IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF PEAT FOR THE PURPOSE OF RENDERING IT APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF BEING PRODUCED BY STAMPING, MOULDING, EMBOSSING, OR ROLLING
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Goulston Ghislin, of Hatton Garden, in the
County of Middlesex, Importer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PREPARATION OF PEAT FOR THE PURPOSE OF RENDERING IT APPLICABLE TO
THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF BEING PRODUCED BY
STAMPING, MOULDING, EMBOSSING, OR ROLLING."
Sealed the 11th September 1866, and dated the 15th March 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Goulston Ghislin
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th March 1866.
I THOMAS GOULSTON GHISLIN, of Hatton Garden, in the. County of Mid-
dlesex, Importer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF PEAT FOR THE PURPOSE OF RENDERING IT
APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF BEING
PRODUCED BY STAMPING, MOULDING, EMBOSSING, OR ROLLING," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is so to treat or prepare common peat by
chemical and mechanical operations as to bring it into a state in which it
may be manufactured into various useful articles either of a solid or rigid
character or of a flexible character.
In carrying out my Invention. I take any of the common kinds of peat
found in Europe or elsewhere, and having expelled therefrom, either by the

page_text: application of pressure, heat, or otherwise, such of the watery particles as can
be easily removed, I mix with it ground or comminuted seaweed with the
addition, if required, of any suitable gums or guin resins, such as india-
rubber, gutta percha, or other substances of that class, or in place thereof, or
in addition thereto may be added resins natural or artificial, bituminous sub-
stances and products of the same,such as pitch or asphalte, paraffine, stearine,
or other oily and fatty matters. To give a body and firmness to the mass,
chalk, talc, sulphur, siliceous and other earthy matters may be added. Waste
fibrous and woody substances may be incorporated with the other ingredients
when it is desired to form sheets of the material as for floorcloths, and if the
surface is intended to be printed, metallic oxides such as white zinc, oxide
of iron, or ochre, alum, and other analogous ingredients may be added.
The proportions in which the several ingredients are incorporated with the
peat must depend mainly upon the character of the peat and the purpose to
which the mass of prepared peat is to be applied when made; for instance,
some peats will be found to contain so much unctuous fatty or bituminous
matter, and some seaweeds so much mucilaginous or gelatinous matter that
the addition of more bituminous or gelatinous matter will be unnecessary;
on the other hand the peat and seaweed may want fibre to give it strength
and tenacity, waste fibrous substances such as cotton, hair, wool, and tow
may be incorporated in such cases; in other cases the peat will be found
abundant in fibre but deficieut in adhesive substances. Again, for some
purposes hardness.and rigidity will be required, as for moulding picture
frames or producing articles which are to be ornamented by einbossing,
such as book covers. For floorcloths and other coverings or articles for
which the mass is to be rolled out into thin flexible sheets a larger
proportion of fibre will be required than for solid and rigid articles.
Before any definite proportions of the ingredients can be determined, the
workman must know, first, for what purpose the prepared peat is to be used,
and, secondly, the exact character of the peat he is going to work with.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Goulston Ghislin in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
GOULSTON GHISLIN, of Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex, Importer,
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Goulston Ghislin, Her special licence, that I, the said Thomas
Goulston Ghislin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Thomas Goulston Ghislin, my executors, administrators, and
assigus, should at any time agree with, and no others, froin time to time and
at 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 PREPARATION OF PEAT FOR THE PURPOSE
OF RENDERING. IT APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES WHICH ARE CAPABLE
OF BEING PRODUCED BY STAMPING, MOULDING, EMBOSSING, OR ROLLING," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Goulston Ghislin, 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 Thomas Goulston Ghislin, 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 (that is to say):-
"The object of this Invention is so to treat or prepare common peat by
chemical and mechanical operations as to bring it into a state in which it
may be manufactured into various useful articles either of a firm or rigid
character or of a flexible character.
In carrying out my Invention, I take any of the common kinds of peat
found in Europe or elsewhere, and having expelled therefrom, either by the
application of pressure, heat, or otherwise, such of the watery particles as can
be easily removed, I mix with it ground or comminuted seaweed, with the
addition if required of any suitable gums or gum resins, such as india-rubber,
gutta percha, or other substances of that class, or in place thereof, or in
addition thereto may be added resins natural or artificial, bituminous or
albuminous substances and products of the same, such as pitch or asphalte,
paraffine, stearine, or other oily and fatty matters. To give a body and
firmness to the mass, chalk, talc, sulphur, siliceous and other earthy matters

