US2013740A - Ceramic articles - Google Patents

Description

sept. 1o, 1935. I L. H. 'BowN 2,013,740

CERAMIC ARTICLES Original F'iled April 15, 1951 MMM Patented Sept. l0, 1935 CERAMIC ARTCLES Lewis H. Bown, lEast Aurora, N. Y., assigner to Buffalo Pottery Co., Buialo, N. Y.

Original application April 15, 1931, Serial No.

530,193, now Patent 1,849,272, dated March 15 1932. Divided and this application March 7 1932, Serial No. 597,097

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in ceramic articles, and particularly to articles known as chinaware. This application is a division of my co-pending application, Ser. No.

V 530,193, filed April l5, 1931, now patent No. 1,849,-

272, issued March l5, 1932.

An object of the invention is to improve such articles by increasing their strength for a given thickness, and to improve their appearance by the use of dierent colors on exposed faces.

Another object is to provide improved articles of this kind having contrasting color areas of substantial depth, so that chipping and scratch- Ving will not interfere with color combinations or destroy the color patterns, which may have a variety of patterns formed by contrasting colors, which may be inexpensively produced, and which will be relatively simple in construction and attractive in appearance.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description oi an embodiment of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with'the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is an elevation, partly in section, of a wheel or revolving disk having a mold placed thereon and showing the first layer of ceramic substance formed thereon;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the completely formed plastic article on the mold ready Yfor drying;

Fig. 3 represents a face view of a complete plate embodying this invention.

Referring first to Fig. 3, an article of glazed chinaware is shown having a middle portion A on one face of the article formed of a ceramic substance differing in color from that of the body portion B of the article. For example, in the case of a glazed china dinner plate, the body portion A may be made from a china body or mix of one color and shaped so that this layer will in the nal article be of approximately half the thickness of the article, and will form the middle portion of one face of the article. The body portion B and the middle portion A are united while the body or miX is still in wet `and plastic form, so ythat the two layers become bonded together to form a unitary structure. The body portion B is made of a color differing from the middle portion A and the body portion will, consequently, form a border around the inner portion of the article on one face of the article', which border may be of a color contrasting with that of the middle portion of the article. When any suitable or desired manner.

(Cl. llll-35) the article is formed, as hereinafter described, the other face of the article will be entirely formed by the body portion.

By bonding these two parts of Ithe article together while the clay or mix is wet or plastic, 5

the two layers of clay or mix are united in such a manner that they become integrally connected. The colors of the parts of the article are not merely supercially imposed on the articles, but extend well into or through the articles. Consequently, color is not removed from the articles by scratching or rubbing the same or by breaking or chipping portions of Ithe articles, since the portion of theA article at the break or scratch will be the same in color as adjacent parts of the article. In addition to the pleasing color effects that may be produced by using two or more dif'- ferent colors of clay in the articles, it has been found that articles formed of -two layers or laminations of clay or other ceramic material placed 20 one on top of the other are stronger and have greater resistance to breaking than similar articles formed of a single mass of ceramic material. This may be due to the grain in lthe two layers extending in different directions or possibly 25 to other causes. It has been observed that even if the two layers oi the article are formed of the same material, a stronger article results than when the article is made as heretofore of a single mass of material.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, C represents a revolving ring or wheel, preferably made of metal and mounted on an upright spindle D provided with any suitable means for rotating the spindle, a pulley d driven by a belt c being shown -to indicate one way in which the ring C may be rotated. F represents a mold made of a water absorbing substance, such for example as plaster of Paris. Preferably, the ring or wheel C has an upwardly extending annular beveled flange 40 5 into which a corresponding beveled annularV face E5 of the mold F ts, to correctly center the mold with reference -to the rotary table or ring C. The upper face of the mold may be of any desired contour, depending upon the shape of 45 the article to be made, the particular mold shown being formed for the making of plates.

In the making of an article in accordance with my invention, a layer lil of Wet plastic ceramic substance, which is preferably smaller than the 50 ultimate article to be made, is formed on the mold F. The forming of this layer may be effected in For example, a bat or mass of clay may be placed upon the mold and shaped in any suitable or desired manner.

The layer ID may, if desired, be trimmed by means of a suitable tool, not shown, shaped to give this layer a definite configuration, size and thickness, or if desired, the layer may be shaped by hand. It is also possible to form the layer il] on the mold by dipping the middle portion of the mold into a slip or mass of clay suspended in Water. Because of the water absorbing ability of the mold F, water will be absorbed from the slip touching the mold, leaving a deposit of clay on the surface of the mold. This deposit may be built up to any desired thickness by leaving the mold in contact with the slip for greater or less periods of time, and the layer thus built up may then be shaped in any desired manner or trimmed with a forming tool until it has the thickness and size desired. The edge portions li of this layer it are preferably beveled or tapered down for reasons hereinafter stated.

