US2065322A - Art of veneering surfaces - Google Patents

Description

1386- B. e. ROBERTSON ART OF VENEERING SURFACES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 9, 1934 n a r w b 02 Maw? n m x /WK Dec. 22, 1936. G, RQBERTSON 2,065,322

ART OF VENEERING SURFACES Filed June 9, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [lava/21%;

3 MW 21 M y -X/0rzzey Eli till] atented Dec. 22,

Application June 9, 1934, Serial N6. 329.8%

12 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of veneering surfaces and has, as its principal object, the

provision of a novel method for simulating the.

appearance of a surface veneered with matched wood panels of one or more different kinds of wood.

Another object is to provide a method which can be simply and inexpensively as well as easily and quickly performed to produce a highly realistic effect.

I have discovered that the appearance of, or effect produced by, a surface veneered with matched wood panels may be easily and quickly simulated by placing a stencil, having a series of openings or cut-outs arranged to form a pattern of the markings or grain lines contained in the matched wood panels to be imitated, over a surface to be decorated and then spraying a decorating material or stain through the stencil. Where the matched wood panels are of the same character, it will probably be necessary to shield, from the spray, a portion of the surface being decorated corresponding to the match line of said panels. The surface to be decorated should if necessary be preliminarily treated with a suitable material to provide a background coating having the color and general appearance of the natural wood being imitated. A background of this character coupled with a stain of the grain lines produces a highly realistic simulation of the natural veneered surface.

in practicing the invention, the stencil may be placed in contact with the surface or slightly raised therefrom, as desired. The match line shield, however, should be arranged to contact the surface at all points along match lines, which would be otherwise exposed to the spray. Furthermore, in order to produce a convincing simulation, this shield should not only be made extremely thin, but also of uniform thinness, while its points of contact, where contact is necessary, should be even or regular. In this manner, each cut-out of one panel will be separated irom the matching cut-out of the adjacent panel by a thin, uniform line. Although the thin separating lines thus produced will, in some cases, be connected by intervening shielded areas of greater extent, I have found that the efiect of a single, continuous match line will, nevertheless, be produced.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Figure 1 is a plan view of a stencil having a number of adjacent sections cut-out to form a pattern of the grain line markings contained in matched veneer panels;

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of a fragmentary portion of adjacent sections of said stencil;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the stencil;

(Cl. Mil-127) Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing the stencil in operative relation relatively to a surface which is to be decorated;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a decorated surface after the stenciling operation;

Figures 6 and 7 are top plan views of another stencil and decorated surface, one half of Figure 7 being shown in full lines and the other identical half being indicated in dotted lines.

in carrying out my invention, I provide a stencil l which is divided into sections corresponding in number and arrangement, to the number and arrangement of the matched veneer sections or panels to be simulated, the stencil shown in Figures 1 to l inclusive having four equal rectangular sections. Each section or panel is provided with a number of cut-outs or openings 2 through which a stain or decorating material may be sprayed, the cut-outs being delimited by the strands 3. These cut-outs are designed to simulate the markings or grain lines contained in the surface of the corresponding wood panel which is to be imitated. Furthermore, in order to make the four sections illustrated simulate the appearance of a surface having four similarly grained veneer panels composed of the same wood and arranged in matching relation, the cut-outs in each stencil section are made to form more or less symmetrical patterns which match with each other along their common boundaries. If desired, the cut-outs 2 may be made to extend continuously from one section or panel to another, but, in order to secure the cut-out delimiting strands 3 to the stencil, the ends of the cut-outs in one section are preferably separated from the ends of corresponding cut-outs in the next adjacent section by a; thin boundary or separating strand t.

