IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF SIZE, WHICH MAY ALSO BE USED AS A WATERPROOF VARNISH OR COATING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Septimus Losh, of Wreay Syke, in the
County of Cumberland, Esquire, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PREPARATION OF SIZE, WHICH MAY ALSO BE USED AS A WATERPROOF
VARNISH OR COATING."
Sealed the 14th April 1857, and dated the 28th October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Septimus Losh
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th October 1856.
I, WILLIAM SEPTIMUS LOS11, of Wreay Syke, in the County of Cumberland,
Esquire, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF SIZE, WHICH MAY ALSO BE USED AS A WATERPROOP
VARNISH OR COATING," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in rendering resins and stearine, or either, or a
mixture of the two, suitable for sizing purposes, or as a varnish for water-
proofing textile fabrics.
My process consists in rendering rosin, resins, or stearine soluble in water,
by acting upon them with an alkaline solution, (I prefer a solution of soda),
then straining or filtering carefully, to free them from all dirt and impurity,
adding a chloride solution (I prefer chloride of lime), until I render the rosio,
resins, or stearine entirely or in great part insoluble in water. I now add an

page_text: acid solution, or alum in solution, or other acid salt in solution. After allowing
this mixture to stand a short time, I wash carefully with clean water, filter the
cleansed substance thus obtained, when it is ready for use, either as a paper size
or as a varnish or coating for rendering textile fabrics or threads waterproof.
sometimes uso a certain quantity of ammonia with the size or varnish.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Septimus Losh in the Great Seal Patent Office on
tho 17th April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME. I, WILLIAM
SEPTINUS LOSH, of Wreay Syke, in the County of Cumberland, Esquire,
send greeting.
WHEREAS ller most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Iler reign,
did, for Herself, Ler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Septimus Losh, Her special licence that I, the said William Sep-
timus Losh, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Septimus Losh, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF SIZE, WHICH MAY ALSO BE USED AS A
WATERPROOF VARNISH OB COATING," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Septimus Losb, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describo 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 William Septimus Losh, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in preparing from rosin,, resins, or stearino, or a

page_text: mixture of the two, a substance or substances suitable for sizing or water-
proofing purposes.
I first act upon the above-named substances with an alkaline solution, thereby
rendering them soluble, and then treat such solutions by chloride of lime, or
other chloride, and an acid, or solution of alum.
In order to render my Invention clear, and easily understood, I proceed to
give the method I employ for carrying my Invention into effect.
First, I prepare a solution of caustic soda or potash (but I prefer soda), by
boiling carbonate of soda or potash with about equal weights of line and a
large quantity of water, about 100 gallons of water to 1 cwt. of dry soda or
potash. This I do in an iron vessel, heated by driving in steam from a boiler.
After boiling about 2 hours 1 allow the lime to settle, and the clear solution
is ready for use. Into another iron vessel I put the rosins or stearine to be
acted upon, and take as much of the clear alkaline solution, prepared as
aforesaid, as is required to render the resins or stearino soluble. I find as
much as 1 lb. of dry soda or potash answer for 6 lbs. of rosin or stearine, but
more or less may be used. I boil by steam the mixture well for about 6
Lours, and then allow it to cool, and add a large quantity of water, about 100
gallons of water to each cwt. of the rosin or stearine solution. This I filter
carefully through cotton cloth, to remove any insoluble dirt, &c., and to the
filtered solution I add chloride of line, also in solution, in the proportion of
about 1 lb. of dry chloride of lime to 20 of rosin or stearine, more or less may
be added. This mixture forms a white insoluble precipitate, which I wash
well with an acid solution, or alum solution; I prefer sulphuric acid, but
other acids may be used. I then wash it well with clean water, and filter, and
the substance thus obtained is in this state fit for use as a size. To use it in
sizing paper, I add it to the paper pulp, with or without the addition of
ammonia, in the beating engines, by which means it becomes well mixed with
the pulp. I find that by mixing ammonia with the prepared size, in the
proportion of, say, 1 part of ammonia to 500 parts of size, it becomes more
equally mixed with the pulp.
When the size, prepared as above described, is to be used as a varnish,
it must be dissolved in a spirit, or essential oil, or naptha, or rendered viscid
by ammonia. When to be used as a coating, it may be spread with or with-
out the addition of ammonia, evenly on the surface to which it is to be
applied, and passed upon such surface through heated or cold rollers, or be
otherwise submitted to hot or cold pressure.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-

page_text: First, the preparation of a size or coating by acting upon rosin, resins, and
stearine, or either of them, with an alkaline solution, then with a chloride
solution, in the manner herein-before described, and in treating the pre-
cipitated or deposited matter with an acid or alum solution, and, finally,
washing the same.
Second, the incorporating of ammonia with the size, produced as aforesaid,
when used in the manufacture of paper.
And third, the preparation of waterproof varnish by treating size, prepared
as herein-beforo described, with ammonia, or with a spirit, or essential oil, or
naptha.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Septimus Losh, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Eighth day of April One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-seven.