AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING HALF-STUFF FOR PAPER MAKERS.
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Printy Wheeler, of Abinghall, near Mitchel-
dean in the County of Gloucester, Paper Maker, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING HALF-STUFF FOR
PAPER MAKERS.
Sealed the 1st March 1861, and dated the 4th September 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Printy Wheeler
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 4th September 1860.
I, GEORGE PRINTY WHEELER, of Abinghall, near Mitcheldean, in the County
of Gloucester, Paper Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING HALF-STUFF FOR
PAPER MAKERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain means for facilitating the conversion of
certain fibrous materials into half-stuff, and for expediting the bleaching of
half-stuff. The fibrous materials on which I propose mainly to operate are flax
straw, flax waste, hemp, bagging, surat, straw, shoves, and the sweepings of
hemp and flax mills. Any one or more of these, say, for example, surat, hempen
bagging, and flax waste, which will make a good combination, I chop up into
suitable lengths and sizes, and devil them to separate the dust therefrom; I
then place the chopped materials in a suitable boiling apparatus and submit
them to the action of a boiling solution of soft soap and crude potash or soda,
I then close the vessel air-tight and let on steam, keeping up the pressure until
thorough maceration of the vegetable fibres is effected, and the silica and
other extractive matters are dissolved; I then by opening a pipe leading from

page_text: the closed vessel to a cistern above, force up the liquid from the boiler into
that cistern by the pressure of the incoming steam, and I afterwards remove
the macerated materials from the boiler to the rag engine, where they are
washed and reduced to half-stuff, when drained, the half-stuff is ready for the
bleaching operation.
Instead of carrying out this operation in the usual manner I provide a
barrel to receive the half-stuff, and fit longitudinal projecting ribs on its inner
periphery. This barrel, which may be formed of wood, lined with lead,
I mount horizontally immediately over a receiver of sufficient dimensions to
hold the contents of the barrel, and by means of suitable gearing I give an
axial motion to the barrel.
For the convenience of charging it, I provide a manhole, and having put
in the half-stuff, I add the bleaching agent thereto in proper proportion and
close the barrel, I then give rotary motion thereto, and keep its contents in
continuous agitation until all the fibres have been sufficiently acted upon by
the bleaching liquid. When the bleaching operation is completed the barrel
is stopped and the cover of the manhole removed. A half turn is then given
to the barrel and its contents are discharged on to an angular perforated false
bottom in the receiver below. The bleaching liquor, still to a great degree un-
exhausted, I thus allow to run into a tank below, from whence it may be
pumped up into an elevated tank, to be used again with the addition of fresh
liquor. The half stuff is then to be treated in the ordinary manner to effect its
conversion into paper.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Printy Wheeler in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
PRINTY WHEELER, of Abinghall, near Mitcheldean, in the County of Glou-
cester, Paper Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Printy Wheeler, Her special license that I, the said George
Printy Wheeler, my executors, administrators, and assigns; or such others as I,
the said George Printy Wheeler, my executors, administrators, and assigns;

page_text: 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 "AN IMPROVED
MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING HALF-STUFF FOR PAPER MAKERS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Printy Wheeler,
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 George Printy Wheeler, do bereby 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 fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention relates to certain means for facilitating the conversion of
fibrous materials into what is known in the paper trade as "half stuff," and
for expediting the bleaching of half stuff. The fibrous materials on which I
propose mainly to operate are flax straw, flax waste, hemp bagging, surat,
straw, shoves, and the sweepings of hemp and flax mills. Any one or more of
these substances, say, for example, surat, bagging, and flax waste, which will
make a good combination, I chop up into suitable lengths and sizes, and
devil them to separate the dust therefrom; I then place the chopped materials
in a suitable boiling apparatus, using by preference that described in the
Specification of a Patent granted to me November 14th, 1857, for " Improve-
ments in the Preparation of Materials for the Manufacture of Paper Pulp or
Half-stuff." In this or other suitable apparatus I submit the chopped
materials, to the action of a boiling solution of soft soap and crude potash or
soda run into the boiler from an elevated cistern. The proportions which I
prefer for this solution are two ounces of common soft soap and one ounce of
crude potash to every gallon of water. These substances I dissolve by boiling
in the elevated cistern, which is an open tank deriving heat from a.steam pipe
leading from an adjacent steam boiler. When the boiler containing the
vegetable fibres has been sufficiently filled, I close that vessel air-tight, and let
in steam from the adjacent steam boiler, which serves to heat the liquor in the
cistern. The pressure of steam I keep up until thorough maceration of the
vegetable fibres is effected, and the silica and other extractive matters are
dissolved. This will in general take place in from six to eight hours. When

