Improvements in the Production of Artificial Gutta Percha and Caoutchouc-like Substances.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 7th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 27th Mar., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Artificial Gutta Percha and
Caoutchouc-like Substances.
I FERRAR FENTON, Mortgage and Estate Broker, of 345 City Road,
London E.C. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I take oxydizable vegitable oils which are capable of coagulation or thickening
by the absorption of oxygen,-by preference linseed, cottonseed, hempseed or nut-
oils, either in their raw state or already more or less oxydized by any usual means,
and mix, or add to them tar, or other form of pyroligneous acid, and place the
mixture, either cold or previously heated together, into a bath of diluted nitric
acid, and allow it to remain for maceration cold, or quicken the action by boiling,
untill by the action of the bath upon the compound, the whole is coagulated into a
tough elastic magma that does not adhere to a stick or agitator thrust into it, or to
the fingers when cold, but has the appearance and nature of a caouchouc-like
substance. This forms the basis of the following more highly manipulated forms
of the material produced.
(a) After boiling or macerating the above in the nitric bath for a time less than
required for producing the perfect magma, but when it has absorbed a portion of
the acid, I pour the semi-magma into, or upon, hot pans or plates and roast it
sharply for a short time, when it coagulates into a highly elastic mass, in
appearance like natural india rubber, and can be vulcanized exactly as that
substance is, and applied to the same uses. If black color is desired I add to the
roasting magma a small quantity of plumbago or black carbonate of iron.
(b) I take the perfectly formed substance, described in paragraph I, and
vulcanize it for various uses, and for others use it alone.
(c) To produce an artificial gutta percha I take the same constituents as in
paragraph I, and add thereto shellac, either melted by heat, or dissolved in spirits,
or other solvents, and add from one up to twenty per cent. of shellac to the oils and
tars, or pyroligneous acids, and proceed as above described in par. I. And if extra
firmness and resistance to friction is desired, I take the resulting magma, when
perfectly boiled, and in good measure cleared from the acid of the bath, and work
up into it by kneading, or rolling, or beating, a portion of quick, or caustic lime,
(it can also be vulcanized,) which produces the desired result.
For most uses this artificial percha does not require the addition of the lime.
It can also be vulcanized alone.
I also apply these substances, all of them, as electric and magnetic insulators to
wires or cables, and as a protection against the percolation of water, and for
waterproofing fabrics. Owing to their cheapness, compared to naturally formed
caoutchouc and percha, they are of wide application in the arts.
Dated this Twenty-third day of November, One thousand eight hundred and

page_text: Improvements in the Production of Artificial Gutta Percha and
Caoutchouc-like Substances.
1, FERRAR FENTON, Estate and Mortgage Agent, of 345, City Road,
London, E.C. 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:-
'
I take oxydizable vegitable oils, which are capable of oxydation or thickening
by the absorbtion of oxygen,-by preference linseed, cottonseed, hempseed, or nut
oils, either in their raw state, or already more or less oxydized by any usual means,
and mix or add thereto tar, pitch or creosote, or other form of pyroligneous acid, and
place the mixture either cold, or previously heated together, into a bath of diluted
nitric acid, and allow it to remain for maceration, cold, or quicken the action
by boiling, untill by the action of the bath upon the compound, the whole is
coagulated into a tough elastic magma, that does not adhere to a stick, or agitator
thrust into it, or to the fingers when cold, or hot, but has the appearance and
nature of a caouchouc-like substance. This forms the basis of the following more
highly manipulated forms of the material produced.
(a) After boiling, or macerating, the above in the nitric bath, for a time less
than is required for producing the perfect nagma, but when it has absorbed a
portion of acid, I pour the semi-magma into, or upon, hot pans, or plates, or cold
pans, or plates, and roast it sharply for a short time, when it coagulates into a
highly elastic mass, in appearance like natural india-rubber, and can be vulcanized
exactly as that substance is, and applied to the same uses. If black colour is
desired, I add to the roasting magma a small quantity of plumbago, or black
carbonate of iron.
(b) I take the perfectly formed substance, described in paragraph one, and
vulcanize it; and for other purposes use it alone.
(c) To produce an artificial gutta percha, I take the same constituents as in
paragraph one, and add thereto shellac, either melted by heat, or dissolved in spirits,
or other solvents, or ground to a fine powder, and add from one up to twenty per cent.,
or such proportion as may be found necessary, of shellac to the oils, and tars,
pitches, or creosotes, or pyroligneous acids, and proceed as above described in
paragraph one; and if extra firmness, and resistance to friction is desired, I take
the resulting magma, when perfectly boiled, and in good measure cleared from the
acid of the bath, and work up into it by kneading, or rolling, or beating, a portion
of quick or caustic lime, which produces the desired result.
For most uses this artificial percha does not require the addition of lime; it can
also be vulcanized. I also apply these substances, all of them, as electric and
magnetico-electric insulators, to wires, or cables, and as a protection against the
percolation of water, and for waterproofing fabrics. Owing to their cheapness
compared to naturally formed caoutchouc and percha, they are of wide application
in the arts.
In order to produce the above named artificial gutta percha, or caoutchouc-like
substances, I use varying proportions in the mixture of oils, tars, pitches, creosotes,
or other forms of pyroligneous acids, according to the density, tenacity, or purpose
to which they are to be applied in use. The proportions of tars, pitches, creosotes,
or other forms of pyroligneous acids range from five per centum to seventy-five
per centum of the oils used by weight or measure, the higher range of percentages
being used in forming percha like substances, and the lower, say from five up to
fifty, in producing the more elastic rubber-like forms of the articles..
For the macerating or boiling bath of nitric acid, I use also varying

page_text: strengths; from a bath of nitric acid of the strength of that given in the London
Pharmacopoeia, and various dilutions of that strength, down to a percentage of
only two and a half per centum of that acid to ordinary tap, well, or distilled water.
It is not necessary that the nitric acid used should be free from iron, or other
mineral substances, with which the acid of commerce is frequently tinged, when
used for my purposes.
These aboved described artificial products can be used by themselves in various
arts, and for different purposes; or they can be mixed up with, or used in conjunction
with, natural caoutchouc, india rubber, or gutta percha.
To add hardness to these products, I boil or macerate in a solution of alum, after
the acid bath.
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 :-
Firstly. The production, by the above described combination of substances, of
artificial india-rubbers, or caouchouc-like substances, and artificial gutta-percha, or
percha-like substances, or other substances as herein substantially described, useful
in various arts and manufactures, either alone, or in combination, or mixture with
naturally produced india-rubbers, caoutchoucs, or gutta-perchas.
Secondly. The combination of the above described components, or any two, or
more of them, in any varying proportions required to adapt the compound products
to various uses in the arts and sciences.
11. Jam of Decomban 1806
FERRAR FENTON.