Improvements in the Treatment of Stone, Brickwork, Mortar, Plaster, or Stucco and the like, for Préventing Deterioration thereof.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 1st Apr., 1892-Accepted, 14th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL DI MUITIGATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Stone, Brickwork, Mortar,
Plaster, or Stucco and the like, for Préventing Deterioration
thereof.
1 HENRY AITKEN of Darroch near Falkirk North Britain Coal Master do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
―:
My invention has for its object to prevent or lessen the destruction or deterior-
ation of stone brickwork plaster mortar or stucco and the like. By research and
experiment I have concluded that deterioration of the said materials arises in a
great measure owing to living organisms which attack the said materials and the
treatment according to my invention has the effect of preventing or destroying the
forms of life which cause the said deterioration or destruction. According to my
invention treat the stone brickwork mortar plaster or stucco or the like with a
substance or matter or mixture or compound of substances or matters which are
destructive or act as preventatives of such forms of life. So far as I have at present
ascertained the most effective substance for the purposes of my invention is
corrosive sublimate or bichloride of mercury which is most advantageously applied
in the form of a strong solution in water. Other insecticides however may be used
such for example as other chlorides of metals, binoxide of mercury cyanide of
potassium, sulphide of calcium, carbolic acid, paraffin oil, prussic acid, cianogen
compounds, iodine, or iodides of metals, acids, such as sulphuric, hydrochloric, or
nitric acids sulphur or compounds of sulphur such as sulphides of calcium, copper,
iron bisulphide of carbon caustic alkalies alcohol vinegar pyroligneous acid, acetic
acid, bichromate of soda, camphor arsenic, mustard-oil, verdigris phosphorus or its
preparations, tannic acid or sumac essential oil of delphinium, stapleyoagria, white
precipitate of mercury and iodide of mercury, strychnine, bleaching powder sugar
of lead coal tar derivatives such as naphthaline benzole and the like or carbonic
oxide gas and other matters or substances similarly destructive or preventative of
the forins of life which are injurious as aforesaid.
The said matters may be applied by soaking or otherwise saturating or
impregnating the materials to be treated with the matters or solutions of the matters
in any suitable solvent or they may be applied, as a paint coating or varnish such
as paraffin-scale dissolved in spirit. If applied to steeples or other buildings the
matter may be suspended in bags or containers at the upper part thereof so that
rain will dissolve it and cause it to run over and cover or impregnate the material
of which the steeple or building is formed.
If the matter employed is very soluble I prefer to give the materials after being
treated therewith a protective coating such as one of paint or paraffin wax caused
to penetrate by heat or paraffin wax may be dissolved in spirit and then applied.
In treating plaster mortar or stucco 1 may incorporate the matters therewith
before they are moulded into shape or applied. The materials to be treated may
be heated (before or after the matters are applied) to a high temperature such as to
the boiling point or higher. The materials may be treated by matters of the
nature referred to in a gaseous form. Vacuum or pressure may be employed to
cause the matters to thoroughly permeate the materials. If the matters be
employed in the dry or solid state I prefer to mix them with greasy matter or
matter which is softened by heat such as paraffin wax and heat the mixture before
applying it.

page_text: In all cases care must be taken to use only such of the preventative matters as
do not injure the particular substance or substances being treated.
Dated this 1st day of July 1891
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Stone, Brickwork, Mortar,
Plaster, or Stucco and the like, for Preventing Deterioration
thereof.
I HENRY AITKEN of Darroch near Falkirk, North Britain, Coal Master do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
he performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My invention has for its object to prevent, or lessen the destruction, or
deterioration of stone brickwork, plaster, mortar, or stucco, and the like. By
research and experiment I have concluded that destruction, or deterioration, of the
said materials arises, in a great measure, from the attacks of living organisms upon
the said materials and the treatment according to my invention has the effect of
preventing, or destroying, the forms of life which cause the said destruction, or
deterioration. According to my invention I treat the stone, brickwork, mortar,
plaster, or stucco, or the like, with a substance, or matter, or mixture, or compound,
of substances, or matters, which are destructive, or act as preventatives, of such
forms of life. A most effective substance for the purposes of my invention is
corrosive sublimate, or bichloride of mercury, which is most advantageously
applied in the form of a strong solution in water. Other insecticides, however,
may be used, such, for example, as other chlorides of metals, binoxide of mercury,
cyanide of potassium, sulphide of calcium, carbolic acid, paraffin oil, prussic acid,
cyanogen compounds, iodine, or iodides of metals, acids, such as sulphuric, hydro-
chloric, or nitric, acids, pyroligneous acid, acetic acid, or vinegar, sulphur, or
compounds of sulphur, such as sulphides of calcium, copper, or iron, bi-sulphide of
carbon, alcohol, bichromate of soda, camphor, arsenic, mustard oil, verdigris,
phosphorus, or its preparations, tannic acid, or sumac, essential oil of delphinium,
staphisagria, white precipitate of mercury, and iodide of mercury, strychnine, sugar
of lead, coal tar derivatives, such as naphthaline, benzole, and the like, or carbonic
oxide gas, and other matters, or substances, similarly destructive, or preventative,
of the forms of life which are injurious as aforesaid.
The said matters may be applied by soaking, or otherwise saturating, or
impregnating, the materials to be treated with the matters, or solutions of the
matters, in any suitable solvent, or they may be applied as a paint, coating or
varnish, such as paraffin-scale dissolved in spirit. If applied to steeples, or other
buildings, the matter may be suspended in bags, or containers, at the upper part
thereof, so that rain will dissolve it and cause it to run over, and cover, or
impregnate, the material of which the steeple, or building, is formed.
If the matter employed be very soluble prefer to give the materials, after
being treated therewith, a protective coating such as one of paint, or of paraffin
wax, caused to penetrate by heat, or paraffin wax may be dissolved in spirit and be
then applied. In treating plaster, mortar, cement, or stucco, I may incorporate the
matters therewith before the plaster, mortar, cement, or stucco, is moulded into
shape, or applied. The materials to be treated may be heated before, or after, the
matters are applied. The materials may be treated by matters of the nature
referred to in a gaseous form where they are available in that form. Vacuum, or
pressure, may be employed to cause the matters to thoroughly penetrate the
materials. If the matters be employed in the dry, or solid, state I prefer to mix

