IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING OILS AND FATS
Year: 1873

page_text: This Specification was, upon the 24th day of September 1886, amended under
Sections 18 to 21 of the Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Act, 1883.
LETTERS PATENT to Robert Hutchison, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Oil Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TREATING OILS AND FATS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Hutchison at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th October
1873.
I, ROBERT HUTCHISON, of Glasgow in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Oil Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TREATING OILS AND FATS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the treating of oils and fats in an improved
manner and so as to render them more suitable for various applications, and it
consists in subjecting the oil whether mineral, vegetable, or animal, or the fat to a
temperature about equal to that of boiling water for eight or ten days, the oil or
fat being exposed to air in layers of about half an inch in depth.
The elements of the process may be modified; thus, with a greater depth or
lower temperature, the treatment must be prolonged. In the case of mineral oil
an alkali or alkaline carbonate or alkaline earth, by preference in solution or
suspended in water, is added to the oil before heating it-and the treatment has
the effect of removing the blueness or fluorescence which is considered objection-
able in some mineral oils, and of rendering the oil more suitable for combining with
a vegetable or animal oil or fat to make a good lubricant.
The treating of vegetable or animal oils or fats in the described manner has the
effect of at once developing auy tendency to thicken, so that when the thus
thickened oil or fat is thinned to the desired consistency by combination with the
mineral oil it forms a superior lubricant having less tendency to thicken when
in use.
.
The thickening of the vegetable or animal oils or fats which is believed to be due
to oxidation makes them better adapted for saponification and other uses besides
that of forming lubricants.

page_text: by the said Robert Hutchison in the Great Deal Fatent Umce on the 7th April
1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
HUTCHISON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Oil Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent,
bearing date the Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert
Hutchison, Her special license that I, the said Robert Hutchison, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Hutchison,
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING OILS AND FATS FOR
MAKING LUBRICANTS" upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert
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 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 Robert Hutchison, 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 treating of oils and fats in an improved
manner, and so as to render them more suitable for various applications; making
lubricants, and it consists mainly in subjecting the oil, whether mineral, vegetable,
or animal, or the fat, to heat, whilst exposed to the air in shallow layers.
One important object of my Invention is to oxidise or thicken vegetable
or animal oils or fats so as to render them better adapted for mixing with mineral
oils to form lubricants of various qualities.
The treating or oxidising of vegetable or animal oils or fats in the manner
indicated is believed to have the effect of at once developing any tendency to
thicken, so that when the thus thickened oil or fat is subsequently thinned to the
desired consistency by being mixed with a suitable mineral oil, it forms a superior
lubricant, having less tendency to thicken when in use.
The thickening of the vegetable-or-animal oils or fats which I believe to-be-due
to-oxidation makes them better adapted for saponification and other uses besides
that of forming-lubricants.

page_text: In practically carrying out my said Invention in dealing with vegetable or
animal oils or fats I prefer to expose them in shallow pans or dishes to the
combined action of atmospheric air and heat, with or without the addition of
water, for a lengthened time. The addition of water accelerates the process, but
the color of the oxidised oil or fat is generally paler if treated without water.
The duration of the treatment has in practice to be regulated to suit the kind or
quality of the oil or fat operated upon, and is best ascertained by trial. I may
however state by way of example that if lard oil is exposed without water in a
depth of one-half to three-quarters of an inch, and the heat is maintained at about
212 degrees Fahrenheit, it continues to increase in body and specific gravity for
eight or ten days and nights. It is then of about the same body and specific
gravity as castor oil, and will readily mix with mineral oil in any proportion.
The mixing of a thickened or oxidised vegetable or animal oil or fat with
mineral oil to form a compound of consistency and quality suitable for a lubricant
is a part of my Invention, irrespective of the precise means adopted for thickening
or oxidising the oil.
In the case of mineral oil, whether to be used for forming a lubricant or not,
I add to the oil an alkali or alkaline salt or alkaline earth, by preference in solution
or suspended in water, and then expose the oil to the action of atmospheric air and
heat, and the treatment has the effect of removing the blueness or fluorescence
which is considered objectionable in mineral oils, and of rendering the oil more
suitable for combining with a vegetable or animal oil or fat to make a good
lubricant. Owing to the great variety in the sources and modes of production of
mineral oils and their various qualities and degrees of purity the treatment requires
to be adjusted by means of practical trials to each kind. I may however state as
an example that with most Scotch shale oil, which has been well refined ten to
fourteen days, will suffice for a depth of oil of a few inches, the temperature
maintained being about 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The proportion of alkali required
is very small, and if caustic alkali is used it will be sufficient if when it is well
mixed with the oil its presence is barely detected by the taste. In treating mineral
oil the depth need not be limited, but a better result as regards color is obtained
when the oil is heated in shallow layers.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I have to state that what I believe to be novel and original
and claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
1. The subjecting of oils and fats in shallow layers to the joint action of air and
heat, substantially as and for the purposes herein-before described.
2. The combining of oxidised or thickened vegetable or animal oils or fats with
mineral oils, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Hutchison, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness
EDMUND HUNT
Patent Agent
Glasgow.
ROBT HUTCHISON. (L.S.)

