IMPROVEMENTS IN DISSOLVING LAC AND SHELLAC, AND IN RENDERING FABRICS WATERPROOF
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALPHONSE
LE MIRE DE NORMANDY, of Dalston, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-second day of April, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alphonse le Mire de Normandy, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Alphonse le
Mire de Normandy, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alphonse le Mire de Normandy, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DISSOLVING LAC AND SHELLAC, AND
IN RENDERING FABRICS WATERPROOF;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso, that I, the said Alphonse le Mire de Normandy, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery, within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alphhonse le Mire de Normandy, do hereby declare that the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed are fully
described and ascertained in-and by the following statement thereof, that is to
say:-
My Invention .consists, first, in certain methods of dissolving lac and
shellac.
Second, in preparing with the lac obtained by the above process a solution
of lac applicable to rendering fabrics waterproof. The mode of preparation is
as follows:-
First, I take shellac, seed-lac, stick-lac, or any other form of lac, and I heat
it in an aqueous solution of alkali, for which I prefer the soda ash of commerce
as. being the cheapest, but other alkalies may do, and I operate in the follow-
ing manner: To every hundredweight of lac placed in an appropriate vessel
I put one hundred and twelve gallons of water, in which I dissolve either now
or before putting it with the lac about forty or forty-two pounds of sola ash,
and I then light a fire under the vessels so as to make the contents boil until
the lac will have dissolved. This being done I filter it through a coarse cloth
in order to separate the impurities if there be any, and then add a quantity of
acid, such as sulphuric acid rather larger than is strictly necessary to saturate
the alkali employed; upon doing which the lac is separated from the solution
in the shape of a semi-viscid or soft plastic mass, nitric, muriatic, oxalic, and
other acids may do, but sulphuric being cheapest I prefer it; this mass being
withdrawn may now be melted by itself over a fire or otherwise, and when
liquified it may be spread upon any surface which I may desire to. render water-
proof, or for other purposes such as glueing or sticking together pieces of
wood, stone, metal, or fabrics. The plasticity of the mass is augmented by a
larger proportion of alkali and diminished by the use of a less-quantity of
alkali. Another method consists in pouring upon lac in the shape of
'seed, stick, shell, or otherwise, a certain quantity of that oil which
passes over during the distillation of spirit of wine obtained from potatoe, or
from corn, and known under the name of grain, or potatoe or (the fused oil of
Germany) the hydrated protoxyde of amyle of chemists, by means of which
lac is entirely dissolved, and may then be applied to various purposes.. The
quantity of oil depends upon the degree of liquidity desired.
Second, when however the object in view is to render fabrics waterproof, the
plastic mass obtained by the action of sulphuric acid upon the alkaline solu-
tion of the lac, as above described, may be either melted by itself, and then
directly applied to the fabrics, or else it. may be dissolved in the grain or

page_text: potatoe oil just mentioned, and then applied to the fabric; or else the lac
simply dissolved in the oil may be applied, but I prefer using the plastic mass
derived from the action of sulphuric acid, as above alluded to, on account of
its greater pliancy or suppleness. This plastic mass is also soluble in naptha
and alcohol.
I do not claim as my Invention the dissolving of lac in alkali, and applying
it in that state; but I claim as my Invention treating the alkaline solution
by lac with sulphuric acid or other acids so as to obtain the lac in a solid,
semi-solid, or fiscid form from the said solution.
. I claim also as my Invention the use of the potatoe or grain oil, called
hydrate of protoxyde of amyle, for the purpose of dissolving lac, or shellac, or
the lac obtained by the action of sulphuric acid upon the alkaline solution, as
above described.
And I claim as my Invention covering fabrics with the lac obtained by the
processes herein described for the purpose of rendering them waterproof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alphonse le Mire de Normandy, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.