US2139824A - Colored metallic finish - Google Patents

Description

Patented Dec; 13, 1938 COLORED METALLIC FINISH Dale Glendon Higgins, Newbur Y" v. V

to E. I. du Pont de Nemours &

Company, Wilmington, DeL, a corporation ofDelaware No Drawing. Application January 21, 1936, Serial No. 60,067

3 Claims; ('01. ill-68).

This invention relates to high luster finishes, and especially to high luster colored metallic finishes" and to the production of a durablenontarnishing colored finish coat.

Heretofore metallic colored finishes have been I produced on paper, cellulose derivative coated fabrics, and the like by adding metallic pigments to the conventional cellulose derivative coating composition, shellac, or other film forming materials and subsequently coating the same on sheet material. Such finishes are characterized by a relatively dull appearance which isobiectionable for many purposes. Moreover, coatings containing copper bronze pigments are not highly satisfactory as they are easily and frequently tarnished. Another means of obtaining colored rn'etallic finishes on cellulose derivative coated fabrics comprised laminating colored metal foil with a suitably prepared base. By metal foil is meant a continuous sheet of approximately 0.0001 to 0.05 of an inch thick. Because of their lack of flexibility and tendency to crack when subjected to repeated flexing the coated fabrics of woven or non-woven base material of the described composite character are not suitable for the many .uses, such as book-binding material, material for making shoes and for other uses of, leatherand artificial leather. In the coatings which were made heretofore, it was difiicult to obtain proper anchorage of the colored coating so as to prevent its detachment fromthe base material after relatively short use.

This invention has as an object the production of improved high luster colored metallic finishes.

Another object of the invention is the production of high luster colored metallic finishes on cellulose derivative coated fabrics and on nonwoven bases.

A still further object is the production of a flexible article having ,a brilliant and highly reflective surface.

Other objects of the invention will appear in connection with the following description:

, The objects-of this invention are accomplished in general by coating a suitably prepared woven or not woven, flexible or rigid base material in any known manner with acellulose derivative I composition, applying an intermediate or anchoring coat of a polyhydric alcohol-polybasic acid type resin composition, allowing the same to dry to a dust free condition, applying leaf-like particles of metal bronz flakes to-the resin surface, properly orienting the metal particles, causing them'to adhere thereto, burnishing to obtain a high luster mirror-like surface, baking the varapplying a transparent or translucent, non-tarnishing, protectivecoating of polyhydricalcoholpolybasic acid resin composition over the mirrorlike surface, and finally applying a suitably colored transparent or translucent lacquer as an ultimate surface coat.

In Patent No. 2,087,094 there is described and claimed processes for producing highly polished mirror-like surfaces to resemble polished silver.

In accordance with said invention, the making of themirror-likefinished coatings comprises coating a base-materialwith an anchoring coat of a polyhydric alcohol-polybasic acid type resin composition, allowing the same to dry to a degree of tackiness known in the art as a dust-free condition, applying metal flakes having reflective surfaces, properly adhering the particles on the sur face and orienting the metal particles with their faces outwardly so as to give a mirror-like surface. The colors of the materials described in the above mentioned applications are limited by the colors of the-metal flakes.

Dyed cellulose nitrate lacquer 'will not anchor firmly to the mirror-like surface produced according to the disclosure of the copending applications mentioned abpve. 9 Furthermore, if a lacquer is applied directly upon the mirror-like surface which results from orientation of the metal particles, the high' luster will be impaired, at least to some extent, if for no other reason than the result of the action of the labqu r solvent or the deorientation of the metal fla es. Now, it has been discovered that if the highly polished mirror-like surface is coated with a light-transmitting polyhydric alcohol-polybasic acid type resin composition, the colored light-transmitting cellulose nitrate lacquer will anchor satisfactorily to the resin coat and the orientation and other reflective properties of the metal partic es will not be disturbed.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention a suitable coated fabric base with the. mirror-like surface of aluminum particles is prepared in accordance with the disclosure of Patent No.

men to anchor the metal particles permanently,

coat of a light-transmitting non-tarnishing protective composition consisting of a China-wood I linseed oil modified polyhydric alcohol-polybasic Percent Parts Dye solution 0. 5 Drycellulose nitrate-.. 7.3

40 oz. 5 sec. cellulose nitrate Ethyl acetate 8.

solution. 9 Ethyl alcohoL- 12. 4

Y a r 27. 9 24 oz. l00-125 sec. cellulose Dry cellulose nitrate.-- 1.7 nitrate solution 10. 0 .Ethyl acetate ...'2 3.3 Ethyl acetate 39. 6 Ethyl alcohoL; 5.0 Ethyl alcohol 22. 0

. The dye solution contains the following components: Percent Ethylene glycol acid resin, thinner and a quantity of cobalt and manganese drier. The following are detailed formulations of two suitable compositions for this purpose.

