ANTI-NITROUS CEMENTS, ALSO APPLICABLE TO RENDERING DAMP SURFACES IMPERVIOUS AND TO FLAGGING AND SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1858

page_text: Sealed the 2nd August 1858, and dated the 6th February 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Fulgence Candelot
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th February 1858.
I, LOUIS FULGENCE CANDELOT, Builder, of 16, Rue St. Quentin, Paris, and
of St. Just-en-Chaussee, Department of the Oise, both in the Empire of
France, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "DIVERS
ANTI-NITROUS CEMENTS, ALSO APPLICABLE TO RENDERING DAMP SURFACES IMPERVIOUS
AND TO FLAGGING AND SIMILAR PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to divers compositions applicable both as a preventive
of moisture, insects, and rot on walls, wooden and other surfaces, and as a
cement or paste for flag paving and similar purposes. The compositions I
have devised for these various purposes vary to some extent by their ingre-
dients and preparation, and I will therefore briefly describe the most important
ones amongst them.
The composition or cement which I chiefly use for damp walls and curing
nitrous efflorescence, and which I therefore denominate anti-nitrous cement, is
Price Sd 1

page_text: made up of a liquid consisting of painters or boiled oil, colophany, turpentine,
wax, stearine, and liquid india-rubber, and of a powder substantially made up of
glass or silex, chalk, grey oxide of zinc, sulphur or talc, and pulverized slack
lime. In order to prepare the liquid, the substances mentioned above are
melted together, except the turpentine and liquid rubber, which are added
after cooling. The powders are well mixed and sifted, and when added to
the liquid for use, form a most hard and quickly drying cement, which, being
liquid, is applied by successive coatings with a brush. Walls or other surfaces
thus treated may be painted in the ordinary way, but before applying any
design or art painting, I would recommend one or more coats of the cement,
which I will now described.
This composition, which I would call crystallized cement, is made up of
a liquid consisting of boiled painters' oil, linseed oil, turpentine, and of a
powder consisting of silex or glass, chalk, talc, and white oxide of zinc. In
order to prepare the liquid portion, 13 parts weight of turpentine are left
to dissolve with one part wax, and the boiled oil and linseed oil are added to
the solution. By mixing the liquid with the powder a cement is obtained,
which may be used by means of the trowel or any other suitable tool. When-
ever this composition is used for out-door work, add to it one-fifth part of its
weight white lead or zinc white rubbed up with oil. When it is intended to
apply paper hangings on the two compositions herein-before described, I
prefer previously covering the surface with waste paper or else daubing them
with a solution of gelatine or size. The cement last described may have any
colour given to it by suitably colouring the liquid and the powders. This
cement is also applicable to mosaic and incrustated work and artistic orna-
ments in general. When used for fresco painting, the colours are mixed with
a solution of stearine melted with wax and combined with turpentine, so as to
prevent the colours getting glossy.
When the above cements are used instead of Roman cement and hydraulic
lime, two coats of the following compositions must be applied first, viz, gelatine,
vinegar, and alcohol, all mixed together by infusion and boiling.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the. conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Louis Fulgence Candelot in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd August 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
FULGENCE CANDELOT, Builder, of 16, Ruc St. Quentin, Paris, and of St. Just-

page_text: en-Chaussee, Department of the Oise, both in the Empire of France, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Louis Fulgence Candelot, Her special licence that I, the said Louis
Fulgence Candelot, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Louis Fulgence Candelot, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise. and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"DIVERS ANTI-NITROUS CEMENTS, ALSO APPLICABLE TO RENDERING DAMP SURFACES
IMPERVIOUS, AND ΤΟ FLAGGING AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Louis Fulgence Candelot, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Louis Fulgence Candelot, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This Invention relates to divers compositions which are applicable both as
a preventative of moisture. insects, and rot in walls, wooden and other sur-
faces, and as a cement or paste for flagging and similar purposes. The
compositions which I have devised for these purposes vary to some extent by
their ingredients, the respective proportions of such ingredients, and also the
preparation thereof, and I will therefore fully describe each particular variety
of them, and the way and cases in which they are most advantageously
applied.
The composition or cement which I chiefly use for curing damp walls and
nitrous efflorescence, and which I therefore denominate anti-nitrous cement,
is made up of a solution or liquid part, and a powder or solid part, said solution
consisting of-painters' or boiled oil 6 lbs., colophany 14 or 15 lbs., turpentine
26 or 25 lbs., yellow or white wax at least 1 lb., stearine 2 lbs., liquid.india-

