Improvements in the Manufacture of Balls for Golf, and other Games.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in the Manufacture of Balls for Golf, and other Games.
I, WALTER WEIR, Post Office, Milngavie, in the County of Dumbarton, North
Britain, Postmaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows,
that is to say ;-
My said invention has for its object the manufacture of balls for golf and other.
games by an improved process and with a new combination of materials.
In carrying out my invention I employ hardwood sawdust, glue, and hair. The
hardwood sawdust is thoroughly dried to remove the natural sap or moisture, and
is afterwards finely sifted. The hair is finely cut in short lengths, and is thoroughly
mixed with the sawdust. The glue is liquefied by heat with a very small quantity
of water; and the mixture of sawdust and hair is gradually stirred into the glue
which is kept boiling during this operation. The proportions of the ingredients
may be varied to some extent, but good results are obtained with 66 parts, by
weight, of glue, 22 parts of saw dust, and 12 parts of hair.
The balls are formed in metal moulds, which having been oiled, are filled with
the compound in a hot state. The compound is well pressed into the moulds, and
then quickly cooled, by immersing the moulds in cold water or otherwise.
The sawdust may be that of any suitable hard or dense wood. Comminuted
feathers or tanned hide or leather or ground charred wood may be substituted for
the hair or for a part of it. The glue may be treated by well known means to
prevent it being softened by moisture.
P
*
100K
Improvements in the Manufacture of Balls for Gou and other Games.
I, WALTER WEIR, Post Office, Milngavie, in the County of Dumbarton, North
Britain, Postmaster, 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,—that is to say: -
My said invention has for its object the manufacture of balls for golf and other
games by an improved process and with a new combination of materials.
In carrying out my invention I employ, principally, hardwood sawdust and glue
or gelatine. Hair may also be employed as an ingredient, but is not essential.
The proportions of the ingredients may be varied to suit different requirements
as regards specific gravity, or density, or hardness. For golf balls there may be,
in 100 parts of the mixture, from 55 to 66 parts of sawdust, the remainder being
glue or gelatine. In order to avoid a brittle hardness there may be employed
from 10 to 15 parts of pulverised cork or similar bark, or comminuted hair, the

page_text: proportion of hardwood sawdust being correspondingly diminished. For billard
balls the mixture should contain about three parts of gelatine to one of sawdust.
The hardwood sawdust must be thoroughly dried to remove the natural sap or
moisture, and afterwards finely sifted, or passed through rollers. The glue or
gelatine may be liquefied by heat with a very small quantity of water; or it may
be steeped in water for a few hours, and be heated after removal from the water
and whilst being mixed with the sawdust. The mixing which may be effected
by hand or by means of mixing mechanism, must be such as to thoroughly in-
corporate the ingredients and to render the compound uniform in consistency.
The balls are formed in metal moulds, which, having been oiled are filled with
the compound in a hot state. The compound is well pressed into the moulds, and
may be quickly cooled by immersing the moulds in cold water. If, however, the
metal of the mould is of sufficient thickness the heat is conducted away quickly
enough to dispense with cooling by water. It is convenient to form the compound
into round bars and to cut from such bars pieces of suitable sizes for filling the
moulds.
If desired a small quantity of a solution of bichromate of potash may be mixed
with the glue or gelatine to prevent its being affected by moisture; or the balls
may be steeped in the solution after having been moulded.
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:
In the manufacture of balls for golf and other games, employing hardwood saw-
dust and glue or gelatine as the ingredients or principal ingredients, and forming
the balls by the process and in the manner, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this Fifteenth day of December 1897.