Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1895-03-21
WOOD PULP MOSAIC.
A Flooring Said TO be superior 60 stone I.
Now Mnde OF paper.


A Flooring Said to be superior 70 stone Is
Now Made OF Paper.
In tho latest reports OF the local
Industrial Union, mention is made of a
process claimed TO be entirely new, for
manufacturing floor mosaics from wood
pulp, an innovation which is expected
to produce important results. II is
claimed that this process is distin-
guished from the known processes OF
manufacturing sectional or mosaic
floors, by reason OF the fact that sec
tions made according TO IL are not
liable TO any change of temperature
and are not like stone but similar to
wood in all essential qualities. The
process is as follows:
Small particles of wood, such as saw
dust, wood -four, fine shavings, etc,
are soaked in mixture Of shellac and
alcohol, so that the pores OF the wood
are penetrated and thoroughly dried
A cement, consisting of fresh cheese
whey (curdD and Stacked lime, is then
prepared. The cement is thinned with
water and then mixed thoroughly with
the already dry wood particles in such
a way that the consistency of the mass
is uniform. Particular care is taken to
render the cement as thin as possible,
so that IL will distribute itself easily
and uniformly, and iuclose each par
ticle of wood as perfectly as the shellac
solution. The mixture thus produced
Is allowed TO dry until II is moist-not
throughly dry, as before, for in the
latter case the curd woul lose its cohe-
sive power. The moist pulp is then
put into heated mosaic molds, of the
desired shape and size. and. in these
forms, placed under the press. As a
result of the heat the shellac softcns,
regaining its adhesive powers, and the
curd cement hardcns rapidly, so that
both OF the subst tanccs, the shellac as
well as the cement, unite under the
pressure so perfectly with the wood
particles that the wood mss resulting
may, within few mi1utcs. be taken
out of the molds w.thrut losing
the form received. After the cooling
process and complete hardening thesi
mosaics IL is claimed, are far less sus
ceptible to any change of temperature
or moisture than any natural wood II
is absolutely necessary that the use
of every other ingredient, especially II
OF an oily or fatty character, should be
avoided In this process, as otherwise
the close union of the shellac with the
curd cement would be retarded or even
prevented.
Wood pulp for the manufacture OF
vari-colored mosaics is prepared in the
following manner;
The particles of different varieties OF
wood are put through the process
separately, so that the natural color of
the wood itself is brought into promi-
nence. Dyes. dissolved in alcohol. are
miScd with the shellac solution before
the wood particles are coated. The
wood particles are first colored with
dyes, dissolved in water, and allowed
TO dry well before the coating with the
shellac solution. For simple floors II
sutfices to manufacture mosaics of diff.
ferent colors, changing them at pleas
ure so as TO form a variety of patterns.
The manufacture Of pattern or fancy
wood mosaics is proceeded with rs fol-
lows: Pattern molds, of the required
design divided into fields and fgures),
are fitted into the plain mold; each
section of the design is filled with the
wood pulp, dyed as before described,
and the pattern mold removed, after
which the whole, thus freely outlined
is subjected to heat and pressure, as
before mentioned, the result being per-
feet vari-colored fancy mosaic. This
wood mosaic, in spite of its hardness
and resisting qualities, still retains all
the essential properties of wood. being
thus particularly well adapted for use
as floor covers in living rooms and
similar purposes. ~. Y. Engineer