IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF WHITE LEAD AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ludwig Brumleu, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF WHITE LEAD AND
IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Scaled the 6th October 1875, and dated the 20th April 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ludwig Brumleu at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 20th April 1875.
I, LUDWIG BRUMLEU, of Newcastle-on-Tync, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF
WHITE LEAD AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
Lead of suitable quality is firstly produced in such a divided form as
to give the greatest possible surface. By preference I pour molten lead
through a sieve into water in such a manner as to produce long wires or
other forms. Lead in these or other forms is then placed in a chamber
or chambers of convenient size and shape, and so formed as that a side-
to-side or a shaking or rocking motion can be given to them. At the
upper portion of the chamber I place a perforated pipe, by means of

page_text: which I cause to be sprinkled and moistened, as desired, the lead under-
going corrosion, either with acetic acid or with acetate of lead, or with
mixtures of the same.
The chamber or chambers by preference is or are divided into several
compartments by divisions reaching from the top to within a short
distance of the bottom, so as to cause the air and gas forced into the
chamber at one end to pass through and to come in contact with the
lead in one compartment before it passes into an adjoining chamber.
When the chamber or chambers are filled in the manner above
described I close them, and I then moisten the lead with diluted acetic
acid or with acetate of lead, or with mixtures of the same, by means of
the before-mentioned perforated pipe or otherwise. I then cause air to
pass in and about the surface of the lead, by preference in a heated con-
dition, in order more readily to oxidize the lead. After sufficient oxide
of lead is thus produced, carbonic acid gas is made to pass into the
chamber or chambers, and the carbonic acid gas combining with the
oxide of lead and white lead is produced.
During the conversion of the lead into white lead I employ cither
continuously or from time to time a rocking motion of the chambers, in
order that the acetic acid or the acetate of lead, or mixtures of the same,
may be brought in contact with the lead, and thus accelerate its
corrosion. The white lead thus produced I cause to be constantly
agitated, so that the white lead does not settle in the liquid.
When the lead has been entirely or partially converted into white lead
I run off the whole of the solution containing the white lead thus
produced, together with the acetate of lead, into any convenient vessel,
in which the white lead may settle and the solution of acetate of lead
be drawn off. The acetate of lead may then be employed for a suc-
ceeding operation, and the white lead thus produced may be washed
and dried in the usual manner.
The exit pipe of my chamber may be made to pass into a vessel con-
taining subacetate of lead, so that any carbonic acid escaping from
the chambers may be utilized by forming white lead.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ludwig Brumleu in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LUDWIG
BRUMLEU, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Ludwig Brumleu, Hor special
license that I, the said Ludwig Brumleu, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Ludwig Brumleu, my exe-
and
cutors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
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 PRODUCTION OF WHITE LEAD AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Ludwig Brumleu,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ludwig Brumleu, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say :-
My said Invention relates to an improved mode of producing white lead,
and it consists in submitting lead in a divided state to the action either of

page_text: the same, in conjunction with air and with carbonic acid, such lead
during conversion, together with the acetic acid, or the acetate of lead,
or subacetate of lead, or mixtures of the same, being subjected either to
an intermittent or to a continuous rocking motion, in the manner herein-
after described.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood,
I shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, which represent one arrangement of apparatus which I
employ in carrying out my said Invention, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a longitudinal section of the
apparatus, and Figure 2 is a plan, and Figure 3 an end view of the
same, both corresponding to Figure 1.
In carrying out my said Invention lead of suitable quality is first
taken and made into such a divided form as to give the greatest possible
surface upon which to operate. The mode I employ by preference for
effecting this object is by pouring molten lead through a sievo into water,
in such a manner as to produce long wires or other extenuated forms.
Lead in these or other forms is then placed in a chamber or chambers of
convenient size and shape, and so formed and arranged that a side-to-side,
or a to-and-fro, or a shaking or rocking motion can be imparted to it or
them.
A in the accompanying Drawings represents a closed box or case
forming a chamber B, into which the lead to be converted into white
lead is introduced through openings covered by lids a, a, the latter being
secured by strap bolts b, b, or in any other suitable manner. This box
is provided with projecting brackets B', B', situate one at each end, and
formed with hollow bosses b¹, 61, which are respectively supported on
standards C, C, so as to constitute an axis, around which the box. A may
oscillate, and also give passage to pipes c¹, c¹, herein-after referred to.
To the upper part of the box A at d, or at any other convenient part
thereof, there is attached one end of a connecting rod C³, the opposite
end of which is connected to a crank D mounted on an overhead
shaft E, the latter being carried in suitable brackets or bearings &¹, and
provided with a driving pulley F for receiving motion from any suitable

