A NEW METHOD OF PREPARING MASTS, SPARS, AND OTHER WOOD FOR SHIP- BUILDING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1842

page_text: JEFFERIS SPECIF
· TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL .COME, I, ALFRED
JEFFERY, of Lloyd's Street, Pentonville, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty bath granted unto me
Her Letters Patent, bearing.date.at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of April,
in the fifth year of Her reign, for making, using, exercising, and vending.
within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, called
England, Her Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,. and
also within all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention
of "A NEW METHOD OF PREPARING MASTS, SPARS, AND OTHER WOOD FOR SHIP-
BUILDING AND OTHER PURPOSES," subject to the usual proviso, obliging me to
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand.and seal, and to cause the same to be inrolled in the High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months,next after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
. NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alfred Jeffery, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what.manner the same is to be performed, as follows (that is
to say) :-
The nature of my Invention consists.in A New Method of Preparing Masts,
Spars, and other Wood for Shipbuilding and other Purposes, by the application
or use of a composition or glue, which is insoluble in water, and more elastic

page_text: than glue in ordinary use. The composition or glue which I use I designate
a vegetable glue, and I call it "Jeffory's marine glue," or my "marine glue,"
and I prefer to make it with a proportion of enoutchouc, but I make it
without using any caoutchouc, or with a less proportion of that article, where
it is to be applied in situations exposed to great atmospheric action, in which
cases the caoutchouc would have a tendency to contract. To make my said
"marine glue" with caoutchouc I use a solution wliich I call my crude naptha
caoutchouc solution, and to make this solution I mix caoutchouc of good
quality (giving the preference to East India caoutchouc) with coal naptha,
commonly called crude or rough naptha, in the proportion of one pound of
the caoutchouc to four gallons of the naptha. I cut the caoutchouc into thin
shreds before I use it, and 1 stir the mixture of caoutchouc and naptha
occasionally by any convenient means, until the caoutchouc is so dissolved as
to bring the mixture to a thickness about the same as thick cream. I
generally find that the caoutchouc is sufficiently dissolved in about ten or
twelve days. To proceed to make this glue I then take one part by weight of
my said crude naptha caoutchouc solution, and two parts by weight of gum
lac or shell lac, but I give the preference to shell lac. I put these into an
iron vessel, having a tap in the lower part to provide for drawing off the glue,
as herein-after inentioned, and I heat this vessel for the amalgamation of the
said materials; hot water, steam, or fire may be applied in any convenient
manner for the purpose of heating the vessel, but if fire is applied care should
be taken to avoid the mixture being brought in contact with it during the
application of heat to the vessel. I stir the mixture occasionally, and I
continue to apply heat until the solution and the lac are thoroughly amal-
gamated. This mixture is my marine glue made with caoutchouc. I draw
it from the vessel in which it has been minde, whilst heated as aforesaid,
through the tap provided for that purpose, and pour it upon slabs to cool
it, and when it has been cooled it may be cut into pieces for use. To make
my said mariue glue without caoutchouc I mix one part by weight of
coal naptha, called crude or rough naptha, as aforesaid, and two parts by
weight of gum lac or shell lac (giving the preference to shell lac), and I
proceed with these ingredients in the same manner as. herein-before men-
tioned in respect to the process when I use caoutchouc, 'substituting only
the coal naptha for the before-mentioned solution, and thus make my
marine glue without caoutchouc. I have stated the proportions in which
I use the ingredients which I have described in making my said marine glue,
but these proportions may be varied, and a larger proportion of lac may be
used to prodlice greater hardness in the glue or where the article or matorial

page_text: to be prepared is to be exposed to great atmospheric action, or a larger pro-
portion of the cautchouc solution (where the glue is made with caoutchouc), or
of the naptha (where made without caoutchouc), to produce greater softness
or elasticity. I use my marine glue to prepare masts and spars and other
wood for shipbuilding and other purposes, by applying it to fix or join together
the parts of masts. or spars or other pieces of wood, and also to make good
such defective picces of wood as are commonly called shakey pieces. When
I use it for any of these purposes I put it into an iron vessel and heat it (by
applying fire to the vessel), to a temperature about 250° Fahrenheit, and I
apply it whilst it is thus heated. In applying my marine glue to fix or join
together the parts of masts or spars, or other pieces of wood, I spread it as
even as possible by means of a stiff brush upon the surfaces which I propose
to fix or join together, but care should be taken that the surfaces are dry
when the glue is applied to them, and they must be completely coated or
covered with the glue. After the surfaces have been thus coated or covered
they must be joined or put together and pressed together by any convenient
n;eans, but it will be found that tho temperature of the glue is reduced very.
quickly after being spread upon the surfaces, and if the temperature be
redured so that the glue become stiff, the glue must be warmed again by
applying a heat of about 140° Fahrenheit, until it becomes soft and liquified.
This may be done by applying hot irons, or by any other convenient means;
and whilst the glue is in this soft or liquified state the masts, spars, or other
pieces of wood are to be joined or put together and pressed, as above pointed
out in the first instance, and the parts or pieces of wood may then be wedged
or bolted together in any ordinary manner as may be required. If the
surfaces which are to be fixed or joined together are even, I prefer a thin
coating of the glue to each surface, but if any such surface contain inequali-
ties, then its coating must be sufficiently thick to fill up the cavities, and to
leave an even surface of glue. In applying my marine glue to make good
such defective pieces of wood as are commonly called shakey pieces, I fill up
the crevices with the glue whilst it is at a temperature of about 250° of
of Fahrenheit by pouring it into them, or by any other convenient means.
I have described the materials with which I make my said marine glue, and
the proportions in which I use such materials, but any glues having tho
properties of being insoluble in water, and more clastic than the glue in
ordinary use, might be applied, or the same materials may be used in other
proportions than I mention, and therefore I do not claim the use of these
particular materials or any particular proportious; but I claim as my Invention
the use or application, in preparing masts, spars, and other wood for ship-