The Penn's Grove record., 1895-09-20
UINsHAL WOOL
xor Produosd from Matter that Wa'
Formerly Wasted


SOW Produced from Matter 'n W.
,. Formerly Wasted
Since the discovery, some years az.
that asbestos could be felted tosetne
J into a sort of paper and used wherev
/ nonconducting, non-comousupie pa
ing WAS needed, the demand Ior II Ia
steadily increased. New forms an
new nses are continually appearing
while the supply is constantly dlmihisl
ing. This has led to the search luz
substitute. t-
b Y melting together the various MN
erals of which asbestos Is
material Of the same composition l
easily obtained, but the suihsy
hbrous quality which makes Tue -
bestos 40 valuable is wanting. An &C
OCCIDENTAL blast Of steam against a srean
of melted Stag FROM an Iron rurhac
gave the first and most important Sue
In the solution Of the problem, ana iron
this II has been worked out almost u
norfectIon At first glass" or min
eraI" wool was made largely from siae
which contains many of the miiera
needed-sand, lime and iron But Uni
product was too CLASSY, was not tousi
enough and melted too easily
A careful analysis Of asbestos wa
made. and the minerals, limestone sahu
fre-clay or kaolin and iron sag con
tanning the proper elements WERE
-niyed,
As made now, By the improved meth
DDS, waste products from other d
tories are used principally. Broken
olass from windows and from bottle
houses furnishes the sand ana a par
of the lime; pieces Of fire-clay bricks
broken glass pots and dishware tha'
has warped or cracked In the kiins 1ur
nish the clay, and iron Stag from the
pudding ovens supplies the ron ano
mart of the sand and lime. A little ex'
tra limestone is also added. These
waste products, besides being cheaper,
are better than simple sand, lime and
CLAW would be, as they are In a hard'
chunky form, and stand up" In the
furnace, allowing a better circulation
of air and gas while heating. Loos
sand and clay would pack.
The materials are crushed and mixed
according to a rough formula, whicn
is worked out by experiment. 1t is
very necessary that the amount OF each
be just right. If too much glass
Is used the wool Is brittle and harsh; If
too much clay, the flbers are coarse
and heavy, and If too much iron, the
product is dark and does not sell well.
The mixed material is placed In tall
ire-brlck furnaces. with alternate lay
,rs of coke, each layer being about one
deep. Natural gas, where obtain
,ble. is led into the bottom Of the fur
lace, the fire is lighted and a blast OF
lir from a blower Is turned on, getting
ID nm intense heat. The glass melts,
citing as a fux and melting the other
The part nearest the bot
of the furnace melts first and the
Whole mass settles down.
When the bottom is sufficiently liquid
small hole is opened at the side OF the
urnace and the fluid mass is allowed to
ow out In g stream u inch In diam
ter. AS this falls a jet Of steam from
wo fat, fan-shaped MOBILES Is directed
galnst IT, blowing 1t into q fine spray,
hitch, on cooling. is q white, fbrous
lass resembling fine, well-washed
'ool, hence Its name.
The spray is blown through a small
into a large collecting room.
While the blast Is on this 70 Is
lied with n white cloud looking like
otton down. Two furnaces and two
ooms are used. alternating with each
Their. When the blast Is finished In one
urnace the downy wool is allowed to
ettlea and is then scraped from the sides,
he floor and the ceiling; 1t is weighed,
In bales and then is ready for
he market
The heaviest part, which settles near
st the windows, contains little, bead
ike bodies, called in the trade "shot"
.nddue toimperfect blowing. This wool
S remelted or sold for rough packing.
The uses of the mineral wool are very
numerous and are multiplying all the
lime. The chief ones are the adultera-
ion of asbestos; packings to retain
heat, as on steam pipes, steam cylinders
and boilers; packings to keep out heat
IN ice machines. refrigerators, cold
rooms and cold storage warehouses. or
late large amounts are used for deaden-
Of walls and floors in fireproof build.
The mineral wool Is used either loose
or in the form of paper, telling or thick