AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STONE
Year: 1855

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Ransome at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
March 1855:
1, FREDERICK RANSOME, of Ipswich, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STONE"
to be as follows :—
Heretofore, in the manufacture of artificial stone by cementing sand and
other substances by means of soluble silicates, the soluble silicates have been
made by dissolving silex and alkali without first fusing the compound, and the
same has been liable to impurities, which have been to some extent prejudicial
to the stone when made. Now, my improvement consists of applying soluble
silicate obtained by first fusing the compound of silex'and alkali for cementing
sand and other substances in the manufacture of articles of artificial stone,
which are subjected to the action of fire to complete the same.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Ransome in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
RANSOME, of Ipswich, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the.
said Frederick Ransome, Her special licence that I, the said Frederick Ran-
some, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Frederick Ransome, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "AN IMPROVE-
MENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL STONE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Frederick Ransome, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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 Frederick Ransome, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
Heretofore, in the manufacture of artificial stone by cementing sand and
other substances by means of soluble silicates, the soluble silicates have been
made by dissolving silex and alkali, without first fusing the compound, and the
same has been liable to impurities, which have been to some extent prejudicial
to the stone when made. Now, my improvement consists of applying soluble
silicate obtained by first fusing the compound of silex and alkali for cementing
sand and other substances in the manufacture of artificial stone, which are
subjected to the action of fire to complete the same.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
In the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me for " Improvements
in the Manufacture of Artificial Stone for Grinding and other Purposes,"

page_text: bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-second day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and forty-four, I described the use of soluble silicates for
cementing broken or pulverized stone, sand, earthy and other matters, into
articles of artificial stone; in which case the soluble silicates were prepared
and used in the ordinary manner, that is, got into a state of solution without
first fusing the ingredients together. Now, according to my present Invention
I cause the silex and the alkali to be first mixed in a ground state, and then
subjected to heat till the whole is fused; the mass is to be ground and then
dissolved. For this purpose I mix together five cwt. of sand, and four cwt. of
soda ash (containing about fifty per cent. of alkali), and half cwt. of char-
coal; or I mix 15 cwt of sand, 10 cwt. of potash, and 1 cwt. of charcoal, and
I expose the mixture to heat, and thus form them into a glass. When the glass
has been broken down, I dissolve it in water at boiling temperature or under
pressure of steam. The solution is to be concentrated by evaporation to the
specific gravity of about 1-700. The concentrated solution is then to be mixed
with sand, clay, or other earthy or mineral substances, and the articles are
to be formed or moulded as heretofore. Or I employ the soluble glass, when
ground into fine powder, mixed with the above-mentioned substances, together
with water.
I would remark that I do not claim the making of soluble silicates or glass;
but what I claim is, the employment in the manufacture of artificial stone of
soluble silicates, the ingredients composing which have been fused together
before dissolving them.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Ransome, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
THOMAS TAYLOR,
Whip Street, Ipswich.
FREDK RANSOME. (L.S.)