US360387A

US360387A - Ornamenting metal surfaces

Info

Publication number: US360387A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1887-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 1904-03-29

Description

(No Model.)

W. HYLAND.

ORNAMENTING METAL SURFACES.

No. 360,387; I Patented Mar. 29,1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC YVILLIAM HYLAND, OF NEXV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

ORNAMENTING METAL SURFACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360,387, dated March 29, 1887.

Application filed February 14, 1887. Serial No. 227,526. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H YLAND, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Ornamenting Metal Surfaces; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawing constitutes part of this specification, and represents a plate of metal as prepared for the ormolu or satin finish bath.

This invention relates to an improvement in the method of ornamenting metal surfaces, with special reference to brass, and adapted to be applied to manufactured articles or to the metal itself preparatory to the manufacture of articles, the object being to give to the ground or to the tracery a granulated or what is sometimes called satin or ormolu finish." This peculiar surface is produced by first finely finishing the surface of the metal and then placing it in a strong acid, or what is generally called ormolu dip, this being a very hot acid-bath. The metal is simply placed in the bath and remains there until the desired effect is produced, then taken from the bath and cleaned. This plain ormolu surface presents a very neat appearance,a11d isa very desirable finish for sheet-metal articlessuch, for illustration, as metal clock-cases. If ornamentation has been desired upon this surface, ithas been out after the ormolu finish has been produced, leaving the ormolu finish I or surface as a ground. Such ornamentation,

while it adds materially to the character or appearance ofthe article, is too expensive for many articles of manufacture.

The object of my invention is to produce an ornamentation on a metal surface, which ornamentation or ground,or vice versa, shall the one present the natural surface of the metal and the other the granulated or ormolu surface.

It is a common method of ornamenting metal surfaces to apply to the surface a coating, so as to leave exposed the surface of the metal which it is desired shall be acted upon by acids or otherwiseas, for illustration, if it is desiredto produce upon a silver-plated ground a vine in gilt,the vine is printed or applied to the surface, say, of brass, by a stencil, the material used in so printing being any conven- I ient easily-applied non-conductor. This printing or stenciling will leave upon the surface a coating corresponding to the tracery. Then the metal so coated is placed in the bath and subjected to the electroplating operation, the silver depositing only on the exposed metal surface, the acid or bath having no effect upon the coating. Then after the electroplating operation is completed the metalis taken from the bath and the coating removed. Then the original metal appears,and will show upon the platedsurface the vine of the natural or original color of the metal; or, if it be desired to produce the ornamentation or vine by plating, leaving the original metal as the ground, then the ground is coated in the same manner, leaving the tracery portion exposed, and that subjected to the bath and treated in like manner the metal will appear as having a silver vine on the brass or gilt ground. Different metals are treated in the same manner. In an ormolu dip, however, such coatings are not sufficient. The hot acid acts so quickly upon the coatings that the coating is destroyed hence up to this time no practical ornamentation of this character has been produced in the satin or ormolu bath; but by my invention I am enabled. to ornament thesurface of metals in satin finish or ormolu bath.

' In carrying out my invention Iwill describe it as applied to a flat metal surface, and, first, to produce upon the metal the representation, of avine, as in the accompanying illustration, I bring the surface of the metal into the usual clean smooth condition for the satin finish or ormolu bath. Then witha type or stencil representing the vine to be produced I apply to the surface a coating of adhesive material say,as seen in the accompanying illustration. Then upon this adhesive material I place a fine metallic or mineral powder, which will adhere to the adhesive surface and so as to cover that adhesive surface and give to it a metallic or mineral surface. This powder may be any of the metal bronzes, or it may be a fine mineral powdersay such as emery-or it may be a vitreous material, as finely-powdered glass; but I prefer a metal coating, such as bronze,

' to it a satin or ormolu effect; but the metalcoated surface gives to the bath something to act upon before it can reach the adhesive material, and because the bath has this metalv coated surface to operate upon it can have no effect upon the original metal surface beneath,

it being understood that the metal coating must be sufficient to last through the operation of the bath, as that will beatt-acked in the same manner as is the original metal surface. After the metal has been subjected to the action of the bat-h for the usual length of time it is taken from the bath,and then the adhesive material Which held the metal coating is removed and the tracery appears on the surface in the original metal. Ifit' be desired to produce the satin or orinolu finish upon the tracery, leaving an original metal as the ground, then the ground is coated in like manner, so as to I present an extra metal surface for the action of the batluwhile the bath will act directly upon the metal on its uncoated portion. The mineral or vitreous coating will produce substantial'] y the same result.

a flat metal surface will be sufficientto enable others skilled in the art to use my invention in the ornamentation of various articles.

From the foregoing it will be understood that I do not claim, broadly, as my invention, in the treatment or ornamentation of metal surfaces, the application to the surface of a coating to prevent the action of a bath upon certain portions of the metal so coated, the essential feature of my invention being the application of a coating of metal, mineral, or equivalent powder to the adhesive surface.

YVhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is

The method herein described of producing an ornamented satin or ormolu finish upon metals, consisting in first applying to that part of the metal which is not to be acted upon by the bath an adhesive coating, and then applying to said adhesively-coated portion of the surface a coating of metallic or mineral powder,and then subjecting the Whole to the bath, and finally removing the coatings from the surface, substantially as described.

\VILLIAM HYLAND.

lVitnesses:

FRED C. EARLE, J. H. SHUMWAY.