page_text: rubber at most 1 lb., and the powder consisting of glass or silex 25 lbs., chalk
9 lbs. grey oxide of zinc 8 lbs., talc (or preferably sulphur) 6 lbs., pulverulent
slack lime 2 lbs. The powder or solid pari may have 1 or 2 lbs. of colophany
or resin added to it, which has been previously broken & screened. Gutta percha
may be used as a substitute for the liquid india-rubber, or both gutta percha
and india-rubber may be dispensed with. Two lbs. of varnish may also be
added with advantage for improving the solution. In order to prepare said
liquid, I melt the colophany, the wax, and the stearine in the linseed oil; the
solution thus obtained is then removed from the fire, when the turpentine is to
be added, in which the liquid india-rubber when used has previously been
dissolved in the cold state: The smell of turpentine is done away with by
adding a spoonful of sulphuric ether for each quart. When gutta percha is
used instead of india-rubber, I melt it together with the colophany, the wax,
and the stearine. In this case after the whole is melted, the oil is added, and
the vessel taken from the fire and the turpentine poured in. It will be found
useful to have the whole solution strained through a metallic or hair sieve.
The solution or liquid is ready for use as soon as it is cooled down. The
powder above described is screened through a sieve called No. 50; the various
ingredients ought to be well mixed together, and the powder is thus kept for
use. By uniting said powder with the solution a very hard and lasting cement
is obtained, which has the property of being impervious to moisture and salt-
petre. When used, not more than 2 lbs. should be mixed at the time, since
the cement dries up very quickly.
The mode of using which I prefer for this cement is as follows:-When the
cement is to be applied on old plaster walls, they must previously be scraped,
cleaned, and brushed. When intended for unpainted surfaces, these have to
be thoroughly washed with an alcaline solution, and the blown or loose parts
have to be removed. New plaster surfaces need only be smoothed and
cleaned. The surfaces having been thus prepared, the liquid above described
is applied by means of a brush in its pure state, if the surface is of an absorp-
tive nature, such as stone, brick, plaster, &c. For very hard or painted
surfaces. the liquid should at once be mixed with the powder for the first coat.
Next a second coat is given which is thicker than the first, then a third and
even a fourth coat in case the walls are exceedingly efflorescent and damp. From
two to three coats may be given on the same day in dry weather. Each coat
should have a dull appearance, and in case it remains brilliant, this shews
that the liquid is in excess. Each coat may be said to be dry when no inden-
tation can be made by the finger nail. When holes are to be filled up, this
should generally be done before applying the last coat, and in this case I add

