compresses the metal so as to harden it to a point where all malleability acquired from the second annealing process is lost and the bowl is hard and durable.

Striking The bowling operation having been completed, the bowled blanks having been placed in their containers, they are now subjected to the striking process, the purpose of which is to complete the handles of the blanks by striking them into the desired pattern and simultaneously impressing upon the handles the designs selected. This is accomplished by placing the handles 71) 0f the bowled blanks on stationary dies under drop hamm rs, to the hammer part of which has been attached a die companion to the stationary die, and which has been worked into designs selected for the finished product. The handle when struck by the hammer die, will thereupon acquire the pattern form and design shown at 7d and at the same time harden and stiifen and lose its malleability, so that it will be durable and of a hardness suited to practical use.

Tining and clipping process used for forks The routine of operations to this point is changed slightly in the case of making forks which require additional steps for cutting out the tines, known as tining and clipping. In tining, after the fork key blanks it have been bowled by the drop hammer process above described, but before the handles 11 are stamped, the paddle or bowl end 12 of the fork blank. is inserted in a punch press, which cuts out therefrom three slots 13, leaving the four tines 14 of the ordinary fork on the paddle end 12 of the blank. The fork blanks are then struck into the pattern or design, and then inserted into another punch press, where the ends 15 of the tines are clipped into points designated 16 in Figure 14. These tining and clipping steps to which the forks are subjected constitute the only changes from the ordinary spoon routine.

Grinding or edging The forks and spoons are now ready for the finishing process. The edges and ha d of the forks and spoons are smoothed by y ning the edges over a fast revolving emery t ed belt or wheel and are then buffed to smooth and iron out all imperfections, at the same time giving them in the final buffing stage a high lustre.

B si

The first buffing process is commonly called black bufiing. The buffs are made of 9 inch cotton discs of an 88-92 weave and are attached to a high speed lathe running at an average speed of 4600 revolutions per minute. To these buifs the back of the bowl and the handle of the spoon or fork is held firmly by he operator until all portions of metal surface are smooth and the little marks or imperfections remaining from the previous operations are removed.

The inside of the bowl fork or spoon is buffed j cutting down and color buffing.

it will withstand ordinary household use.

Cutting down The "cutting down process consists merely of bufilngaby means of cotton discs on a more slow- Color 'bufling The high lustre is accomplished by color buff ing in which cotton discs slightly smaller in size and of a slightly diiferent weave and which have been treated with a compound censisting of Vienna lime :and kerosene, are used. As a result of these steps all imperfections are removed from the articles, and the metal surface thereof gleams with a bright gold lustre. The finished articles are now ready to be packed in containers and delivered to the purchasers.

Knives The processes above described are used for the manufacture of forks, spoons, butter spreaders, butter knives, etc. The manufacture of two piece knives differs from the routine of the ordinary process. In the first instance, the metal is substantially different in shape and does not take the form of :a key blank but rather the form of a round rod approximately -3 inches in diameter and from 8 feet to 10 feet long. These rods are fed into an automatic screw machine which cuts them off into pieces approximately 4 inches long in one operation and then drills a hole in the center of one end of this cut piece approximately 6/16 inches deep. This is the first operation in the formation of the handle of. a knife.

The blade is similar to ordinary knife blades, being made of stainless steel with a small piece or arm extending beyond the bottom of the blade about 6/16 inches long. This small at 1 the bottom of the blade is placed into the hole which has been drilled into the handle and the two pieces, while in such a position, are inserted into a knuckle joint press. This press has a bottom and top die similar to the hammers. The top "die being movable, comes down with a 300 to 500 ton pressure per square inch, and squeezes the neck of the handle against the blade in such a way as to make it very tight and strong so that From this point on the knife follows the same operations as the spoon, in that first, the design is embossed 'or struck on the handle by means of the drop hammers and then it is subjected to the edging operations, black buffing, cutting down and color buffing, the materials in buffs being identical to those used in the spoon operations.