It will now be evident that the design embodied in the stencil, as a whole, can be reproduced on the surface S, which is to be decorated, simply by placing the stencil over the surface and spraying a decorating material, such as a suitable stain, through the cut-outs of the stencil. Before spraying, however, the surface S should be coated with-a suitable lacquer or other material which is colored to produce, on the surface, a background of the same color as that of the wood being imitated. During the spray operation, the boundary strands t operate individually to shield corresponding portions of the surface S and thereby produce on the surface thin short lines of separation, as indicated at b in Figure 5, which are joined to each other by intervening areas, these areas, during the spraying operation, having been completely shielded by the strands 3. If the boundary strands t have a thin, smooth and uniform line of contact with the surface S, the effect of a continuous line of separation, similar to that which obtains between matched veneer sections, will be produced on the surface S in a highly realistic manner. Inasmuch, however, as stencils of this type are relatively thin, it is difficult to make the boundary or separating strands 4 of uniform thinness, and, unless extreme care is exercised in the manufacture of the stencil, the edges of the strands 4 will be somewhat rough or of varying thinness as generally indicated at 6. These edge variations are apt to show in the decorated-surface S, and if pronounced enough, may mar the matched appearance sufficiently to reduce or even destroy the realistic effect which might otherwise have been produced. To the end, therefore, of avoiding such deleterious results, an auxiliary boundary strand 1, preferably in the form of wire of small diameter, is interposed between the stencil and the surface S. While this auxiliary boundary strand may be maintained separate and apart from the stencil I, in which event the stencil should be carefully aligned with it during the spraying operation, it preferably is securely attached to the stencil and made to extend completely along the common boundaries of the patterns. In this connection, it may be noted that the boundary strand 1 strengthens or reenforces the boundary strands 4 and that it may be used to hold the pattern or cut-out delimiting strands 3 in place in the event the boundary or separating strands 4 are not used.

The strand 1 not only functions to shield the line of division or match line between patterns, but it also raises the stencil from the surface S and thus permits some of the decorating material to pass on to that portion of the surface S which extends underneath the cut-out delimiting strands 3. In this manner, the heavy deposits of decorating material, on portions of the surface corresponding to the cut-outs, is made to merge with the lighter deposits, on portions corresponding to the strands 3, and the decorated effect of the surface as a whole thereby softened or toned down correspondingly. Of course, with some of the spraying material passing underneath the strands 4, the boundary strand 1 will further function to provide a line of separation in the intervening areas, and thus preserve a continuous match line between the patterns as a Whole.

The invention thus far has been described and illustrated in connection with the simulation of a surface veneered with matched panels all of which are of the same character and therefore embody the same grain lines. The surface of some articles such as furniture, for example, is often veneered with matched panels of different character, that is to say panels either composed of the same wood but having different grain characteristics or composed of entirely different woods. The line of contact between matched veneer panels of different character may be termed a joint line to distinguish from the match line between veneer panels of the same character. In some instances the joint line is marked on the surface to be decorated by a surface indentation or groove known in the trade as a route line. The present invention is applicable for simulating the appearance of surfaces of this character as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7.

In Figure 6 a stencil l is shown with cutouts 2 arranged to form a pattern for the simulation of a surface veneered at its center with matched panels of one character of wood and at its border with matched panels of another character of wood. The matched veneer panels forming the center design of the veneer to be'imitated are separated from each other by match lines as are the matched veneer panels forming the border design while the center design as a whole is separated from the border design as a whole by joint lines. Accordingly the stencil is provided along its corresponding match lines with auxiliary boundary strand I which, as before, may function either to shield the match line of the surface to be decorated or to reenforce the stencil or both. The joint lines of the surface to be decorated, particularly when they are marked by route lines, need not necessarily be shielded during the staining operation. However, 1 prefer to secure, preferably to the under side of the stencil, an auxiliary boundary strand wire la. This strand la, in addition to its other functions, provides a means for engaging or extending into the route line and thus may be used to facilitate the centering or aligning of the stencil on the surface.

Before the stencil is placed over the surface S shown in Figure 7, the latter is provided with the desired route line 8 between its central and border portions and these portions separately coated if necessary or desirable with background materials of the proper colors. In the surface illustrated, the background coating of the central portion is stippled to approximate, more closely, the natural appearance of the wood being simulated whereas in the border portion an approximation of the natural appearance of wood being simulated is obtained by a plain background coating. Furthermore, the border section is divided into two parts by another route line 9.

When the preliminary treatment of the surface S is finished, the stencil may be centered on the surface by aligning the boundary strand la of the stencil with the corresponding route line 8 of the surface. The entire surface may now be sprayed either with a single stain or with separate stains for the central and border portions as may be required. In either case, it will be appreciated that the spraying operation can be easily and quickly performed despite the fact that more than one kind of veneer is to be simulated.

