Masking material particularly for gas plating processes

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF WELL DELINEATED METALLIC DEPOSITS COVERING ONLY A SURFACE PORTION OF AN OBJECT WHICH COMPRISES APPLYING TO THE OBJECT A MASKING AGENT TO DELINEATE ON THE OBJECT THE CONTOUR OF THE DEPOSIT TO BE FORMED, SAID MASKING AGENT COMPRISING A FILM FORMER CONSISTING OF A VISCOUS MASS COMPOSED OF DEXTRAN AND A GLYCOL VEHICLE RELEASABLE FROM THE FILM FORMER AT TEMPERATURES BELOW 500*F., SAID FILM FORMER BEING WATER DISPERSIBLE AND CAPABLE OF RETAINING ITS WATER DISPERSIBILITY WHEN SUBJECT TO HEAT, HEATING THE OBJECT IN AN ENCLOSED VESSEL TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO DECOMPOSE A METAL-BEARING HEAT DECOMPOSABLE GASEOUS COMPOUND AND LESS THEN 500* F. TO INDUCE VOLATILIZATION OF THE VEHICLE AND TO CREATE A VAPOR PRESSURE OF THE VEHICLE OVER THE MASKING AGENT, PASSING A HEAT-DECOMPOSABLE GASEOUS COMPOUND WHICH IS DECOMPOSABLE AT TEMPERATURES ABOVE 75*F. AND BELOW 500*F. TO THE OBJECT TO BE PLATED WHILE THE OBJECT IS MAINTAINED AT DECOMPOSITION TEMPERATURE AND WHILE SAID VEHICLE IS BEING VOLATILIZED TO THEREBY DEPOSIT ON THE DELINEATED PORTION OF THE OBJECT METAL WHILE THE DEPOSITION OF METAL ON THE MASKING AGENT IS INHIBITIED, REMOVING THE OBJECT FROM THE VESSEL, AND THEREAFTER WASHING THE MASKING AGENT FROM THE OBJECT.