The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-05-30

New Substitute for the Decreasing
Genuine Article.
An English Enterprise which BIDS
Fair TO supply the Increasing
Demand for a Resilient
Material.

A new industry which has just been
established upon an apparently firm
basis in England uses for its raw mate
rial Iinseed oil or any Of the other vege-
able oils of similar properties. 1t
Promises to become of wide impor-
ance because its products partake of
many of the qualities of india rubber
and gutta percha, the supplies of which
show a constant tendency to fall below
he growing demands. That oils Of this
sorl have in them qualities Of high use
:ulness was discovered ages ago, when
they were first used for paints, and the
rew industry takes advantage of the
same quality of hardening by oxidiza-
tion.
Linseed oil has been used for paints
and varnshes for generations. 1t is
well known that when the oil is spread
out in thin layer exposed to the air
il absorbs oxygen and becomes very
hard. When the oil is left in bulk ex-
posed TO the air it gradually becomes
fairy" as il is called technically. or of
Z rummy consistency. Exposures of
different periods will give any grade
OF hardness between these two. Other
vegetable oils act in the same way, and
ruany attempts have been made TO take
commercial advantage of these quail
ties. Some, like the manufacture Of OIL
cloths and lRoleum, have been very
successful. The difficulty experienced
heretofore in attempting to use the
cxidizsd oils for other purposes has
heen the fact that it was mechanically
impossible TO accomplish the perfect
and graded combination Of the oxygen
With the oil, as might be needed for the
different purposes. The general meth
cd adopted was to allow the Gil to drip
from the top to the bottom of a wide,
suspended sheet of scrim. an open
nieshed textile fabric. while current Of
air was driven upon it. BY this method
The surface CT he oil was soidfied. but
The action did not extend all through
IL and there was. therefore. portion of
unaffected oil held within, which it was
known might be made of a more perfect
product.
Mr.. Charles Grist. of England, has
perfected system by which it is as
serted that this trouble is entirely over
come. ind large factory has been
iiuili where many articles are manu-
,actured from the oils soiGiiied by his
process. His method OF treating the
oil Is TO saturate quantity Of tow with
il. ard then. in a centrifugal machine,
throw out every particle of the oil ex-
eeTt that which eliugs in minute
-lobules to the fiber OF he tow itself.
! Fbe punches OF tow are then put en-
rids OF metal in a chamber where
warm air IS forced through them and in
"a hours the oil is thoroughly oxidized.
The material is then ground up. mixed
with any desired coloring matter and
inaily rolled out into sheets, in which
coalition il resembles india rubber and
| Possesses many CT the qualities of rub
DER and gutta percha- II is as resilient
as rubber. but not as elastic, is i'm
/ Peryious TO chemical action, and with
/ lands heat up to 240 degrees Fehren-
| heit. and 1t can be yulcanized by the
same processes used fer rubber and
gutfa percha. 1t has high electrical in
sn'ating qualities and can be used for
sable wire coverings and other forms Of
electrical insulators. and it is made into
Wheel tires, which are said to be equal
TO those of rubber. 1t can be dissolved
in ethereal spirits of all kinds, and
rom these solutions it can be applied as
waterproofng coverings for fabrics OF
any sort.-N. Y. Sun.