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Hutchison, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Oil Manufacturer, for the Invention of
" IMPROVEMents in TreATING OILS AND FATS.”
Sealed the 2nd April 1874, and dated the 10th October 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Hutchison at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th October 1873.
I, ROBERT HUTCHISON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Oil Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING OILS AND FATS," to be as
follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the treating of oils and fats in an
improved manner, and so as to render them more suitable for various
applications, and it consists in subjecting the oil, whether mineral,
vegetable, or animal, or the fat, to a temperature about equal to that of
boiling water for eight or ten days, the oil or fat being exposed to air in
layers of about half an inch in depth.

page_text: The elements of the process may be modified; thus, with a greater
depth or lower temperature the treatment must be prolonged. In the case
of mineral oil an alkali or alkaline carbonate or alkaline earth, by
preference in solution or suspended in water, is added to the oil before
heating it, and the treatment has the effect of removing the blueness or
fluorescence which is considered objectionable in some mineral oils, and
of rendering the oil more suitable for combining with a vegetable or
animal oil or fat to make a good lubricant.
The treating of vegetable or animal oils or fats in the described manner
has the effect of at once developing any tendency to thicken, so that
when the thus thickened oil or fat is thinned to the desired consistency
by combination with the mineral oil it forms a superior lubricant, having
less tendency to thicken when in use.
The thickening of the vegetable or animal oils or fats, which is
believed to be due to oxidation, makes them better adapted for saponifi-
cation and other uses, besides that of forming lubricants.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Robert Hutchison in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
HUTCHISON, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Oil
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Hutchison, Her special license
that I, the said Robert Hutchison, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Hutchison, 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,

page_text: The duration of the treatment has in practice to be regulated to suit
the kind or quality of the oil or fat operated upon, and is best ascertained
by trial. I may however state by way of example that if lard oil is
exposed without water in a depth of one-half to three-quarters of an
inch, and the heat is maintained at about 212 degrees Fahrenheit, it
continues to increase in body and specific gravity for eight or ten days
and nights. It is then of about the same body and specific gravity as
castor oil, and will readily mix with mineral oil in any proportion.
The mixing of a thickened or oxidised vegetable or animal oil or fat
with mineral oil to form a compound of consistency and quality suitable
for a lubricant is a part of my Invention, irrespective of the precise
means adopted for thickening or oxidising the oil.
In the case of mineral oil, whether to be used for forming a lubricant
or not, I add to the oil an alkali or alkaline salt or alkaline earth, by
preference in solution or suspended in water, and then expose the oil to
the action of atmospheric air and heat, and the treatment has the effect
of removing the blueness or fluorescence which is considered objectionable
in mineral oils, and of rendering the oil more suitable for combining
with a vegetable or animal oil or fat to make a good lubricant. Owing
to the great variety in the sources and modes of production of mineral
oils and their various qualities and degrees of purity the treatment
requires to be adjusted by means of practical trials to each kind. I may
however state as an example that with most Scotch shale oil, which has
been well refined ten to fourteen days, will suffice for a depth of oil of
a few inches, the temperature maintained being about 212 degrees
Fahrenheit. The proportion of alkali required is very small, and if
caustic alkali is used it will be sufficient if when it is well mixed with
the oil its presence is barely detected by the taste. In treating mineral
oil the depth need not be limited, but a better result as regards color is
obtained when the oil is heated in shallow layers.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state 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 subjecting of oils and fats in shallow layers to the joint
action of air and heat, substantially as and for the purposes herein-before
described.

page_text: 2. The combining of oxidised or thickened vegetable or animal oils or
fats with mineral oils.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Hutchison, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
ROBT. HUTCHISON. (L.S.)