US503937A - John ballance - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN BALLANCE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, HARRY HALTERMANN, AND HENRY HALTERMANN, OF SAME PLACE.

. GLASS LETTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,937, dated August 29, 1893.

Application filed January 3,1893. Serial No. 456,978. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN BALLANCE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and State of New York, have invented an Im provement in Glass Letters, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to letters, numbers or other characters of glass with an ornamental rear surface visible through the glass, and of the character hereinafter described, the same forming a new article of manufacture.

The letter or other character is cut out of sheet glass and the edges are either squared or more or less beveled and such letters are cut out and the edges of the glass finished in any desired manner, and where the letter or character is provided with a shade or shadow extending at one side of the letter proper, the glass is cut out of a size to include the shade or shadow. The back surface of the letter or other character is ornamented by applying to the same thin pieces or leaves of pearl. This pearl is either in its ordinary condition or rendered more or less iridescentaud of various colors by the action of chemicals as usual in the preparation of ornamental pearl. The pieces or thin leaves of pearl are of any desired shape with plain or jagged edges, and either placed close together or at greater or less distances apart, and these pieces of pearl are caused to adhere firmly to the glass by suitable adhesive material such as a composition of glue and varnish. Where the pieces of pearl set closely together the entire letter appears as if made of pearl, but when desired small pieces of metal or other ornamental material may intervene between the pieces of pearl, or small pictures may be caused to adhere to the back surface of the glass between the pieces of pearl and the glass or between the respective pieces of pearl. After the inner surface of the glass letter or character has been ornamented with the thin layer or leaves of pearl as aforesaid, the entire rear surface of the letter is covered with ordinary paint or paint and glue to entirely inclose the rear surface of the pearl and to effectually exclude moisture, and it is preferable to coat the paint and glue with sand or finely pulverized mica. The letter or character thus made has a highly ornamental appearance and the pearl is protected from injury or 0xidization and the letter is complete and ready for sale, or it may be applied to any suitable backing, such for instance as a sign-board or other suitable supporting surface. The letter constructed as aforesaid is a new article of manufacture highly artistic and ornamental and it is durable and easy of application wherever such letters or characters are required.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates the appearance of the surface of the letter. Fig. 2 shows the back thereof, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view.

From the foregoing description it is to be understood that the pearl in thin sheets or layers B is to be applied at the back A of the letter, and if desired, the glass of the letter may be extended, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, so that the paint upon the back of the glass forms a shadow to the letter which is produced by the pearl ornamentation aforesaid. There may be two or more letters made as aforesaid on one piece of glass and the outline or boundary of the glass for the letter or character may be varied as desired.

I do not claim an ornamental picture or design composed partially of paint or similar material with thin scales of pearl introduced therein and caused to adhere to the glass. By my present invention the separate letter of glass is complete in itself and can be associated with any other letters or characters in composing a sign, and such letters or characters have the appearance of being made wholly or partially of pearl and they are new articles of manufacture.

I claim as my invention As a new article of manufacture, a separate glass letter or character having upon the back thereof thin leaves of pearl caused to adhere intimately to the glass by adhesive material, and coated with paint or similar substance for the protection of the back of the letter, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 30th day of December, 1892.

GEO. T. PINCK'NEY, A. M. OLIVER.

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