Process of Manufacturing a Substance or Product as a Substitute for Vulcanite, or for other purposes to which it may be applicable.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1895-Accepted, 31st Aug., 1895
Process of Manufacturing a Substance or Product as a Substitute for
Vulcanite, or for other purposes to which it may be applicable.
I, FRANZ GUSTAV KLEINSTEUBER of Arzberg, Bavaria, Germany, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The present invention has for its object the manufacture or production of a
substance as a substitute for vulcanite celluloid and horn or same can be used for
any other purposes to which it is applicable and which substance or substitute I
term "ambroin."
As the consistency (hardness and fusibility) of several pieces of copal is extremely
different and varied by melting such pieces together there is produced either an
incompletely melted heterogeneous product which is very difficult to work on account
of the incompletely meited harder pieces of copal contained therein or the softer
parts are more or less oxidized by reason of the great heat necessary for completely
and thoroughly melting the entire mass so that a brittle material is the result which
has many drawbacks such as incapability of being properly polished etc.
Now this drawback is entirely obviated by the present invention according to
which the different kinds of copal are separately dissolved in volatile solvents (such
as turpentine ether with or without an addition of camphor) the said solutions being
then mixed together with or without an admixture of asphalte and then evaporated:
The moist residue is then mixed either with vegetable or with incombustible fibres
(wood fibre or asbestos) and dried or first dried and ground and then mixed with
the aforesaid fibres. In either case the homogeneous mixture which melts at a
comparatively low temperature can be further treated by melting pressing into
moulds and leaving to cool under pressure.
The employment of the volatile solvents which is a rather costly feature of the
process may be restricted by first treating the various kinds of copal with cheaper
solvents such as alcohol and dissolving only the residue (insoluble in alcohol) in
volatile solvents.
But the harder kinds of copal are mostly only soluble in expensive solvents such
as chloroform cajeput oil sulphuric ether, etc.
Attempts to still further restrict the use of expensive solvents have however given
a favourable result namely that by very rapidly and intensely drying the ground
copal whilst also by allowing the copal to remain in a finely ground condition and
in a perfectly dry state for a long period say for about 6 months most of the harder
sorts of copal that come in question are altered thereby in such a manner that they
are then soluble in 96° alcohol without difficulty with the exception of a greater or
less irreducible amount of residue.
It remains therefore only to treat this residue with the aforesaid more costly
solvents whereby a considerable saving is effected.
The process thus modified is now as follows :—
First the various sorts of copal are superficially sorted cleaned and ground. Then
the harder kinds are if desired dried or stored up in a dry state said drying operation
being carried up to a point where the copal commences to soften.
Then the harder kinds and the soft kinds of copal are mixed together alcohol is
added and the whole is slowly heated.

page_text: After 1 to 2 hours the solution is poured off and the residue is also dissolved in
chloroform ether etc. and then both solutions are mixed together.
The operations of mixing with fibre of drying melting pressing etc. are effected
exactly as above described. Except when it is desired to produce an acid-proof
material the solution is made more fluid in order that the fibres shall become
particularly thoroughly penetrated thereby.
In
The proportion of 2 parts of the solvents to 1 of copal has been found to be suitable
for this purpose. It is also advisable to allow the mixture to remain moist for a few
hours in order to ensure that the mixture shall become thoroughly saturated.
this case the vegetable fibre will be replaced wholly or partially by asbestos fibre
according to the use intended.
After having been polished the finished product has the appearance of vulcanite
or horn and when it has the proper percentage of resin and has been subjected
to the proper degree of pressure it has also much about the same strength as those
materials.
Furthermore it possesses the extremely important property when it is suitably
and carefully heated of being capable of being pressed into rods or plates or sheets
or other shapes or figures of any desired forms so that articles that have been cast
or pressed straight and perforated (particularly mouth-pieces for smoking pipes) can
be readily formed bent or curved.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein-described process of making from copal a substance resembling
vulcanite consisting in dissolving the different sorts of copal separately in suitable
solvents then mixing the solutions together and allowing evaporation or volatilisation
the moist residue is then mixed with vegetable or with incombustible fibres and
dried after which the homogeneous mass thereby produced and which is fusible at
a relatively low temperature can be further treated by melting pressing same in
moulds or otherwise and leaving to cool under pressure or finishing as desired.
2. The process claimed in Claim 1 with the modification that the residue is first
dried and then after grinding same is mixed in this state with vegetable or incom-
bustible fibre substantially in the manner and for the purposes specified.
3. The process as claimed in Claims 1 and 2 with the modification that the various
sorts of copal are treated with alcohol directly or after a previous intense or
prolonged drying operation and the residue insoluble in alcohol is dissolved in
suitable solvents and the solutions thus produced mixed together substantially in.the
manner and for the purposes specified.
Dated this 27th day of July 1895
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.