IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MATERIALS TO RENDER THEM SUITABLE AS SUBSTITUTES FOR MILLBOARD AND SUCH LIKE USES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Childs, of Gilston Road, Brompton,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
“IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MATERIALS TO RENDER
THEM SUITABLE AS SUBSTITUTES FOR MILLBOARD AND SUCH LIKE USES."
Sealed the 9th November 1853, and dated the 9th September 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Childs at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 9th September 1858.
I, JAMES CHILDS, of Gilston Road, Brompton, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare that the nature of: my Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MATERIALS TO RENDER
THEM SUITABLE AS SUBSTITUTES FOR MILLBOARD AND SUCH LIKE USES" to be
as follows:-
This Invention consists of using very thin sheets of wood, preferring
them to be of not greater thickness than eighty to the inch, and com-
bining them with sheets of paper or fibrous materials by cement, the
thickness of paper in some cases being thicker than the wood. The

page_text: wood, in some instances, is perforated with numerous holes, and the
grain in the succeeding sheets is placed in different directions. The
cemented sheets are also, when desired, submitted to considerable
pressure. The wood is boiled in or submitted to solutions of size or
other matters to give adhesion and other properties, according to the
nature of the solution emploved.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Childs in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th March 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JAMES CHILDS, of Gilston Road, Brompton, in the County of Middle-
sex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Childs, Her special licence that I,
the said James Childs, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Childs, 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 MANUFACTURE
OF MATERIALS TO RENDER THEM SUITABLE AS SUBSTITUTES FOR MILLBOARD
AND SUCH LIKE USES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said James Childs, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Childs, do hereby de

page_text: clare 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):
It is well known that in making different descriptions of boxes that
comparatively thin sheets of wood, coated with paper on each side in
some cases, and only on one side in other cases, have been extensively
used, and the same is known as scale board; and it has been lately
proposed to use such like material as substitutes for the cards em-
ployed in jacquard weaving, but in such cases the wood, though com-
paratively thin, has been too thick to admit of two or more thicknesses
with several thicknesses of paper in order to make a composite board,
and yet retain such a degree of thinness as is desired, and the wood so
heretofore used has not been subjected to processes to act on the grain
in a manner to interfere with the texture of the grain to take away
the tendancy to bend, and to give it, when combined with suitable
cement, better holding properties in regard to the paper.
This Invention consists of using very thin sheets of wood, preferring
them to be of not greater thickness than eighty to the inch, and com-
bining them with sheets of paper or fibrous materials by cement, the
thickness of paper in some cases being thicker than the wood. The
wood in some instances is perforated with numerous holes, and the
grain in the succeeding sheets is placed in different directions. The
cemented sheets are also, when desired, submitted to considerable pres-
sure. The wood is boiled in or submitted to solutions of size or other
matters to give adhesion and other properties, according to the nature
of the solution employed.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner of performing the same.
The descriptions of wood which I employ for the purposes of my
Invention are such as have heretofore been used in making scale board,
but I cause them to be cut much thinner than what has heretofore
been the practice; and I prefer to employ thin shavings cut to about
one hundred and forty to the inch, though I do not confine myself, as
a somewhat greater or less thickness may be used in carrying out my

page_text: Invention. The means of cutting such thin sheets or shavings of wood
are the same as those heretofore employed, only set to cut finer. It is
found that thin sheets or shavings of wood have often a tendency to
bend in one direction when subjected to different states of atmosphere;
and it is desirable that this tendency should be prevented in the single
and separate sheets, and this may be done by puncturing them with
numerous fine points, or by lines of fine indents, and this treatment
of thin sheets or shavings of wood aids also in giving more holding of
the cement used to the wood and paper. The most convenient means
of puncturing the wood I believe to be by having one roller with its peri-
phery covered very closely with very small projecting points, and a second
roller covered with vulcanized india-rubber or other matter which will
admit of the points coming in contact with it, and to pass the sheets of
wood through between such rollers; or in place of fine points numerous
parallel fine edges may be used, or in place of rollers a like effect may
be obtained to the wood by having points or parallel edges fixed on a
flat pressing surface. And I have also found it desirable to subject the
surfaces of the wood to the action of an acid or alkali. The acids are
used to effect the separation of moisture from and harden the woody
fibre and the cellular tissue, and thus arrest the power which wood
retains so long of obsorbing and giving out moisture. I use at the
rate of about two per cent. of sulphuric acid to the water employed,
and I dip the sheets or shavings of wood for about ten minutes.
Alkalies are used to partially decompose the woody fibre, and thus
soften the surface, so that it bends more readily, and does not shrink
and warp as wood unprepared does. I use an alkaline ley (sp. gr.
1-16 to 1-21,) or 20° to 25° of the hydrometer of Baumé, dip the
sheets for about half an hour in the solution at 140° Fahrenheit, and
afterwards dip them in water to wash off the adhering ley, then dry
them, and when dry dip them, if desired, in glue and water, twenty
pounds to one hundred pounds of water, then dry and coat them with
paper as described.
I would state that very good results may be obtained without sub-
jecting the wood to the processes above described, but the best qualities

page_text: of my composite boards may, I believe, be obtained by subjecting the
wood to one or other of them, and I prefer the puncturing process.
And I prefer to act on the sheets of wood after one side has been
coated with paper, and dried and pressed, and then, if comparatively
long parts, more than one sheet may be perforated at one time; but
when using a roller with points on its surface I believe it better to
have the points very short, and only suited to puncture one sheet at a
time. Before coating the wood with paper I prefer to saturate the
wood with an adhesive matter, such as gelatine (ordinary size), though
gum, paste, or resinous matters may be used. For this purpose I use
size, and I keep the same heated to about 190° Fahrenheit, and I
immerse the sheets or shavings therein for about a quarter of an hour
or more, and then hang them on a line to dry, preferring for this
purpose a well ventilated room, kept at about 60° to 70° of Fahrenheit,
and then press them. If glue be used for the cementing between the
paper and the wood it may be laid on with a brush, as is now done in
the manufacture of pasteboard, or a quantity may be mixed in a suit-
able tub or trough, and the wood dipped into it for about a minute or
more if paper has been applied. The solution of glue I prefer is at
the rate of twenty pounds of glue to one hundred pounds of water,
two pounds of treacle, and two ounces of alum. The sizes of sheets or
shavings of wood depend on the sizes of sheets of the composite board
which is to be made, and I use sheets or shavings of wood accordingly;
and in making up a composite board I lay two widths of board edge to
edge, and coat it with a sheet of paper, and then lay on two more
sheets or shavings of wood, so as to cross the grain of the previous
ones, then another coating of paper, and so on till the desired thickness
of composite board has been obtained, and several such composite
boards are then subjected to pressure, by which the excess of cement-
ing material will be expressed from the several boards, and the same
are to be separated and dried, as is well understood in drying paste-
board. The composite boards are then, when desired, to be subjected
to pressure between sheets of metal. I would state that in place of
using glue, paste or resinous cements may be employed.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
inanner of performing the same, I would state that I do not confine
myself to the details; but what I claim is, the manufacture of what I
have called composite boards, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Childs, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
B. GOBEY,
4, Old Square,
Lincoln's Inn.
JAS CHILDS. (L.B.)