A NEW METHOD OF PREPARING THE ORE OF COBALT FOR THE VARIOUS PURPOSES TO WHICH IT IS APPLICABLE IN TRADE, MANUFACTURE, AND PAINTING
Year: 1811

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
STRACHAN, of Pool Cottage, in Poolton Cum Seacombe, in the Parish of Wallazey,
in the Hundred of Wirrell, in the County of Chester, Chymist, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty did by His Letters Patent under the
Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing
date the Ninth day of September last past, give and grant unto me, the said
William Strachan, His especial licence, that I, the said William Strachan,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, for a certain term therein mentioned
should and might lawfully use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A NEW METHOD OF
PREPARING THE ORE OF COBALT FOR THE VARIOUS PURPOSES TO WHICH IT IS
APPLICABLE IN TRADE, MANUFACTURE, AND PAINTING;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said William Strachan,
under my hand and seal, to cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
after the date of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, may more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Strachan, do by this Instrument under my hand and seal particularly
explain and describe the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in

page_text: which the same is to be performed by the explanations and descriptions
herein-after mentioned and and set forth, that is to say:-
Firstly, when the ore is taken from the mine it may be partially freed
from the silex and earthy matter with which it is generally combined, by a
small pickaxe or hammer, and after this operation is performed it must be
exposed to the action of the air in order to free it from its moisture.
Secondly, a vessel of iron, or any other metal or combination of metals, or
hard substance which may be found to answer the purpose, must be provided,
the form of which may resemble that of a common boiler, and its dimensions
be adapted to the convenience of the operator; the bottom of this vessel must
be perforated and the size of the holes be from a quarter to three-eights of an
inch in diameter, the number of perforations is to be regulatated by the
strength and size of the vessel employed.
Thirdly, a pestle of iron, or any other metal, or combination of metals, or
hard wood, must be provided, and the convexity of its end must correspond
with the concavity of the vessel, so that the blow of the pestle may be equally
given on the whole of the surface; this pestle may be put into action by a
steam engine, water wheel, horse engine, or any other mechanical power,
taking care that the vessel is placed on a strong woodden frame. And for the
purpose of receiving the pounded ore as it falls through the bottom of the
vessel a space must be left below, the 'square of which may be eighteen inches
and the depth one foot.
Fourthly, the ore must be put into the vessel and pounded until it passes
entirely through the holes, after which it must be sifted through a fine seive in
order to separate the earth and sand from the ore, and when ground very fine
the same operation of sifting must be repeated; the ore may now be
considered in a fit state to tinge glass of a beautiful blue colour, and when
more concentrated, may be used for making smalt blue.
There are also various other methods of cleaning the ore, which are as
follows: firstly, by passing the ore through two rollers of iron, or any other
metal, or combination of metals, or hard wood, or stone, or artificial com-
position, placed at a certain distance from each other; secondly, by beating
upon a hard substance with a hammer or wooden beater; thirdly, by spreading
it thinly over a floor constructed of metal, or hard wood or stone, or tile,
or brick, or any other hard composition, and passing a roller of considerable
weight over it; this roller may be made of iron, or any other metal, or
combination of metals, or hard wood, or stone, or hard composition; fourthly,
by the friction of a machine of a cyndrical, cubical, or oblong form, which is
made to revolve round its own axis.

page_text: In the four last-mentioned methods, as in the first one, the ore must be
regularly sifted. By the methods before described, and similar methods, the
ore may be prepared and cleaned, all which I claim as my Invention, but give
a decided preference to the first; and for the better elucidating such last-
mentioned method, I have to this, my Specification, added a Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Strachan, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and twelve.
February, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Strachan, came
before our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Fifth day of March, in the year above written.