The present invention affords an alloy from a com-mingling of copper, zinc, and tin and/or nickel of stipulated percentages to give a resultant alloy of a color almost indistinguishable from gold. This alley is much harder than gold, is far more durable and has a reaction equal to gold to acids contained in the ordinary food stuffs. I have evolved this alloy for the specific purpose of using it in an adaptation of the ordinary flatware process for the manufacture of the ordinary articles of flatware and hollow ware. My accomplishment is therefore twofold: firstly, the discovery of a metal of the color, appearance and acid reaction of gold and of a greater hardness and durability, and secondly, in the use of this alloy for the specific purpose of manufacturing flatware products therefrom by an adaptation of the ordinary flatware process. Neither of these discoveries has heretofore been made, nor has the use of such an alloy in a process of this sort ever before been considered. As the result of these discoveries, it is now possible to manufacture articles of flatware scarcely distinguishable from gold on a quantity basis of production, with an extraordinary reduction in the cost of such production. Although alloys of similar nature and of percentages however varying in a marked degree from the alloy herein described have been used in the casting of bells and statues and also in the casting and moulding of flatware articles, which articles could only be sold at a price commensurate with articles made of precious metals, it has remained for me to evolve and develop an alloy consisting of specific percentages of copper, zinc and tin and/or nickel and a process utilizing this alloy for the manufacture of articles of flatware in a die-striking process. A maximum saving in cost of production is thereby obtained and the article so manufactured can be sold to the retail trade at approximately one tenth of the price of articles made from similar alloys by different processes.

Although .I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of my alloy and a preferred embodiment-of the process of working the same, it is to be definitely understood that I do not desire to limit the application of the invention thereto, and any change or changes may be made in materials and operations, and in the sequence and duration thereof, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:-

l. A process of making flatware resembling gold in appearance and acid resistance and having superior hardness and durability, said process comprising rolling into a sheet a quantity of metal composed of copper, zinc, and tin; then die-cutting the sheet into blanks; then annealing the blanks; then dipping the blanks while hot into an acid solution to remove scale from the blanks; then redipping the dipped blanks in a second acid bath to brighten the blanks; then washing and drying the blanks and when dry, cross rolling a portion of the blanks to flatten and widen the same; then longitudinally rolling the cross-rolled blanks to lengthen them and graduate. the thickness thereof; then cutting from the rolled blank the shape of the article dry blanks to give them the final shape contour and form; then buffing and polishing to bring out the desired finish and color.

2. A process of making flatware resembling gold in appearance and acid resistance and having superior hardness and durability, said process comprising rolling into a sheet a quantity of metal containing 85% copper, 14% zinc, and 1% tin; then die-cutting the sheet into blanks; then annealing the blanks at a temperature in the neighborhood of 1300 Fahrenheit; then dipping the blanks while hot into a sulphuric acid solution to remove scale from the blanks; then redipping the dipped blanks in a second sulphuric nitric acid bath to brighten the blanks; then washing and drying the blanks and when dry,

cross rolling a portion of the blanks to flatten and widen the same; then longitudinally rolling the cross-rolled blanks to lengthen them and graduate the thickness thereof; then cutting from the rolled blank the shape of the article to be made; then annealing the shapes a second time at the aforesaid temperature to restore ductility and malleability thereto; then repeating the first and second dipping, and the washing and drying; then die-striking the dry blanks to give them the flnal shape contour and form; then buiiing and polishing to bring out the desired finish and color.

