ROVEMENIS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton of the Office for Patents
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for an
Invention of IMPROVEMENIS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES."
Communicated to him hom abroad by La Société Anonyme Dynamite
Nobel, of Isleten, in the Canton of Uri, Switzerland.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th June 1882.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CARTRIDGES." [Communicated to him from abroad by La Société Anonyme
Dynamite Nobel, of Isleten, in the Canton of Uri, Switzerland.]
Time and experience have clearly demonstrated that humidity alters, weakens
and ultimately destroys the power of explosives having a nitro-glycerine base, and
in fact of explosives in general.
Solid or semi solid explosives are usually sold in the form of cylinders of varying
dimensions, and are protected against humidity by an envelope of some kind
which attains more or less, but always incompletely, the desired end.
Amongst others may be cited paper parchment prepared by means of sulphuric
acid, a preparation which renders it easily penetrable by the humidity of the
atmosphere, and consequently unsuitable to protect the explosive which it encloses.
Next comes the numerous series of papers prepared with paraffin, oil, resin and
similar substances..
In this case it is true a better result in protecting the cylindrical portion of the
surface of the cartridge is obtained, but then the two ends of the cylinder remain
practically unprotected because of the folds of the paper, no matter how much care
is taken in folding and no matter what varnish or fatty body the folds of the
Paper are covered with.
To avoid this inconvenience it has been proposed to apply to the bases of the
cylinders, or that part of the explosive which is first attacked by the humidity of

page_text: the atmosphere, discs or wads of paper prepared with a composition analogous to
those hereafter indicated and the paper of the envelope is folded down onto the
dises. But the result sought for has even then only been partially attained.
Now a complete solution of the difficulty is arrived at in the following manner,
namely paraffin and ozokerit are mixed together and to the mixture is added
(according to the temperature and other circumstances) wax, linseed oil, resin
colophony, pitch, tar, essence of turpentine, and fatty bodies in general together or
separately.
The paper intended to be used as the envelope and also the explosive in the
form of a cylinder are coated with this mixture when melted.
The immersion of the explosive in the bath may be effected by hand or by any
suitable mechanical means.
The explosive thus coated may if desired be simply enclosed in varnished or
unvarnished paper with or without a disc or wad at the extremities, but the mode
of making up the cartridge which is preferred is the following.
The explosive in the cylindrical form is plunged into the varnishing bath which
is sufficiently hot to raise the temperature of the surface of the explosive high
enough to melt the varnish of the paper envelope in which the explosive is now to
be wrapped, and which paper has been previously prepared in a like bath.
On cooling the fatty portion of the preparation will form a solid body between
the paper and explosive, thereby hermetically enclosing the explosive, and the use
of discs or wads above mentioned may thus if desired be dispensed with.
By this means the explosive is not only completely protected from the humidity
of the atmosphere by the surrounding fatty body, but the danger of the cartridge
breaking from shocks or otherwise is obviated by the use of the paper and dises
which may be as thick or strong as desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office ou
the 28th December 1882.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66. Chancery Lane, in tho
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CARTRIDGES. Being a communication from La Société Anonyme Dynamite Nobel
of Isleten, Canton of Uri, Switzerland.
"
Time and experience have clearly demonstrated that humidity alters, weakens,
and ultimately destroys the power of explosives having a nitro-glycerine base, and
in fact of explosives in general.
Solid or semi solid explosives are usually sold in the form of cylinders of varying
dimensions and are protected against humidity by an envelope of some kind which
attains more or less, but always incompletely, the desired end.
Amongst other kinds of envelopes may be cited paper parchment prepared by
means of sulphuric acid, a preparation which renders it easily penetrable by the
humidity of the atmosphere and consequently unsuitable to protect the explosive
which it encloses. Next may be mentioned the numerous series of papers prepared
with paraffin, oil resin and similar substances.
In this case it is true a better result in protecting the cylindrical portion of the
surface of the cartridge is obtained, but then the two ends of the cylinder remain
practically unprotected because of the folds of the paper, no matter how much care
is taken in folding and no matter what varnish or fatty body the folds of the
paper are covered with.
To avoid this inconvenience it has been proposed to apply to the bases of the
cylinders or that part of the explosive which is first attacked by the humidity of
the atmosphere, discs or wads of paper prepared with a composition analogous to
those hereafter indicated and. the paper of the envelope is folded down onto tho
discs. But the result sought for has even then only been partially attained.
Now a complete solution of the difficulty is arrived at in the following manner
namely; paraffin and ozokerit are mixed together and to the mixture is added
(according to the temperature and other circumstances) wax, linseed oil, resin,
colophony pitch, tar, essence of turpentine and fatty bodies in general together or
separately.
The paper intended to be used as the envelope and also the explosive in the
form of a cylinder are coated with this mixture when melted.
The immersion of the explosive in the bath may be effected by hand or by any
suitable mechanical means.
The explosive thus coated may if desired be simply enclosed in varnished or
unvarnished paper with or without a dise or wad at the extremities, but the mode
of making up the cartridge, which is preferred, is the following.
The explosive in the cylindrical form is plunged into the varnishing bath which
is sufficiently hot to raise the temperature of the surface of the explosive high
enough to melt the varnish of the paper envelope in which the explosive is now to
be wrapped and which paper has been previously prepared in a like bath. On
cooling the fatty portion of the preparation will form a solid body between the
paper and explosive thereby hermetically enclosing the explosive. and the use of
discs or wads above mentioned may thus if desired be dispensed with.
By this means the explosive is not only completely protected from the humidity
of the atmosphere by the surrounding fatty body, but the danger of the cartridge
breaking from shocks or otherwise is obviated by the use of the paper and discs
which may be as thick or strong as desired.

page_text: The proportions of paraffin and ozokerit ordinarily employed to form the
varnishing mixture are two-thirds paraffin to one-third ozokerit. This mixture
melts at from fifty to sixty degrees Centigrade.
In summer when the temperature is high or in case the explosives are destined
for use in hot countries. it is necessary, in order to avoid the softening of the
varnish, which would cause the adhesion of the cartridges to one another, to raise
the melting point of the varnish.
For this purpose from five to twenty per cent (according to requirements) of
a body less easily fused than paraffin such as resin, wax and certain fatty bodies
such as stearine, is added to the bath and in order more completely to prevent the
cartridges sticking together, from five to ten per cent. of linseed oil may be also
added to the bath.
To prepare the bath for varnishing the explosive and the paper, a copper boiler
is used and the materials are treated in succession commencing with those of
which the point of fusion is the highest.
It is however desirable that the temperature of the bath should never exceed
seventy degrees Centigrade.
Having now described the nature of this Invention for " Improvements in the
manufacture of cartridges us communicated to me from abroad and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect I claim.
Manufacturing cartridges as herein described whereby the explosive is entirely
enclosed in a fatty body and is thus completely protected from the deleterious
action of the humidity of the atmosphere.
In witness whereof the said Henry Edward Newton have hereunto set my
hand and seal the 21st day of December in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two
H. E. NEWTON. (L.s.)