IMPROVEMENTS IN COM- BINING CAOUTCHOUC AND OTHER MATTERS
Year: 1852

page_text: POOLE, of the Patent Office, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighteenth day of Sep-
tember, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Moses Poole, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Moses Poole, my exors,
adiiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Moses Poole, my exors, adñiors,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COM-
BINING CAOUTCHOUC AND OTHER MATTERS," communicated to me from abroad; in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Moses
Poole, shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Moses Poole, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention is communicated to me by Mr. Goodyear, of America, and
consists of combining caoutchouc with a product of coal tar obtained by
boiling, and causing such combination to be acted on by heat (of a high
degree) and sulphur or products of sulphur.
And in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the process as practised by the
inventor. I would, however, at the outset remark, that I make no claim
to the application of heat to caoutchouc combined with sulphur, when the
product of coal tar herein described, or of the vegetable or mineral pitch, is not
combined therewith; and I would also state that I am aware that vegetable
and mineral pitch or bitumen have before been proposed to be used in
combination with caoutchouc, sulphur, and heat, but I believe with no success.
The product of coal tar, or of vegetable or mineral pitch used in carrying
out this Invention, is obtained by boiling the coal tar (which is produced in
the manufacture of coal gas) for two and a half to three hours, or until it
is little less hard than resin, and about the consistency of Burgundy pitch.
By this process of boiling the aqueous and gaseous matters are driven off so
that the residuum is divested of its adhesiveness, and may be worked with the
same or nearly the same, facility as caoutchouc without adhering to the
machinery. This product of coal tar may be used in large proportions with
caoutchouc, and thus produce an extensive saving in the production of what
is known as vulcanized india rubber, as well also in the production of hard
substances in the character of horn and whalebone, and such manufactures
may have combined therewith white lead and coloring matters as have
heretofore been used in the manufactures above mentioned. This product of
coal tar may be used in large proportions, particularly in coating coarse
fabrics, such as substitutes for tarpaulins, as much as two parts of coal
tar product to one part of caoutchouc; and these matters are to be ground
or masticated together in like manner to that practised with caoutchouc, only
employing therewith a larger quantity of sulphur than would be used if the
quantity of caoutchouc in the mixture were alone about to be treated in order
to be vulcanized; and the process of vulcanization by subjecting the combined
material to heat is to be pursued as when operating with caoutchouc and
sulphur only, as is well understood by manufacturers of caoutchouc. When
making other and a better class of articles, a lesser quantity of the product
of coal tar or of vegetable or mineral tar is used, still, however, employing

page_text: sulphur with reference to the caoutchouc in the mixture, the addition of the
product of coal tar requiring little addition of sulphur.
I would remark, that a large admixture of the product of coal tar reduces
the elasticity of the caoutchouc, and when using such preparations of bitumen
it is found that lead may be mixed with advantage in like quantities with
the bitumen. When making hard whalebone-like or tough horn-like manu-
factures, somewhat more than about one part by weight of sulphur (say one
ounce to a lb.) to two parts by weight of the caoutchouc in the mixture is
'used, and heat is applied in like manner to that resorted to when making
like manufactures with caoutchouc and sulphur, without the product of coal
tar or of vegetable or mineral tar; but in this whalebone-like material; and
in producing vulcanized manufactures when the product of coal tar is used,
dry heat is found preferable to steam or moist heat, and the sheets or articles
of the combined materials are subjected to heat as heretofore, for vulcanizing
and for hard compounds for about six hours, such heat being raised slowly
up to 230° of Fahrenheit, say in about half an hour, and then not encreased
for about one and a half hours, and then the heat is to be raised gradually
during the remainder of the six hours up to 295° to 305° of Fahrenheit.
I would remark, that when it is desired to have very strong outer surfaces to
thick sheets or articles of the compound, in such cases, before subjecting the
articles to heat, a thin sheet of caoutchouc and sulphur with or without
coloring matter is combined therewith by pressing the two surfaces together.
I would remark, that sheets made as above described may be rendered
smooth, and reduced in thickness by passing them through between hard
polished rolls, the materials and the rolls being heated to about 200° of
Fahrenheit; and when in this heated state sheets or pieces of manufacture above
described may be embossed or pressed into moulds, and they will receive and
retain very sharp and accurate impressions from engraved plates or dies.
In the above description I have only spoken of the use of sulphur, which I
believe to be the best form for obtaining in the process of heat those products
which produce the desired change in the materials, but other matters giving
off products of sulphur by heat may be employed.
Very valuable products or manufactures are produced by rolling together
or otherwise uniting alternate layers of woven fabrics or fleeces of fibre and
the compound above described, and one or both of the outer surfaces may,
if desired, consist of caoutchouc and sulphur with or without coloring matters,
and without the product of coal tar, or one or both sides may have the
fibre or fabric outwards in order to facilitate such surfaces cemented or
glued.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is, the
combining of a product of coal tar, caoutchouc, and sulphur, and subjecting
the sanie to heat, as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Moses Poole, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.