A New Method of Thickening Linseed Oil.
Year: 1889

page_text: vate of Application, 12th Nov., 1889-Accepted. 14th Den
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New Method of Thickening Linseed Oil.
I, CHARLES HERBERT ROBINSON, of 618 South Tenth Street, in the City and
County of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania. United States of America,
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
whunt
My invention relates to the treatment of linseed oil in order to thicken it for
subsequent uses such as the manufacture of Inoleum and lithographic varnishes.
Herotofore this thickening of the oil has been accomplished in different ways
according to the degree of thickening or oxidation required all, however, requiring
protracted heating of the oil and elaborate manipulation. To prepare the oil for use
in the manufacture of linoleum, it is boiled with litharge and subsequently exposed in
thin films to the action of the atmosphere under which treatment it absorbs a large
quantity of oxygen and becomes a thick gummy mass.
oxidized oil thus prepared is a valuable and preferred re-agent in my new method.
I mention this as tho
I have discovered that by mixing with raw linseed oil a portion of previously
oxidized oil, the raw oil will absorb a portion of the oxygen from the oxi lized oil and
rapidly thicken to a degree depending on the conditions under which the method is
pursued.
My proferred treatment is as follows:-I take raw oil and previously thickened oil
in the proportion of one hundred of raw oil to twelve and a half of the thickened oil
and raise the temperature of the mixture to about 350° Farenheit maintaining it at
that temperature until the thickened oil is dissolved in the raw oil. This according
to my experiment requires about one and a half to two hours and the resultant oil is a
valuable article of manufacture in itself as it has the property of rapidly solidifying
when heated to a high temperature. When it is desired to thicken the oil to
about the degree required in the manufacture of linoleum after dissolving the
thickened oil as aforesaid I raise the temperature of the mixture to from 600° to 6:0°
Farenheit and maintain it at such heat until the desired thickening is attained, this
requiring from one to two hours treatment more time being required where the
maximum thickness is required and less where it is only desired to thicken the oil to
the degree required for lithographie varnishes and the time also varies with the
quantity of oil under treatment.
bil in the raw oil at the temperature of about 350° Farenheit is because at that
My reason for preferring to dissolve the thickened
emperature but little oil is lost by evaporation and little or no gases are driven off
rom the previously thickened oil. If higher heats are used in this stage of the
peration a considerable loss through evaporation ensues and if the temperature is
hereased to 450° Farenheit or above, gases are rapidly driven off from the previously
hickened oil and the mixture formed after the thickened oil is dissolved does not
hicken so rapidly or perfectly on exposure to high heat.
The thickening of the mixture under the influence of high heat can be facilitated
y blowing air into it; by rapid stirring or by allowing the hot mixture to pass in
in sheets through the air and it will be understood that to obtain the best results
he previously thickened oil should be oxidized or thickened to the highest possible
egree though less highly oxidized oil may be advantageously used where it is
esired merely to give to raw oil the thickness and qualities usually recognized as
ose of age.
Where the thickened oil is to be employed for some purpose where its rapid
ying is desirable it is advantageous to place in the kettle in which it is heated a
all quantity of litharge, say about one per cent., but this should not be done before
e oil has reached a temperature of 350° to 400° Farenheit,

page_text: While I prefer for the reasons given to dissolve the thickened oil in the raw oil at
a temperature below that at which gases are driven off from the thickened oil. 1
wish to state that I have obtained excellent results in thickening oil by heating the
raw oil to a temperature at which it will ignite on the application of flume to its
surface, say 6300 to 640° Farenheit, then adding about five per cent. of oil proviously
thickened by treatment with litharge and exposure to the air in films and then
maintaining the mixture at the heat referred to until it thickened to the desired
degree. In fact the thickening is effected with greater or less completeness at all
heats and with any quantity of thickened oil in the mixture though for practical
purposes two per cent., may be taken as a minimun.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The method of thickening linseed oil which consists in heating said oil and
adding to it a portion of previously thickened linseed oil.
Second. The method of thickening linseed oil which consists in heating said oil,
adding to it a portion of previously thickened linseed oil, and maintaining the
mixture at a high heat.
Third. The method of thickening linseed oil which consists in heating said oil,
adding to it a portion of previously thickened linseed oil, maintaining the mixture ar
a high hoat, and subjecting the hot mixture to the action of air.
Fourth. The method of thickening linseed oil which consists in heating raw oil,
adding to it a portion of linseed oil previously thickened by treatment with litharge
and exposure to the air and maintaining the mixture at a high heat.
Fifth. The method of thickening linseed oil which consists in mixing with raw oil
a portion of previously oxidized and thickened oil, raising and maintaining the heat
of the mixture to a degree below that at which gasos are rapidly driven off from the
thickened oil until said thickened oil is dissolved and then raising the temperature of
the mixture to a high heat to effect the desired thickening of the mass.
Dated this 10th day of November 189
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.