CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RENDERING LEATHER, LINEN, FLAX, SAIL CLOTH AND CERTAIN OTHER ARTICLES WATERPROOF
Year: 1823

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME GREETING,
we, JOHN MILLS, of Saint Clements Danes, in the County of Middlesex, and
of Silver Street, in the City of London, and HERMAN WILLIAM FAIRMAN,
of Silver Street, in the City of London, Merchants, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom, bearingdate
at Westminster, the Thirty-first day of May, in the of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and twenty-three, and the fourth year of His Majesty's reign,
give and grant unto us, the said John Mills and William Herman Fairman,
our exors, admors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that we, the said John Mills and Herman William Fairman,
our exors, admors, and assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Invention of " CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN RENDERING LEATHER, LINEN, FLAX, SAIL CLOTH AND CERTAIN
OTHER ARTICLES WATERPROOF," being a communication from a certain Foreigner
residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso,
that if we, the said John Mills and Herman William Fairmar, or one of us
shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,
and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery

page_text: within two calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and
advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine and
become void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, will more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
John Mills and Herman William Fairman, do hereby declare that the nature
of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
are particularly described and ascertained in and by the following description
thereof (that is to say) :
The properties of this composition have been proved by many trials superior
to any other process hitherto practised in this country for rendering linen,
canvas, cotton, leather, and many other articles impervious to water on
account of the peculiar elasticity which it retains at all times, and the close
adhesion to those articles to which it is communicated, not being liable to
dissolve either by moisture or heat. A great objection to the present mode of
preparing tarpaulins and covers for ships and other uses is the sticky and
clammy nature of canvas when impregnated with the usual mixtures of tar,
grease, and oil, which makes it adhere to the objects over which it is spread
for covering, and causes much difficulty in handling such covers, as they stick
together when rolled up, particularly in warm weather or when kept in
confined places. On the other hand, the usual compositions for manufacturing
vilcloths, or the paint applied to linen for various purposes, is known to
become stiff very soon after exposure to the air, and to crack and peal off from
the excess of dryers, which destroy the oleaginous and nourishing properties
necessary to preserve the adhesive quality of the composition and the pliability
of the articles to which it is applied. Our composition fully obviates these
imperfections, as it becomes sufficiently hard and dry to prevent stickiness,
yet retains a desirable degree of elasticity and pliability without any disagree-
able smell. It penetrates and fills the thread of the linen as well as covers
the interstices without injuring the texture from the nature of the pipe clay,
which is less corroding than other articles generally used in manufactories of
this kind. This composition consists of a combination of pipe clay and oil
varnish, which is effected in the following manner:-In the first instance, the
varnish is prepared by mixing linseed oil at the rate of one hundred pounds
with 64lbs. of sacharum saturnal, 1lbs. of burnt umber, 1 of white lead,
1lb. of fine pumice stone (all these articles being previously well pounded
and ground), and boiling the whole together for ten hours over a slow and
regular fire, taking care to increase the heat by degrees during the latter two

page_text: hours, but not so much as to let the oil run thick, which it is subject to do if
not carefully watched. This practical part of the process can only be acquired
more by experiment and observation, as much depends upon the nature and
quality of the oil, which, if adulterated with any other mixture, will notstand
boiling without turning into a thick coagulated substance; whereas, this
varnish should remain sufficiently liquid to unite two third parts with one
third part of the pipe clay, and yet to constitute a fluid of the substance of
molasses. After this varnish has been suffered to settle for at leastone week it is
drawn off and strained through muslin or other suitable fabricin other vessels.
A quantity of pure pipe clay, equal in weight to one third of the clarified
varnish, is next to be pounded and sifted and put into a wooden tub or vessel,
where it is gradually mixed and stirred up with so much thin glue water till
it comes to the consistency of a thin salve, after which the varnish is likewise
gradually added, being continually beat and stirred with wooden spatulas.
When thus well mixed up together the whole is ground upon a colour mill
repeatedly until it runs out in the state of a thin liquid. Any colour may then
be given to this composition by grinding oil colours in the afore-mentioned
varnish and adding the same in the proportion of 1/4th of color to 3/4ths of
the composition. The linens or other articles having been extended in wooden
frames, the composition is then spread thereon with large knives (made of
cast steel, three inches wide and eight inches long, or other convenient size),
so as to soak in well and close the interstices, giving a smooth and even
surface on one side. The frame is then turned round, and the other side of
article being covered with the composition in like manner, put up to dry for
about a week in general, after which the articles may be taken out of the
frame, and are ready for use. Our cavas, linens and calicoes, prepared in this
manner will be found peculiarly adapted for tarpaulins, awnings, coach-top
covers, boat cloak, sea coats, and all similar uses requiring to be waterproof,
as likewise the leather for boots and shoes and other general uses. A gloss
or lackering can be given to the articles by the following means, which
we likewise claim as our own peculiar process:-50lbs. of the above varnish
is gently boiled with blbs. of clarified rosin until the rosin is dissolved, and
when cooling 2lbs. of turpentine added to it. Any color corresponding with
that already on the articles must then be well ground and mixed up with this
composition, which is next strained through muslin again. When the articles
are perfectly dried the frames are again laid on a pair of trussels, and the
inen or leather is rubbed down with pumice stone and water, and after being
vell washed with clean water and a sponge, it must be suffered to dry again.
Two or three coatings of the last-mentioned japan are then successively laid