The term stencil sprayed stain stripes" as used in the claims designates stripes formed by spraying a stain through stencil cutouts.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A method of decorating a surface to simulate thereon the appearance of a wood veneered surface having matched veneer panels, said method comprising arranging adjacent to and in alignment with the surface to be decorated a stencil section having cut outs which are arranged to form correspondingly matched patterns of the markings contained in the matched veneer panels to be imitated, and then spraying staining material through the cut outs of said stencil.

2. A method of decorating a surface to simulate thereon the appearance of a wood veneered surface having matched veneer panels, said method comprising treating at least one section of the surface to be decorated with coloring material to provide thereon a back ground coating having the general appearance of the veneer panel to be imitated on that section, arranging adjacent to and in alignment with the surface to be decorated a stencil having cut outs which are arranged to form correspondingly matched patterns of the markings contained in the matched veneer panels to be imitated, and then spraying staining material through the cut outs of said stencil. v

3. A method of decorating a surface to simulate thereon the appearance of a wood veneered surface having matched veneer panels of the same character, said method comprising arranging adjacent to and in alignment with the surface to be decorated a stencil having cut outs arranged to form correspondingly matched patterns of the markings contained in the matching veneer panels to be imitated, spraying staining material through the cut outs of said stencil, and shielding from the spray a continuous portion of the surface to be decorated corresponding to the match line of said panels.

4. A method of decorating a surface to simulate thereon the appearance of a wood veneered surface having matched veneer panels of the same character, said method comprising treating the surface to be decorated with coloring material to provide thereon a back ground coating having the general appearance of the matched veneer panels to be imitated, arranging adjacent to and in alignment with the surface to be decorated a stencil having'cut outs arranged to form correspondingly matched pat.- terns of the markings contained in the matched veneer panels to be imitated, spraying staining material through the cut outs of said stencil and shielding from the spray a continuous portionof said surface corresponding to the match line of said panels. 1

5. A method of decorating a surface to simulate thereon the appearance of a wood veneered surface having a route line forming the common boundary between matched veneer panels of different character, said surface to be decorated having a corresponding routeline, said method comprising arranging adjacent to and in alignment with the surface to be decorated a stencil having a corresponding route line member and cut outs which are arranged to form correspondingly matched patterns of the markings contained in the matched veneer panels to be imitated, and then spraying staining material through the cut outs of said stencil.

6. A method of decorating a surface to simulate the appearance thereon of a wood veneered surface having a route line forming the common boundary between matched veneered sections of.

different character, at least one veneer section having matched veneer panels of the same character, said surface to be decorated having a the surface to be decorated a stencil having a corresponding route line member and cut outs which are arranged to form correspondingly matched patterns of the markings contained in the matched veneer panels to be imitated, spraying staining material through the cut outs of said stencil and shielding from the spray a continuous portion of the surface to be decorated corresponding to the match line between matched veneer panels of the same character.

'I. A stencil adapted for use in simulating on a surface to be decorated the appearance of a surface veneered with matched wood panels, comprising a stencil body having cut-outs arranged to form correspondingly matched patterns of the markings contained in the matched veneer panels to be imitated.

8. The combination of the stencil of claim '7 with a boundary strand for the common boundary of said matched patterns.

9. The stencil of claim 7 and a boundary strand in the body of the stencil between said matched patterns.

10. The stencil of claim '7 and an auxiliary boundary strand secured to the stencil over the common boundary of said matched patterns.-

11. A stencil adapted for use in simulating on a-surface to be decorated the appearance of a wood veneered surface having matched veneered sections of different character, at least one section having matched veneer panels of the same character, comprising a stencil body having cutouts arranged t9 form correspondingly matched patterns of the markings contained in the matched veneer panels to be imitated and an auxiliary boundary strand secured to the stencil over the common boundary lines of said matched patterns.

12. A stencil adapted for use in simulating on a surface to be decorated the appearance of a wood veneered surface having matched veneer panels of different character and a route line there-between, comprising a stencil body having cut-outs arranged to form on opposite sides of the route line in the surface to be decorated correspondingly matched patterns of the markings contained in, the matched veneer panels to be imitated and centering means secured to one side of said stencil body for alignment with the route line of said surface to be decorated.

BENJAIWIN G. ROBERTSON.

corresponding route line, said method comprising arranging adjacent to and in alignment with

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