IMPROVED COMPOUNDS OR COMBINATIONS OF INGREDIENTS FOR WATERPROOFING FILAMENTS, THREADS, FABRICS, AND FIBROUS MATERIALS GENERALLY. ALSO FOR COATING WALLS AND OTHER BODIES."
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Wilkinson, of No. 41, High Sreet,
Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED COMPOUNDS OR COMBINATIONS OF INGREDIENTS FOR
WATERPROOFING FILAMENTS, THREADS, FABRICS, AND FIBROUS MATERIALS
GENERALLY. ALSO FOR COATING WALLS AND OTHER BODIES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Wilkinson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 23rd November 1874.
I, ALEXANDER WILKINSON, of No. 41, High Street, Marylebone, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVED COMPOUNDS OR COMBINATIONS OF
INGREDIENTS FOR WATERPROOFING FILAMENTS, THREADS, FABRICS, AND FIBROUS
MATERIALS GENERALLY,' ALSO FOR COATING WALLS AND OTHER BODIES," to be as
follows: :―
The first part of my Invention relates to liquid compounds composed
of bi-sulphurct of carbon, benzinc, sulphuret of zinc, ammonia, naphtha,
mixed with india-rubber, gutta percha, or other like gum.
:

page_text: In preparing my compound I take a box or tank and place into the
tank one pound of india-rubber or gutta percha, and then pour in three
pounds of bi-sulphuret of carbon, two pounds of benzinc, one pound of
naphtha and bi-sulphuret of zinc, and then stir the mass together until
the mass is brought into a liquid. The mass is then taken and placed
into an air-tight vessel for two or three days, when in most cases a small
quantity of nitro-glycerine may be added to completely liquefy the mass.
should it be the least pasty; the liquid is then at once passed through a
filter, preferably composed of wire gauze, in order that all bits or lumps
can be strained from the liquid, the liquid in this state being fit for
immediate use by spreading or painting it upon silk or other material, or
the article may be rinsed or soaked in the solution for a few moments
and then taken out and stretched upon a frame to expose it to the action
of the air to dry and to permit all smell to escape, after which the
article will be found to be impervious to moisture, and is to all intents
perfectly waterproof.
In treating cloth for army and navy purposes with the solution before
described, I prefer to soak the threads before the spinning operation, or
during or after such operation, and before being wove.
For waterproofing tent canvas, tarpaulins, goods' covers, horse cloths,
ships' canvas, and for railway and army and navy uses, I take a piece of
calico or canvas and brush over it a quantity of my solution, and after it
has received the coating it is exposed to the air to be dried. It is then
placed in an ordinary stretching frame so as to open the pores of the
fabric in order that the solution may the more readily enter the meshes,
after which an exterior coating composed of sugar of lead and linsced
oil mixed with whiting and litharge is spread on. This coating is allowed_
to dry, and before it is finally finished a coating of the solution first
mentioned is applied to make the canvas completely waterproof.
In treating silks and other fabrics suitable for umbrellas, parasols, and
sunshades, a quantity of the material is placed on a roller or a cylinder
and passed from the cylinder on to the roller, on which it receives a
coating of the solution by means of brushes or by being drawn in contact
• with the surface of the solution, after which it is brought into contact
with brushes, which are caused to gyrate or revolve at high speed as the
silk or other fabric. is passing along, the fabric then passing to a receiving
cylinder perfectly dry and fit for immediate use. The silk or other fabric
upon umbrellas and the like when made up may be painted or brushed

