Material removal

Claim 1

A METHOD OF ELECTROLYTICALLY REMOVING MATERIAL FROM AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MASS TO PROVIDE THE MASS WITH A SURFACE HAVINF A PREDETERMINED THREE DIMENSIONAL CONTOUR AND SHAPE SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDING TO THE CONTOUR, SHAPE AND AREA OF THE INPERFORATE FACE PORTION OF AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE TOOL, COMPRISING: SUPPLYING A POSITIVE VOLTAGE TO SAID MASS; SUPPLYING A NEGATIVE VOLTAGE TO SUCH AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE TOOL; PLACING SAID TOOL IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID MASS; POSITIVELY ADVANCING SAID TOOL RELATIVE TO SAIS MASS AT A RATE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE RATE AT WHICH MATERIAL IS REMOVED FROM SAID MASS AND MAINTAINING A GAP OF ABOUT 0.002 TO 0.06 INCH BETWEEN THE CLOSETS PORTIONS OF SAID TOOL AND SAID MASS WITHOUT CONTACT BETWEEN SAID FACE PORTION AND SAID MASS, SUPPLYING AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE ELECTROLYTE THROUGHOUT SAID GAP BETWEEN SAID CLOSET PORTIONS AND FLOWING SAID ELECTROLYTE IN A CLOSED PASSAGE UNDER PRESSURE THROUGH SAID GAP FROM AN INLET DISPOSED BEYOND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FACE PORTION ON ONE SIDE THEREOF TO AN OUTLET DISPOSED BEYOND THE PEHIPHERY OF SAID FACE PORTION ON ANOTHER SIDE THEREOF ONLY IN DIRECTIONS GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE SURFACE OF THE FACE PORTION OF SAID TOOL AND TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID TOOL AT A SPEED RELATIVE TO THE ADADJECENT SURFACES OF SAID TOOL AT A SPEED RELATIVE TO THE ADTO 250 FEET OER SECOND, AND SUPPLYING A VOLTAGE SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE A CURRENT DENSITY OF AT LEAST ABOUT 5 AMPERES PER SQUARE INCH THROUGH SAID ELECTROLYTE IN EACH SAID GAP BETWEEN SAID CLOSET PORTIONS OF SAID TOOL AND SAID MASS.