IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LUBRICATING OIL
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Mary Strang, otherwise Hutchison, of Glasgow, in
the County of Lanark, North Britain, Widow, Executrix dative.qua,
Relict of George Hutchison, some time Merchant, of the same Place, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LUBRICATING
OIL." The said George Hutchison was at the time of his death the first
and true Inventor thereof.
Sealed the. 12th April 1861, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chancellor,
and dated the 12th Octalion 1860
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Mary Strang, otherwisè
Hutchison, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with her
Petition, on the 13th October 1860.
I, MARY STRANG, otherwise Hutchison, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Widow, Executrix dative qua, Relict of George
Hutchison, sometime Merchant, of the same Place, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
LUBRICATING OIL," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture or treatment of
various matters for the obtainment of lubricating oil of superior quality.
In practising the Invention, the first process consists in subjecting such fatty
matters as tallow or lard to the action of a mixture of fusel oil and sulphuric
acid, the whole being heated to a temperature of about 200° Fahrenheit.

page_text: The result of this process is the separation of impurities, which descend to the
bottom, and the obtainment of a supernatant oil termed "margarate." This
margarate is boiled for 24 to 36 hours, to remove as much as possible of
the fusel oil, and with it the disagreeable smell, and it is then mixed with
a comparatively heavy oil, such as lard or rape oil, as in its unmixed state
it is lighter than is desirable. The mixture is for the purpose of purification
next subjected to the action of a caustic lye, the soapy matter thereby precipi-
tated being separated from it, after which the oil is washed with chloride of
lime to restore its colour, and is finally treated with sulphuric acid, which frees
it from all remaining impurities. The oil thus purified is termed "hyper-
sperm oil," and is ready for the market.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor. by the said Mary Strang,
otherwise Hutchison, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th April
1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARY
STRANG, otherwise HUTCHISON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Widow, Executrix dative qua, Relict of George Hutchison, sometime
Merchant, of the same Place, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Mary Strang or Hutchison, Her special licence that I, the said Mary
Strang or Hutchison, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Mary Strang or Hutchison, my executors, administrators,
and assigns; should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and law-
fully 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LUBRICATING OIL," communicated
to me, the said Mary Strang or Hutchison, by the said George Hutchison, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Mary Strang or Hutchison,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was

page_text: 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 Mary Strang or Hutchison, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 :-
The said Invention relates to improvements in the manufacture or treatment
of various matters for the obtainment of lubricating oil of superior quality.
In practising this Invention, the first process consists in subjecting such fatty
matters as tallow, lard, or lard oil, to the action of a mixture of fusel oil and
sulphuric acid. The exact proportions will depend on the qualities of the
several ingredients, but a very satisfactory result is obtained in practice by
mixing, for example, twenty gallons of lard oil with a mixture consisting of
nine gallons of fusel oil and one gallon of sulphuric acid. These matters are
put into a vessel, by preference of cast iron, formed with a double bottom, and
are therein raised to a temperature of about 200°, by means of steam admitted
within the double bottom. The result of this process is the separation of
impurities which descend to the bottom, and the obtainment of a supernatant
oil termed "margarate." The treatment is continued until this supernatant oil
is of a specific gravity of 870 (water being 1,000), and a volatile oil or spirit
which is evolved is caught by means of a head fitted to the iron vessel, and
may be utilized by mixing it with fresh quantities of original materials.
The second process consists in drawing off the margarate into large wooden
tuns, in which it is boiled for 24 to 36 hours, to remove as much as possible
of the fusel oil, and with it the disagreeable smell, the boiling being effected
by injecting steam into the oil. The oil thus obtained being lighter than is
desirable, is then mixed with a comparatively heavy oil, such as lard or rape
oil; for example, each gallon of margarate may be mixed with two gallons of
lard oil; the proportions, however, may be varied.
The next process consists in subjecting the mixture, for the purpose of
purification, to the action of a caustic lye of soda, the lye being added until the
saponified appearance of the mixture shows that sufficient has been introduced;
whilst the matters are boiled for about ten minutes, or until they begin to
thicken, and they are afterwards allowed to stand for about two days. After
this the oil is washed with chloride of lime, to restore its color and transparency,
and is finally treated with sulphuric acid, which frees it from remaining im-
purities. The oil thus purified is termed "hyper-sperm oil," and is ready for
the market.

page_text: Having thus particularly described the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I have to state that,
what I claim as the Invention communicated by the said George Hutchison, and,
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is the com-
pounding and treating of fatty matters or oils for the obtainment of lubricating
oil, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Mary. Strang or Hutchison, have hereunto+
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth-day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
MARY HUTCHISON. (L.S.)