page_text: to the ordinary mixture a sufficient quantity of coarser glass than the one
used in the powder, and also one 15th or one 20th part of lime so as to form
a cement which fills well and dries readily.
The cement as described is for refraining or curing dampness in habitations,
cellars, &c.; paper and decorative painting may be safely applied within
twenty-four hours after the cement has been used. The cement where applied
also acts as a preservative against vermin and insects of any kind that may
infest apartments. The usual white lead or zinc white painting may be
executed on the cement before described, but before applying any design or
art painting. I generally prefer giving one or more coats of the cement which
I will next describe.
This composition which I would call cement No. 2, or crystallized
cement or paste, is made up of a liquid consisting of thick painters' oil 4 lbs.,
raw linseed oil 1 lb., turpentine 6 lbs.. yellow or white wax lb., and of a
solid part or powder consisting of glass or silex 32 lbs., chalk 20 lbs. (or
instead of the latter 16 lbs. chalk and 6 lbs. talc), and white oxide of zinc
6 lbs. In order to prepare the liquid just mentioned lb. of wax is first melted
at a moderate heat with the oil, and is then drawn from the fire for adding
the turpentine. The waterproofing qualities of this liquid may still be im-
proved upon, by melting the wax in a suitable vessel on the fire with lb. of
gutta percha, adding the oil and (after the vessel has been taken from the
The different powders
fire) the turpentine, filtering the whole afterwards.
are screened through a sieve No. 50, and having been well commingled
iogether, are kept for actual use. By mixing the solid and liquid parts now
described, a cement or paste is obtained which may be beaten or kneaded like
putty, and is used either by means of the knife or of the trowel, and by
mixing one part of the liquid with five parts of powder, the proper stiffness
will be obtained. When this cement becomes thick, it may be thinned or
diluted by adding some turpentine either pure or containing about th of
The cement thus prepared
white or yellow wax, and oth "fat" varnish.
is used for giving two successive coats, which are applied three or four
hours, one after the other, the first coat being for filling up the inequalities of
It is used both for out-
the wall, and the second for finishing the work.
door and in-door work, but for the latter I prefer adding one-fifth of its
weight white lead or zinc white mixed with oil. This cement can generally
be applied to surfaces that are free from damp or nitre. When it is intended
to apply paper hangings on either of the two compositions herein-before
described, I prefer previously covering the surfaces with waste paper, or else
painting them with a solution of gelafine. Both the cements herein-before

page_text: described, may have any colour given to them by suitably colouring the liquids
and the powders, or the latter only, and by mixing them together a uniform
tint is obtained, by which painting is dispensed with. The cement last
described is also applicable to artistic and ornamental work in general, such as
mosaic, incrustations, medallions, flowers, fruits, and leaves, &c., and this is
carried out by tracing said ornaments on the ground surface whilst the same
is yet wet, and then applying the cements of various colours and shades.
Said cements may also be used for inlaid work on any kind of stone and wood.
Finally, said cement is found applicable to fresco painting, and in that case
the colours are mixed with the following solution which prevents them being
glossy. Stearine lb., white wax lb., turpentine 1 lb., the stearine and wax
being melted, and the turpentine added slowly after the vessel has been taken
from the fire.
The cement or composition No. 3, which I use for wainscoating, flooring,
&c., is made up of a solution consisting of boiled oil 4 lbs., arcanson" or
colophany 14 lbs., tallow (especially sheep's tallow) or common stearine 3 lbs.,
yellow wax lb., and of a powder made up of glass or silex 20 lbs., chalk
15 lbs., ore or coal 15 lbs., and pulverulent slack lime from 4 to 5 lbs. The
ore may be dispensed with, and in that case 30 lbs. glass and 20 lbs. chalk are
to be taken. The "arcanson," tallow and wax are melted in the oil, and the
powder is added after having been carefully mixed. The composition having
been thoroughly formed, it is run out on a table that has been powdered with
chalk or sand, and is then cut into pieces before drying. In order to use this
cement, which is applied in the hot state on the hinder side of wainscoating,
or on the under side of flooring, and to woodwork generally, as a preventative
of damp, it is dissolved and melted in a suitable quantity of the liquid or
solution belonging to the cement No. 1. The woodwork, &c., having been
cleaned, washed, or scraped, two or three coats are applied, care being taken
to let cach coat dry before the next one is applied. An addition of 5 per
cent. lithargum to the mixture will render the same more siccative. When
intended for ships, I use 12 lbs. of black or white resin or pitch, and 5 lbs. of
gutta percha, without any arcanson" and tallow. The pitch and the gutta
percha in this case having been melted with the wax, the linseed oil and the
powders are added; this composition is used in the same way as the one just
described. It is evident that the composition thus prepared may also be used
for woodwork generally. I would also here remark, that all the herein-before
described cements adhere most satisfactorily to iron, stone, brick, plaster,
glass, pasteboard, and cloth.. The durability of the cement No. 1
may be
greatly increased by applying it in the following manner: The wall is heated