page_text: over with the first-mentioned solution so as to waterproof it. The treat-
ment also prepares the fabric so as to render it less liable to split or
crack.
In waterproofing paper hangings that are liable to get wet or damp
the solution may be painted upon the backs of them or upon the walls
where the paper or fabric is to be hung, in which case the colour or
colours will not be interfered with. Both sides of the paper or hanging.
fabric may however be coated only, or it or they may be caused to imbibe
the liquid by saturation in a tank containing a quantity of the above-
named liquid, or the fabric may be allowed to run through a tank or
against a brush to receive a coating of the liquid.
The solution is applicable for waterproofing paper for packing
purposes.
In treating reversible fabrics for the use of table covers, window
hangings, and window blinds, hearth rugs, fire-screens, mats, capes, and
cloaks, I take two pieces of fabrics, cither silk or cotton, of the same or
of different colours, and I paint over one side only of the two fabrics
with my solution. I then place the two fabrics together and pass them
through a pair of ordinary rollers, when the fabrics become rolled
together and attached fast to each other, the compound being between.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Wilkinson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
WILKINSON, of 41, High Street, Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex,.
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the;
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the:
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,.
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Wilkinson, Her special licence,.
that I, the said Alexander Wilkinson, my executors, administrators, and.
assigns, or such others as I, the said. Alexander Wilkinson, my executors,:
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no,

page_text: 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 "IMPROVED COM-
POUNDS OR COMBINATIONS OF INGREDIENTS FOR WATERPROOFING FILAMENTS, THREADS,
FABRICS, AND FIBROUS MATERIALS GENERALLY, ALSO FOR COATING WALLS AND Other
BODIES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander
Wilkinson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Alexander Wilkinson, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 :—
My Invention relates to liquid compounds composed of bi-sulphuret
of carbon, benzine, sulphuret of zinc and ammonia, mixed with
naphtha, india-rubber, gutta percha, or other like gum.
The nature of my Invention and the application thereof to various
useful purposes and articles will be clearly understood by the following
description :-
In preparing my compound I take a box or tank and place into the
tank one pound of india-rubber or gutta percha, and then pour in three
pounds of bi-sulphuret of carbon, two pounds of benzinc, one pound of
naphtha and bi-sulphuret of zinc, and then stir the whole together until
the mass is brought into a liquid state. The mass is then taken and
placed into an air-tight vessel for two or three days, when in most cases
a small quantity. of nitro-glycerine may be added to completely liquefy
the mass should it be the least pasty. The liquid is then at once passed
through a filter, preferably composed of wire gauze, in order that all bits
or lumps can be strained from the liquid, the liquid in this state being
fit for immediate use by spreading or painting it upon silk or other
material, or the article may be rinsed or soaked in the solution for a few
moments and then taken out and stretched upon a frame to expose it to
the action of the air to dry and to permit all smell to escape, after

page_text: which the article will be found to be impervious to moisture, and is to
all intents perfectly waterproof.
In treating cloth for army and navy purposes with the solution before
described, I prefer to soak the threads before the spinning operation, or
during or after such operation, and before being wove.
For waterproofing tent canvas, tarpaulins, goods' covers, horse cloths,
ships' canvas, and for railway and army and navy uses, I take a piece of
calico or canvas and brush over it a quantity of my solution, and after it
has received the coating it is exposed to the air to be dried. It is then
placed in an ordinary stretching frame so as to open the pores of the
fabric in order that the solution may the more readily enter the meshes,
after which an exterior coating composed of sugar of lead and linseed
oil mixed with whiting and litharge spread on this coating is allowed to
dry, and before it is finally finished a coating of the solution first men-
- tioned is applied to make the canvas completely waterproof.
In treating silks and other fabrics suitable for umbrellas, parasols, and
sunshades, a quantity of the material is placed on a roller or a cylinder
and passed from the cylinder on to the roller, on which it receives a
coating of the solution by means of bruslics or by being drawn in
contact with the surface of the solution, after which it is brought into
contact with brushes, which are caused to gyrate or revolve at high
speed as the silk or other fabric is passing along the fabric, then passing
to a receiving cylinder perfectly dry and fit for immediate use. The silk
or other fabric upon umbrellas and the like when made up may be
"painted or brushed over with the first-mentioned solution so as to water-
proof it. The treatment also prepares the fabric so as to render it less
liable to split or crack.
For waterproofing paper hangings that are liable to get wet or damp
the solution may be painted upon the backs or fronts of them or upon
the walls where the paper or fabric is to be hung, in which case the
colour or colours will not be interfered with. Both sides of the paper or
hanging fabric may however be coated only, or it or they may be caused
to imbibe the liquid by saturation in a tank containing a quantity of the
above-named liquid, or the fabric may be allowed to run through a tank
or against a brush to receive a coating of the liquid.
The solution is applicable for waterproofing paper for packing

