IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MARIAS ADHYOLDG THEM
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alonzo Buonaparte Woodcock, of Manchester,
India-rubber Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF MARIAS ADHYOLDG OF THEMATION THAT mmnnn
Sealed the 15th January 1861, and dated the 19th July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alonzo Buonaparte Wood-
cock at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th July 1860.
I, ALONZO BUONAPARTE WOODCOCK, of Manchester, India-rubber Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MOULDED ARTICLES OF VULCANIZED INDIA-RUBBER," to be
as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
moulded articles of vulcanized india-rubber. Heretofore vulcanized india-rubber
in the form of scrap or waste, or otherwise; has been reduced by rollers or by
grinding to the state of powder or dust, and such powder or dust has been
mixed with comparatively large proportions of native or unvulcanized india-
rubber and sulphur, and such compounds have been made up into articles, and
have then been subjected to heat to vulcanize the same; and in some cases in
place of native india-rubber, india-rubber in solution has been used.
Now, I have discovered that by mixing a large proportion of the ground or
powdered vulcanized india-rubber with a small proportion of native or
unvulcanized india-rubber, that a plastic compound is obtained which admits
of being immediately moulded, and the moulded article so produced will

page_text: retain its form though it be forthwith delivered from the mould; and further,
that by subjecting such moulded article to a vulcanizing heat without
any addition of sulphur in or upon a mould, the article produced has a like
character to a similar one made directly from native india-rubber and sulphur.
The proportions which I believe to be best are about eighty per cent. of the
ground or powdered vulcanized india-rubber to twenty per cent. of native or
unvulcanized india-rubber, though I do not confine myself to these propor-
tions; and I have found that the soft native india-rubber may be thus used,
though the better classes of india-rubber may be similarly employed. Coloring
or other foreign matters may be added in these compounds as when making
articles of vulcanized india-rubber direct from native india-rubber and sulphur.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alonzo Buonaparte Woodcock in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALONZO
BUONAPARTE WOODCOCK, of Manchester, India-rubber Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alonzo Buonaparte Woodcock, Her special licence that I, the said
Alonzo Buonaparte Woodcock, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Alonzo Buonaparte Woodcock, 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 MANUFACTURE OF MOULDED
ARTICLES OF VULCANIZED INDIA-RUBBER," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Alonzo Buonaparte Woodcock, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands 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 Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alonzo Buonaparte Woodcock, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
moulded articles of vulcanized india-rubber. Heretofore vulcanized india-
rubber in the form of scrap or waste or otherwise 'has been reduced by rollers
or by grinding to the state of powder or dust, and such powder or dust has
been mixed with comparatively large proportions of native or unvulcanized
india-rubber and sulphur, and such compounds have been made up into
articles, and have then been subjected to heat to vulcanize the same; and in
some cases in place of native india-rubber, india-rubber in solution has
been used.
Now, I have discovered that by mixing a large proportion of the ground or
powdered vulcanized india-rubber, with a small proportion of native or
unvulcanized india-rubber, that a plastic compound is obtained which admits of
being immediately moulded, and the moulded article so produced will retain its
form though it be forthwith delivered from the mould; and further, that by sub-
jecting such moulded article to a vulcanizing heat (without any addition of
sulphur) in or upon a mould, the article produced has a like character to a
similar one made directly from native india-rubber and sulphur. The propor-
tions which I believe to be best are, about eighty per cent. of the ground or
powdered vulcanized india-rubber, to twenty per cent. of native or unvul-
canized india-rubber, though I do not confine myself to these proportions; and
I have found that the soft native india-rubber may be thus used, though the
better classes of india-rubber may be similarly employed. Coloring or other
foreign matters may be added in these compounds as when making articles of
vulcanized india-rubber direct from native india-rubber and sulphur.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same. I take at the rate of
about 80 parts by weight of vulcanized india-rubber or vulcanized rubber scrap
or waste, reduced into the state of powder or dust by means of rollers or other
grinding machines as is well understood; and if coloring or other foreign
matters are to be added I prefer to add them during the operation of grinding.
To this powder I add, say about 20 parts by weight of native or other unvul-
canized india-rubber; the quantity will require to be varied, depending on the
quality of the vulcanized india-rubber and the quality of the raw india-rubber
used; and by means of rollers or other well-known masticating machinery I
intimately mix or combine the same until the particles of the vulcanized india-

page_text: rubber become coated with the native or raw unvulcanized india-rubber, which
will readily be ascertained by subjecting a small quantity of the mass to
pressure, when, if in place of presenting the character of powder or dust it
retains the form into which it has been pressed, and appears to be uniformly
mixed, the process of mastication or mixing will be complete. The compound
thus produced is capable of being moulded with facility, and it will retain the
figure thus imparted to it.
I would state that I have found that by using a larger proportion of raw or
native india-rubber than is above given, that then the compound as the pro-
portion of raw india-rubber is increased becomes less and less. capable of
retaining the form into which it has been pressed, and that therefore it is
important that the quantity of raw or native india-rubber should not be largely
increased beyond the proportions above mentioned; and I would at the same
time state that a less proportion of raw or native india-rubber than what is
above spoken of may be used with advantage so long as there is a sufficient
quantity of the raw or native india-rubber present to cause the dust of the
vulcanized india-rubber to cohere and admit of the compound being readily
moulded.
It may be also remarked, that if a material excess of native or raw india-
rubber be used, the quantity of sulphur liberated from the vulcanized india-
rubber would not sufficiently cure or change such excess; whilst if the quantity
of raw or native india-rubber be materially reduced, the particles of the
vulcanized india-rubber would not be well coated therewith.
The compound, when moulded, is retained in the same moulds as those used
to obtain the desired form, or the articles having been moulded in one mould
may be placed in other moulds, and then subjected to the action of a
vulcanizing heat, which is done in like manner to that practised when vul-
canizing, curing, or changing india-rubber combined with sulphur, which is
well understood; and like descriptions of moulds are used by me for the
purpose of moulding vulcanized india-rubber, combined, as above explained,
with native india-rubber, as are used for india-rubber and sulphur compounds
which have not been previously converted or cured. The moulds, however,
which I prefer to use, are those constructed of metal, glass, or plaster of Paris.
From the above description it will be understood, that the peculiarities of my
Invention consist in applying only such a quantity of native india-rubber to the
dust or powder of vulcanized india-rubber as will cause the particles to
adhere to each other and the compound to retain the form into which it has
been pressed although quickly released from pressure, and the curing or
changing such compound of india-rubber into vulcanized india-rubber by heat,

page_text: It
and the sulphur liberated from the previously vulcanized india-rubber.
may be stated, that it is found in practice that the coating or cover of the
native india-rubber thus applied around the particles of the previously vul-
canized india-rubber, protects the particles of vulcanized india-rubber from
what would otherwise be an injurious application of heat. By these means
the moulded articles are as permanent in their qualities as they would have
been if made entirely of raw or native india-rubber and sulphur.
In some cases in the manufacture of vulcanized india-rubber it is subjected
to the action of solvents of sulphur, such as alkalies, in order to remove from
the surfaces thereof any free sulphur which may be present. When dealing
according to my Invention with vulcanized india-rubber deficient in free
sulphur from such or other causes, a small quantity of sulphur may be added
to the compound, so as to make up for any such deficiency, which will readily
be understood and judged of by a workman acquainted with the manufacture.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alonzo Buonaparte Woodcock, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of January, in the
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
year
ALONZO BUONAPARTE WOODCOCK. (L.S.)