The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-03
FORM NEW COMPANY
 ID MINE S|[|CONITE
Robert R. Zen Explains New Product Having Wide
 Variety of Uses

Robert R. zell announces that the Ala bama Siliconite company will be incor- porate dtoday with a cipital stock of s25,- ooo The company will mine and put upon the market It's new product discovered at Angel Ala. on the Seaboard Air Line This siliconite Is said to nave wide | variety of uses and Mir. zell described 1t yesterday as follows:
 "Silica Is one of the most common min erals found in the earth. silicon. its proper mineral name, being even more extensive than aluminum, which has become one l of the large mineral products of tho I United States Silica Is found In comhl- nation with all clays and most rocks and mineral formations. The largest deposits are in the form of sand which is formed from the disintegration of the numerous rock deposits, such as quartz, flint, gran ite and other hard substances of nature. The writer has been for years past l looking for deposit of decomposed sili- ca that would be in such a state of di- vision that 1t Is not necessary to grind or pulverize 1t to flour state, or that will all pass through 15o mesh to the inch. l with the result that we have now a mine at Angel. on the Seaboard railroad, that furnishes the material desired. This de- posit Is unlike any othor silica deposit 1 found 1t being sized. after mining without grinding, to an impalpable state. Knowing the cost of preparing hard substances that are pure silica from their solid form as used in the arts and manu- features, I have designed method for preparing this decomposed silica that Is both economical and rapid. It must be understood that while sand Is a silica all silicas are not sands. and this silconite has been reduced to n powdered form by nature. and Is as per cent pure 1t having been reduced by time from the mother quartz rock overlying 1t.
 After numerous experiments we have succeeded in converting 1t Into a porce- lain material without baking or burning, by the mixing of the slliconite with cer- tain chemicals. This will no doubt be questioned by those who have expended both time and money in trying to secure the same results.
 Samples of slllconite have been sent to both Dr. Eugene Smith, state geologist. and to Dr. H. Refs. chief chemist at Cor nell university who have both analysed and made physical tests with the result that the writer has fully demonstrated the production of a new building ma terial. and now can manufacture a porce- lain body that can be used for numerous purposes.
 Tn the manufacture of siliconite prod ucts, no portland oements. chloride of maG0GSlA mARnAElfa n tions of this character are used but a new process that makes a plastic dough that can be molded Into any shape, and com pines with colors making artistic effects
 'Siliconite can be made Into numerous materials such as terra ootta, tiling, cleo tric wares, enamels. marbles, onyx, and all the stones, with either plain or pol
 shed surfaces. making buildings fire and waterproof as 1t Is not acted on by either acids or alkalies.
 Walls coated or tinted with siiiconite will be perfectly sanitary, can be washed down the same as if coated with burned porcelain surfaces, and free from damp ness and other effects
 Other uses include such as refra ctory brick, as by pr. Refs tests 1t did not soften until 1t had passed 3146 degrees Fahrenheit temperature.
 Tt will be used extensively for porch and other floors, wainscoatng. fireplaces and bathrooms, And the further use to surface concrete walls as 1t binds per fectly to all kinds of concrete and does not require curing, hardening rapidly until 1t is like porcelain finish.
 Another use for siliconite is for exposed painted surfaces. and it sticking to wood and being water proof, preserves and does-l not crack or peel off.
 "A company will be organized to manu- facture siliconite products in Birmingham. which will have the exclusive rights In the state of Alabama. Samples of this product can be seen at Room 5, Watts | building"