THE MANUFACTURE OF A COM- DOCEMIAN AD COMPOSITIONS TO BE EMPLOYED AS BLACK LEAD."TIONTIONS TO
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Hicks, of Chatham Place, in the City of
London, Gentleman, for the Invention of "THE MANUFACTURE OF A COM-
DOCEMIAN AD COMPOSITIONS TO BE EMPLOYED AS BLACK LEAD."
POSITION OF COMPOSITIONS TO BE EMPLOYED AS BLACK LEAD.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Hicks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th June 1858.
I, ROBERT HICKS, of Chatham Place, in the City of London, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "THE MANUFACTURE OF A
COMPOSITION OR COMPOSITIONS TO BE EMPLOYED AS BLACK LEAD," to be as.
follows:-
My Invention consists in forming a composition of black schist, of a carburet
of iron combined with other substances and plumbago of commerce, and with
or without soda and lampblack; or in forming a composition of black shist
and carburet of iron with or without soda and lampblack.
Although I do not limit myself to any exact proportions, yet I give the
following by way of example, as I have succeeded in my experiments. in.
making a very good composition with them:-8 parts of black schist, 8 parts
of carburet of iron, 5 parts of plumbago of commerce, 1 part of soda, 1 part of.
lampblack; the whole to be ground, well mixed, and sifted.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Micks in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th December 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
HICKS, of Chatham Place, in the City of London, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Hicks, Her special licence that I, the said Richard Hicks, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard
Hicks, 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 "THE MANUFACTURE OF A COMPOSITION
OR COMPOSITIONS TO BE EMPLOYED AS BLACK LEAD," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Richard Dicks, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their bands and seals, should
particularly describe 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 l'atent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Hicks, 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:-
The Invention consists in forming a composition of black schist, carburet of
iron combined with other substances known in Devonshire and elsewhere by
the name of shining or shiny ore, and plumbago of commerce, and with or
without soda and lampblack; or in forming a composition of black schist and
carburet of iron, with or without soda and lampblack.
I do not limit myself to any uses to which my composition may be applied
instead of black lead, nor do I liniit myself to any exact proportions for the
manufacture of my composition, yet I give the following by way of example,
having succeeded in my experiments in making a very good composition with
them, which may be used as ordinary black lead for polishing stoves, grates,
and other irou articles, as also for protecting the same from rust-I mix

page_text: together eight parts of black schist, eight parts of the above-named carburet of
iron, five parts of plumbago of commerce, one part of soda, and one part of
lampblack; the whole of these ingredients having been reduced to a fine
powder and sifted.
When my composition is to be used in making crucibles, furnaces, and
stoves, instead of black lead I take eight parts of black schist, two parts of the
said carburet of iron, two parts of plumbago of commerce, all in the state of
powder, and mix them together, and proceed as if black lead were being used
in lieu of my composition in the ordinary method of manufacturing such like
commodities.
When my composition is used in lieu of black lead in making pencils, it is
formed as follows:-I take two parts of black schist, two parts of the said
carburet of iron, and eight parts of plumbago of commerce, all of which have
been previously reduced to a fine powder, and mix them thoroughly together
with a small quantity of water (say th part of water), and then put the
mixture thus made into a strong metallic mould, and subject it to considerable
pressure in a hydraulic press or otherwise. The composition by this means is
consolidated into a block resembling a piece of solid metal; it is afterwards
sawn into slabs of a proper size for making pencils, and baked in a kiln or
oven heated gradually and sufficiently, and retained there long enough to
harden to any degree required. This part of the process is well known to the
manufacturers of black lead for pencils.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim the manufacture
of a composition or compositions to be employed as black lead, of the materials
herein-before described, however the same may be varied to suit the different
purposes for which the composition is to be employed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Hicks, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-eight.
ROBERT HICKS. (L.S.)