Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 7th Apr., 1896
I, RUSSEL AITKEN, of 116 Piccadilly, in the County of London, Member of
the Institution of Civil Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
:-
This invention relates to the treatment of plain and printed paper and water-
color drawings with a view to obtaining various useful results.
First, it is found in practice that when waxes or oils, either animal, vegetable or
mineral, are dissolved in naphtha or other solvent, the wax or oil, in combination
with the naphtha or other solvent, becomes exceedingly fluid and the solution
penetrates paper in very rapid and extraordinary manner, and when it is with-
drawn from the solution and the naphtha or other solvent evaporated, the whole of
the fibres of the paper will be found to be impregnated with the oil or wax.
coating or impregnation may be made so minute that it will not come off in
bandling.
This
Again, papers may be impregnated in this manner with naphthaline or other
disinfecting oils, eucalyptus for instance, and which may be used for papering walls
or for other sanitary or other purposes.
There are many purposes for which this mode of treating paper may be applied.
For instance, water-color drawings may be dipped in paraffin or other oils or waxes
dissolved in naphtha or other solvent, when they will be rendered permanent without
injuring the tone of the color.
When heavy oils or waxes are used heat and pressure will be necessary to force
the solution of said oils or waxes into the paper.
This mode of treating paper is particularly valuable for mural advertisements
and other paper which may be exposed to the weather, the heavier oils or waxes
being used for this purpose in preference to the lighter ones.
The chief value of this invention is that it enables the quantity of the various
waxes or oils, animal, vegetable or mineral, to be absorbed by the paper to be
regulated as may be required for the various purposes to which it may be
applied.
I
may also dissolve in the said solution such colors as are soluble therein, thereby
enabling me to impregnate paper with any such colors.
Dated this 7th day of February 1895.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
Treatment of Paper.
I, RUSSEL AITKEN, of 116, Piccadilly, in the County of London, Civil
Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to the treatment of plain and printed paper and water-
color drawings with a view to obtaining various useful results.
First it is found in practice that when mineral or other non-oxidizable waxes or

page_text: oils are dissolved in naphtha or other solvent spirit, the wax or oil, in combination
with the naphtha or other solvent spirit becomes exceedingly fluid and the solution
penetrates paper in a very rapid and extraordinary manner, and when it is with-
drawn from the solution and the naphtha or other solvent spirit evaporated, the
whole of the fibres of the paper will be found to be impregnated with the oil or
wax. This coating or impregnation may be made so minute that it will not come
off in handling.
Again papers may be impregnated in this manner with naphthaline or other
disinfecting mineral oils in which case they may be used for papering walls or for
other sanitary or other purposes.
There are many purposes for which this mode of treating paper may be applied.
For instance water-color drawings may be dipped in paraffin or other non-oxidizable
oils or waxes dissolved in naphtha or other solvent spirit when they will be rendered
permanent without injuring the tone of the color.
When heavy mineral oils or waxes are used heat, exbaust and pressure may be
necessary to saturate the paper with the solution.
This mode of treating paper is particularly valuable for mural advertisements
and other paper which may be exposed to the weather, the heavier mineral oils or
waxes being used for this purpose in preference to the lighter ones.
The chief value of this invention is that it enables the quantity of the various
mineral or other non-oxidizable waxes or oils to be absorbed by the paper to be
regulated as may be required for the various purposes to which it may be
applied.
I may also dissolve in the said solution such colors as are soluble therein, thereby
enabling me to impregnate paper with any such colors.
When using the lighter mineral or other non-oxidizing oils which are liquid at
ordinary temperatures and which can be dissolved in naphtha or other solvent
spirit I make a solution of them in such proportions of solvent spirit and oil as may
be required. In some cases I find a solution consisting of one part of oil to ten
parts of solvent spirit is very effective.
The paper to be treated is steeped in this solution and speedily absorbs it. The
paper is then removed from the solution and the solvent spirit gradually evaporated
in the open air.
Or the paper may be placed in an enclosed chamber and the solution of solvent
spirit and oil run into it."
When the paper has absorbed the required amount of the solution the surplus
may be run off when the solvent spirit remaining in the paper will be evaporated
after which it is condensed in the usual way and used again, the oil remaining in
the paper waterproofing it.
When using the heavier mineral oils or waxes or other non-oxidizing waxes
which are soluble in a suitable solvent spirit but which require heat to effect the
solution I use apparatus similar to that used in creosoting and preserving timber and
consisting of two closed cylinders or chambers connected with each other by pipes
and of such strength as to be capable of sustaining the pressure of the vapor of the
naphtha or other solvent spirit at the temperature required.
These cylinders are heated by steam pipes or in some other convenient manner
and in one of them I place the paper and in the other the mineral oil or wax or
other non-oxidizing wax and the required amount of naphtha or other solvent spirit;
the cylinder is then closed, heat is applied and the oil or wax melted and stirred so
that the solution may be uniform in strength.
This solution is then pumped into the cylinder containing the paper which has
previously been heated and when the paper has absorbed the required amount of
the solution what is left is run back into the mixing cylinder, the connection
between the two cylinders is then closed and the naphtha or other solvent spirit
left in the paper is evaporated and condensed and may be used again.
By treating paper in this manner I find that it can be made waterproof and can
be impregnated with disinfectants such as naphthaline.

