Improvements in Tea Chests and the Application of a Certain Composition to the Lining, Coating, or Painting of Boxes or other Receptacles Used for the Transport or Storage of Tea.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 1st May, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 1st Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 13th Apr., 1889
Improvements in Tea Chests and the Application of a Certain
Composition to the Lining, Coating, or Painting of Boxes or
other Receptacles Used for the Transport or Storage of Tea.
Wharf
1, PATRICK MOLYNEUX, of Atlantic Wharf, Bow Common, London, E.,
Superintendent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in tea chests: and the application of a
certain Composition to the lining coating or painting of boxes or other receptacles used
for the transport or storage of tea.
In the transport and storage of tea it is necessary that the tea should be packed in
an air tight manner, that is, in chests so lined that the tea is effectually excluded from
the effects of damp, or from any vapours or fumes or air containing odoriferous
particles, as such would have the effect of altering or destroying the aroma of the tea,
or otherwise deleteriously affecting its marketable value. For this purpose tea is usually
packed in chests lined with thin sheet lead. These lead lined chests are open to certain
serious drawbacks, among which may be mentioned their high price and weight.
The object of my invention is to overcome these drawbacks, and it lies in painting
lining or coating the chest or other receptacle with a Composition made as follows.
Black oxide of iron (black scale or hammer scale) is ground to fine powder; and
The two are then
very fine powder of Portland cement is prepared by sifting.
thoroughly mixed in the proportion of one-third by weight of black scale to two-
thirds of Portland cement. To every three and one-fifth parts of the mixture one part
of litharge is added.
To one part of methylated spirits of wine half a pint by weight of shellac of the very
best quality is added, and allowed to dissolve in the cold.
A quantity of glycerin of good quality (five per cent. of the volume of the above
solution) is taken, and to it is added one-twentieth of its weight of gum Arabic in fine
powder, and allowed to dissolve in the cold.
The glycerin solution of gum Arabic is now added to the solution of shellac, and
the two are shaken together.

page_text: Next, to say three parts by weight of the dry powder composed as above, sufficient
of the mixture of liquids just prepared is added to make it of the consistency of paint ;
and the whole ground together in a paint mill until thoroughly mixed. The amount
of liquid required to be added will depend upon the dryness of the powder. This
constitutes the paint or coating, which is now ready for use, and is applied to the
surface required to be coated exactly like ordinary paint.
If the paint or coating is not required to be pliable after application to any
surface, five per cent. of powdered glass is added to the above powder before mixing
with the liquid.
It will be readily understood that without departing from my invention known
equivalents may be substituted for some of the ingredients of my composition, and
also that the proportions named may be varied to a considerable extent.
As tea is sometimes mixed with colouring or other foreign matter which might have a
chemical action on my Composition I sometimes interpose between the composition
and the tea itself paper or other porous material impregnated preferably with pure
paraffin wax; this being a substance which does not act upon, and which is not acted
upon by, any known chemical reagent. Inasmuch however as the tea chest may be
exposed to a higher temperature than the Melting Point of paraffin wax, I may, when
I employ such paraffin wax, interpose between it and the tea a layer of bibulous
paper or the like which will take up and retain any paraffin wax which might be
melted.
Suitable arrangements are employed for closing up and hermetically sealing the
tea chests by means of my Composition when the lid is attached or the receptacle
otherwise closed.
J. G. LORRAIN, M. Inst. M.E., M.S.T.E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
Norfolk House, Norfolk Street, London, W.C.,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Tea Chests and the Application of a Certain
Composition to the Lining, Coating, or Painting of Boxes or
other Receptacles Used for the Transport or Storage of Tea.
I, PATRICK MOLYNEUX, of Atlantic Wharf, Bow Common, London, E., Wharf
Superintendent, 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:-
My invention relates to Improvements in tea chests: and the application of a certain
Composition to the lining coating or painting of boxes or other receptacles used for
the transport or storage of tea.
In the transport and storage of tea it is necessary that the tea should be packed in
an airtight manner, that is, in chests so lined that the tea is effectually excluded from
the effects of damp, or from any vapours or fumes or air containing odoriferous
particles, as such would have the effect of altering or destroying the aroma of the tea,
or otherwise deleteriously affecting its marketable value. For this purpose tea is
usually packed in chests lined with thin sheet lead. These lead lined chests are open
to certain serious drawbacks, among which may be mentioned their half price and their
weight.
