Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 25th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 27th May, 1887
I, MAURICE BENEDICTUS, of Brussels in the Kingdom of Belgium, Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of a material which being laid by a brush
or spatula on old paint of woodwork or other structures, has, in the course of an hour
or less, such action on the paint that the whole can be readily sponged off with water
leaving the surface clean. The material employed for this purpose is a mixture
consisting of the following substances in approximately the proportions stated in parts
by weight;
Water, 23 parts-Flour or meal, 4 parts-Alum, 1 part-Black soap, 4 parts-
Caustic Soda and Caustic Potash in equal parts in solution at an alkalimetric strength
of about 42°, making up together 11 parts. The water, flour and alum are boiled
together under agitation, then the soap liquefied is gradually added also about half the
quantity of the soda and potash, and when all are thoroughly mixed the residue of the
soda and potash is added and intimately mixed with the mass.
This forms a pasty
substance which can be applied with a brush or spatula to old paint. In the course of
half an hour to an hour the paint is acted on and becomes separated as a pellicle, and
the surface can be washed clean with water without any scraping.
ABEL & IMRAY,
28, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, MAURICE BENEDICTUS of Brussels in the Kingdom of Belgium Chemist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The difficulties and the enormous loss of time incurred in removing layers of old
paints which have dried and penetrated into panels and frames of painted wood are
woll known. Heretofore recourse has always been had to mechanical operations for
removing those layers of colours, that is to say, it was necessary to scrape them with
some suitable scraper; a labour which it was endeavoured to facilitate by softening the
hardened colour, by the heat of a brazier, chafing dish or lamp moved along the
painted surfaces. But notwithstanding the aid of these expedients, the slowness of
the process is most objectionable, and it is impossible to get perfect cleansing without
damaging the wood that is to be painted again.
The object of the present invention is to substitute, for the scraping and scorching,
a simple coating or plastering with a sirupy or pasty substance producing a chemical
effect such that after it has lain half an hour to an hour on the painted surfaces, the
old layers of colour can be completely removed as a skin by means of a spatula or
other suitable tool, without in any way affecting the wood.
The said compound which I term Mordantia Colora is prepared of the following
substances by preference in about the proportions named and in the manner
described.
Proportions of Mixture.
Water
Meal or flour-
Borax
Black Soap
Caustic soda and caustic potash mixod in 1
equal parts at 42° akalimetric strength
23 Kil. or 53.50%
4
9.00
"
"
4
2.50
"
9.00
"
"
»
-
11
26.00
"
"
Process of preparation. In any suitable vessel the 9% of meal or flour is mixed
with 53.5% of water, and the mixture is boiled under constant agitation with a
woodon spoon which may be used for small quantities or with a mechanical agitator
such as a turbine for large quantities, until the whole is reduced to an intimately
mixed porridge, representing only about 50% of the original quantity, and this is left
to cool complotely.
During the operation, thero are added to the mixture of water and meal 2.50% of
borax dissolved until there is thorough combination of the throc substances. The
object of the horax is to prevent the material from spoiling or becoming rancid. The
9% of black soap being then liquefied in a pan is poured slowly into the porridge
with constant agitation until there is perfect mixture of the two products. In like

page_text: manner, half the quantity of the caustic soda and potash, that is to say 13% in solution
previously mixed, is added, and when the whole has been uniformly mixed, the other
half of the caustic soda and potash is added and the whole agitated afresh.
This mixture then forms a sirupy or pasty homogeneous mass constituting the
"Mordantia Colora."
If this material be applied by a brush spatula or other suitable tool, to paint dried
and penetrated into wood, and let lie the proper time, the oldest and strongest layers
of colour become separated from the wood with the greatest case, in the form of a
skin, without in any way injuring tho wood; it is only necessary then to wash the
wood by sponging with water, when it will appear with its natural colour, without a
particle of paint, and without being in the smallest degree damaged.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
The manufacture and use of a compound for removing layers of old paint from
wood, obtained by boiling about 53.5% of water with about 90% of meal or floor and
about 2.5% of borax dissolved, until a porridge is produced representing only about
56% of the original quantities, and on allowing this to cool, adding first about 9% of
black soup liquefied by heat and then loving successive, quantities about 26%
caustic soda and potash previously intimately mixed, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 25th day of April 1887.
of
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.