IMPROVE MENTS IN TREATING FATTY AND OILY MATTERS, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LAMPS, CANDLES, NIGHT LIGHTS, AND SOAP
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
GWYNNE, of Hyde Park Square, in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, and
GEORGE FERGUSSON WILSON, Managing Director of Price's Patent Candle
Company, Belmont, Vauxhall, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirty-first day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said George Gwynne and George Fergusson Wilson, our exors, adiñors,
and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
we, the said George Gwynne and George Fergusson Wilson, our exors, adiñors,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said George Gwynne and George
Fergusson Wilson, our exors, admors, 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, and in
the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all
Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVE
MENTS IN TREATING FATTY AND OILY MATTERS, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
LAMPS, CANDLES, NIGHT LIGHTS, AND SOAP;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, that we, the said George Gwynne and George Fergusso

page_text: Wilson, or one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one
of us, to be enrolled in Her 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, we, the said
George Gwynne and George Fergusson Wilson, do hereby declare that the
nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be per-
formed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-
Before entering upon a description of our Invention, we think it necessary
to premise that fatty, oily, or greasy bodies which have been acted on by acids
have their burning qualities impaired, in some cases slightly, in others seriously.
During the course of our experiments we discovered that this injury was
caused by a portion of the acidifying agent become uniting with the fatty
matters. A considerable part of our Invention has for its object, amongst
other advantages, not only the prevention of the injurious effects caused by
acids, but also the removal of impurities which interfere with the proper
distillation of fatty, oily, and greasy bodies.
The first part of our Invention relates to improvements in the mode of
acidifying fatty matters by small quantities of sulphuric acid at an elevated
temperature discovered by us, and patented in England in December, Ono
thousand eight hundred and forty-three. The nature of our present improve-
ments will be apparent by the following description:The fatty matter to be
operated on, say, for example, palm oil, is kept at the temperature of about
150° until the impurities mechanically mixed with it have subsided; it is then
to be pumped up into large copper vessels similar in shape (only much larger
and without the condensing apparatus) to the stills described in the Speci-
fication of a Patent for England for improvements in the manufacture of
candles, and in apparatus for and processes of treating fatty and other sub-
stances for the making of candles and other uses," which we obtained in
November, One thousand eight hundred and forty-three. These vessels,
which for distinction's sake we shall call acidifiers, are connected together in
pairs in such manner that the steam can be turned from the one acidifier to
the other when required; by this means a considerable economy of fuel is
obtained. When the temperature in one acidifier attains about 300° the
steam which is now issuing from it, instead of being allowed uselessly to

page_text: escape, is let into the adjoining vessel also containing palm oil. Instead of
the condensing apparatus, Figure 3, of the stills of our Patent of November,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-three, there is substituted a simple
pipe with a jet of water playing in it when at work, and the acidified matter
is withdrawn from the vessels by means of large valves in the bottoms of
the vessels instead of through the discharge pipe. When the acidifiers are
charged, the temperature of the oil is to be raised to about 450° by means
of "heated" steam (that is, steam which has attained a high temperature by
passing through red-hot pipes after it has left the steam boiler); the steam
is then to be shut off, and the necessary quantity of sulphuric acid, say, about
6 lbs. (s. g. 1.80) to the cwt. is to be added gradually. The chemical action
produced by the sulphuric acid at this elevated temperature is so intense as to
obviate the necessity of stirring. (Note.-When degrees of temperature are
mentioned in this Specification, Fahrenheit scale is the one referred to.)