3. A process of making flatware resembling gold in appearance and acid resistance and having superior hardness and durability, said process comprising rolling into a sheet a quantity of metal containing 85% copper, 14% zinc, and 1% nickel; then die-cutting the sheet into blanks; then annealing the blanks at a temperature in the neighborhood of 1390" Fahrenheit; th n dipping the blanks while not into a sulphuric acid solution to remove scale from the blanks; then redipping the clipped blanks in a second sulphuric nitric acid bath to brighten the blanks; then washing and drying the blanks and when dry, cross rolling a portion of the blanks to flatten and widen the same; then longitudinally rolling the cross-rolled blanks to lengthen them and graduate the thickness thereof; then cutting from the rolled blank the shape of the article to be made; then annealing the shapes a second time at the aforesaid temperature to restore ductility and malleability thereto; then repeating L the first and second dipping, and the washing and drying; then die-striking the dry blanks to give them the final shape contour and form; then buffing and polishing to bring out the desired finish and color.

4. A process of making flatware resembling gold in appearance and acid resistance and having superior hardness and durability, said process comprising rolling into a sheet a quantity of metal containing copper, zinc and nickel; then die-cutting the sheet into blanks; then annealing the blanks; then dipping the blanks while hot into an acid solution to remove scale from the blanks; then redipping the dipped blanks in a second acid bath to brighten the blanks; then Washing and drying the blanks and when dry, cross rolling a portion of the blanks to flatten and widen the same; then longitudinally rolling the cross-rolled blanks to lengthen them and graduate the thickness thereof; then cutting from the rolled blank the shape of the article to be made; then annealing the shapes a second time to restore ductility and malleability thereto; then repeating the first and second dipping, and the washing and drying; then die-striking the dry blanks to give them the final shape contour and form; then bufling and polishing to bring out the desired finish color.

5. In a process of making flatware resembling gold in appearance and acid resistance and hav- 1 ing superior hardness and durability, the steps of die-cutting a blank from a sheet of rolled metal composed of copper, zinc and tin, annealing the blank at a relatively high temperature, then While the blank is hot dipping the same into acid to remove scale from the blank, then washing and drying the blank and while cold rolling the blank to flatten and widen the same, then die-cutting the blank to flatten and produce the form of the piece of flatware; then annealing the form to restore ductility and malleability thereto; then die-striking the cold form to impart thereto the final shape and contour.

6. In a process of making flatware resembling gold in appearance and acid resistance and having superior hardness and durability, the steps of die-cutting a blank from a sheet of rolled metal composed of copper, zinc and tin, annealing the blank at a relatively high temperature, then while the blank is hot dipping the same into acid to remove scale from the blank, then Wash ng and drying the blank and while cold rolling the blank to flatten and widen the same, then die-cutting the blank while cold to produce the form of the piece of flatware; then annealing the form to restore ductility and malleability thereto; then die-striking the cold form to impart thereto the final shape and contour, the proportions of copper, zinc, and t n composing said metal being approximately 85%, 14%, and 1%, respectively.

'7. In a process of making flatware resembling 105 gold in appearance and acid resistance and having superior hardness and durability, the steps of die-cutting a blank from a sheet of rolled metal composedof copper, zinc and tn, annealing the blank at a relatively high temperature, then while the blank is hot dipping the same into acid to remove scale from the blank, then washing and drying the blank and while cold rolling the blank to flatten and widen the same, then die-cutting the blank while cold to produce 115 the form of the piece of flatware; then annealing the form to restore ductility and malleability thereto; then die-striking the cold form to impart thereto the final shape and contour, said relatively high temperature being approximately 1300 Fahrenheit.

8. In a process of making flatware resembling gold in appearance and acid resistance and having superior hardness and durability, the steps of die-cutting a blank from a sheet of rolled metal 125 composed of copper, zinc and tin, annealing the blank at a relatively high temperature, then wh le the blank is hot dipping the same into acid to remove scale from the blank, then washing and drying the blank and while cold rolling the blank 13*? to flatten and widen the same, then die cutting the blank while cold to produce the form of the piece of flatware; then anneal ng the form to restore ductility and malleability thereto; then die-striking the cold form to impart thereto the 135 final shape and contour, the proportions of copper, zinc, and tin composing said metal being approximately 85%, 14%, and 1%, respectively; and said relatively high temperature being approximately 1300 Fahrenheit.

HOWARD R. LOTT.

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