page_text: In treating reversible fabrics for the use of table covers, window
hangings, and window blinds, hearth rugs, fire-screens, mats, capes, and.
cloaks, I take two pieces of fabric, either silk or cotton, of the same or
of different colours, and I paint over one side only of the two fabrics
.with my solution. I then place the two fabrics together and pass them
through a pair of ordinary rollers, when the fabric becomes rolled.
together and attached fast to each other, the compound being between.
In some cases I first coat or wash on to the surface of canvas a
preparation of ordinary size and alum, which tends to fill up the meshes
of the weaving, and I then paint or otherwise apply a coating of my
waterproofing composition or compound, before referred to, as an exterior
surfacing body.
In lieu of the size and alum coating I may prepare a bath composed
of suitable proportions of whiting (pipe clay or white lead will do as
well), linseed oil, litharge, turpentine, taribine, and a dryer, and after the:
proper saturation or coating of the canvas with the last-named ingre-
dients as a bath I coat or wash the surface with my first-described
compound, which makes the canvas thoroughly waterproof and of a soft
pliable character.
My first mentioned compound is applicable for protecting gilded bodies 2
or surfaces, such as picture and looking glass frames and the like, and
render them capable of being washed from time to time with water and
sponge to remove dust or dirt without being subject to deterioration.
In applying my Invention to waterproofing socks or linings for boots
or shoes I take two fabrics and paint or wash one side of each with my 2
compound to the desired thickness, and while the two surfaces are wet I
arrange one upon the other and press them into close contact, after
which the united fabrics as one are passed between rollers and finally on
to a heated cylinder to assist and expedite the drying operation. The
fabric thus treated will be perfectly waterproof, yet pliable for the 3
purposes mentioned.
In the manufacture of a material suitable for the uppers, and also for
the soles of boots and shoes, I take shavings or cuttings of leather and
reduce them to a powder or fibre by grinding or tearing. This powder
or fibro I place into a bath or vessel containing a quantity of my first- 3
mentioned liquid compound for a few hours, the supply of powder or
fibre being slightly in excess in order that the mass in due time, and
after agitation if necessary, may become semi-liquid, pasty, and sticky..

page_text: It can then be taken out of the vessel and placed in moulds conforming
to the shape the article is intended to be, and powerful pressure is
applied to reduce the thickness and to compress the material. A suitable
quantity of gutta percha or rubber gum can be mixed with the mass if
desired.
In treating the last-named material for harness, bag, portmanteau, or
other similar uses, I pass the pasty mass through between rollers or
plates so as to bring it into sheets, from which when the material is
dry the necessary pieces can be cut or stamped as ordinary leather
goods.
For waterproofing papier mache substances before being pressed or
manufactured into shape they should be brushed or painted over with
the solutions. A coating of the first-described solution will generally be
sufficient, but in some cases it will be desirable to add a coating of the
secondly described solution.
When waterproofing floor cloth or oil cloth I take a box or tank con-
taining equal proportions of the ingredients already mentioned, and mix
them together with a suitable quantity of fine sawdust, cotton wasto,
flocks, or similar material, and well mix the mass together. In some
cases a quantity of ground leatlier or cork may be added. This mass
when thoroughly mixed together and allowed to soak for some consider-
able time, two or three hours for example, will become perfectly plastic
and be found to possess waterproofing properties. It is then to be spread
over or applied upon the fabric forming the base of the floor cloths by
pressure, and the floor cloth is afterwards manufactured as usual.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the
improved compounds or combinations of ingredients for waterproofing
purposes, all as herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Wilkinson, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Twentieth day of May, One
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