page_text: this result is obtained I open a stop-cock of a pipe leading from the bottom of
the closed vessel to the top of the cistern, when by reason of the pressure of
steam admitted to the macerated. fibres, the liquid will be forced from the
boiler into the elevated cistern ready for application to another batch of fibres.
I now cut off the supply of steam to the boiler, and remove the macerated
materials therefrom. These materials are now ready to be carried to the rag
engine, where they are thoroughly washed and reduced to half-stuff in the
ordinary manner. When drained, the half stuff is ready for the bleaching
operation, the expeditious carrying out of which forms the main object of the
present Invention.
Instead of proceeding with this operation in the usual manner, I provide an
arrangement of apparatus shewn in the accompanying Drawing, for ensuring
the intimate admixture of the bleaching liquor with the half-stuff, and thereby
quickening the bleaching process.
Fig. 1 shews my improved apparatus in longitudinal section, and Fig. 2
shews the same in cross section. It consists of a barrel A for receiving the
half-stuff, mounted on a horizontal shaft B, which turns in bearings. carried by
supports of brickwork or other material C. The barrel I prefer to form of
wood, and I line it with lead, and the shaft which runs through the barrel I
box in with wood, or otherwise cover it to prevent the bleaching liquor from
acting upon it. Fitted on the inner periphery of the barrel are longitudinal
projecting shaped ribs a, a, for facilitating the turning over of the half-stuff as
the barrel is slowly rotated. The barrel is mounted immediately above a
receiver D of sufficient dimensions to hold the contents of the barrel. This
receiver is set over a water-tight tank E, which is intended to receive the
liquid contents of the barrel after the bleaching operation is completed. The
bottom of the receiver D is formed of inclined plates of wire gauze or pierced
metal (supported on a framework of wood), which form a sieve or drainer,
and retain the half-stuff while allowing the bleach liquor to drain off. Keyed
to the shaft B is a spur wheel b, into which gears a pinion c for communicating
rotary motion to the barrel from any first mover.
For the convenience of charging the barrel I provide a manhole or manholes,
the covers of which may be formed of wood or metal, lined with lead, and are
to fit readily and securely in place, so as to prevent the possibility of leakage
during the rotation of the barrel. Having put in the half-stuff I add the
bleaching agent thereto in proper proportions according to the judgment of
the operator, running it into the barrel from an elevated tank or cistern F and
I then close the barrel. The bleaching liquid which I prefer to employ is that
described in the Specification of a Patent granted to me, and bearing the

page_text: same date with the present Patent. The barrel being now charged and closed
water-tight, I give rotary motion thereto at the speed of about eight revolutions
per minute, and keep its contents in continuous agitation for about four to six
hours, or until all the fibres have been sufficiently acted upon by the bleaching
liquid. When the bleaching operation is completed, I stop the rotation of the
barrel and remove the covers of the manholes, and by giving to the barrel a
half turn to bring the openings to the under side of the barrel, I discharge its
contents on to the angular perforated false bottom of the receiver D. The
bleaching liquor, still to a great degree unexhausted, will then run into the
tank E below, from whence it may be pumped up into the elevated tank or
cistern F by means of the pump G (Fig. 1) to be used again with the addition
of fresh liquor. The bleached half-stuff is now ready to be treated in the
ordinary manner to effect its conversion into paper.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improved Mode
of and Apparatus for Preparing Half-stuff for Paper Mills," and explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First, the improved process of macerating and bleaching the fibres under
agitation, as above described, whereby the half-stuff is prepared for conversion
into paper.
And, secondly, the apparatus above described with reference to the draining
for facilitating the bleaching process.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Printy Wheeler, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
G. P. WHEELER. (Ls.)