The object of my invention is to overcome these drawbacks, and it lies in painting
lining or coating the chest or other receptacle with a Composition made as follows.
Black oxide of iron (black scale or hammer scale) is ground to fine powder; and
very fine powder of Portland cement is prepared by sifting. The two are then
thoroughly mixed in the proportion of one-third by weight of black scale to two-thirds
of Portland cement. To every three and one-fifth parts of the mixture one part of
litharge is added.
To one part of methylated spirits of wine half a part by weight of shellac of the
very best quality is added, and allowed to dissolve in the cold.
A quantity of glycerin of good quality (five per cent. of the volume of the above
solution) is taken, and to it is added one-twentieth of its weight of gum Arabic in fine
powder, and it is allowed to dissolve in the cold..
The glycerin solution of gum Arabic is now added to the solution of shellac, and the
two are shaken together.
Next, to say three parts by weight of the dry powder composed as above, sufficient
of the mixture of liquids just prepared is added to make it of the consistency of paint;
and the whole is ground together in a paint mill until thoroughly mixed. The amount
of liquid required to be added will depend upon the dryness of the powder. The
composition thus formed constitutes the paint or coating, which is now ready
for use, and is applied to the surface required to be coated exactly like ordinary
paint.
If the paint or coating is not required to be pliable after application to any
surface, five per cent. of powdered glass is added to the above powder before mixing
with the liquid.
It will be readily understood that without departing from my invention known
equivalents may be substituted for some of the ingredients of my composition, and
also that the proportions named may be varied to a considerable extent.

page_text: As tea is sometimes mixed with colouring or other foreign matter which might
have a chemical action on my Composition I find it convenient to interpose, between
the composition and the tea itself, paraffined paper or other suitable material of the
nature of felt or woven fabric impregnated with pure paraffin wax; this being a
substance which does not act upon, and which is not acted upon by, any known
chemical reagent. Inasmuch however as the tea chest may be exposed to a temperature
higher than the melting point of paraffin I find it frequently convenient to interpose
between the paraffined paper, or other material impregnated with solid paraffin, and
the tea a layer of bibulous paper or fabric which will take up and retain any paraffin
which might be melted.
The paraffined paper which I prefer to employ is one from which all superfluous
paraffin has been expelled, as for example by being passed between rollers heated to a
temperature of 120 degrees or thereabouts.
I shall now proceed to describe the best manner known to me of closing up and
sealing the tea chest after the packing of the tea therein. Let us assume that the
chest, without its lid, has been placed bottom downwards, and thoroughly painted on
the inside, and especially along the seams, with my hereinbefore mentioned compo-
sition; that sheets of paraffined paper have then been placed inside the chest so as to
cover all parts of the inner surface and project upwards above the sides for a distance
sufficient to more than cover the upper surface of the tea when folded down thereon;
that the layer of bibulous paper, commensurate in all respects with the said
paraffined paper, has been placed inside the said paraffined paper; and that the tea
has been tightly packed inside by any of the usual means. I now fold down the
bibulous paper over the tea so that the parts bent down from each side overlap. 1
then fold down the paraffined paper over the bibulous paper in the same way as the
latter was folded and on the top I place another sheet of bibulous paper of the shape
and nearly of the size of the lid. Next I take the lid and carefully paint its
inner surface over with my before mentioned composition, and especially thickly
close to the edges, and, whilst this composition is still wet, I press the lid down-
wards so that it shall adhere all round its edges to the upper edges of the sides of
the chest by means of the composition. I then after, wiping away any composition
which may have been squeezed out at the edges, nail or screw down the lid, or fasten
it by strips of iron, or better still of cane, nailed to the lid and sides of the chest in the
well known manner.
By this means the tea is preserved from the deleterious effects of damp and
of vapours or fumes or air containing odoriferous particles which might lessen its
commercial value.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The improvement in tea chests consisting of a lined or coated box substantially
as described.
2. The application of the herein described lining to boxes or other receptacles used
for the transport or storage of tea substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. The improved lining for tea chests consisting of a coating of composition, a layer
of paper or other suitable material impregnated with paraffin wax, and a layer of
bibulous paper or fabric substantially as described.
Dated this 1st day of Mouch 1000