page_text: prime mover. An oscillating or rocking motion on the axis b' is thus
imparted to the box, as before mentioned; or the apparatus may be
operated by hand, or by any other suitable means; or the chamber or
box may be placed in any other way so that the required motion may be
obtained.
At the upper portion of the chamber I mount or suspend a pipe G,
which is open at one end, where it is connected to a flexible pipe or
hose e, and closed at its opposite end f, but perforated at its sides
throughout its length, into which pipe there is introduced a solution
of acetic acid, of acetate of lead, or of subacetate of lead, or of
mixtures of the same, marking, say, from about 6 to 10 degrees
Twaddle, and which is thus distributed in the form of spray over the
lead.
The pipes c, c', horein-before reforred to are employed for the intro-
duction and outlet respectively of air and carbonic acid gas alternately,
which air or carbonic acid gas, as the case may be, is forced into the
closed chamber B through the pipes c, and escapes at the opposite end
by the pipe c'. These pipes in lieu of passing through the axis may be
arranged in any other convenient position if desired, but in that case by
preference flexible pipes or hose should be employed to form a connection
with the pipes c, c¹.
The chamber is by preference divided into several compartments by
partitions g, g, reaching from the top to within a short distance of the
bottom, so as to cause the air and gas introduced as before mentioned to
come into contact with the lead in one compartment before it passes into
an adjoining compartment.
In operating with the apparatus the lids or covers a, a, arc first
removed, and the lead in a quantity of, say, from 3 to 4 tons, is intro-
duced into the compartments of the chamber B, after which the lids or
covers a, a, are replaced and secured by the bolts b, b.
The acetic acid,
or the acetate of lead, or subacetate of lead, or a mixture of any of
them, is then introduced through the pipe e and the perforated pipe G,
or otherwise, into the chamber B, in such quantities that the lead shall
be maintained in a moistened condition during the rocking or oscillation
of the box A, each side being alternately covered by the liquid, whilst
the other is open to the action of the air or gas.

page_text: In the commencement of the process air, by preference in a heated
condition, is first admitted through the pipe c into the chamber B with
the acid solution, so as to pass amongst and about the surface of the
lead, and when sufficient oxide of lead has been for example produced,
after the lapse of about one hour, the supply of air is then discontinued,
and carbonic acid gas is introduced so as to produce white lead.
The rocking or oscillating motion imparted to the box during the con-
version of the oxide of lead, formed previously by air into white lead,
may be either continuous or intermittent, its object being in the first
place to cause the solution to take up the oxide and thus form sub-
acetate, and in the second place to bring the solution into contact with
the lead and cause the detachment of the white lead as it is formed from
the lead. The supply of carbonic acid gas is continued until upon
testing the liquid is found to turn the blue litmus paper red, when the
process will be completed. The white lead, together with the liquid, are
then to be drawn off through the outlet H, air being then again intro-
duced through the pipe c in order to form oxide of lead. The liquid
discharged from the outlet H, and containing the white lead in sus-
pension, is conducted into any suitable vessel and allowed to stand, in
order that the white lead shall settle, after which the solution of acetate
of lead may be drawn off. The acetate of lead may thus be utilized for
succeeding operations, and the white lead produced may then be washed

page_text: either to an intermittent or to a continuous rocking motion, in the
manner and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ludwig Brumleu, have to this
my Specification set my hand and scal, the Thirteenth day of
October, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
LUDWIG BRUMLEU. (L.S.)