A NEW SYSTEM OF CORKING
Year: 1852

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Blain at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd November 1852.
(Void by reason of notice to proceed not having been given within
the time prescribed by the Act.)
I, JOSEPII BLAIN, of Paris (France), and of 16, Castle Street,
Holborn (City), London, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW SYSTEM OF CORKING" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a new method of corking, of which the
following is a description, reference being had to the Drawings.
Fig. 1, represents a cork of good quality, about of an inch long,
with a hole in the centre to receive a piece of hard wood in the
shape of a cone (Fig. 2).
2dn. A piece iron wire is put through the cork with is pierced in
this way about half way up of the lower side (Fig. 3). This wire is
folded back and brought round to the opposite side, making a small
split on the side of the cork to imbed it in the cork and also on its
upper sides; the two ends are twisted together about the length of 3
or 4 inches, then brought back on the cork, and separated to be
placed crossways, then made to join at three fourths of the height
of the cork, from whence they are taken, and where they are finally

page_text: taken (Fig. 4). The loop formed by these wires is afterwards placed
in a spiral manner, and pressed down on the cork (Fig. 5). The
bottle is then filled to about 2 inches from the top of the neck, the
cork is then pushed in by means of an enfonçoir with a tube
(Fig. 6,) which is furnished with a ring B, until the wine appear
at the two holes A, which are made for the escape of the air that has
remained in the neck of the bottle, then the enfonçoir is withdrawn,
and the conical piece of wood is put in the hole of the cork and
pressed gently in.
3rd. A thin layer of melted sulphur, wax, or any other like
substance, is then poured upon the cork.
4th. After this operation pure alcohol is poured in the neck of
the bottle to the height of of an inch; it is then reduced to 18 or
20 degrees, and a second cork is then put in, which is like the first
with the exception of the loop, which, instead of being twisted up in
a spiral form, is simply laid down upon the cork, or against the
neck of the bottle where it can be sealed.
It is requisite that the cork used should be steeped in pure
alcohol, or reduced to about twenty degrees for about 5 or 6 days
at the least, previous to its use, especially that which is between
the wine and the alcohol.
The iron wire ought to be tinned or silvered; it can be replaced
by any other wire or thread, or it can be entirely suppressed, but
then it is requisite to make use of a corkscrew, whilst with it it is
only necessary to pass an end of a napkin, a knife handle, a fork,
or any other thing into the loop, to draw the first cork, as the
second is drawn with the greatest facility.
Corking may be done with a single cork, according to the
liquids; then the cork ought to be nearly 1 inches long; it must
be put into the neck of the bottle, so as to leave a space at the
orifice of about of an inch; this space is filled with sulphur, wax,
india rubber, gutta percha, or any other like matter.
For the preservation of wines in wood, the same system is made
use of, by adapting to the cask an embondoir of thick glass, con-
taining nine pints for a gallon cask; but as the wood absorbs a

page_text: certain quantity of the liquid, and besides, it is often necessary to
take samples or to taste the wine, the embondoir is filled to the top
of the neck, afterwards pure aromatized olive oil is poured to fill
the neck, with the exception of a space it is necessary to put the
cork in. To take samples, a glass syphon with a hole at each ex-
tremity can be made use of, which can be put into the wine as
far as the middle of the cask, by pushing it through the embondoir,
without exposing the wine to the least contact of the air. Whether
for taking samples or replacing them, the open space is never
above the oil. The oil ought to be renewed every year.
For exportation large bottles are often made use of, or rather
glass casks cased in wood and straw; the neckis about three inches
above the edge of the wood; the most suitable size is from about
12 to 24 gallons; these are corked in the same way as ordinary
bottles. The alcohol employed for filling the necks of bottles or
casks may be replaced by any other liquor, provided it has not a
strong sinell, such as aniseed or bitters, and even by sweet liquors,
provided that they are of the first quality.