About thirty minutes after the whole of the acid is added, a communication
with steam boiler is opened, and steam of the ordinary tension cautiously let
in; as soon as it has caused the thorough admixture of the materials in the
acidifier, cold water is gradually to be added until the temperature falls to
212°, when about one pound of caustic lime per cwt. (of palm) diffused
through a considerable quantity of water is to be added, and the boiling kept
up for an hour, when the steam is to be shut off and the mixture allowed to
repose. As soon as the water has settled to the bottom of the vessel it is to bo
drawn off, and the acidified matter is again to be boiled up for a few minutes
with fresh water. When this water has "settled down" it is to be drawn off,
and this operation is to be repeated until the water ceases to indicate acidity
to test-paper. By the term acidified matter we mean any fatty, oily, or
greasy body acted on by sulphuric acid. Although we consider lime to bo
upon the whole the best agent for abstracting the adhering sulphuric acid
from acidified matters, there are a variety of other bodies which might bo
substituted in its stead. Alkalies, the alkaline earths, metallic oxides, and in
fact almost every salt decomposible by sulphuric acid, might be used for this
above-mentioned purpose.
The acidified matter is now to be treated with
an acid, for the purpose of removing the lime. The acid which we prefer to
use is sulphurous acid in the state of a gas. As the mode in which we use
this agent is hereafter fully described in the second and third parts of our
Invention, it is unnecessary further to refer to it here. The second part of
our Invention relates to improvements in obtaining fatty acids. By the term
fatty acids, we mean fatty, oily, and greasy acids, without reference to the
manner in which they may have been obtained.

page_text: The crude material to be operated on, say tallow, is to be boiled with free
steam for an hour in its own bulk of water, acidulated with two per cent. of
sulphuric acid. After the "acid water" has settled down and the tallow
become "bright, it is to be transferred into another vessel to be saponified
with lime. The usual mode of performing this operation is to melt the tallow
with "free steam," and as soon as the steam issues freely through it, to add
the lime mixed up with water to the consistency of cream. We vary this
mode of proceeding in this manner-We dilute the lime very much, and we
add the fallow to the lime. After the lime (in the proportion, say, of 16 lbs.
lime to 112 lbs. tallow) is slaked, it is to be thrown into the saponifying tub,
and as much cold water is to be added as will be equal to twice the bulk of
the tallow to be operated on; the steam is then to be turned on, and the lime
and water brought to the "1
"boil." When these materials are in a state of
thorough admixture, the tallow is to be let in so gradually as not to check the
ebullition. Independent of being let in gradually, the tallow is to be dispersed
in a shower over the lime by passing through a pipe, having at its termination
something like the "rose" of a watering pot. After the saponification is
completed, the water is to be drained off, and the soap to be washed with
boiling water until the whole of the glycerine is removed. The soap is then
to be taken from the saponifying tub, and to be reduced to the state of very
fine powder. This powder is then to be diffused through a considerable quan-
tity of cold water, and to be decomposed by a current of sulphurous acid gas
obtained from any convenient source.
Although we have spoken of using sulphurous acid obtained from any con-
venient source, we nevertheless prefer to obtain it by the combustion of
sulphur in a suitable furnace, and to force it into the matters under process
by means of condensing pumps. Independent of the economy involved in this
mode of obtaining sulphurous acid gas, there is also another advantage attend-
ing it, viz, the nitrogen contained in the atmosphere serves to perform in
the most perfect manner the part of manual or mechanical agitation, an
operation which is of importance in this mode of procuring the fatty acids.
In our experiments we have found the following plan to answer very well.
The soap, after being reduced to very fine powder, was thrown into an open
pan and mixed with a considerable quantity of cold water. A stream of
sulphurous acid gas was then impelled through the mixture until the lime
contained in the soap was dissolved in the water. The whole was then thrown
on a filter to drain, and the liberated fatty acids afterwards washed with cold
water and then melted.
We would recommend the following modification of our experimental pro-

page_text: cess: The decomposition of the soap to be effected in close vessels; wooden
vessels something similar to a brewer's "vat" would answer very well. In
these vessels should be placed a series of pipes, either of wood or earthenware,
similar to a "free steam worm," and communicating with the condensing
pumps attached to the sulphur furnace. We would recommend these vessels
to be placed on above the other, to be connected together, and as many in
number as would, when charged with soap, absorb the whole of the gas; from
the facility with which the soap is decomposed by the gas in the state of fine
powder, our impression is, that two vessels would be sufficient; if this should
not be the case, another vessel could easily be added. To effect the decom-
position of the soap contained in one vessel an excess of sulphurous acid gas
must necessarily be employed. This excess, instead of uselessly escaping into
the air and becoming a nuisance to the workmen in the factory, would pass
into the second vessel, also charged with soap and water, where it would be
absorbed. As soon as the soap in the first vessel should be decomposed, which
a little experience would soon enable the workman to know, the vessel should
be emptied of its contents and a fresh charge let down from the vessel
above.