After the ceramic substance for forming the layer iii has been placed on the mold F, it is quickly shaped to the desired form, and before much of the moisture has been withdrawn from the layer i9 by the mold F, the ceramic substance for the body portion of the article is placed on the mold, the body portion also being in a Wet and plastic condition. This may be done in the usual manner in which articles of this kind have heretofore been made, for example, by forming a fiat layer or bat of clay of larger size than that required for forming the body portion of the article and throwing this bat down upon the mold. The contour of the body portion of the article can then be formed in the same manner as has heretofore been done in connection with making articles of this kind from a single bat of clay. Bythrowing the bat upon the mold and upon the layer I thereon, the plastic ceramic substance in the bat Will conform itself to the contour of the mold and of the layer l!) thereon, and since the twomasses of clay are wet and plastic, they will become bonded together into a unitary structure. The upper face of the body portion of the article on the mold may then be formed or trimmed into the desired shape and the article is preferably left on the mold until sumcient moisture has been withdrawn from the body so that the article willretain its shape when removed from the mold. By providing a beveled or tapering edge Il on the layer IB, the extreme edge of the layer BEI will become so bonded with the body portion i2 that no ridge or groove will be formed at the junction of this edge with the body portion. Preferably, the thickness of the layer I@ and the intermediate portion id of the body i2 of the article are substantially equal.

After the article has been dried, it can be treated in the usual manner for finishing the same, including the steps of final trimming, ring, glazing, etc.

The clay or ceramic material used in making the layer l0 is preferably of the same nature and characteristics as that used in making the body portion l2, so that all parts of the resulting articlewill have similar characteristics with refer- 'ence to expansion and contraction when subjected to changes in temperature, and so that the several parts of the article will shrink equally during drying and will not break during firing. The two ceramic substances used may, however, be of diierent color to produce a multi-color effeot in the finished article. The article has herein been described as made of two layers of different colors, but it will be obvious that three or more ceramic substances of different colors may be employed Without departing from this invention by superimposing successively larger layers on the mold.

I claim as my invention: 5

1. A glazed and fired article of chinaware having relatively broad and thin, integrally bonded layer sections of contrasting colors but substantially the same clay composition, abutting face to face and having their abutting faces overrunning one another and with the overrunning face of the overrunning section completely covering the edge surface of the other section and forming a substantially abruptless and liush continuation of the exposed face of said other section, said sections being united face to face while plastic.

2. A glazed and fired relatively thin article of chinaware having overrunning, integrally bonded, thin, sheet-like laminations of different colors, and formed of china bodies of substantially the same clay mix united to one another while plastic and glazed on all exposed surfaces.

3. A glazed and fired, relatively thin article of chinaware formed of integrally bonded, sheetlike, overrunning laminations of contrasting colface of said article so as to produce a pattern,

said article being glazed on all exposed surfaces.

4. A glazed and fired relatively thin article of chinaware formed of superposed thin, sheet-like laminations of different colors, integrally bonded on their contacting faces, said laminations being l Y formed of china bodies of substantially the same clay mix, overrunning one another in an exposed face of said article, united face to face while plastic and having Visible areas of preformed, selected shapes by selection of the manner of overrunning and producing a Well defined pattern in said exposed face.

5. An article of glazed and fired chinaware having a relatively thin reinforced wall portion, comprising a plurality of sheet-like layers of china bodies of the same nature and characteristics bonded together, said layers being substantially coextensive with the reinforced portion and united face to face while plastic.

6. A red plate or similar article of glazed I chinaware comprising a thin sheet-like layer of a china body of one color and co-extensive with the lateral dimensions of the article, and a relatively thin and smaller sheet-like portion of china body of another color but of the same nature and characteristics embedded until flush in an exposed face of said layer, and united thereto while both layers are plastic.

7. An article of fired chinaware having a body portion of the same nature and characteristics throughout, a portion of which is of lesser thickness than other portions and has a lamination of the same nature and characteristics integrally bonded thereto across the portion of lesser thickness, said lamination having a bevelled edge merging into the surface of the body portion to form a flush joint therewith.

8. An article of chinaware having thin walls with a smooth face and comprising a plurality of sheet-like layers of contrasting colors` and formed of plastic china bodies of the same nature and characteristics applied face to face and united while plastic and overruning one another in the interior of said smooth face with iiush junctions at the points of overrunning to form a pattern on said surface, said article being red to provide an integral bond between abutting faces of said layers.

9. A ired article of chinaware having a thin wall formed of overrunning sheet-like layers of a china mix of the same nature and characteristics but of different colors united face to face While plastic, the color of each layer being uniform throughout the thickness of the layer, and the faces of the layers overrunning in the interior of the face of said chinaware and merging in a flush relation With one another at the points of overrunning.

10. A red article of chinaware having a thin wall formed of overrunning sheet-like layers o-f a china mix of the same nature and characteristics but of different colors united face to face while plastic and ush with one another at the junctions, the color of each layer being uniform throughout the thickness of the layer, the faces of the layers overrunning in the interior of the face of said chinaWare and merging in a flush relation with one another at the points of overrunning, one of the layers at any overrunning edge having a feather edge providing a flush junction of the surfaces where the layers overrun.

11. A glazed and fired relatively thin article of chinaware having overrunning, integrally bonded, thin, sheet-like laminations of different colors and formed of china bodies of the same nature and characteristics united to one another face to face While plastic, one of the laminations at any overrunning edge having a feather edge merging into the abutting lamination with a flush joint.

12. A fired article of chinaware having a thin Wall formed of separately formed thin layers of china bodies of the same nature and characteristics which are united face to face While plastic and before firing.

LEWIS H. BOWN.

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