IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF NON INFLAMMABLE CELLULOID MATTERS
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 25th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 28th Sept., 1888
I ARTHUR CHARLES HENDERSON of 46, Southampton Buildings Holborn in the
county of Middlesex and 31, Lincoln Place, Leinster Street, Dublin, Patent Agent
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF NON INFLAMMABLE CELLULOID MATTERS, a communication to me from
abroad by Charles Stocker, Mechanic, of the City of Paris in the Republic of
France, to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to render all matters whose basis is nitro-cellulose
such as Celluloide, Lithoxyle, Phibrolitoide, Proteine, Parkesine and their equivalents
either non inflammable, or inflammable only to a certain degree determined in the
manufacture whilst at the same time the manufactured article possesses all the requisite
qualities of transparency, tenacity, suppleness and perfect plasticity.
With this view during the process of manufacture, which is conducted in the
ordinary and well known manner, a metallic salt, soluble in alcohol, or ether, is intro-
duced, which inserting itself in all the molecules, completely prevents combustion.
The following ingredients and their respective proportions are given as an example.
100 parts by weight of nitric cotton, or paper, are mixed with at least 50 parts of
protochloride of tin, to which the solvent, alcohol, ether, or some equivalent is added,
the matter is then allowed to stand for 12 hours, so that the whole substance may
become thoroughly dissolved, the manufacture then proceeds in the usual and well
known manner.
If the substances to be produced are to be coloured, all the metallic salts that are.
soluble in alcohol, or ether, are employed according to the colour required, for instance
for producing green, salt of copper is employed, for brown, salts of iron, and so.
CL

page_text: The manufactured article like celluloid is dry, and will only burn if held immediately
over a flame, and as soon as removed therefrom it no longer burns, but becomes quite
extinct and leaves no ignited particles.
When for certain purposes it is desired to retain a certain degree of inflammability,
then in this case the quantity of metallic salt is reduced for the purpose of effecting
the object desired.
Dated this 90th day of Novemb^. 1007
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Non-inflammable Celluloid
Matters.
I ARTHUR CHARLES HENDERSON of 46 Southampton Buildings, Holborn in the
county of Middlesex, and of 31 Lincoln Place Leinster Street, Dublin, Patent Agent
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF NON-INFLAMMABLE CELLULOID MATTERS" and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained, in and by the
following statement, a communication to me from abroad by Charles Stocker
Mechanic, of the city of Paris in the Republic of France to be as follows:-
All matters whose basis is nitro-cellulose, manufactured under the titles of
Celluloid, Lithoxyle-Phibrolitoide Proteine Parkesine &c., have the disadvantage
of being highly combustible, and notwithstanding the great quantities of these matters
that are manufactured, this defect hinders their employment in very many cases, the
manufacture as well as the storage of these matters are subjected to rigorous regula-
tions, and in some countries their employment is interdicted.
Many unsuccessful attempts have been made to either lessen, or suppress this
inflammable tendency. The substance should possess the qualities of transparency,
tenacity, suppleness, and perfect plasticity.
Up to the present time the various experiments made, have only resulted in the
production of an opaque and brittle substance, more or less inflammable, very unlike
the beautiful material, more generally known by the name of celluloid.
The object of this invention is to overcome these drawbacks in the manufacture of
an article either non-inflammable or only inflammable to a certain degree, determined
in the manufacture whilst possessing all the requisite qualities above described.

page_text: With this view, during the process of manufacture which is conducted in the
ordinary and well known manner, a metallic salt, soluble in alcohol, or ether is
introduced which inserting itself in all the molecules completely prevents combustion.
The following ingredients, with their respective proportions are given as an
example.
100 parts by weight of nitric-cotton, or nitric paper are mixed with at least 50
parts of protochloride of tin, to which the solvent (alcohol; ether, or some equivalent)
is added; the matter is then allowed to stand for 12 hours, so that the whole
substance may become thoroughly dissolved; the manufacture then proceeds in the
usual and well known manner.
If the substances to be produced are to be coloured, all the metallic salts that are
soluble in alcohol or ether, are employed, according to the colour required.
For instance for producing green, salt of copper is employed, for brown, salts of
iron and so forth.
The manufactured article like celluloid is dry, and will only burn if held imme-
diately over a flame, and as soon as removed therefrom it no longer burns, but
becomes instantly extinct, and leaves no ignited particles.
When for certain purposes it is desired to retain a certain degree of inflammability,
then in this case the quantity of metallic salt is reduced, for the purpose of effecting
the desired object.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed what I claim is
1. Rendering matters having a cellulose base, non-inflammable, by the admixture
with nitro-cotton, or nitro-paper, a metallic salt such as protochloride of tin (in
certain proportions) which is soluble in alcohol, ether, or some equivalent.
2. Rendering matters having a cellulose basis, partly inflammable, by reducing the
proportions of the metallic salts according to the degree of inflammability desired.
3. Colouring matters having a cellulose base, by the use of metallic salts producing
the colour desired in the manner, by the means and for the purposes herein specified.
Dated this 25th day of August 1888.
A. C. HENDERSON.