other Material that can be Used as or in the Making of Substitutes for India Rubber, Varnish, Ivory, Whalebone, and Substances.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1886.
Complete Left, 28th Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 25th June, 1887.
RESERVI
other
Material that can be Used as or in the Making of Substitutes
for India Rubber, Varnish, Ivory, Whalebone, and
Substances.
I, FREDERICK GREENING, of The Lawn Wharf, Waterloo Road, Uxbridge, in the
county of Middlesex, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to a new or improved manufacture of material that can be
used as, or in the production of substitutes for, india rubber, gutta percha, ivory,
whalebone, varnish or coating for protecting oil paintings, water colour drawings &c.,
for waterproofing, capsuling or covering, or for coating metals or wood, or as a
substitute for oil in mixing colours, and for other purposes. In the manufacture of
material such as celluloid for such purposes it has heretofore been usual in the
preparation of the base to use a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids rendering the
product explosive and dangerous to manufacture and use besides necessitating
the employment of expensive solvents (such as sulphuric ether, camphor, and others,)
for effecting the reduction of the base either to a plastic mass or a solution. Now my
invention has for object to produce a material that may be employed in lieu of
celluloid and for purposes such as above indicated, and which shall not be of an
explosive or dangerous nature and can be manufactured without the use of expensive
solvents such as referred to above.
:
In carrying out my invention fibrous substance of any suitable kind such as paper,
old rag, grass, cotton et cetera is treated by steeping or saturating with a mixture of
sulphuric acid and nitrate of potash suitable proportions are say three parts by
weight of sulphuric acid (1840° Twaddle) to two parts by weight of nitrate of potash.
When the sulphuric acid and nitrate of potash has been thoroughly incorporated and
allowed to settle the mixture is heated to a high temperature (say about from 75 to 90
degrees Fahrenheit). The mixture being in this state the fibre is now immersed in
'

page_text: :
it and thoroughly saturated the immersion is continued and the temperature is
maintained for say from 20 to 24 hours, or until it is found that the conversion has
taken place. The converted fibre is then freed from excess of the mixture by pressure
or otherwise is well washed with water and dried sufficiently to be submitted to a
suitable bath for neutralizing the excess of acid. Such a bath may be of liquid
carbonic acid, or carbonic acid gas may be used. The fibrous mass is to be thoroughly
impregnated with the carbonic acid and afterwards allowed to dry; when dry it will
be ready to be treated with a suitable solvent or solvents. A suitable solvent is
produced as follows-
To 100 gallons of methylated alcohol are added say from 25 to 50 lbs. weight of
refined rosin or colophony also from 10 to 12 lbs. weight of gum benzoin or benjaman,
and from 80 to 100 lbs. of castor oil. The whole is thoroughly mixed and afterwards
distilled gradually in a still or retort until the temperature reaches say from
300 to 320 degrees Fahrenheit; the distillate is dried by any suitable means, it may
be by anhydrous lime or calcium chloride to which if required there may be added
some light hydrocarbon either from the coal tar series, or the wood series.
The product remaining in the still or retort after the above mentioned distillation is
suitable for waterproofing or for mixing with the prepared base before described.
Dated this 26th day of June 1886.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Manufacture and Process of Production of
Material that can be Used as or in the Making of Substitutes
for India Rubber, Varnish, Ivory, Whalebone, and other
'Substances.
1, FREDERICK GREENING of the Lawn Wharf, Waterloo Road, Uxbridge, in the
county of Middlesex, Manufacturing Chemist, 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 :-
:-
This invention relates to a new or improved manufacture of material that can be
used as, or in the production of substitutes for india rubber, gutta percha, ivory,
whalebone, varnish or coating for protecting oil paintings, water colour drawings &c.,
for coating and preserving eggs, for waterproofing, capsuling, or covering or for
coating metals or wood or as a substitute for oil in mixing colours and for other
purposes.
1
In the manufacture of material such as celluloid it has heretofore been usual in the
preparation of the 'base to use 'a 'mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids rendering the

