USRE16963E - Hugo manovii - Google Patents

Description

Reissued May 15, 1928.

UNITED STATES Re. 16,963 PATENT OFFICE.

HUGO MANOVILL, OF JACKSON HEIGHTS, NEW YORK,

METHOD OF DECORATING ARTICLES AND DECORATED ARTICLE.

No Drawing. Original No. 1,636,523, dated July 19, 1927, Serial No. 93,793, filed March 10, 1926.

Application for reissue filed March 14, 1928.

My invention relates to a new and improved method of decorating celluloid artides and to a new and improved decorated celluloid article This invention is also applicable to decorating surfaces made of material other than celluloid.

This application is in part a continuation of my previously filed application Seria No. 60,304, tiled October 3, 1925. w One of the objects of my invention is to devise a new and improved method of decorating'a celluloid article to produce cloisonn effects.

Another object is to devise a method whereby such cloisonn effects can be produced on differently colored backgrounds.

Another object of my invention is to produce an article having a durable cloisonn decorative effect.

Other objects of my invention will be set forth in the following description which will set forth a preferred embodiment, it being understood that the above general statement of the objects of my invention is intended to merely generally explain the same, and notto limit it in any manner.

My method can be employed for decorating a celluloid block or article of any kind, size, or shape, and is particularly intended for decorating toilet articles, such as. brushes, mirrors, toilet sets. etc.

The object to-be decorated, which may be designatedas the base is first given a colored surface coating. For this purpose, any,-

suitable dye (such as an aniline dye) or any suitable p1gn'1ent, is thinned with or dissolved in a celluloid solvent, such as ethyl acetate. 'lhe thinued coloring liquid is then' thoroughly stirred and strained through cheesecloth. Practical experience has shown that when the coloring agent is thinned with acetone or the like, th at the color forms little lumps on the base when it is sprayed on, unless certain precautions, such as the stirring and straining above mentloned, are observed.

, However, little lumps of color pass through the cheesecloth or form afterwards. and lience the thinned coloring agent is sprayed on the base by an air-brush, operating under a pressure of about thirty (30) pounds per square inch. The purpose of thinning the coloring agent with a celluloid solvent is to cause the coloring agent to blue color to a smoke blue or cloudy blue,

Serial No. 261,694.

form a very durable color coating. While I do not wish to limit myself to a pressure of thirty pounds, experience has shown that a much smaller pressure will prevent the coloring agent from penetrating the base uniformly to form a uniform color layer on articles of substantial size, and that a much greater pressure forces out of the cup of so that. a dry, uniform colored surface is produced on the base.

Experience has shown that if a line design is produced on this colored surface by engine-turning, for example, that the engraving tool causes the colored layer to-chip, so that. sharp clean lines are not uniformly produced in a large run. The percentage of spoiled piecesis considerable. Hence, I prefer to protect the colored layer, before engraving the design by. a tool which penetrates through the color into the base, by

means of a thin superposed layer of fishscale, for example. This protective layer of fish-scale is formed by taking the commercial fish-scale solution, thinning it with a suitable celluloid solvent (like acetone) until the solution flows about as readily aswater and then spraying this solution by means of an air-brush 'operatingunder a pressure of thirty pounds per square inch. This fish-scale layer may contain some cellu-' loid, Thus the commercial fish-scale solution may be thinned with a celluloid lacquer.

This'first coating of fish-scale penetrates the color to a certain extent. and hence it hardens the colored layer. This is allowed to thoroughly dry and harden before the engraving operation. This coating of -fishscale also modifies the original color of the colored layer and this is also done by subsequent coatings; For example, if the enamel originally used has a deep blue lor, the

addition of a suitable number of layers of fish-scale, as later disclosed. changes thi blue color to a. smoke blue or cloudy blue,

which is highly desirable. I prefer to add no celluloid to the fish-scale solution, but to merely thin it with commercial acetone.

Even if the white celluloid base is not colored, it is desirable to form a fish-scale coating before engraving, because this produces a desirable color effect.

In addition to the intaglio design on the celluloid base, a surface design might be formed by painting or the like, and this surface design could be accentuated and made to stand out from its background by the method herein mentioned. Thus, a floral or leaf design could be formed by painting on the original white base or on the colored background. I

Experience has shown that it is very difficult or impossible to apply the ordinary fishscale of commerce, even when it has been considerably thinned, by means of. a brush. without showing objectionable streaks due to the movement of the brush- Likewise, experience has shown that if the celluloid article is dipped into a fish-scale solution,

even after it has been thinned, that the airbubbles which are present in the solution prevent the formation of a uniform ,coating, because such air bubbles produce breaks or marks in the coating which are plainly visible and which greatly injure its ornamental appearance. This is especially true when 1 large, nonspherical objects are being treated,

although this may not be true in coating small, smooth, spherical beads. In. any event, it would be very difiicult to coat the engraved lines by brushing or dipping, and to produce uniform work, free from marks due to bubbles. However, by making the so- I lution suificiently thin and by spraying with suflicient pressure, a very thin, firm and uniform coating can be produced, free from all air bubbles, and of a uniform pearly appearance.

