IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER AND GUTTA-PERCHA COATED FABRICS
Year: 1884

page_text: 1 WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co. Patent
Agents Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare
the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE
MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER AND GUTTA-PERCHA COATED FABRICS" and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of india-rubber or gutta percha
surfaced fabrics, and consists partly in providing the said fabrics with a permanent
brilliant coloring, and in slowly curing the india rubber or gutta percha, whereby
the surface of the fabric remains soft, flexible, coherent, tenacious, and has a
peculiar leathery feeling.
The Invention also relates to compositions for use in the said manufacture.
In carrying the said Invention into practice, I make what I call the filling, that.
is the compound which is mixed with the dissolved india-rubber or gutta-percha,
or both, to cure it and give it body and color, of sulphur or sulphide, oxide of zinc
and suitable coloring pigments, in substantially the following quantities or propor-
tions, while the proportions these ingredients bear to each other may be considerably
varied without departing from the nature of the Invention. I prefer to use a
quantity of sulphide carrying about twenty per cent. of sulphur, or about twenty
per cent. of sulphur, fifty per cent. of zinc oxide, twenty per cent. of ordinary
coloring matter or pigment and five per cent. of aniline pigment. If less than fifty
per cent. of oxide of zinc is used it will be desirable to employ in the place of it
precipitated silicate of soda. For instance, if thirty-five to forty per cent. of oxide
of zinc is employed then from ten to fifteen per cent. of the precipitated silicate
should be used. The per centage of the materials entering into the compound may
be varied considerably from this formula and good results will be obtained, so that
I do not confine myself strictly to the above proportions.
As the zinc oxide cannot be wet with water or alcohol without destroying its
chemical properties for the purpose for which it is used, and also for the purpose

page_text: of uniformly coloring the zinc oxide with the pigment, it is necessary that it should
he ground or rubbed into the other ingredients in a dry state, and a desirable way
of doing this is to place the sulphide or sulphur and coloring matter and zinc oxide
in an iron drum or similar receptacle adapted to be revolved, and in which are
loose iron balls. The action of the balls upon these ingredients as the drum is
revolved thoroughly incorporates and colors the zinc oxide with the other elements.
The filling thus prepared is then bolted. It is essential that all the materials used
in making this filling should be thoroughly dried before mixing, mixed dry and
kept dry until used with the composition.
The india-rubber and gutta percha is dissolved in naphtha in about the propor-
tion of from a pound to a pound and a half to the gallon, and the filling compound
is added to the rubber composition in about the proportion of one pound of the
filling compound to one gallon of the composition, whether india rubber or gutta
percha, and is intimately mingled with it by suitable mechanical means.
The composition thus prepared is applied to the surface of suitable fabric in one
or more coats in any desirable way, and is pebbled or surface finished in any
suitable manner.
The coloring matter or pigment employed may be divided into two parts namely,
about 25 parts of ordinary coloring pigment which has or approaches the shade or
color which it is desired the fabric shall have, and about five parts aniline pigment
which give brilliancy, tone and permanence to this other common pigment.
manner;
The coloring matter which I call aniline pigment I make in substantially this
A quantity of about 100 pounds contains about 50 pounds of china clay,
-44-pounds-Westminster-Paris-white,-5-pounds-of-precipitated-silicate-of-soda-and-
one pound of aniline. These materials are intimately mingled together before use,
and I make generally about 5 per cent. of my filling composition of this aniline
pigment.
The proportions above indicated may be varied to some considerable extent
without varying the character of the pigment.
When gutta percha is used, in order to prevent granulation and hardening of the
surface of the cloth it is desirable to add to the composition from 5 to 20 per cent.
of gum damar and use from 5 to 7 per cent. more of sulphide or sulphur in the
filling composition.
The use of the zinc oxide as a filling in connection with the aniline coloring or
dyes I find to be of great advantage because it acts as a mordant for the coloring
matter, and especially the aniline and preserves the brilliancy and tone of the color
to a very marked extent.
The use of zinc oxide in the proportion named, in connection with the sulphide
or sulphur and india-rubber or gutta percha, provides for a very slow and con-
tinuous curing of the said india-rubber or gutta percha, so that the compound
when applied to the fabric and set thereon by pressure and the evaporation of the
naphtha, will remain soft and pliable, coherent and tenacious for a long time, and
the surface of the goods will have a soft unctuous leathery feeling.
As a substitute for either the gutta percha or india-rubber I may use in the
india-rubber compound a quantity of gum damar not exceeding 10 per cent. of the
india-rubber.
'
In some instances it will be desirable to make the first coating of the fabric of
india-rubber or india rubber and gum balata, or all gum balata composition well
charged with the pigment of the color desired. This may be spread thereon in
one or more layers. To the surface of this coating one or more coats of the gutta
Fercha compound is or are then applied. This process of manufacture, it will be
observed interposes between the gutta percha surfacing layer and the fabric a
Jayer of more elastic material than the gutta percha coating, and one which will
remain elastic and flexible longer than the gutta percha layer, so that if the gutta
percha coating should have a tendency to crack, the interposed india rubber or
halata layer will prevent the crack from extending through to the cloth and
exposing its color or texture.

page_text: Moreover, by interposing this intermediate layer of india rubber or balata
solution the cloth can be bent or folded over a corner or sharp edge without any
liability of cracking the gutta percha surfacing; and, as above stated, even if there
should be a slight tendency to crack, as sometinies is the case, owing, perhaps, to
the age of the goods or to some other cause, the india rubber layer prevents the
crack from extending to the cloth, and this renders it unnecessary to prepare the
cloth previously by dyeing to the color it is intended the goods shall have, as is
now the custom.
In lieu of coloring the zinc oxide filling in the manner above described I may
prepare it substantially as follows, that is to say-To 200 pounds of zinc oxide
I add 3 to 10 pounds of aniline dissolved in alcohol; I intimately mix the oxide
and dissolved aniline and dry. This will brilliantly color the zinc oxide. To this
colored oxide I then add dry uncolored zinc oxide and sulphur, and intimately mix
them together by attrition, as above described. The quantity of uncolored dry
zinc oxide added will depend upon the tint and brilliancy of the color desired.
The proportion of sulphur to the entire filling will be the same as above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
First. A close textured fabric, coated with a composition consisting of dissolved
india-rubber and gutta percha and a filling of zinc, white sulphur or sulphide and
coloring pigments of the character and in the proportion described, all substantially
as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Second. A clse textured fabric surface-coated with a gutta percha composition
containing gum damar, all substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
Third. The aniline pigment, consisting of anilino, china clay, and precipitated
silicate of soda, all substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
Fourth. In the manufacture of india-rubber or gutta percha surfaced fabrics, the
zine mordant described, obtained by coloring by attrition while dry, zinc oxide
with suitable pigments all substantially as, and for the purposes, described.
Fifth. In the manufacture of india-rubber or gutta percha fabrics, the use of
zinc oxides in substantially the proportions named to gradually cure the composition
with which the fabric is coated, all substantially as described.
Sixth. In an india-rubber or gutta percha surfaced fabric, a close textured cloth
coated with an elastic flexible solution, which in turn is covered by a surfacing of
a less elastic composition, all substantially as, and for the purposes, described.
Seventh. The combination in an india rubber and gutta percha surfaced fabric
of a close textured cloth, a coating of colored india rubber, or other similar elastic
or flexible composition, and a coat of colored gutta percha composition applied to
the surface of the india-rubber composition, all substantially as, and for the
purposes, described.
Dated this 1st day of tamil 1005
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant,