IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ASBESTOS OR AMIANTHUS,, AND APPLYING THE SAME TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lochhead, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Civil Engineer, for the Invention' of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ASBESTOS OR AMIANTHUS,, AND APPLYING THE
SAME TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES.".
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lochhead
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th August 1872. ·
a
I, WILLIAM LOCHHEAD, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North;
Britain, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said.
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ASBESTOS OR AMIANTHUS, AND
APPLYING THE SAME TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES," to be as follows, that is.to
say:
This Invention has for its object the applying of asbestos or amianthus
to certain useful purposes, for which it has not hitherto been used, and
increased economy, efficiency, and durability are aimed at in the various
contemplated applications.

page_text: The first part of the Invention consists in reducing the asbestos or
amianthus to a pulp by means of apparatus such as is used for reducing
rags, esparto, or other fibrous materials to a pulp, and in applying this
pulp, either alone or mixed with other fibrous or suitable materials,
such as rag pulp or size in making paper or other products ordinarily
<lerived from fibrous pulp. Such pulp may be formed into sheets or webs
of various thicknesses, to be used as papier maché, for example, or as a
felt or cloth. An important application of the pulp will be for making
stereotype moulds, on account of the material withstanding heat much
better than ordinary paper pulp, such moulds being made in the manner
pursued with ordinary pulp or papier machó.
The second part of the Invention consists in applying the asbestos or
amianthus, either converted to a pulp according to the first part of the
Invention, or in its natural state, or mixed with cement, or with a
refractory substance such as fire-clay, for rendering safes fire-proof.
Fire-proof safes are usually formed with two shells, having a space
between them, and the asbestos or amianthus may be packed into such
space; or a safe made with a single shell may be simply embedded in
the material in a recess formed in a wall.
The third part of the Invention consists in applying the asbestos or
amianthus, or the pulp or felt-like material made from it, as a non-
conducting coating for steam boilers, superheaters, steam pipes, stoves,
fire-places, metal smoke funnels, and flues. The manner of applying the
coating may be the same as that common with existing non-conducting
felts, or with coatings of plastic materials, the asbestos or amianthus
being in the latter, case made of a plastic-like consistency by mixing
with water or cement.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Lochhead in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 22nd February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LоCHHEAD, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the

page_text: thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Lochhead, Her
special licence that I, the said William Lochhead, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Lochhead,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ircland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING ASBESTOS OR AMIANTHUS, and ▲PPLYING THE SAME
TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Lochhead, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Lochhead, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement in writing, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object the applying of asbestos or
amianthus to certain useful purposes for which it has not hitherto been
used, and increased economy, efficiency, and durability are aimed at in
my various contemplated applications.
The first part of my Invention consists in reducing the asbestos or
amianthus to a pulp, and in applying this pulp, either alone, or mixed
with other fibrous or suitable materials, such as rag pulp or size, in
making paper, or other products ordinarily derived from fibrous pulp.
Such pulp may be formed into sheets or webs of various thicknesses, to
be used as papier maché or cardboard, for example, or as a felt or cloth.
An important application of the pulp will be for making stereotypo
moulds, on account of the material withstanding heat much better than
ordinary paper pulp, whilst such moulds may be conveniently made in
the manner commonly pursued with ordinary pulp or papier maché.
For the manufacture of the pulp, I prefer to take the finer and silkier
varieties of asbestos or amianthus. The material will sometimes pass

page_text: into a pulp on being mixed with water, and with very little manipu-
lation; but it may be thoroughly disintegrated, reduced, and equalised
by means of apparatus of the kind commonly used for reducing rags,
esparto, or other fibrous materials to a pulp.
When making paper of the asbestos or amianthus pulp the heat 5
applied for drying it should be somewhat stronger or longer continued
than when dealing with ordinary paper materials.
The second part of my Invention consists in applying the asbestos or
amianthus for rendering safes fire-proof. It may be used for this 1
purpose in the form of a pulp, as made according to the first part of my
Invention, or it may be used in its natural state, or it may be reduced.
or disintegrated by stamping or crushing, and be mixed with cement, or
with a refractory substance, such as fire-clay. The improved fire-proof
safe may be constructed as in existing plans, with two metal shells,
having a space between them, and the asbestos or amianthus may be
packed into such space. A safe made with a single metal shell may
have the asbestos or amianthus applied as a plaster on the inside or
outside, or on both; or the safe may be simply embedded in the material
in a recess formed in a wall.
The third part of my Invention consists in applying the asbestos or
amianthus, or the pulp, paper, or felt-like material made from it, as a
non-conducting coating for steam boilers, superheaters, steam pipes,
stoves, fire-places, metal smoke funnels, and flucs. The manner of
applying the coating may be the same as that common with existing
non-conducting felts, or with coatings of plastic materials, the asbestos
or amianthus being in the latter case made of a plaster-like consistency
by mixing with water or cement. Or the material may be applied in a
dry or plastic condition under wood lagging, or under a metal shell.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not
restrict myself to the precise details herein referred to; but that what I
believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The applying of asbestos or amianthus in making paper and other
products ordinarily made from fibrous pulp, as herein-before described.

page_text: 2. The applying of asbestos or amianthus pulp in making a felt-like
cloth, as herein-before described.
3. The applying of asbestos or amianthus pulp in making stereotype
moulds, as herein-before described.
4. The applying of asbestos or amianthus in the protection of safes,
as hercin-before described.
5. The applying of asbestos or amianthus as a non-conducting coating
for steam boilers, superheaters, steam pipes, stoves, fire-places, metal
smoke funnels, and flues, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Lochhead, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
5
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
W. LOCHHEAD. (L.S.)