After the engraving or other decorative stepfh'as been performed, a second thin and transparent coating of the thinned fish-scale solution previously described is sprayed on by an air-brush, under a pressure of about thirty (30) pounds per square inch. The

fish-scale solution used for this coating and for'subsequent coatings is preferably thinned with a suitable celluloid solvent,

transparent coatings of face composed of fish-scale is formed in a plurality of-layers.

The lines of the original design are thus acentuated in contrast to their background,

so that the design has an appearance of a Very sharp contrast between the surface layer as a whole and the individual lines of the design, so that a cloisonn effect is pro-' duced.

The fish-scale coating thus formed is protected by spraying thereon a plurality (preferably about four or five) coats of, celluloid lacquer, said lacquer consisting of celluloid dissolved in a suitable. volatile solvent. This is done by an air-brush operating under a pressure of forty to fifty pounds per square inch, and each coat is allowed to dry and harden at room temperature before the next coat is sprayed on. Llhe first protective coating of celluloid should not penetrate the'fish-scale coating to any substantial to be depositedmore heavily on the engraved lines than on the smooth background of the design. The butting operation makes the ornamental surface smooth and "planar. The smooth surface is now polished -With a suitable oily compound to give a glass finish, like real cloisonn.

Hence, the finally coinpleted article (assuming that the,celluloid block has a white color) has-a cloisonn design ap pearingin contrast. .to acolored background. The lines are very sharply defined and appear to stand up from the ornamented surface and the entire design is readily visible and has a general pearly efi'ect.

My invention is not restricted to providing a colored background forthe design because an intaglio design formed in a'white surface can have the lines thereof accentuated and made to contrast with the background of the design, by using the method previously disclosed.

Likewise, it would be within the scope of my invention, if any suitable coloring matter were mixed with the fish scale soliition used for forming the various 1a ers of fishscale before mentioned. I pre er however,

to have the said fish-scale layers substan tially colorless save for the pearly luster typical of this product, and to provide a colored background for the design directly upon the surface of the base, by the step above mentioned.

I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is clear that numerous changes and omissions could be made with out departing from its spirit.

For example, while I have disclosed an article having certain characteristics and a preferred method for producing the same, I wish to make it clear that the said article might be produced by other methods, and I do not limit the claims for the said article to the production thereof by the method disclosed herein.

While I have mentioned fish-Scale throughout, I do not wish to be limited to this substance alone or to the natural product, as substitutes therefor are'known in the art. Any substance, or mixture of. substances, which can give a light-transmitting pearly eflfect are to be considered as equivalents, forthe. fish-scale, whenever this is mentioned in the description or claims.

I claim:

1. A method of coloring the surface of a celluloid base which consists in spraying directly thereon a mixture of coloring mat ter and a celluloid solvent, the said spraying being conducted with suflicient force with respect to the thinness of the mixture to cause the said coloring matter to be uniformly distributed over the surface of the celluloid, to penetrate the same to produce a uniform colored layer.

2. A method of coloring the surface of a celluloid base which consists inspraying directly thereon a mixture of a colorin agent and a celluloid solvent inthin liqui form, the spraying pressure being sufficient and the mixture being sufiiciently thin to uniformly distribute the coloring matter to cause it to penetrate the celluloid to form a uniform colored layer, the said spraying pressure being insufficient to carryv along lumps of the said coloring agent.

*3. A method. f forming an intaglio design on the surface of a celluloid base which consists in spraying upon said base a fish-scale .solution containing a celluloid solvent, the spraying pressure being sufiicient to cause the-fish-scale to adhere firmly to the said base without the formation of an air bubbles, allowing the solvent material to evaporate, and then engraving the said coating and base.

4. A method of-forming an intaglio design on a base having a colored surface, which consists in first providing a protective coating for the color, said layer being composed of material harder than said color, and then engraving the design.

5. A method of accentuating an intaglio design in a surface which consists in spraying upon said surface a thin fish-scale solution dissolved in a volatile solvent, the spraying pressure being suflicient and the solution being sufliciently thin to prevent the formation of air bubbles. 6. A method according to claim 5 in which a coating is formed by spraying on a series of separate layers as above mentioned, each layer being allowed to dry before the next layer is sprayed on.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a celluloid base having a surface provided with coloring matter imbedded therein, the said surface having an intaglio line design, the said surface having a smooth uniform light-transmitting coating of fish-scale free from air bubbles.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a base having a surface produced with an intaglio line design, the said surface having a smooth 1 uniform light-transmitting coating of fishscale free from air bubbles.

9. An article according to claim 8 in which the said coating consists of a plurality of layers.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a celluloid base having a surface provided with coloring matter imbedded therein, the said surface having a. contrasting intaglio line design, the said surface having a smooth uniform and integral coating free from air bubbles, the inner part of said coating consisting of fish-scale and the outer part of said. coating consisting of celluloid, the said coating being substantially transparent.

11. As a new article of manufacture, a celluloid article having a colored surface provided with an intaglio design, and a superposed light-transmitting coating containing fish-scale, said coating havin the property of changing the light re ected through it from said colored surface to lighten said color, said coating being free from air bubbles.

12. As a new article of manufacture, a base having a surface provided with an intaglio line design, the said design having a smooth and uniform coating free from air bubbles, the inner part of said coating consisting of fish-scale, and the outer part of said coat-ing consisting of celluloid, the said coating being light-permeable.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

HUGO MANOVILL.