An Improved Composition of Matter for Plastering Walls.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 18th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 18th July, 1891-Accepted 26th Sept., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
An Improved Composition of Matter for Plastering Walls.
We, WILLIAM JOHN REAGAN of 260 Jersey Street, New Brighton, Richmond
County New York, U.S.A., Pilot, and REGINALD ROBERT LONGLEY, of
182 Avenue D, Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey, U.S.A.,.. Plasterer, 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:-
Our invention has for its object the manufacture of a plaster composition which
shall be cheap, strong, light, and durable.
It is our intention to prepare our material either in slabs for the purpose of
nailing them direct to the studding or into blocks for the construction of walls and
for deadening purposes, although our invention may be used as ordinary plaster for
plastering a wall upon the lathing.
Our composition consists of the following ingredients, combined, preferably, in
the portions stated, namely: seventy-five per cent. of soapstone of commerce,
twenty-five per cent. of plaster-of-paris, and a vegetable or animal fiber thoroughly
interspersed in the mass. We do not limit ourselves to these proportions, as
they may be varied at will without departing from the spirit of our invention.
We proceed for the production of our composition of matter as follows:
We take ordinary soapstone of commerce and grind or comminute it, preferably
reducing it to a fine powder. The soapstone before it is ground may be either
naturally or artificially dried for the purpose of expelling its contained moisture;
but this step we do not consider essential. We next take plaster-of-paris grinding
or comminuting it, preferably reducing it also to a fine powder. We then intimately
inix or commingle the ground soapstone and plaster-of-paris together, and placing
this in a proper receptacle pour therein sufficient water, either hot or cold, as may
be desired, to reduce the mass to a free-flowing fluid, preferably about the
consistency of cream. This forms, when set, the basis of our composition of
matter.
At any time, either prior to or after the making of the mixture of soapstone and
plaster-of-paris, as before stated, we place within a mold, which is suitably shaped
to turn out a particularly-shaped slab or block, a mass of fibrous material, preferably
Manila fiber. This fiber we lay at the bottom of the mold, and when suitably
arranged we pour the fluid mixture of plaster-of-paris and soap-stone upon it,
mixing the mass together, so that the fiber will become thoroughly interspersed in
it, such fiber acting to hold or bind the mass together. This is permitted to remain
in the mold from ten to fifteen minutes, or until such time as it has become
thoroughly set, and after that it is taken and placed in a shed or other convenient
place for about ten days or two weeks to become thoroughly dry. The slab or
block may be dried either artificially or naturally in a much shorter space of time,
if desired. While being dried it is preferably placed on end to secure an even
setting.

page_text: By the mixture of soapstone to the other ingredients we obtain an element in the
composition which we consider just as efficient for the purposes of a wall-covering as
the other ground calcareous material usually used, while at the same time it is much
cheaper thus making the material much more economical.
We do not limit ourselves to the exact proportions named, nor do we limit!
ourselves to the method of preparing the same, nor the order of the steps thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
The herein-described composition of matter, comprising soapstone, plaster-of-paris,
and a fibrous material, substantially as described.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.