page_text: by means of a suitable reflecting stove, and painted with the hot liquid;
several coats having this been given until no more absorption takes place, the
liquid is mixed with the powders, and another coat given in the hot state. A
similar application of heat both to the surface to be treated and to the liquid
is also recommended when the cement No. 3 is used.
I have also devised a mixture which is intended to be applied to Roman
cement and hydraulic lime, and coated with the cement No. 2 described above.
Said mixture consists of gelatine or size 1 lb., vinegar lb., alcohol 2 oz.
The gelatine is left to steep in the vinegar during 24 hours, is then melted on
the fire and the alcohol added to the solution. This solution is employed
either hot or tepid, according to the strength of the gelatine or size. The
following solution will generally be found to answer still better than the
foregoing one, being waterproof under all circumstances:-Gutta percha 3 lbs.,
yellow or white wax 2 lbs., turpentine 25 lbs. The gutta percha and wax are
melted together, withdrawn from the fire, and the turpentine added. In order
to use this solution with the brush about th or oth part of pulverized
sulphur is added; it may also be used pure with an addition of 10th part
of slack lime. Three coats of this solution ought to be given when either
of the cements No. 1 or No. 2 may be applied.
I have further devised a variety of the cements herein-before described
which use for flagging and similar purposes, viz., footpaths, causeways,
crossings, docks, cisterns, aqueducts, &c. This composition which I would
style "neolith is made up as follows:-Linseed oil from 15 to 20 lbs., tallow
or common stearine 3 lbs., liquid india-rubber 2 lbs. (or else 5 lbs. gutta
percha instead of the tallow and india-rubber), pitch or white or black resin
75 lbs. (when 15 lbs. only of linseed oil are used, the 75 lbs. of resin ought to
be increased by 5 lbs.), white sand, pulverized granite or coal dust 250 lbs.,
chalk 150 lbs., pulverulent slack lime 5 lbs. at most, pebbles, shingle, and
marl (broken when too big) 500 lbs. In this mixture 5 lbs. gutta percha may
be used as a substitute for the tallow or stearine and india-rubber. The gutta
percha is melted with the resin, the oil is then added, and also the solid matter,
except the slack lime, which is put in last, and only partly in case the
composition does not appear sufficiently fluid. When tallow and india-rubber
are used, they are to be melted in the oil together with the resin; the chalk
and sand are added next, having previously been well mixed together, and
last the lime is added. When intended for immediate use the pebbles or
shingle are thrown in, the whole mass is powerfully heated and run out the
same as asphaltum. Whilst hot yet, wooden or other flooring may be applied
to the surface, and will be found to be sufficiently secured by mere adhesion to

page_text: the neolith. When the neolith is to be used some time after its preparation,
the pebbles and lime have to be left out of it, and the neolith is run out and
cut into flat cakes before cooling; at the time the neolith is to be used, these
cakes are melted and lime and pebbles added, and the mass run out in the
usual way. The surface thus obtained is strewn with sand, and flattened by
means of a flattening board. The pebbles may also be heated separately and
spread uniformly on the ground, and the neolith run over them, by which
process great compactness and adhesion are obtained.
In conclusion would point out another useful application of my cements
No. 3 and 4, viz., to foundations of buildings. When in the process of
construction the foundations have reached the level
of the ground, I apply
cement No. 3 or the
a layer or course, about inch thick, of either the
neolith, and thus I stop the dampness which in wet ground by the effect of
capillarity is liable to spread and ascend from the foundations to the upper
floors.
Having thus fully described the nature of my Invention, and the various
methods of applying the same, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do
not limit myself to the exact number and proportions of ingredients above
stated; but what I claim as secured to me by the herein-before recited Letters
Patent is, the use and application of the four cements, pastes, or compositions
substantially composed as set forth, either singly or jointly.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Fulgence Candelot, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Second day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
(L.S.) LOUIS FULGENCE CANDELOT.