US2111897A - Method of applying a decalcomania - Google Patents

Description

' March 22, 1938. J. F. M NUTT 2,111,397

METHOD OF APPLYING A DECALCOMANIA Filed Nov. 16, 1935 a T/ME l/V HUURS IN VENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

UNIT STATES PATENT OFFICE QMETHOD F APPLYING a DECALCOMANIA JamesF. McNutt, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The American Decal Corporation, Youngsv town, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 16, 1935, Serial No. 50,167

2 Claims. (01. 41- 33) This invention relates to a method of applying 'a design or label to an object or container having a vitreous surface. One of theobjects of the invention is to provide readily fusewith the surface to be decorated. When the decalcomania is applied to the surface to bedecorated, the backing strip is removed and the collodiorrfilm applied to the surface to be decorated. The object is then fired to cause the design to be fused with such surface. If the object is fired at too high a temperature at the begin ningflor' if the temperature is increased too rapid- 1y, thecollodion film may be consumed too rapidly or sumciently rapid oxidation may take place to injure or destroy the design. The object should be first fired at a sufficiently low temperature and at a sufficiently low rate of increase in temperature that the film will be consumed or volatilized without injury to the design. The temperature of the object being fired should preferably not exceed about 450 F. during the'first hour of the firing operation; Ifthis precaution is taken, the

-.film will be consumed without injury to the design and-the design will adhere to the surface 'to be decorated and become fused with such surface upon further heating at a higher temperature. The temperature required to effect a proper fusing is usually between 1100 and 1200 F. or

slightly below the fusing point of the surface to be decorated.

Further and more limited objects of my invention will appear as the description proceeds and period of time to soften it and to facilitate its application to the surface to be decorated. The 1 decalcomania is then placed over the bottle or other surface which is to be decorated with the backing strip contiguous to such surface and the design outermost. As the decalcomania has been soaked in water for some time, the water soluble mucilaginous pastels softened and the backing strip may be readily removed, leaving only the collodion film with the design thereon and having on thevreverse side thereof a very small amount of adhesive material which enables the film to stick on the surface to be decorated and eliminates the necessity for first coating such surface with a varnish. As this backing strip is removed the collodion film is pressed into contact with the surface to be decorated. The thickness of this collodion film is such that it may be handled or moved around on the surface ofthe bottle if it is. not located in the proper position. The bottle with the decalcomania applied thereto is then placed in a kiln or other suitable retort heated in any suitable manner. According to the preferred methodof practicing the invention I fire the object by slowly raising the temperature 5 adecalcomaniaand method of applying the-same y r fe t th a mpanyi d aw n in 5 to an object or container having a vitreous surwhich 1 -a m w graphic illustration face which consist essentially i applying t t .indicating the preferred manner in which the surface to be decorated a collodion film con- Object ul e fired and Fig- 2 is a section l m taining thereon a, d i n containing pigment view of a label or decalcomania before it is apand a. material whi h will readily fu ewith t plied to the surface to be decorated, the thickness surface to be decorated and then firing the object being greatly exaggeratedby first heating 11-, slowly d t unifor rat Referring now to the drawing the decalcoof. increase in temperature until it reaches a tem- V mania consists s ntially of a backing strip M 'perature of b t 450 and t raising the i formed of suitable flexible material such as temperature to about 1200* F. at a faster rate of Paper and to which is Secured collodion film 2 15 increase and'for sufficieni; perlodf time to which is held thereon preferably by means of a caus th design t be thoroughly fu d with'the water soluble mucilaginous paste 3. The refer-. surfaceibe'lfig decorated, ence character 4 designates the design which is 2 In my Reissue Patent No. 19,839, dated Janucarried by the exposed surface of the 9 o ary 23, 193 I v disclosed a decalcomania film and the reference character 5 designates a and method of making the same. I have'found layer, of finely divided Particles P ,greund glass thatadesignappliedasdescribed therein is likely 9 which (Wars the deslgn and which to become .lnjured or destroyed the object is when subjected to heat forms a smooth, thin,

5 subjected to too high a temperature at the betransparm the designl l of t firin opera/010m According to the preferred method of applying M decalcomanla p ef bl consists f a the decalcomania to the surface to be decorated, lodion film attached to a backing strip and to the decalcomania' pepared Preferably th exposed urfa bf which is amxed a design scribed in my copendlng application hereinbefore 6 containing aPlEment and a material which will referred to, is soaked in water for a sufficient for the first hour and at a uniformly increasing rate until it reaches a temperature of about 450 F. The temperature is preferably gradually increased at the rate of about 7.5 F. per minute until a temperature of about 450 F. is reached. After this temperature is reached the object may be heated either rapidly or slowly and at any desired rate of increase until a temperature between 1100 and 1200 F. is reached, depending upon the nature of the object being decorated. This usually requires about an hour in order to thoroughly fuse the design with the surface being decorated. As the object is first heated slowly and at a uniforrnly increasing rate, the collodion film will be consumed or volatilized without producing a flame or sufficiently high temperature to injure or destroy the design, that is, the pigment and vehicle. The design will adhere to the surface being decorated and the film will be entirely consumed. The letters or designs forming the label penetrate the body being decorated and become thoroughly and permanently fused and integrated therewith. The outer layer of material on the collodion film also fuses with the object and forms a thin, smooth, transparent film over the surface of the design or label and it is impossible to remove the design or label thus applied by any means whatsoever without destroying the identity of the object or design.

The particular ink and the particular manner of forming the design on the collodion film form no part of this invention and are described in my copending application hereinbefore referred to.

It will now be clear that I have provided a method of applying a design or label to an object having a vitreous surface which will accomplish the objects of the invention as hereinbefore stated. It is, of course, to be understood that the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is merely illustrative and is not to be considered in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that I do not limit myself to any particular ink or mixture of vehicle and pigment as various mixtures and colors or combination of colors and designs may be used depending upon the exigencies of the occasion and the nature of the parammo? ticular object being decorated. In the specification and claims I referto the film of material to which the design is applied as a collodion film. By this term I mean to include any material of a similar nature or foundation which is homogeneous and non-fibrous, such as cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, celluloid, viscose or pyroxylin, but to exclude such material as paper. It is also to be understood that the particular rate of increase in temperature illustrated in the drawing may be varied slightly depending upon the particular nature of the object being decorated although I have found that the best results are obtained if the object is fired substantially as described although the invention is limited only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The method of applying a decalcomania to an object having a vitreous surface which consists in applying to such surface a collodion film having a design thereon containing a pigment and a material that will readily fuse with the surface to be decorated, then firing the object by heating it first at a sufficiently low temperature and at a sufficiently low rate of increase in temperature to cause the film to be consumed and the design to become attached to such surface without injury to the design and then heating it at a sufficiently high temperature to thoroughly fuse the design with such surface.

2. The method of applying a decalcomania to a vitreous fusible surface which consists in applying to such surface a collodion film having a design formed thereon containing a pigment and a material which will readily fuse with the surface to be decorated, then heating the surface and film to about 450 F. at a sufficiently low rate of increase in temperature to cause the film to be consumed and the design to become attached to such surface without injury to the design 'and then progressively increasing the temperature of the surface being decorated to between 1100 F. and 1200 F. to thoroughly fuse the design with such surface.

- JAMES F. McNUTT.

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