IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STONE, AND IN RENDERING IT AND OTHER BUILDING MATERIALS LESS LIABLE TO DECAY
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Ransome, of Ipswich, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STONE, AND IN
RENDERING IT AND OTHER BUILDING MATERIALS LESS LIABLE TO DECAY."
Sealed the 24th December 1856, and dated the 27th September 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Ransome at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th September 1856.
I, FREDERICK RANSOME, of Ipswich, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STONE, AND
IN RENDERING IT AND OTHER BUILDING MATERIALS LESS LIABLE TO DECAY," to
be as follows:-
This Invention is applicable to those descriptions of artificial stone which
are compounded with sand, clay, and other mineral or earthy substances,
together with soluble silica or a soluble silicate; and the Invention consists in
adding to the composition of such artificial stone a substance which will fuse
more readily than the sand, and will run into and fill the pores of the stone,
and thus render it more dense than when compounded without such addition.
The substances which I prefer to employ for this purpose are pumice stone, or
a readily fusible glass.
The Invention also consists in a method of rendering artificial or natural

page_text: stone, bricks, and other materials used for building purposes less liable to
decay. For this purpose the stone or other material is coated or saturated
wholly or superficially with a solution of a soluble silicate, and has immediately
afterwards applied to it'a solution of chloride of calcium, by which an insoluble
silicate of lime is formed in the body of the stone or other material.
In place of a soluble silicate and chloride of calcium other preparations
may be used, my Invention consisting in the application in succession of two
solutions, which by mutual decomposition produce an insoluble substance,
which is deposited in the substance and on to the surface of the stone or other
material.
In some descriptions of stone and other building materials there is contained
a free sulphate or carbonate of soda or other soluble salt which is liable to
effloresce; to prevent this, and partially to indurate the stone or other substance,
I employ a solution of barium or calcium.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Ransome in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th March 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
RANSOME, of Ipswich, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of September, in the
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Frederick Ransome, Her special licence that. I, the said Frederick
Ransome, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,-the
said Frederick Ransome, 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
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man;. an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STONE, AND IN RENDERING IT, AND
OTHER BUILDING MATERIALS LESS LIABLE TO DECAY," upon the condition (amongst:
others) that I, the said Frederick Ransome, 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 Inven-.
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same

page_text: 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 Frederick Ransome, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention is applicable, first; to those descriptions of artificial stone
which are compounded with sand, clay, and other mineral or earthy sub-
stances, together with soluble silica or a soluble silicate; and the Invention
consists in adding to the composition of such artificial stone a substance which
will fuse more readily than the sand, and will run into and fill the pores of the
stone, and thus render it more dense than when compounded without such
addition. The substances which I prefer to employ for this purpose are
pumice stone, or a readily fusible glass. When I employ pumice stone I
prefer to prepare it in the following manner :-I take finely-powdered pumice
stone and mix it with a solution of soluble silica sp. gr. (1.700) so as to form
à stiff paste capable of being moulded, and I mould it into balls of about
one inch diameter and fuse it in an ordinary crucible. When fused, I grind
it into a powder and again mix it with a solution of silica, so as again to
form a paste; and in preparing the artificial stone I prefer to mix the
ingredients in the following proportions by measure:-
Siliceous sand
30 parts.

page_text: pared pumice stone in the mixture before mentioned 5 to 10 parts of this
fusible glass.
The Invention also consists in a method of rendering artificial or natural
stone, bricks, and other materials used for building purposes less liable' to
decay. For this purpose the stone or other material is coated or saturated
wholly or superficially with a solution of soluble silicate, and has afterwards
applied to it a solution of chloride of calcium, by which an insoluble silicate
of lime is formed in the body of the stone or other material. In place of a
soluble silicate and chloride of calcium other preparations may be used; my
Invention consisting in the application in succession of two solutions, which
by mutual decomposition produce an insoluble substance, which is deposited
in the structure, and on to the surface of the stone or other material. When
I employ a soluble silicate I take a solution of silicate of soda or potash (the
sp. gr. of which must depend upon the texture of the stone to be operated
upon, but generally about the sp. gr. of 1.400 at ordinary temperatures, and
after having removed from the stone, &c. as much extraneous matter as is
convenient I apply the solution over the surface of the stone or other material
with a brush or otherwise until it has absorbed a sufficiency. I then imme-
diately, or as soon after as convenient, in a similar manner apply a solution of
chloride of calcium, taking care to incorporate the two solutions as much as
possible by means of a brush or otherwise. By this application the silica
combines with the lime, forming silicate of lime in the pores and on the
surface of the stone or other material, whilst the chlorine, combining with the
soda or potash forming chloride of sodium or potassium, is readily removed by
washing. When the stone or other material is of a very porous nature, the
strength of the silicate solution may be increased, and one coating will be
sufficient; but if, on the other hand, the stone or other material is very slightly
porous, then the strength of the silicate solution should be reduced, and several
coats should be laid on. Or, for some descriptions of stone, more particularly
sandstones or freestones, I prefer to use a saturated solution of sulphate of
alumina instead of the silicate of soda or potash, followed by a solution of
baryta, by which means a compound precipitate of alumina and baryta is
produced. Where convenient, instead of applying the solutions by means of
a brush, the stone or other material may be immersed in the several solutions.
When desired, the precipitates can be colored to any tint to suit the stone or
other material by means of soluble salts of chrome or iron mixed with the
solutions employed:
I would remark, in reference to this part of my Invention, that, I am aware

page_text: that wood has before been treated by two solutions mutually decomposing each
other;
I do not, therefore, claim the process as applied to wood, but only as
applied to artificial and natural stone, bricks, and other materials used for
building purposes. In some descriptions of stone and other building materials
there is contained a free sulphate or carbonate of soda or other soluble salt
which is liable to effloresce; to prevent this, and partially to indurate the stone
or other substance, I employ a solution of barium or calcium, using a con-
centrated solution of the chloride of barium or calcium by preference.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Ransome, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
JNO. COOK,
24, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane.
FREDERICK RANSOME. (L.S.)