UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JUSTUS VON LIEBIG, OF MUNICH, IBAWARIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTROPLATING WITH COPPER AND OTHER METALS THE SILVERED suRFACES OF
MIRRORS AND OTHER ARTICLES FOR PROTECTING THE SAME,
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,72, dated November 12, 1861.

To all whom it may concerne: glass plate, a sheet of copper of the same di
Be it known that I, JUSTU's VON LIEBIG, mensions as the glass plate is also fixed. The
(generally called and known as JUSTU's tub is now filled with the solution of the salt
BARON voN LIEBIG,) of Munich, in the King of copper, nickel, or gold, hereinafter de
dom of Bavaria, have invented a new and Im scribed, and the silver coating of the glass
proved Mode of Coating or Protecting Silver plate is brought in contact by means of a me
or Silvered Surfaces with Copper, Gold, or tallic wire or conductor with the negative
other Metals by the Galvano-Plastic Process; pole or zine end of a voltaic battery, while the .
and I do hereby declare that the following is copper plate is brought in contact similarly
a full, clear, and exact description thereof, with the positive pole or copper end of the
and of the nature of my said invention. same voltaic battery. A battery such as that
My invention consists in depositing a coat of Bunsen, consisting of one or more voltaic
ing of copper, gold, or other metal on silver couples, according to the dimensions of the
or silvered surfaces-such as glass mirrors silver surface to be coated, may be employed
and other articles of silvered glass-by means to advantage. So soon as the connection with
of the use in the galvano-plastic process of a the battery is made, as just described, the sil
neutral solution of the double salt tartrate of ver film on the glass becomes covered imme- .
oxide of copper and soda (potash or ammo. diately by a coating of copper; but the glass
nia) or an alkaline solution of gold, nickel, plate should remain in the solution from ten
tin, or other metals, which may be prepared to twenty-five minutes, according to the thick
for use as hereinafter described. ness of coating required. The silver surface
One important practical Atase of my inven of the mirror is effectually protected by the
tion is, as before stated, the coating of the sil coating of copper thus applied from the tar
vered surface of glass mirrors or other articles nishing effect or action of the sulphureted hy
of glass with a film of metallic copper, thereby drogen in the air, as well as from injury by
effectually protecting it from abrasion and in mechanical abrasion.
Jury. The process whichI have described is equally
I am aware of course that the depositing applicable to other than plane surfaces, and
of one metal upon another by means of the with precisely similar effect, and also to the de
galvano-plastic process is not new as a gen positing of gold, nickel, or tin by substituting
eral thing, and that the coating of articles of an alkaline solution of a salt of either of those
copper with silver by this meansis well known; metals for the solution of copper.
but the coating of silver or silvered surfaces I will now proceed to describe the mode of
with copper has not been accomplished prior preparing the metallic solutions used in my
to my invention, and cannot be done by any process.
known process of electroplating otherwise than The neutral solution of copper which I use
by means of the solutions the use of which for is prepared by dissolving twenty-five (25) parts
this purpose I claim as my invention. of sulphate of copperinone hundred (100) parts
In order to enable others skilled in the art of water, adding a solution of twenty-eight .
to make use of my invention, I will proceed to (28) parts of the double tartrate of soda and
describe its practical application to the coat potash (commonly called 'Rochelle salt”) in
ing of the silvered surface of a glass mirror the same quantity of water, which suffices to
with a film of copper, which is effected in the precipitate the oxide of copper i. the form of
following manner: tartrate, and afterward adding ?caustic soda,
A glass plate, one surface of which has al potash, or ammonia in such proportions as to
ready been covered with a reflecting-film of sil redissolve the precipitate. To one volume of
verby any of the known processes for that pur this solution, which ought to be perfectly neu
pose, is placed horizontally or vertically in a tral, is added an equal volume of water.
tub or vessel made of gutta-percha, woodlined The alkaline gold solution is prepared by
with caoutchouc, or other suitable material, dissolving one part of the double chloride of
and in the same tub, at the distance of about gold and sodium in one hundred and twenty
half an inch from the silvered surface of the (120) parts of water and adding to that solu
 332.

tion two (2) parts of caustic soda. The alka 1. The use, in the galvano-plastic process of
line solution of nickel is prepared by adding depositing upon silver or silvered surfaces
a slight excess of ammonia to a solution of one gold, copper, or nickle, or other metals, of the
part of sulphate of nickel in forty (40) parts neutral solutions of the metal to be deposited
of water. prepared with the double tartrate of soda, pot
I am aware that various plans have been ash, or ammonia in the manner substantially
proposed for protecting the silvered surfaces as hereinbefore described.
of looking-glasses-as, for example, the appli 2. The mode hereinbefore described of coat
cation of a coat or coats of varnish or paint ing the silvered surfaces of glass mirrors or
for that purpose. I therefore do not claim other articles with a metallic film of gold, cop
broadly the protecting of the silvered surfacesper, nickel, or other metals by the use in the
of glass mirrors by the application of a coat electroplating process of the neutral solution
ing of some other substance; neither do I of copper and the alkaline solutions of other
claim the use of the electrotype process, nor metals in the manner substantially as herein
the use therein of the common salts of copper, before set forth. -
which possess an acid reaction, or cyanurets, JUSTU's VON LIEBIG.
which cannot be practically employed to ad
vantage; but Witnesses:
What I do claim as my invention, and desire ABR. SOHUMACEIER,
to secure by Letters Patent, is WM, E, NAST.