The liberated fatty acids might be washed in a wooden tub with a false
bottom, perforated with holes and covered with stout twilled cotton or fine net-
work made of cocoa-nut fibre. A charge from the gasing vessel let into this
tub would quickly part with the dissolved lime with which it was mixed up;
fresh water slightly acidulated with sulphurous acid should then be gently
poured over the fatty acids, which it would wash while percolating through
them. We would recommend this wash vessel to be provided with a move-
able cover.
From the wash vessel the fatty acids should be removed into a
copper vessel with a "steam jacket," and there kept at the temperature of about
190°, until the water had sufficiently settled out of them, when they should be
drawn off into "blocking tins," and when cold submitted to pressure in the
ordinary manner.
We would recommend the "foot cake" which "settles down" in this vessel
to be distilled in the manner herein-after described in the fifth part of our
Invention for the distillation of soaps.
The dark color which the oleic acid will acquire from the oxide of iron
during the "pressing" we prefer to remove by sulphurious acid gas, in the
manner herein-after described for operating on "tallow oil," with the exception
of not boiling the oleic acid with lime. It will be sufficient to mix it with its
own bulk of cold water instead. The pressed fatty acids may be treated with
sulphite of ammonia, in the manner herein-after directed.

page_text: Fatty acids may also be obtained from other fatty bodies such lard, palm
oil, cocoa nut oil, olive oil, &c., by being subjected to a similar mode of
treatment. Although we consider sulphurous acid gas as the best agent for
decomposing lime soap, still a certain amount of benefit may be obtained by
combining it along with some other acid, as, for example, with sulphuric acid.
In carrying out this arrangement, we would recommend the sulphuric acid to
be mixed in the decomposing vessel with the water before any soap is added,
the gas then to be turned on, and the soap to be thrown in in the state of fine
powder. Although we have spoken of lime soap as the body from which fatty
acids are to be obtained, they can be procured from other soaps also. Potash
or soda soaps, if it were not for the expense of the alkalies, would be superior
to lime soap. In cases where solutions of washing soaps, as, for example,
the "wool washings" from cloth, are waste products of other branches of
manufacture, sulphurous acid can be substituted with advantage for sulphuric
acid in obtaining fatty acids from them.
The third part of our Invention relates to improvements in the treating of
the fatty acids generally. The fatty acids we prefer to operate upon are those
obtained from palm oil acidified, according to the directions given in the first
part of our Invention, and afterwards treated with lime, and washed in the
manner therein described.
Our mode of operation will be easily understood from the following descrip-
tion Into a vessel similar to the one described in the second part of our
Invention for the decomposition of lime soap by sulphurous acid gas, is to be
let such a quantity of cold water as will reduce the temperature of the acidified
matters from 200° to 85°. The communication with the condensing pumps is
then to be opened, and the water to be saturated with sulphurous acid gas.
When this takes place, the acidified matters containing lime, as above
mentioned, are to be let down upon the water in the form of a shower, and the
gasing continued, until the lime contained in the acidified matters is dissolved
in the water. The temperature is then to be raised to 125°, and the gasing
continued for a few minutes afterwards. The materials are now to be allowed
to repose until the acid sulphate of lime has settled down to the bottom of the
essel, when it is to be drawn off, and a similar quantity of warm water (say,
120°) is to be added, and the gasing recommenced and continued until both
water and acidified matters are perfectly saturated with sulphurous acid gas,
when the temperature is to be raised to 130°, and both steam and gas are to
be shut off.
