IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WATER-PROOF AND VERMIN-PROOF TEXTILE AND OTHER FABRICS OR MATERIALS, WHICH INVENTION COMPRISES A PROCESS AND SOLUTION FOR THE SAME AND SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th January 1881. A communication.
from abroad by Daniel M. Lamb, of the City and State of New York, United
States of America.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF WATER-PROOF AND VERMIN-PROOF TEXTILE AND OTHER FABRICS OR MATERIALS,
WHICH INVENTION COMPRISES A PROCESS AND SOLUTION FOR THE SAME AND
SIMILAR PURPOSES." [A communication from abroad by Daniel M. Lamb, of
the City and State of New York, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to waterproof and vermin-proof materials, and its object
is to prepare a compound for and apply the same to the treatment of various kinds
and qualities of goods for the purpose of rendering them impervious to water or
moisture, and indestructible by or repellant to moths or other similar vermin.
The compound prepared for this purpose is applicable to a large variety of goods,
among which are embraced every variety of textile fabrics, all kinds of feathers,
furs, and the like, all leather, paper, felted and other like materials, as well as
wood, stone, and metal, and, in short, every article the preservation of which from
the humidity of the atmosphere or more complete saturation with water is a
desirable object. The preparation or compound hereinafter described may also be
used as a prevention against the attack of moths or other similar insects, and it
may be used where such vermin-proofing is the only object sought, or it may be
used where water-proofing is the only object sought, or where the requirement is a
combination of the two qualities.
The materials used for this purpose are so entirely. colorless and odorless that
they may be applied to any article however delicate it may be, either in texture
or color, without in the slightest degree injuring the color or appearance of the
object to which it is applied, and the effect will be the same no matter what the
object to which the preparation or compound is applied, that is to say, it will
become immediately water proof or water-repellant, and the color of the article to
which the compound is applied will become and remain more permanent and
durable by means of the waterproofing, as fermentation and consequent decompo-
sition will thereby be prevented.
The materials used for this purpose, the manner of compounding them, and the
method of applying the compound to the goods, are as follows:-
In the first place I form a solution of fatty or waxy matter dissolved in some
hydro-carbon solvent. For this purpose I take any kind of animal fatty matter,

page_text: such for instance as ox-tallow, sheep's tallow, lard, or other grease or spermaceti,
or any kind of wax, and dissolve this article, whatever it may be, in any light
hydro-carbon oil or solvent, such for instance as naphtha, benzine, benzole, gasoline,
or the like, but I always use such as are of about 72° density more or less, and then
into the hydro-carbon solvent so provided I put for each gallon of. the oil or solvent
about one quarter of an ounce to two ounces more or less of the wax, spermacetti,
tallow, or other grease (either one or more of these articles may be incorporated
into the same mixture), and into this mixture I may or may not put hydro-carbon.
gum, such for instance as india-rubber, gutta-percha, milk-weed, or the like, the
quantity of the hydro-carbon gum so taken being about one quarter of an ounce to
an ounce, more or less, to each gallon of the solvent.
The hydro-carbon gum and the fatty matter should be cut into small pieces
before they are put into the solvent, and after they shall have been thoroughly
dissolved the solution will be treated with a gas or gases in the following
manner:-
I introduce for each gallon of the solution, about half a pound, more or less, of
chloride of sodium or common salt, and also immediately thereafter about half a
pound, more or less, of sulphuric acid in such a manner as to allow the acid to
settle down directly upon the salt and act thereon so as to free a gas or gases
which will rise up through the mass of the compound under treatment and act
upon it.
The aforesaid gas or gases will be introduced into the bottom part of the fabri-
cating vessel, and rise through the mass of the compound under treatment, and attack
all the sedimentary and mucilaginous portions of the compound and precipitate
them to the bottom of the fabricating vessel, whence they may be drawn off. This
gaseous treatment will be continued from about, say, three to ten days, more or
less, during which time the solution will be thoroughly bleached and rendered
colorless or nearly so, and a complete chemical change will be effected upon it.
After the sediment shall have been drawn off or removed from the purified
solution the remaining gas will be eliminated from the compound by any suitable
means. This may be accomplished by allowing the mixture to stand a sufficient
length of time to discharge the gas, or the mixture or compound may be agitated
by any suitable mechanical appliance, or by a powerful current of air driven
through the compound from the bottom to the top.
This agitation will be continued for from five to thirty minutes, or until the gas
is removed from the compound along with all foreign substances or impurities
that may be carried with it.
After the agitation of the compound or elimination of the gas therefrom as above
described shall have been completed the sediment should be again drawn off; the
solution or compound is then thoroughly freed from any residual acid or gas by
treating it with a small quantity of caustic soda or ammonia, or both, or with any
suitable alkaline solution, either with or without the use of water to facilitate the
washing or purifying process. During this process of freeing the compound from
any residual acid or gas the compound will be agitated by some suitable mechanical
appliance to throw up the alkaline solution into the mass of the compound so as to
enable the alkaline solution to act upon all parts of the compound and thereby
completely remove all adhering gas or acid.
As above described the gas for the purification and bleaching of the solution
under treatment may be generated within the mass of the compound under
treatment, but it will be equally within the scope of this Invention to generate
the gas within a contiguous vessel and conduct it into the fabricating vessel by
means of suitable piping.
The gas or gases may also be generated from other chlorides and other acids
than those above mentioned, such as the black oxide of manganese mixed with the
chloride of sodium, and acted upon by sulphuric acid or other suitable acid, but I
prefer the use of chloride of sodium and sulphuric acid as first hereinbefore
described.

page_text: After the purification of the compound shall have been fully completed as above
described the solution will be retained in a tightly-closed vessel if it is desired to
retain it in the form of a solution, but if it is desired to restore the solids contained
in the solution to a solidified form the compound should be placed in shallow tanks
and the vaporization of the solvent accelerated by raising the temperature of the
apartment in which it is placed to, say, 150° Fahrenheit.
The application of the compound to the goods or articles to be treated may be
by means of a brush or sponge, but I prefer in ordinary cases, for all articles
where it is practicable, to immerse the goods to be treated in a bath, but in either
case the articles treated (if they be textile or other light and portable goods). will
have all adhering moisture drained off or pressed out, and then the treated articles
will be gently dried in a closed room, at a temperature preferably kept at about
60° Fahrenheit. After the goods are so freed from moisture the coating or
material remaining thereon will be thoroughly fixed and vulcanized or cured
(preferably in the same room in which they have been dried) by raising the
temperature thereof to about 180° Fahrenheit, more or less.