US632433A - Process of producing imitation carvings in wood. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Sept. 5, I899.

J. H. WEISS,

PROCESS OF PRODUCING IIIITATION OABVINGS IN WOOD.

A lication filed Nov. 2 1897. Benowodl'b. e 1899.

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JULIUS H. WEISS, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE WILLNER WVOOD COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING IMITATION CARVINGS lN wooo'.

SPECIFICATION forming part a Letters ere No. 632,433, dated September 5, 1899. A plication fiieireeember 2, 189% Renewed February 6, 1899. Serial No. 704,737. (No specimensl) To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUS HNVEISS, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of No. 20 Rue Taitbout, Paris, France,

have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes of Producing Imitation Carvings in Wood, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which [0 it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had-to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to provide a novel process of producing imitation carvings in solid or veneeredblocks of -woodsuch as are used in wain'scoting, cabinet-makposed surface a condition of excessive hard-' ness, and then subject-ingit to the action of a die or dies bearing a design, under'proper o pressure, whereby an ornamentation of the surface of the wood is produced in perfect imitation of hand-carving.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel process for producing imitation 5 carvings in wood by subjecting the surface of the wood to the action'of arnixture' of the nature above set forth and in addition thereto exposing the surface of thewood to the action of an organic substance to'render'that 4o portion of the wood at and near the surface both resistible or tenacious to pressure and non-hygroscopic and subjecting it to the action of a die or dies bearing a design under pressure, whereby the ornamentation of the surface of the wood is producedin perfect'imitation of hand-carving.

Finally, another object of the invention is to produce a block, slab, or piece of wood which has been treated in the above manner 0 to produce a new article of manufacture.

The invention therefore consists in a block,

slab, or piece of wood of the nature herein set forth; and, furthermore, the invention consists in a novel process, the main features of which reside in that the wood to be ornamented is rendered capable of withstanding vthe pressure to which it is subjected in raising an ornamentation thereon-that is, the wood having been treated at or near its surface in themanner stated practically forms,

with the material employed, a surface of a tenacious nature in which the fiber of the wood is embedded and forms an integral part therewith, and it will not become torn or dis torted when subjected to the pressure under the die or dies.

-The invention consists, furthermore, in rendering the surface of the wood, in addition to this resistible feature of the surface to pres- 1 sure, waterproof to render the wood incapable of warping when in the form of relatively thick sheets or slabs.

The invention also consists in a process of producing imitation carvings in wood, in veneerin g the wood, and after treating the wood 7 5 as above stated subjecting the combined ma- ;terial to the action of a die or dies.

' In' the accompanying sheet of drawings I have'illustrated the different steps of my novel process, as well'as the completed article of manufacture.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of a block or slab of wood in its normal condition. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the block or slab, illustrating the surface of the wood .afterit has been subjected to the herein-described treatment torender it tenacious or resistible to pressure; and 3 is a similar view of the wood after the solution has been allowed to dry in the surface of the wood.

Fig. 4: is a sectional view of the block or slab preferably exposed to dry heat, such as hot air or dry steam, at a temperature of about 20 Raumur for a length of time varying between, say, one and several days, according to the greater or less degree of dampness or moisture of the Wood. Such drying operation may be performed either on the mass of raw wood before it is cut up or upon each individual piece or slab cut from said mass. When dry, the wood is placed in a mixture the ingredients of which are of a mineral or inorganic species, and then boiled therein for rendering the surface of the wood hard or tenacious and capable of resisting pressure without danger of tearing or distorting the fiber of the wood at the surface when subjected to pressure from a die or dies. This mixture contains bichromate of potash in water and fine particles of mica in suspension therein in the proper proportions, which will readily penetrate the pores at the surface of the wood and practically form a surface Z) of a tenacious nature, as indicated in Fig. 2. After the block or slab of wood has undergone this treatment for half an hour or longer, depending on the kind of wood, the wood is dried by means of hot air, dry steam, or in any other suitable manner, causing by evaporation a crystallization of the bichromate of potash with the fine particles of mica interspersed and resulting in a crystallizedlike surface 0, as indicated in Fig. 3, with the fibers of the wood thoroughly embedded therein and the whole forming one integral mass at the exposed surface of the block or slab of a condition of excessive hardness, which can be readily and directly impressed with any desired design. The piece or block of wood so treated and prepared is now directly subjected to the action of a die or dies, (one of which has engraved into it the design which it is desired to impart in relief to one of the faces of the piece of wood,) the direct pressure being applied parallel to or along the grain of the wood or across the grain, as may be desired. This finished product is clearly illustrated in Fig. i of the drawings. If desired, the surface of the wood can be rendered non-hygroscopic by the addition of a substance of an organic species, as gelatin, which prevents any action of dampness and moisture of air upon the wood and positively prevents the warping of the wood and especially compressed wood. The above-mentioned substances may be employed with advantage in the following proportion-viz., loichromate of potash, twenty parts, by weight; mica, twenty-five parts, by weigh t, and water, fifty-five parts, by weight. These proportions are not, however, absolute. They may be Varied within reasonable limits according to the kind of wood used and the different impressions desired. hen it is intended to render the surface of the wood waterproof, I add, usually, ten parts of gelatin, by weight, varying the parts of the bichromate of potash and the water accordingly. The block or slab of wood when being removed from the press is then ready for use as it is for Wainscoting, cabinet-making, and decorating purposes generally, or it can be varnished, shellacked or japanned in any suitable manner to suit taste or special purposes. To attain a higher decorative efiect of the finished piece of wood, I may apply to its embossed surface, either by a brush or by steeping, a solution of celluloid or equivalent substance of any desired color, allowing the same to dry thereon.