As soon as the acidulated water has "settled down," it is to be drawn off and
the acidified matters are to he put into a copper vessel with a "steam jacket,"

page_text: and there kept at the temperature of about 190° until the acid water mixed
up with them has sufliciently separated from them, when they are to be trans-
ferred into the still and then distilled in an atmosphere of steam in the manner
now well understood. The "foot cake" which settles out of these acidified
matters, we recommend to be distilled in the manner herein-after described in
the fifth part of our Invention for the distillation of soaps..
(Note. In the above-described processes and elsewhere throughout this
Specification where moderate temperatures are indicated, we recommend such
quantities of materials to be operated, that the heat will not have fallen to the
congealing point of the fatty bodies until the acid solutions shall have settled
out of them. Where this direction is not attended to, some contrivance must
be resorted to for maintaining the materials in a state of undisturbed repose
at the necessary temperature.)
In the process of acidification on the large scale, by sulphuric acid at
elevated temperatures, sulphurous acid gas is copiously evolved. If desired,
the gas so produced could be applied to the purposes of this Invention.
6
Mixed fatty acids, such as are obtained by the ordinary process of saponifi-
cation from tallow, may be treated in a manner similar to that just before
described for acidified matter, with the exception, that instead of one pound of
lime per cwt., we recommend only half a pound per cwt. To carry out this
process requires the necessity of distilling, which under certain circumstances
the manufacturer may not wish to perform. In cases like these we would
recommend the mixed fatty acids to be subjected to the usual process of
pressure," so as to divide them into oleic acid (tallow oil) and stearic acid
(stearing). The stearic acid we prefer to treat with sulphite of ammonia in
the manner herein after described. The oleic acid may be operated on as
follows: A quantity of this material is to be put into an ordinary boiling tub
provided with a free steam worm and brought to "the boil," when half a pound
of lime per cwt. (of oleic acid) diffused through its own bulk of water is to be
added. After the whole of the lime has been put in, the materials are to bo
boiled together for about an hour, when the steam is to be shut off and tho
water to be allowed to settle to the bottom. of the vessel, when it is to be
drawn off and the oleic acid to be again boiled up for a few minutes in a
similar quantity of fresh water. It is then to be transferred into a vessel
similar to that described in the second part of our Invention for decomposing
lime soap by sulphurous acid gas, and the communication with the sulphur
furnace to be opened. As soon as the gas issues freely through the oleic acid
such a quantity of cold water is to be admitted as will cool the mixture down
to the temperature of 85%, and the gasing is to be continued until the lime con-

page_text: tained in it is dissolved in the water. The gas is then to be shut off, and the
water is to be allowed to settle at the bottom of the vessel, when it is to be
drawn off and a quantity (equal to the bulk of the oleic acid) of fresh water
is to be added, and the gasing recommended and to be continued until the oleic
acid and water have been so charged with sulphurous acid that during a state
of repose the acid water will separate from the oleic acid. The communication
with the pumps is again to be shut off, and the material to be left to repose
until the oleic acid has become "bright," when it will be fit for use.
Instead
of allowing the oleic acid to get bright in the gasing vessel, it will probably be
more convenient to transfer it into another vessel where the "settling" can
take place. A certain amount of benefit may be obtained by passing sulphur-
ous acid gas through the fatty acids without the lime.
During the course of our experiments we discovered that sulphite of
ammonia not only improves the color of the fatty acids, but destroys their
chrystalline appearance. This latter object has been sought after by the
manufacturer ever since the introduction of the "stearine candle;" a variety
of ingredients have been tried with more or less success, but still there was
something wanting. The ingredient which we now propose "breaks the
grain," is innoxious and cheap.
The following will be found an economical mode of preparing it in a state
fit for use: Some distilled water is to be put into an earthenware pan and a
stream of sulphurous gas is to be passed through it until saturated; as soon as
this takes place a stream of ammoniacal gas is to be passed into the water,
and the flow of the two gases continued until a few crystals appear. During
the operation care should be taken that there is always an excess of sulphurous
acid gas present, and that the pan be kept quite cold.
