IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL OR IMITATION IVORY, BONE, HORE, CORAL, MALACHITE, AND TORTOISESHELL, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE PRODUCTION OF ▲ VARIETY OF SUBSTITUTES FOR ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE OBJECTS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davey, of New Cavendish Street, Port-
land Place, Esquire, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL OR IMITATION IVORY, BONE, HORE, CORAL,
MALACHITE, AND TORTOISESHELL, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE PRODUCTION OF ▲
VARIETY OF SUBSTITUTES FOR ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE OBJECTS."
"
Sealed the 9th July 1872, and dated the 11th May 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davey at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th May 1872.
I, GEORGE DAVEY, of New Cavendish Street, Portland Place, Esquire,
3 do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL OR INITATION IVORY, BONE, HORN, CORAL,
MALACHITE, AND TORTOISESHELL, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE PRODUCTION OF Δ
VARIETY OF SUBSTITUTES FOR ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE OBJECTS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention of improvements in the manufacture of artificial or

page_text: cable also to the production of a variety of substitutes for ornamental and
decorative objects consists,-
Firstly of manufacturing a new material which I call xylodine. I
manufacture this material in the following manner:-I take linen rags
or other suitable fibrous materials, and divide ortear them minutely, and
then I saturate them for a few minutes in nitric or sulphuric acid
and water in an agitating machine or apparatus. After this the material
is put in a cylinder into a hydraulic press for the purpose of expressing
the acid from the fibre. By the exertion of high pressure in the
hydraulic machine this material is condensed into a compact hard:
mass, which is then turned out of the cylinder in the form of a hard
cake. This is then to be put into a breaker or other tearing machine
and broken into small pieces, which fall into a vat of running water and
are thoroughly washed. These are then taken out and dried, and form
the substance I call xylodine.
And in order to manufacture artificial or imitation ivory, and
such like artificial or imitation substances, I proceed in the following
manner :-I mix this xylodine with suitable colors or pigments, dyes or
stains, so as to increase or reduce the specific gravity in the process
of coloring, adding oils if great elasticity is required, and omitting ?
colors, dyes, or stains when it is desired to imitate white ivory or
other like materials. I then place the mass into a steam jacketted
vessel containing an agitating apparatus, and connect such. vessel with
a boiler or retort with a receptacle fitted to the bottom of such vessel.
For every pound of xylodine put into this vessel I put two-thirds of
a pound of methylated spirit and one-third of a pound of rectified
benzole or cold naptha spirit, or other solvent, into the boiler, or retort,
or receptacle aforesaid, and cause it to boil by any convenient application
of steam or other heating process. So that the vapor is carried over
or upwards into the vessel before named, and at the same time the
agitating apparatus is set in motion, so that the vapor of the solvent
can act on every particle of the compound, which becomes reduced to a
smooth plastic mass; or sometimes I mix the ingredients named in a
dry state and roughly knead them together, and allow them to stand
until gradually acted upon by the spirit. After subjecting this material &
to either of the above described processes I pass it through an improved
straining apparatus, consisting of a steam jacketted cylinder and piston,
the cylinder having a moveable perforated bottom, over which I place

page_text: a number of discs of finely woven wire gauze, and sometimes I encirle
them with steam coils or jackets. Under the perforated bottom is a
receiver to catch the material as it falls from the strainer, or I somo-
times pass the material through masticating rollers. The material by
5 these processes becomes a beautiful white or colored plastic mass, and
is ready to be rolled into sheets, and when a grain or wavy surface is
required these sheets may be combined longitudinally or diagonally.
In this state the material may be moulded or pressed, and be treated so
as to bring it to imitate marble, mosaic work, and a great variety of
O ornamental objects, and when dry it may be sawn, turned, carved, or
cut, and will take a polish..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Davey in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th November 1872.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVEY, of New Cavendish Street, Portland Place, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
'Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Davey, Her special
license that I, the said George Davey, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Davey, 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 THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL OR IMITATION IVORY, BONE, HORN, CORAL, MALACHITE,
AND TORTOISESHELL, APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE PRODUCTION OF A VARIETY OF SUB-
"STITUTES FOR ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE OBJECTS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Davey, 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

page_text: Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Davey, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention of improvements in the manufacture of artificial or
imitation ivory, bone, horn, coral, malachite, and tortoiseshell, applicable
also to the production of a variety of substitutes for ornamental and
decorative objects consists,―
Firstly of manufacturing a new material which I call xylodine by
producing solid compounds of collodion, and that, with great economy
in the use of solvents. The mode of manufacturing this solid compound
of collodion which I call xylodine is as follows:-I take linen rags or
other suitable fibrous materials, and by means of what is called a "breaker"
or tearing machine cut and divide them until they assume what is
known as a "fluffy "appearance. I then saturate these fibrous materials
for a few minutes in a mixture of one-fourth nitric and three-fourths
sulphuric acid and water. But these proportions vary according to
hygrometric pressure, and which mixture may be put into an agitating
or mixing vessel or apparatus in which the fibrous material is immersed.
The fibres are then quickly removed from this mixture and put into a
cylindrical vessel, which latter is placed in a hydraulic press for the
purpose of expressing the acid from the saturated fibres, and by bringing
to bear the pressure of the press up to some hundreds of tons the fibrous
material becomes condensed into a hard compact mass, which may be
turned out of the cylinder in the form of a hard cake. I then put this
hard material into a "breaker" or other tearing machine, and subject
it to the action of the machine until it has become disintegrated or
broken into small pieces, which are allowed to fall into and become
immersed in a vat of cold running water, by which means the material
is thoroughly washed. The material is then taken out of the water and
dried, and then forms the new material I call xylodine.
And in order to produce imitations of or substitutes for ivory, bone,
horn, coral, malachite, and tortoiseshell, or other ornamental and deco-
rative objects, I proceed to operate in the following manner :-If it
be desired to imitate colored ivory, or to make imitations of malachite,