page_text: product explosive and dangerous to manufacture and use besides necessitating
the employment of expensive solvents (such as sulphuric ether, camphor, and others,)
for effecting the reduction of the base either to a plastic mass or a solution. Now my
invention has for object to produce a material that may be employed in lieu of celluloid
and for purposes such as above indicated, and which shall be of a less explosive or
dangerous nature and can be manufactured without the use of expensive solvents such
as referred to above.
.
In carrying out my invention fibrous substance of any suitable kind such as paper, old
rag, grass, cotton etcetera is treated by steeping or saturating with a mixture of sulphuric
acid and nitrate of potash; suitable proportions are say 3 parts by weight sulphuric acid
(Sp. Gr. 1840) to two parts by weight of nitrate of potash. When the sulphuric
acid and nitrate of potash have been thoroughly incorporated and allowed to settle the
mixture is heated for example by hot water circulating in the jacket of a jacketted pan
or in a coil to a temperature (say about from 75 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit). The
mixture being in this state the fibre is now immersed in it and thoroughly saturated;
the immersion is continued and the temperature is maintained for say from 20 to 24
hours, or until it is found that the conversion has taken place.
The converted fibre is then freed from excess of the mixture by pressure or otherwise,
is well washed with water and dried sufficiently to be submitted to a suitable bath for
noutralizing or counteracting the effect of any trace of free acid remaining. Such a
bath may be of liquid carbonic acid or carbonic acid gas may be used. The fibrous
mass is to be thoroughly impregnated with the carbonic acid and afterwards allowed
to dry when dry it will be ready to be treated with a suitable solvent or solvents.
A suitable solvent is produced as follows:-
To 100 gallons of methylated alcohol are added say from 25 to 50 lbs. weight of
refined rosin or colophony, also from 10 to 12 lbs. weight of gum benzoin or benjaman
and from 80 to 100 lbs. of castor oil. The whole is thoroughly mixed and afterwards
distilled gradually in a still or retort until the temperature reaches say from 300 to
320 degrees Fahrenheit. The distillate thus obtained is dried by any suitable means;
may be by redistilling over anhydrous lime or calcium chloride to which if required
there may be added some light hydrocarbon either from the coal tar series such as
benzole or coal tar naphtha or from the wood.series such as wood tar. Or the hydro-
carbon may be added to the mixture of substances before effecting the first distillation;
or to the solvent obtained by the second distillation.
it
The proportion of hydrocarbon added may vary considerably; proportions varying
from 10 to 50% of the weight of the mixture of substances hereinbefore specifiod
from which the solvent is distilled have been found to give satisfactory results.
The addition of hydrocarbon serves to counteract the tendency of the solvent to
absorb moisture from the air.
The base obtained as hereinbefore described is dissolved in the solvent and forms a
quick drying mass or solution; it is treated or used as follows:-When the material
or base is to be used as a substitute for india-rubber, ivory, whalebone, and the like, it
is mixed with or dissolved in a suitable proportion of solvent so as to form a thick
plastic mass, which is passed between heated rolls whereby the material is dried and
5 formed into hard flexible sheets ready for use. A suitable temperature to which to
heat the rolls is say about 100° F.
The material may be made of any desired colour by the addition of suitable colouring
agents to the plastic mass.
For instance colouring agents such as aniline dyes, or the ordinary pigments may
O be used, in porportions that may be varied in accordance with the tint or the density
desired to be given to the finished material.
When the dissolved material or base is to be used as a varnisn or coating for
protecting or preserving purposes as hereinbefore mentioned the proportion of solvent
used is such as to form a thin solution which may be applied to the articles or
5 substances to be coated in any suitable way.
Thus for coating paintings, metals, for waterproofing and the like; the solution may

page_text: be applied in any suitable way; it may be by a brush. For coating eggs capsuling
bottles and the like, simple immersion of the egg or the mouth end of the bottle neck
with its contained cork or stopper is sufficient, the coating of solution in each case
rapidly drying after withdrawal from the bath so forming an efficient protective
covering.
The product remaining in the still or retort after the first hereinbefore mentioned
distillation, is suitable for waterproofing or for mixing with the prepared base herein-
before described.
For this purpose it is thinned down to any desired consistency by the addition of
the solvent and applied as before; this forms a good protective coating substance or
solution that may in some cases be used as a priming coat to an object, to be afterward
coated with a solution of the base only in the solvent.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1.) A base soluble as hereinabove stated and produced by treating fibrous substance
with a mixture of sulphuric acid and nitrate of potash substantially in the manner
described.
2.) Treating the base obtained by the action of a mixture of sulphuric acid and
nitrate of potash on fibrous substance, with liquid carbonic acid or carbonic acid gas
whereby the effect of any free acid is neutralized or counteracted substantially in the
manner hereinabove described.
3.) The solvent produced by treating methylated alcohol substantially in the manner
hereinabove described.
.
4.) The hereinabove described material or product produced by treating a base such
as referred to in claim 1 with a solvent such as referred to in claim 3 substantially as
hereinabove described according to the object to be attained.
5.) The manufacture substantially as hereinabove described of material that can be
used as or in the making of substitutes for india-rubber, varnish, ivory, whalebone and
other substances.
Dated this 28th day of March 1007