The stearic acid now to be operated on we shall suppose to be that pro-
duced by the ordinary process, to have been "cleaned down" by being boiled
with dilute sulphuric acid, and to be of the temperature of 185°. A quantity
of this material amounting to two tons is to be let into a vessel similar to the
one recommended by us in the second part of our Invention for the decom-
position of lime soap by sulphurous acid. We have recommended two tons
of stearic acid to be operated on at one time because the larger the mass the
quicker does the material become "bright."
The steam is now to be turned on and the necessary quantity of the solution
of sulphite of ammonia is to be let in, and the boiling continued for half an
hour afterwards, when the steam is to be shut off and the communication with
the sulphur furnace is to be opened and the gasing continued for half an hour
longer, or until the temperature has fallen to 200°, when the communication

page_text: with the pumps is to be shut off, and the materials left to repose until the
stearic acid becomes "bright," when it will be fit for use.
It is difficult to give precise directions as to the quantity of sulphite of
ammonia to be employed. As near as we can calculate, a quantity of real
ammonia amounting to not quite 1 lb to the cwt (of stearic acid) is sufficient
to "break the strongest grain." Even a small quantity of the acid sulphite of
ammonia improves the appearance of the stearic acid, so that experiments with
it can be made with safety; a few trials will quickly shew the proper quantity
to be employed; as a general rule we would not recommend a larger quantity
than will just break the grain. Instead of preparing the acid solution of
sulphite of ammonia in a separate vessel, the mixed gases might be admitted
into the vessel itself containing the stearic acid; from the simplicity of the
process for preparing the article we do not see that any great advantage would
be gained by this course. The solution of acid sulphite of ammonia when
prepared should be kept in close vessels when required for use.
We recommend porcelain or glass moulds to be employed in the manufac-
ture of making candles from fatty acids, heated with sulphate of ammonia.
Although we have spoken of sulphate of ammonia as applied to the hard
fatty acids only, it can also be used with advantage on the distilled fatty acids
generally. The mode to be pursued in treating these bodies with it is similar
to that described for the hard acids. It has a marked effect upon them; it
tends to obviate the greasy feel of the unpressed fatty acids, and corrects in a
perfect manner the tendency which they have to smoke, especially when made
into large candles; in fact, their inflamability can be regulated by it to any
desired extent.
On the undistilled mixed acids sulphite of ammonia has also a beneficial
effect, but there appears to be some impurities in these bodies which impede
its proper action. In our experiments with them there was a certain
cloudiness which, although not prejudicial to their burning properties, injured
their appearance. This defect, which sometimes takes place even in distilled
acids, is quite remedied by filtration. Should this operation be deemed
objectionable, we would recommend the following as a substitute:-Four or
five hours after the gas is shut off, withdraw all the acid water which has
settled to the bottom of the vessel, then turn on the steam, raise the tem-
perature to 212°, recommend the gasing, and continue it for a quarter of an
hour, when the materials are to be left to repose.
It is desirable to expose the mixed and hard fatty acids treated with
sulphite of ammonia to as few resmeltings as possible. We recommend the

page_text: scrapings" and congealed fat to be mixed with new material instead of being
remelted. A convenient time to add these matters to the fatty acids under-
going the sulphite of ammonia treatment is just before the steam is shut off.
It will be sufficient to bring the materials again to the boiling point; farther
continuance of the steam is unnecessary.
The directions given in the third part of our Invention may, perhaps,
appear to be contradictory. In one place we direct the lime contained in the
fatty acids to be dissolved out by means of sulphurous acid; in another place
we direct the fatty acids to be treated with sulphite of ammonia. The contra-
diction is, however, apparent, not real. At 212° the fatty acids decompose
the sulphites; in the cold, the reverse of this takes place.
The fourth part of our Invention relates to improvements in the process of
hardening fatty matters by means of "nitrous fumes." By the term "nitrous
fumes," we mean hyponitrous acid, peroxide of nitrogen, and nitric acid.