page_text: 173
tortoiseshell, or other colored object, I mix the xylodine prepared as
herein-before described, with suitable colors or pigments, so as to
increase or reduce the specific gravity of the mass in the process of
coloring, adding oils if great elasticity is required; but when it is
intended to imitate white ivory or other white material, no coloring
materials or pigments are used, although oil may be added. I then
introduce the mass into a suitable vessel, which should be connected
with a "steam jacket" and contain an agitating apparatus, and this
vessel is to be connected with a boiler or retort, or otherwise, with a
receptacle fitted to the bottom of such vessel. Then with every pound
of the material called xylodine put into this vessel I also put two-thirds
of a pound of methylated spirit and one-third of a pound of rectified
benzole, or cold naptha spirit, or other suitable solvent, into the boiler,
or retort, or receptacle herein-before named, and cause it to boil by any
convénient application of steam or other heating process, so that the
vapour is carried over or upwards into the vessel, and at the same time
the agitating machine is set in motion, so that the vapour of the solvent
can act on every particle of the compound material, the effect of which
is to reduce the material to a smooth plastic mass; or sometimes I mix
the ingredients in a dry state and roughly knead them together, and
allow them to stand until gradually acted on by the spirit. After sub-
jecting the material to either of the above processes I pass it through
an improved straining apparatus, consisting of a steam jacketted cylinder
with a perforated bottom, over which are placed a number of discs of
finely woven wire gauze, which may be encircled or surrounded, or at any
rate partially encompassed by steam coils or jackets to heat the material
as it comes through the wire gauze. Under this perforated bottom is a
receiver to catch the material as it falls from the strainer; but I some-
times employ masticating rollers and pass the materials through them,
instead of using the straining apparatus herein-before described, the
action of the rollers producing uniformity of surface in the mass, and
making it homogeneous.
And in order that my Invention may be better understood, and more
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings here-

page_text: similar letters of reference being used at each of the foregoing Figures
to denote corresponding parts.
The xylodine is placed into the hopper A, gradually descending into
the vessel B, and is kept in motion by the agitator O driven in the
manner shown. The vapour from the retort D rises into the receptacle E,
and passing through the perforated bottom of the vessel B, permeates
the whole mass. The receptacle E is heated by means of the steam
casing or jacket F. The material is then strained by means of the
apparatus shewn in elevation in Fig. 5, in section in Fig. 6, and
in plan in Fig. 7. The material is placed in the vessel G surrounded by
the steam jacket H. The discs of gauze are laid upon the perforated
bottom K, which may be further heated by a steam coil placed under-
neath. On being subjected to pressure the material is forced through
the gauze into the receptacle L in a plastic condition ready for use.
Having been heated in the manner hercin-before described, and by :
the apparatus and machinery shewn in the annexed Drawings, the
material, whether colored or plain, becomes a plastic mass, which is next
to be rolled into sheets of various densities, and these sheets may be
combined longitudinally or diagonally so as to produce a wavy or
'irregular grain in imitation of real ivory or other natural substances,
or it may be cut into blocks or moulded into various forms and colored
in imitation of mosaics of various designs. Being left to dry some
hours the material hardens sufficiently to be sawn, turned, carved,
chased, or cut, and it will also bear polishing.
For making sheets of the material I prefer to use a pair of rollers
similar to what are known as india-rubber calenderers, enclosing them
so as to exclude the atmosphere, and fitting them with a condenser in
the upper part of the casing or covering, by which means I recover
about 50 per cent. of the solvent used.
Although the material made by the process herein-before described is a
peculiarly applicable to imitating ivory, horn, bone, coral, malachite,
and tortoiseshell, it may be used for the manufacture of substitutes
for a variety of other ornamental and decorative objects, such as
enamelled china, carved wood, precious stones, marbles, and other fancy
articles.
939

page_text: Having now particularly ascertained and described the nature of my
Invention, and how the same is to be performed, I claim, the manu-
facture of a new material to be used as an imitation of or substitution
for ivory, horn, bone, coral, tortoiseshell, malachite, china, carved wood,
6 precious stones, marbles, and other ornamental substances, made sub-
stantially in the manner and by the processes herein-before described,
and I further claim for such purpose the use of the machinery and
apparatus herein-before described and shewn by the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davey, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
CHARLES BARLOW,
Patent Agent,
23, Southampton Bldgs.,
London.
GEORGE DAVEY. (L.S.)