page_text: |them with greasy matter, or matter which is softened by heat, such as paraffin wax,
and heat the mixture before applying it.
In all cases care must be taken to use only such of the preventative matters
as do not injure the particular substance, or substances, being treated.
To make clear the manner in which my invention may be applied in practice I
give the following further directions as to the best means with which I am
acquainted for carrying it out in practice.
When I desire to treat stones, or bricks, for example, before they are used in
building. I may either soak them in a solution of the destructive or preservative
matter (and I may apply vacuum or pressure in so doing) or I may paint it on with
a brush. The stone, or bricks, should be as dry as is practicable so that they will
properly absorb the said matter. Some stone when taken from the quarry, and also
sand, originally contains the destructive organisms and these substances may
before being treated by the destructive, or preservative, matter be heated for
instance by fire heat or in water or steam with or without pressure or vacuum, in
order to kill these organisms.
Que
In applying treatment according to my invention to buildings which have already
commenced to decay, the decayed, or partially decayed, portions of the building
must be carefully scraped off and washed, preferably with distilled water, or water
sterilized by means of the matters before mentioned, and then a solution of the
said matters be applied, say with a brush, so soon as the building is dry.
coat or several coats of the said solution may be applied. As many of the
destructive matters mentioned are soluble by water I prefer, after treatment
with the said solution, to give the buildings a coating or coatings of paraffin wax
dissolved in spirit and thus render the building not only proof against decay but
water, or weather, proof.
The particular destructive matter to be used for any particular kind of work
must be regulated to some extent by the nature of the materials to be treated.
For instance when lime, or limestone, forms a portion of a building to be
treated acids should not be used, and when a prolonged good result is desired
volatile substances such as naphthalene, or benzole, or the like, should not be used
unless a protective coating be afterwards applied as before mentioned. I have
found that corrosive sublimate, or bichloride of mercury, is most certain and
satisfactory in its results. I have applied a solution of it in water with good
results to the walls of buildings the strength of the solution being one part by
weight of bichloride of mercury to, from 15 to 30 parts of water. When the
solution is to be applied to mortar, plaster, cement or stucco, a solution of one part
of corrosive sublimate to 500 parts of water will generally give good results.
Where the destructive matters employed are poisonous to man or to animal life I
may distinguish the solution from water by adding to the water, used in dissolving
them, some strong smelling material such for instance as bisulphide of carbon, or
crude benzole or I may add some colouring matter. The colouring matter may be
in keeping with the colour of the building, or materials, to be treated, such as red
oxide of iron for red buildings, or materials, methyl-orange is a very marked
colour and may also be used.
When solutions of the more poisonous matters are being applied the workmen
engaged should use gloves and spectacles, and care should be taken that the articles
employed in the treatment, or containing the solution, be not left about so as to
cause injury to men, or animals.
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 :-
1. The treatment of stone, brickwork, mortar, plaster, stucco, or the like with a
substance, or matter, such as is herein before mentioned, or defined, in the manner
substantially as, and for the purpose, hereinbefore explained.

page_text: 2. For the purpose described, the treatment of stone, brickwork, mortar,
plaster, stucco, or the like, with corrosive sublimate, or bichloride of mercury,
as hereinbefore explained.
Dated this 1st A
1003
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.