As this mode of hardening fatty matters is well known, it is not necessary
for us to describe the process. We shall suppose a quantity of crude material,
say tallow, to have been already subjected to the action of nitrous fumes, and
to be at the temperature of 120°. Into a vessel, similar to that described in
the second part of our Invention for the decomposition of lime soap by sul-
phurous acid, a quantity of cold water (equal to twice the bulk of the tallow)
is to be run, and the temperature raised to 110°, when the tallow is to be
let in, and the gasing to be continued until the water and tallow are fully
charged with gas, when the temperature is to be raised to 140°, and the
gasing continued for a quarter of an hour afterwards. After the acid water
has settled down it is to be drawn off, and the operation is to be repeated.
When the tallow has become "bright," it will be fit for use. Other deoxidizing
agents may be substituted for the sulphurous acid gas.
Fatty matter acted on by nitrous fumes may be also purified in the fol-
lowing manner:-A wooden vessel with a "free steam worm" is to be
provided. Independent of having a communication with a steam boiler, this
worm is also connected with a set of condensing pumps, by means of which
a current of atmospheric air can be forced into the matter under process
either alone or mixed with steam. A quantity of freshly prepared lime water
(equal to twice the bulk of the tallow) is to be run into this vessel, and the
temperature raised to 120°; the pumps are now to be set to work, and as
soon as the air issues freely through the lime water, the tallow is to be let in
upon it, and the agitation kept up for one hour at the above heat, when the
emperature is to be raised to 160°, and the pumps continued at work for one

page_text: quarter of an hour longer. The mixture is then to be allowed to repose until
the water has settled to the bottom of the vessel, when it is to be drawn off
and the same operation repeated twice. Other agents decomposible by nitrous
fumes may be substituted for the lime water. After the tallow has been
treated with lime water in the manner above described, it is to be washed with
an acid.
We prefer dilute sulphuric acid (say, one lb. acid to five gallons of
water), and to use as much of it as will not only remove the lime, but cause
the oil to settle bright," when it will be fit for use. A current of air is to be
used throughout the whole of this operation, and the temperature maintained
at about 120°. Two advantages are gained by the use of the air.
It serves
to keep the materials in a constant state of agitation; it tends to prevent the
tallow from becoming darkened when exposed to the action of heat. We
may here remark that fatty matters when acted on by nitrous fumes are very
prone to become dark colored when exposed to a comparatively low tempe-
rature. A heat of 212° for an hour is sufficient to produce a very injurious
effect on them. Other oxidizing agents may be substituted for atmospheric
air. As there is always a quantity of impurities in the atmosphere, especially
in large towns, the air is to be forced through a suitable "wash vessel'
containing some caustic lime diffused through the water before it comes in
contact with the fatty matters. In making candles from fatty matters acted
on by nitrous fumes, it is advisable to use the lowest heat and to avoid the
resmelting of the "candle stuff" as much as possible. The darkening effect
produced by heat on fatty matters acted on by nitrous fumes will be mate-
rially obviated by this arrangement. Two vessels of a suitable size are to be
provided; these for distinction sake we shall call A and B. A is an earthen-
ware pan provided with a perforated earthenware pipe communicating with
the condensing pumps. This vessel is to be placed in a wooden tub about
two inches in diameter wider than itself, and a circular metal pipe perforated
with small holes and communicating with a steam boiler is to lie in the space
between. When this space is filled with water, and the steam turned on,
any fatty material placed in A can be kept at any desired temperature below
200°. Into A is to be thrown the "scrapings," the fresh fatty material, and
any "candle stuff" which may have got congealed in B. All these materials
are to be kept at a temperature a few degrees only above their melting point,
and through them a current of air is to be constantly impelled. From A the
"candle stuff" is to be ladled out from time to time into B.
The fifth part of our Invention relates to improvements in a process of
distilling soaps, patented by the said George Gwynne, on the Fifth day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and forty. Although any kind of

page_text: .
soap may be distilled according to our plan, still its effects are most beneficially
shewn when applied to soaps made from oleic acid and "rosin oil."
