IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL FOUNDERS' BLACKING.
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Carrington Sellars, of Birkenhead, in the
County of Chester, Manufacturing Chemist, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF METAL
FOUNDERS' BLACKING.
"
Sealed the 23rd October 1874, and dated the 29th April 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Carrington Sellars
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th April 1874.
I, JOHN CARRINGTON SELLARS, of Birkenhead, in the County of
Chester, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE MANUFACTURE
OF METAL FOUNDERS' BLACKING," to be as follows:―
The main object of my Invention is to provide a metal founders'
blacking possessing good sleeking and heat-resisting properties.
As means for obtaining blacking possessing the above qualities I car-

page_text: :
altogether excluded, a mixture of tar, peat, and alkali; a mixture of only
peat and alkali can be used but the product is not so good.
The alkali used should be caustic soda or potassa, or the carbonate
thereof alone or together. In place of the said caustic alkali or car-
bonate sulphate of soda or potassa may be used. I prefer to carbonize
the said mixture of tar, peat, and alkali, or peat and alkali only, in
ordinary gas retorts, collecting and purifying in any ordinary way the
gases evolved by the destructive distillation of the tar and peat which is
facilitated by the presence of the alkaline matter. The said gases when
purified are or may be used for lighting and heating. If a careful
selection of tar and peat is made, and proper proportions used, the hydro-
carbon gases evolved during carbonization are not inferior in lighting
and heating qualities to coal gas. Light spongy peat is preferred, and
the proportion of tar to peat is one of the former to two of the latter by
weight, there being added to the mixed tar and peat forty pounds of
carbonate of soda dissolved in about one hundred and eighty pounds of
water. The coke resulting from the carbonization of the said mixtures
is drawn into air-tight vessels, allowed to cool, and is when ground the
product constituting a new manufacture under my Invention.
The tar, peat, and alkali, or the peat and alkali before being carbonized
are treated in any of the following ways:—
(a). Lump peat or peat smalls is saturated with alkaline solution,
dried, and afterwards ground with tar.
(b). Tar is heated by steam, the alkaline solution is crutched in until
thorough admixture is obtained, peat or peat smalls are or is added, and
the composition ground together.
(c). The peat is treated with alkaline solution and dried.
Although I have only described the alkali as being added in solution
it may be added in a powdery condition to the peat and tár, and the
whole mixed or ground together, but the result is not so satisfactory.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Carrington Sellars in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CARRINGTON SELLARS, of Birkenhead, in the County of Chester, Manu--
facturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letter Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Carrington Sellers, Her
special licence that I, the said John Carrington Sellars, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Carrington Sellars, 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 xpressed, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF
METAL FOUNDERS' BLACKING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Carrington Sellars, 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 John Carrington Sellars, 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:-
The main object of my Invention is to provide a metal founders'
blacking possessing good sleeking and heat-resisting properties.
As means for obtaining blacking possessing the above qualities I car-

page_text: altogether excluded, a mixture of tar, peat, and alkali; a mixture of only
peat and alkali can be used but the product it not so good.
The alkali used should be caustic soda or potassa, or the carbonates
thereof alone or together. In place of the said caustic alkali or car-
bonate sulphate of soda or potassa may be used although not so advan-
tageously. I prefer to carbonize the said mixture of tar, peat, and alkali,
or peat and alkali in ordinary gas retorts, collecting and purifying in any
ordinary way the gases evolved by the destructive distillation of the tar
and peat which is facilitated by the presence of the alkaline matter.
The said gases when purified are used for lighting and heating. If a
careful selection of tar and peat is made and proper proportions used
the resulting hydrocarbon gases are not inferior in lighting and heating
qualities to coal gas. The coke resulting from the carbonization of the
said mixture is drawn into air-tight vessels, allowed to cool, and is, when
ground the product constituting a new manufacture under my Inven-
tion.
The tar, peat, and alkali, or the peat and alkali before being car-
bonized are treated in any of the following ways:—
(a). Lump peat or peat smalls is taken and saturated with alkaline
solution, dried, and afterwards ground with tar.
(b). Tar is heated by steam, the alkaline solution is crutched in until
thorough admixture is obtained, peat or peat smalls are or is added, and
the composition ground together.
(c). The peat is treated with alkaline solution and dried tar.
Although I have only described the alkali as being added in solution,
peat or tar and solid alkali might be mixed or ground together, but the
result is not so satisfactory.
I find the following proportions of materials and treatment to answer
well in practice:-Air dried peat blocks or smalls 2 tons, coal tar as
usually delivered from gas works 1 ton, caustic soda or potassa 37
pounds dissolved in about eighty gallons of water, the whole being
thoroughly incorporated by grinding under edge runners, or otherwise,
and then supplied to the distillating retorts in blocks or convenient
pieces.
Instead of the 37 pounds of caustic soda or potassa, 50 pounds of
soda ash may be used. When sulphate of soda or potassa is used

page_text: about 74 pounds should be used to the quantity of peat and tar above
mentioned.
The same quantity of alkaline matters above named may be employed
when the tar is omitted, but in this case the gas given off during dis-
tillation will not be of such good quality as regards illuminating power.
In practice I prefer to use vertical retorts with doors at the bottom so
that the resulting carbonaceous matter can be withdrawn into closed
vessels out of contact with air.
Some of the carbonaceous product may be used as metal founders'
blacking without grinding, but ordinarily the product is ground between
horizontal millstones or like appliances.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and par-
ticularized the same so that others will be enabled to carry my im-
provements into effect, I claim, the treatment of the materials herein
mentioned substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Carrington Sellars, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of
October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-four.
In the
presence of
J. T. KING,
4, Clayton Square,
Liverpool.
JNO. C. SELLARS. (L.S.)