page_text: may be added. Waste fibrous and woody substances may be incorporated
with the other ingredients when it is desired to form sheets of the material,
as for floorcloths, and if the surface is intended to be painted, metallic
oxides such as white zinc, oxide of iron, or ochre, alum, and other analogous
ingredients may be added.
The proportions in which the several ingredients are to be incorporated
with the peat must depend mainly upon the character of the peat and the
purpose to which the mass of prepared peat is to be applied when made; for
instance, some peats will be found to contain so much unctuous, fatty, or
bituminous matter, and some seaweeds so much mucilaginous or gelatinous
matter that theaddition of more bituminous, albuminous, or gelatinous matter
will be unnecessary; on the other hand, the peat and seaweed may want fibre
to give it strength and tenacity, waste fibrous substances such as cotton,
hair, wool, and tow may be incorporated in such cases; in such cases, the
peat will be found abundant in fibre but deficient in adhesive substances.
Again, for some purposes hardness and rigidity will be required, as for mould-
ing picture frames or producing articles which are to be ornamented by
embossing such as book covers. For floorclothsand other coverings or articles
for which the mass is to be rolled out into thin flexible sheets a larger
proportion of fibre will be required than for solid and rigid articles, and
considerable amount of flexibility will be required.
In carrying out' my Invention practically, I find that I can best attain
the object which I have in view by bringing in the first instance the peat
into the condition of a smooth paste, or by grinding it into a moderately
dry powder, and then mixing with this prepared peat, according to the
nature of the objects which I intend to produce, any or all of the various
ingredients specified above. To form a plastic mass, for example, I add to
about sixty parts of the prepared peat about fifteen parts of india-rubber,
gutta percha, or other analogous substances of that class, about twenty
parts of stearine, pitch, resinous, and any bituminous substances, and about
five parts of oily or fatty matters; to this mixture I sometimes, further
add any required quantity of fibrous material, metallic oxides, or earthy
matters to give the tenacity and consistency required for the purpose to
which the prepared material is to be used.
In order to vary the density and specific gravity of the material, I add to
the above a portion of seaweed (as prepared under my former Patents) in
lieu of an equal proportion of peat or other substance employed. I thoroughly
incorporate the whole of the specified ingredients in a masticator provided
with mixing rollers or any other suitable mechanical, mixing apparatus, and

page_text: afterwards pass the mass between rolling cylinders to bring it down to the
required thickness and form, when it may be either embossed, painted or
otherwise treated according to the purpose to which it is intended to be
applied. To form a rigid body, having treated the peat as before mentioned
I then mix the same with about fifteen to twenty parts of any of the aforesaid
bituminous, resinous, and gummy substances, and afterwards mould or
compress the whole mass into any desired form.
I would here remark that, in practice, I have found the proportions of the
different ingredients and the mode of treatment indicated above to be con-
venient and productive of satisfactory results, but I do not confine myself to
such proportions, nor exactly to the mechanical treatment herein described.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, as
aforesaid, the mode herein set forth of preparing or treating peat by com-
bining it with various substances so as to produce a plastic substance cap.
able of being applied, as herein set forth, for various useful purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Goulston Ghislin, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
0
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
THOMAS GOULSTON GHISLIN. (L.s.)
66, Chancery Lane.