Composition A Solids 43.88 Percent Glycerol triphtha.late 23.25 Linseed oil 13.75 China-wood oil 6.8 Thinner 53.13% p High flash. naphtha 35.75 Mineral spirits 17.38 Drier solution 2.99%-

Cobalt linoleate solution in mineral thinner 1.06 Manganese linoleate solution in mineral thinner 1.93

Composition B Solids 55.24% Percent Glycerol triphthalate 22.26 Linseed oil 16.49 China-wood oil 16.49 Thinner 43.40%

Toluol 19.73 Mineral spirits 7.89 High flash naphtha... 15.78

Drier solution 1.36.%

- Cobalt linoleate solution in mineral thinner The light-transmitting protective composition able method whereby a thin coating, say approximately 0.1 to 2.0 ounces per square yard is deposited. The coated material is driedin a heated chamber. Composition A requires approximately 4 minutes at 240 deg. F. for the drying time, and Composition B requires approximately 30 minutes at 240 -deg. F. A light-transmitting coloredlacquer composition is applied to the dried var- Du Ponts Luxol Fast Scarlet C Du PontsLuxol Fast Orange E "-yl other.

bossing. Printing operations employing suitably colored lacquers may be carried out on limited areas in any combination of patterns.

The exceedingly high brilliance of the colored metallic finishes produced according to the-in vention is due to thereflection of light which penetrates the transparent dyed lacquer and the resin anchorage film and is reflected by the highl reflective metallic interface. 1

While the preferred embodiment of this invention recites a pyroxylincoated textile fabric having oriented metal particles applied over the coating as a base material forthe colored'metallic finishes, other base materials-having the oriented metal particles superimposed thereon may be used, for example,'regenerated cellulose sheet, cellulose derivative sheet material and other sheet materials, such as leather and the like. The procedure setforth in accordance with this invention is applicable to rigid as well as to flexible base materials covered with light reflect ing particles, such as metal, Celluloid, glass, or wood. It is within the scope of this invention to use colored transparent pigments in the outer coating material instead of dissolving soluble 'dyes in the coating material, and transparent coating materials having natural resin bases can be used to lend its characteristic color.

The product of the present invention may be pers, book covers, artificial flowers, millinery and dress decorating, cigarette wrappers, or. any type of covering material employed in packaging, dress trimmings, coveringsor bindings for ladies evening slippers where a colored metallic finish is de sira-ble.

The product of the present invention combines the advantages of the high luster of a. colored metallic foil surface with the flexibility and other. desirable properties of coated fabrics or of 'nonwoven bases. The combination of colored metal foil to paper while aifording a high luster is deficient in that the finished product cannot be repeatedly flexed without breaking the metal. The metal can be easily torn from the paper'and these laminated products are so stiffthat their use for many purposesis limited. V

A still further advantage over the copper bronze finishes is that the colored metallic finishes described herein are non-tarnishing with respect to L heat or the chemical action of sulfides, dilute acids, etc. and they are waterproof and impermeable to greases. The highly polished colored m e--' tallic finish can be printed on with commercial equipment to better advantage than metallic foils,

due to the property ofthe metal foil surface of repelling the printing materials. The finished material made in accordance with this invention is useful for wrappingsin conjunction with adhesives since adhesives may be bonded to the highly polished colored metallic finish with greater strength than to metal foils.

It will be evident from the foregoingdescription I that many variations can be made in the described invention without departing therefrom, and it will be understood that no limitations of m the invention disclosed and dflned in the claims are intended except 'thosewhich are specifically recited or imposed by the prior art Iclaim: 1. The method of making anarticle having a highly polished metallic surface which comprises applying a resinous coating composition to a base,

allowing the composition to harden until the dustfree stage is reached, which is just tacky enough to retain a firmly adherent thin layer of metallic powder, applying over the coating a dusting of metal powder, theindividual particles of which have light reflecting faces, removing the excess powder, orienting in overlapping relation on the surface of the coating the particles adhering thereto, applying a resinous composition to the metallicsurface, and applying a subsequent colored lacquer composition which is light transmitting.

2. Process of claim 1 in which the colored lacquer composition is yellow and the finished product has the appearance of gold leaf.

3. Process of claim 1 in which the anchoring composition and intermediate protecting coat containsan alkyd resin.

DALE GLENDON HIGGINS.