. In the art of embossing wood by means of dies it has before my invention been proposed to waterproof the piece or slab of Wood before embossing the same. To this end various substances have been proposedsuch as glue, resins, or melted paraffin'and these water-repellents have been applied hot as well as cold. I have, however, found it to be im possible to obtain good results with any of these substances for the reason that they are used in attenuated or thin solutions. Otherwise the wood could not become saturated therewith. But when used in attenuated solutions the wood is insufficiently protected against the action of moisture. Furthermore, without the use of a mixture of a mineral or inorganic species, as hereinabove set forth, which, when the wood is dried a second time, a proper pressure-resisting surface will not be produced, and hence the fibers become torn and distorted and an unfinished and rough ornamentation in the surface of the wood will be the result. A mixture of this nature is therefore essential. I have found that the mixtures mentioned in the foregoing specification have the property of readily penetrating into the pores or the cells of the wood, whereby the fibers of the wood form a tenacious substance which can and does withstand the action of the embossing die or dies with the best results. I am therefore fully aware that waterproofing the surface of the wood and then subjecting it to the action of embossing-dies is not new per se, and this I do not claim broadly; but I do claim that it is new to treat the surface of the wood before embossing to the action of a mixture of a mineral or inorganic species to render the surface of the wood tenacious or resistible to pressure. I further claim that it is new to treat the surface of a piece of wood to amixture of the nature just specified with the addition thereto of an organic substance, such as gelatin, to render the surface of the wood both resistible to pressure and non-hygroscopic.

Although in the foregoing specification I have stated that the design may be pressed direct into the surface of the prepared piece of wood itself, it will be evident that the piece of wood, either before or after the hereinabove-described treatment, may be provided with a wood or other suitable veneering, as d, (see Fig. 5,) which, with the main body or block of wood,is subjected at the same time to the action of the die or dies, whereby both the treated surface I) of the block a as well as the veneer d are suitably and properly embossed, as will be clearly evident from an inspection of said Fig. 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. As a new article of manufacture, a block, slab, or piece of wood, impregnated at or near its surface with a mineral substance, the whole forming a block or slab or piece having a crystallized-like surface of a tenacious nature and excessive hardness at the exposed surface, and an ornamentation in said surface in imitation of wood-carving, formed in said impregnated surface by the subsequent action of a die or dies, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A process of producing imitation carvings in wood, consisting in taking a piece or slab of wood, in subjecting its surface to the action of a mixture of amineral species having in suspension in said mixture a mineral of a micaceous or similar nature, to render a portion of the wood at and near its surface tenacious and resistible to pressure, and then subjecting the said treated surface to the action of a die, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A process for producing imitation carvings in wood, consisting in taking a piece or slab of wood, in drying it, in subjecting its surface to the action of a mixture of a mineral species, having in suspension in said mixture a mineral of a micaceous or similar nature, to render a portion of the wood at or near its surface tenacious and resistible to pressure, then drying it again, and subjecting the said treated surface to the action of a die, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. A process for producing imitation carvings in wood, consisting in taking a piece or slab of Wood, in subjecting its surface to the action of a mixture of a mineral species, having in suspension in said mixture, a mineral of a micaceous or similar nature, and a substance of an organic species having Waterproofing properties, to render a portion of the wood at or near its surface tenacious and resistible to pressure and also non-hygroscopic, and then subjecting the said treated surface to the action of a die, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. A process for producing imitation carv= ings in wood, consisting in taking a piece or slab of wood, in drying it, in subjecting its surface to the action of a mixture of a mineral species, havingin suspension in said mixture, a mineral of a micaceous or similar nature and a substance of an organic species, having waterproofing properties, to render a portion of the wood at and near its surface tenacious and resistible to pressure and also non-hygro= scopic, then drying it again, and then subjecting the said surface to the action of a die, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a process of preparing wood for orna mentation by means of dies, expelling the moisture from a piece or slab of such by heat, boiling such piece or slab in an aqueous mixture of bichromate of potash and mica about in the proportions set forth, drying such piece or slab and subjecting the surface to be ornamented to the action of steam, and immediately thereafter to the action of dies, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In a process of preparing wood for ornamentation by means of dies, expelling the moisture from a piece or slab of such by heat, boiling such piece or slab in an aqueous mixture of bichromateof potash and mica about in the proportions set forth, drying such piece or slab, subjecting the surface to be ornamented to the action of steam and immediately thereafter to the action of dies, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. In a process of preparing Wood for ornamentation by means of dies, expelling the moisture from a piece or slab of such by heat, boiling such piece or slab in an aqueous mixture of bichromate of potash and mica about in the proportions set forth, drying such piece or slab, subjecting the surface to be ornamented to the action of steam and immediately thereafter to the action of dies, and then impregnating or coating the ornamented surface witha solution of celluloid, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of October, 1897.

JULIUS H. WEISS.

Witnesses:

EDWARD P. MAOLEAN, J. S. ABERCROMBIE.

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