IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAP
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARTHUR
DUNN, of Rotherhithe, in the County of Surrey, Soap Boiler, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Ninth day of November, in the seventh year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Arthur Dunn, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Arthur Dunn, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Arthur Dunn, my exors, adiñors, 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,
my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAP;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Arthur Dunn, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Arthur Dunn, do hereby declare that the nature of my 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 :-

page_text: My Invention consists in causing oils and fatty matters, together with
materials for saponifying such oils and fatty matters, to be subjected to streams
of air forced below the surface of such materials, thereby improving and
facilitating the manufacture of soap. In carrying out my Invention I employ
the ordinary soap coppers used by soap boilers. I fix in each copper a circular
ring of pipe (of about one and a half inch bore perforated with small holes),
in the well of the copper just below the flange or joint, keeping it sufficiently
off the bottom to allow a stirrer to be used to scrape the bottom of the copper
when necessary. The circular ring of pipe is supplied with atmospheric air
from a cylinder blast or other suitable forcing apparatus, this circular ring
being connected with such forcing apparatus by means of a pipe attached to
and rising up to the top of the copper, where it is furnished with a stop-cock
and union joint for the purpose of connecting and disconnecting the parts of
the pipe within and without the copper. For a clean copper yellow soap,
I
first put into the copper, which I will suppose capable of working one hundred
and six hundredweight of material,) three hundred and sixty gallons of lyes,
specific gravity 1.14, made from good soda-ash of about forty to forty-six per
cent. The fire being lighted, I charge the copper with the grease, or oil, or
fatty matters in the usual way, say eighty-three hundredweights of grease;
and as soon as the lye is hot and on the boil, or nearly to the boil, I set the
blast in action, keeping up a good brisk fire, so as to keep the materials in the
copper as near the boil as possible; when the strength is taken up from the
lyes, as is well understood, I gradually add more lyes until the grease, oil, or
fatty matter is killed, which is also well understood; I then add twenty-three
hundredweight of resin, by a few hundredweight at a time, with more lye
from time to time, until I have used one thousand two hundred gallons of
lyes (of the strength above mentioned) or thereabouts, keeping the blast in
action the whole time, if the fire draws well; but if not, it is advisable to stop
the blast for a short time before adding the resin, to allow the contents of the
copper to approach to the boil; when the whole of the resin is melted and
completely mixed with the soapy mass, and the strength of the lyes taken up,
I stop the blast, and give the contents of the copper a brisk boil up; I then
allow it to stand for the spent lyes to settle, and then pump them off and
fin'sh, or bring the soap up to strength on fresh lyes, as in the ordinary
process of soap boiling.
I would here remark, that during the operation of the blast I have found it
desirable that the soap should be kept in what is technically called "an open
or grained state;" and for this purpose salt or brine is to be added when
necessary; and I find it better not to make a change of the lye during the

page_text: operation of the blast, where lye of the strength before mentioned is used, but
if weaker lye is used, one or more changes may be made, as is well under-
stood; and it is found desirable that the soap should be kept in what is called
a weak state during the action of the streams of air through the materials,
otherwise the soap is apt to swell up from the air hanging in the grain, and
this is found troublesome to get rid of, and requires long boiling to do so.
If
dark-colored goods are used, it is well to keep the blast in operation three or
four hours after the resin is melted, provided the soapy mass is kept weak and
open or grained. When a charge is to be worked upon a nigre, I grain such
nigre and pump off the spent lye in the ordinary way, and then add the fresh
charge in the manner before mentioned, using less lye in proportion to the
quantity and strength of the nigre, taking care not to turn on the blast until
there is sufficient grease present to make the nigre weak. Other qualities
and descriptions of soap may be made in the manner herein-before mentioned
by forcing streams of air through the matters under process of saponification,
varying the materials according to the quality and description of soap required
to be manufactured.
I would remark, that I am aware that streams of air have before been
introduced into and through oils and fatty matters for purifying and bleaching
the same, Her Majesty having, on the Twenty-eighth day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and forty-three, granted to me other Letters Patent
for so bleaching and purifying oils or fatty matters; and I mention this
circumstance in order to state, that I make no claim herein to the introduction
of streams of air into and through oils and fatty matters, except when the
same are combined or heated conjointly with matters for saponifying the oils
or fatty matters under process.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would wish it to be understood
that I do not claim the apparatus herein described and referred to for forcing
streams of air into and through oils and fatty matters for saponifying them,
and any suitable apparatus may be employed for that purpose. But I claim
as of my Invention the improvements in the manufacture of soap by causing
streams of air to be passed through and amongst oils and fatty matters when
combined or together with suitable saponifying materials.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Dunn, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
ARTHUR (L.S.) DUNN.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourth day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid Arthur Dunn came before our said Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-four.