IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STONE FOR GRINDING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
RANSOME, of Ipswich, Caster, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-second day of October, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me; the said
Frederick Ransome, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Frederick Ransome; my exors, adñors; and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Frederick Ransome, my exors, adiñors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF ARTIFICIAL STONE FOR GRINDING AND OTHER PURPOSES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Frederick Ransome; shall
cause a particular, description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Frederick Ransome, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention consists,―
First, of producing artificial stone for grinding and other purposes, by
employing a solution of silica as a means of cementing broken stone, sand, or
other convenient earthy or metallic matters.
And, secondly, my Invention consists of causing artificial stone produced by
cementing broken stone, sand, or other convenient earthy or metallic matters
with a solution of silica, to be subjected to pressure in moulds by hydraulic or
other mechanical pressure.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to
describe the means pursued by me, and in so doing, I would at the outset
state that the great object of my Invention is to use a solution of silex as
a cementing material, for combining uncalcined materials into substances
resembling stone of different kinds, depending on the materials used, and
according to the pressure to which the substances are to be applied; thus,
when for grinding purposes I prefer to use pulverized or broken burr stone,
and for imitating Bath stone pulverized or broken Bath stone, and for granite
I use broken granite; and having such materials in a broken or pulverized
state, I sift them so that the granular parts may be as equal as may be, or
other broken stope or earthy matters or sand may be used, and mixtures
thereof may be made in order to produce varied characters of artificial stone;
and it is well known that in working all descriptions of stone much small
cuttings are produced which is waste, and the same may be purchased at small
cost, and waste is suitable for carrying out my Invention; and these I combine
and cement into masses or produce more or less fluid mixtures where required
from the finer particles for coating or covering walls and other surfaces.
I will now proceed to describe the manner in which I prepare the solution
of silica, or what I call a silecious paste or cement, which is prepared in the
following manner (that is to say) :-I dissolve one hundred pounds of crystal-
lized carbonate of soda, usually called sub-carbonate of soda, or, in commerce,
frequently termed merely soda, in about fifty gallons of water. I then render the
carbonate of soda caustic in the usual and well-known manner by means of lime;
or, instead of carbonate of soda, I employ about fifty pounds of carbonate of
potash, usually called pearlash, and the requisite quantity of water, and render
it caustic by means of lime. The caustic alkaline solution I reduce to about
twenty or twenty-five gallons by heat; I then put this caustic alkaline solution,
with about one hundred pounds of finely broken flints or other convenient
siliceous substance, into an iron boiler or digester, and heat the mixture during

page_text: ten or twelve hours up to a pressure of about sixty pounds to the square inch;
frequently stirring the mixture. When the mixture is sufficiently incorporated;
which will readily be ascertained by the workman after a little experience, it
may be removed from the boiler or digester and passed through a suitable
sieve, by which any undissolved stone may be removed from the paste.or
cement. The cement is then fit for use, or may be tempered to any required
consistency by the admixture of sand or finely powdered flint; I generally use
for the purpose calcined flint, and if too thick for the purpose the same may be
reduced by adding water. For manufacturing millstones for grinding, I take
of the siliceous cement one part, of finely powdered fiint or powdered pipe-clay
one part, and of fragments of burr or other suitable stone three or four parts,
which is regulated by the size of the fragments, which should be as uniform
and free from dirt or earthy matter as possible. The above ingredients are to
be well mixed and incorporated together, when it may be compressed in iron
moulds under mechanical pressure.. When the stone thus formed is removed
from the mould it is to be allowed to dry at common temperatures for about
twenty-four hours, when it may generally be removed into an oven or drying
room where the temperature is to be gradually raised to that of boiling water,
or even beyond that point. In like manner, when manufacturing artificial
stone for other purposes, I take granite, common sand, or fragments of any
convenient siliceous or other hard stone or substance, and mix the same with
from one fourth to one sixth of the siliceous paste or cement, so as to form by
trituration a uniform mixture of the cement and siliceous particles. This
mixture, whilst moist, I subject to pressure by means of a powerful press in
suitable moulds composed of iron or other proper material. After allowing
the artificial stone thus prepared to dry at common temperatures for about
twenty-four hours, I place it in an oven and gradually increase the temperature
to that of boiling water, or even above that point.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would remark that I make no
claim to the means herein explained for obtaining a solution of silica; nor do
I confine myself thereto, my Invention not being for obtaining a solution of
silica, but for its use as a cementing means for other matters, as herein
described in the manufacturing of artificial stone.
I would have it understood that I have been informed that a weak solution
of silica has been added to plaster of Paris for the purpose of hardening the
same, and I mention this circumstance in order to state that I do not claim
the employment of a solution of silica for cementing such calcined matters

page_text: which are themselves used as cements, as they are not so suitable for the
purpose of combining with siliceous paste or cement; and I would wish it to
be understood that what I claim is,---
First, the mode of manufacturing artificial stone for grinding and other
purposes, by cementing broken or pulverized stone, sand, earthy or metallic
matters, with a solution of silica.
And, secondly, I claim the subjecting artificial stone produced by the aid of
a solution of silica with broken or pulverized stone, sand, or earthy or metallic
matters, to hydraulic or other mechanical pressure in moulds.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Ransome, have hereunto set i
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
JACKAMAN, Extra.
FREDERICK (L.B.) RANSOME.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of April, in
the year of our Lord 1845, the aforesaid Frederick Ransome came 1
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord One 2