page_text: The nature of the solvent spirit will vary with the effect required. Thus if it be
desired to use color along with the oils or waxes then the spirit used must be such
as will dissolve both the oil or wax and the color. Thus some solvent spirits will
dissolve both mineral oil and some dies and the colored solution may be used as
before stated.
For preserving water color or other drawings or prints on paper or printed
matter on paper I prefer to use paraffin wax (altho other non oxidizable oils or
waxes may be used) 1 place the drawings &c. to be treated in a closed chamber
and run the solution of spirit and paraffin or oil or wax into it steeping the paper
for so long as may be required.
I then run off the surplus solution after which the solvent spirit contained in the
paper is evaporated leaving the oil or wax in the drawings, prints or printed matter
and so protecting them from the destructive effects of damp.
The number of purposes to which paper treated substantially as before stated
can be applied is so varied and the modes in which it can be treated are so many
that the foregoing directions showing how paper may be made waterproof, how it
can be colored and how water color drawings and prints may be preserved may be
taken as samples of some of the uses to which this invention may be applied and
the manner in which it may be carried into effect.
By means of my invention I can treat paper in bulk, that is to say, without
handling the individual sheets.
The following are examples of the lighter mineral and other oils, and of the
heavier mineral and other oils and waxes, which may be employed in carrying my
invention into effect.
0 following solvents, viz. :-
Petroleum spirit.
Coal tar naphtha (crude or refined).
Crude acetone.
The following are examples of solutions which might be used to color paper in
5 addition to conveying to it the other properties above referred to.
Crude acetone
Paraffin wax
Methyl violet
-
-
-
100 parts.
-
-
5 to 10 parts.
0.05 parts;
the proportion of this latter may be varied according to depth of color required.
0 The above solution will convey a violet tint to the paper.

page_text: Crude acetone
Naphthalene
Eosine
-
TOO parts.
-
5 to 10 parts.
->
0.05 parts;
the proportion of this latter may be varied according to depth of color required.
This latter solution will convey a pink tint to the paper.
The crude acetone used should preferably be as free from water as possible
and should be of pale color or water white if it be desired to convey pure tints to
the paper.
Solutions of the strength given above would work best hot; in the case of the
paraffin it would be necessary to work hot on account of its comparatively small
solubility in cold acetone.
In selecting solvents and preservatives to be used in conjunction with dyes,
it is necessary to bear in mind that many substances could not be used together,
either because the dye would not dissolve or would be changed or destroyed.
I would here remark that in using the term non-oxidizable oils and waxes,
I mean such oils and waxes as would not be rendered unsuitable for the purpose
by the action of the atmosphere.
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 treatment of paper substantially as herein described and for the
purpose stated.
2. The treatment of plain, printed and other paper by impregnating the same
with a solution of mineral or other non-oxidizable waxes or oils, substantially as
herein described.
3. The treatment of plain, printed and other paper by impregnating the same
with a solution of mineral or other non-oxidizable waxes or oils and afterwards
evaporating off the solvent spirit and, if desired, recovering the latter, substantially
as herein described.
Dated November 7th 1895.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.