Sheets, Slabs, or Moulded Articles, or Used as a Varnish.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 21st. Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1887
Sheets, Slabs, or Moulded Articles, or Used as a Varnish.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me from
abroad by Marie Paul Emile Gérard, of 11 Rue Louis le Grand, Paris, France,
Gentleman) to be as follows:
This Invention relates to the manufacture of a composition susceptible of being
formed into threads, slabs, sheets, or moulded articles; or of being used as a
varnish.
The Invention is based on the fact that certain viscous matters, and especially
gelatine, may be drawn out from the mass, in small quantities at a time, in the form
of threads. Threads thus formed of gelatine alone are, however, very brittle and
being also soluble are unsuited for textile purposes for example.
This Invention consists in a new composition formed by combining tri-nitro-
cellulose (gun-cotton) with gelatine, and which is susceptible of being employed
either in the solid form—that is to say-in the form of threads, slabs, sheets, etc; or
in the liquid form, as varnish.
The gelatine and gun cotton are separately dissolved in any solvent common to
both, preferably glacial acetic acid. For this purpose, five parts by weight of gelatine
are dissolved in thirty parts of the solvent, and ten parts of gun cotton are dissolved
in thirty parts of the same solvent, the solution being effected, in each case, at the
ordinary temperature.
The two solutions are then intimately mixed together by
stirring, so as to form a paste to which more of the solvent is added to mako up
125 parts by weight of acetic acid to fifteen parts of solid matter (gelatine and
gun cotton) in the final product. This product, in the form of a film, is at once
insoluble, and not more inflammable than the generality of textiles, and may be
formed into threads by any suitable means. It is, however, preferable before mixing
the ingredients of the composition, to add thereto one-twentieth of one part of

page_text: -
glycerine and a trace of castor oil or manganesed linseed oil, the presence of these
fatty bodies facilitating the working of the composition. It is also advantageous,
before using the acetic acid, to dissolve therein a trace of calcium chloride in order to
render the product absolutely uninflammable.
When the product is to be formed into threads, a little pure gluten, glucose, or even
honey, should preferably be added to the composition, according to the degree of
suppleness to be imparted to the threads. The gun-cotton contained in the thread
may also be completely de-nitrified by boiling it in a solution of di-chloride, or acetate,
of iron. By coating slabs of glass or marble with the composition, and allowing it
to dry, films or sheets of any desired thickness can be produced, suitable for being
stamped out, or otherwise ornamented and applied for various uses, such as for
producing imitation lace for example. Or, the composition may be moulded and
formed into various articles of great delicacy of structure in the nature of feathers,
of which perfect imitations may be produced.
To make a varnish, the proportion of acetic acid employed should be increased,
and a small quantity of gum-fac added; the varnish obtained being of a superior
quality applicable for wood and other materials generally, but especially for objects of
plaster.

page_text: Sheets, Slabs, or Moulded Articles, or Used as a Varnish.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me from
abroad by Marie Paul Emile Gérard, of 11 Rue Louis le Grand, Paris, France,
Gentleman), and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of a composition susceptible of being
formed into threads or filaments, slabs, sheets or moulded articles, or of being used
as a varnish.
Certain viscous matters, and especially gelatine, may be drawn out in thread like or
filamentary form from the mass, but the threads or filaments if composed of gelatine
alone are very brittle and also soluble, and they are therefore unsuited for textile
purposes for example.
This invention consists in a new composition formed by combining tri-nitro-
cellulose (gun cotton) with gelatine, the said composition being susceptible of
employment either in the solid form-that is to say-in the form of threads or
filaments, slabs, sheets, and the like, or in the liquid form, as varnish.
To form the composition the gelatine and gun cotton are separately dissolved in
any solvent common to both, preferably glacial acetic acid. For this purpose, five
parts by weight of gelatine are dissolved in thirty parts of the solvent, and ten parts
of gun cotton are dissolved in thirty parts of the same solvent, the solution being
effected, in each case, at the ordinary temperature. The two solutions are then
intimately mixed together by stirring, so as to form a paste to which more of the
solvent is added to make up 125 parts by weight of acetic acid to fifteen parts of solid
matter (gelatine and gun cotton) in the final product.
This product, in the form of a film, is insoluble, and not more inflammable than
the generality of textiles and may be formed into threads or filaments by any suitable
means. It is, however, preferable before mixing the ingredients of the composition,
to add thereto one twentieth of one part of glycerine and a trace of castor oil or
manganesed linseed oil, the presence of these fatty bodies facilitating the working
of the composition. It is also advantageous, before using the acetic acid, to
dissolve therein a trace of calcium chloride in order to render the product absolutely
uninflammable.
When the product is to be formed into threads or filaments, a little pure gluten,
glucose, or even honey should preferably be added to the composition, according to
the degree of suppleness to be imparted to the threads or filaments. The gun cotton
contained in the thread may also be completely de-nitrified by boiling the thread in a
solution of di-chloride, or acetate of iron.

page_text: By coating slabs of glass or marble with the composition, and allowing it to
dry, films or sheets of any desired thickness can be produced, suitable for being
stamped out, or otherwise ornamented and applied for various uses, such as for
producing imitation lace for example. Or the composition may be moulded and
formed into various articles of great delicacy of structure in the nature of feathers,
of which perfect imitations may be produced.
To make a varnish, the proportion of acetic acid employed in the composition should
be increased, and a small quantity of gum-lac added; the varnish obtained being of a
superior quality, applicable for wood and other materials generally but especially
suitable for varnishing objects of plaster.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is-
1. A new industrial product suitable for being formed into threads or filaments,
films, sheets, slabs, or moulded articles, consisting essentially of a mixture of gelatine
and tri-nitro-cellulose, dissolved in glacial acetic acid, or other solvent as herein before
described, with or without the addition of calcium chloride, glycerine, gluten honey or
fatty matter.
2. The manufacture of a varnish of a mixture of gelatine and tri-nitro-cellulose
dissolved in glacial acetic acid or other solvent as hereinbefore specified with the
addition of gum-lac as described.
A. MELVILLE CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.