The nature of our improvements will be understood from the following de-
scription A quantity of distilled oleic acid is to be saponified with lime, in the
manner described in the second part of our Invention for the saponification of
tallow. As soon as the saponification is completed, the water is to be drawn off
and the soap is to be taken out of the tub, and if not already in small pieces is
to be broken up into such, and to be thrown into a suitable cast-iron still, baving
a "free steam worm," connected with an ordinary steam boiler. The steam
before it enters into the still should pass through a series of iron pipes, made
so hot that when it reaches the still its temperature will be so elevated that it
will melt lead. The still just mentioned is to have a man-hole, condensing
apparatus, &c., such as is now well understood. As soon as the charge of
soap is put in the man-hole is to be screwed down, the steam to be turned
on, the fire to be lighted under the still, and the distillation to be continued as
long as any fatty matter will distil over. The distilled product is then to be
transferred into a copper still, such as that described in the first part of our
Invention, and again to be distilled once or oftener, until it is sufficiently
purified. As soon as the iron still is cool the materials left in it are to
be taken out and a fresh charge to be put in, and the operation to be repeated,
and so on.
In distilling soap from other fatty acids a similar mode of proceeding is to
be adopted. Soaps which have not undergone a previous process of de-
composition, as, for example, the lime soap obtained by the saponification
of tallow or palm oil, may also be submitted to a similar operation. When
such fatty matters are to be operated upon we would recommend them to be
saponified, in the manner described in the second part of our Invention, and to
have the glycerine thoroughly washed out of them previous to being submitted
to distillation. "Rosin oil" may be purified by being submitted to a similar
-mode of operation.
The sixth part of our Invention relates to lamps, and consists in a com-
bination of the camphine and the fountain lamps, the oil being supplied as in
a fountain lamp, and the emission of smoke prevented as in the camphine
lamp, which we find particularly suitable for burning rosin oil.
(Note. In the following claims we wish it to be understood that we
use the following words according to the meanings which we now attach
to them. Fatty matters: fatty, oily, and greasy bodies; fatty acids: fatty,
oily, and greasy acids; acidified matters: fatty, oily, and greasy bodies acted
on by sulphuric acid; bases: alkalics, alkaline earths, and metallic oxides;

page_text: soaps: bodies composed of fatty, oily, and greasy acids and bases; nitrous
fumes: hyponitrous acid, peroxide of nitrogen, and nitric acid; ammonia :
ammonia itself, and such of its salts as are decomposible by fatty acids, or by
sulphurous-acid.)
What we claim is, first, the employment of heat above 360° .in the
acidification of fatty matters when such acidification is not performed in
the still.
Second, the distillation in an atmosphere of steam or other suitable gaseous
body of acidified matters which have, after acidification, been treated with lime
or some substituted agent.
Third, the mode of adding fatty matters to the lime in the "process of
saponification instead of adding the lime to these matters.
Fourth, the use of sulphurous acid for separating the fatty acids from soaps,
and also for separating bases from the fatty acids.
Fifth, the use of sulphurous acid when combined with another acid for
separating the fatty acids from soaps.
Sixth, the treating of fatty acids by sulphurous acid, and also with ammonia
and sulphurous acid combined or free.
Seventh, the use of sulphurous acid or some substituted agent for the
purification of such fatty matters as have been previously acted on by nitrous
fumes, and the use of lime water or some substituted agent when followed by
the use of an acid for the same purpose.
Eighth, the use of atmospheric air or some substituted agent for operating
on such fatty matters as have been previously acted on by nitrous fumes.
Ninth, agitating fatty matters by atmospheric air, whether its oxygen be
combined or free.
Tenth, the use of atmospheric air for operating on such fatty matters as
have been acted on by chemical agents.
Eleventh, the use of sulphurous acid obtained by combustion (as a substitute
for other acids) for operating on fatty matters.
Twelfth, the distillation, in an atmosphere of steam, of soaps.
Thirteenth, the use of the lamp herein-before described, when employed for
burning rosin oil which has been distilled in an atmosphere of steam.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Gwynne, have hereunto, on behalf
of myself and the said George Fergusson Wilson, set my hand and
seal, this Thirtieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-two.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid George Gwynne came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, 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 Thirtieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand-
eight hundred and fifty-two.