IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF MATERIALS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER PULP OR HALF STUff
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Printy Wheeler, of Abbinghall, near
Mitcheldean, in the County of Gloucester, Paper Maker, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF MATERIALS FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF PAPER PULP OR HALF STUff."
Sealed the 14th May 1858, and dated the 14th November 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Printy Wheeler at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th November 1857.
I, GEORGE PRINTY WHEELER, of Abbinghall, near Mitcheldean, in the
County of Gloucester, Paper Maker, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF MATERIALS
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER PULP OR HALF STUFF," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the separation of the fibres of raw
materials intended to be employed in the manufacture of half stuff or paper
pulp, and thereby to reduce the cost of the manufacture. The materials to
which I propose chiefly to apply my improvements are the common flax plant
and cotton waste, but the like treatment will be applicable to all analogous
substances. In order to dissolve the gluten or resinous matter which binds
the fibres of the flax plant together, it has been usual to subject the flax to.
retting and other operations, but it has been found that when the inoisture

page_text: which the plant has imbibed is driven off from it, a considerable amount of
gum or resin remains in the fibres, besides which the silica contained in the
boon or woody part of the plant remains more or less intact. Now, in order
that the fibres of the plant may be effectually separated and prepared for the
subsequent process, whereby it is reduced to pulp, I operate upon the plant
or upon the refuse of scutching mills in the manner to be presently described,
and immediately after, while the material is in a heated state, I convey it to
the reducing engine, by which means. I prevent the resetting of the glutinous
and other substances, which the process is specially designed to dissolve, and
thereby ensure a good result. The material to be operated upon, whether it
be flax or cotton waste (which latter contains a large portion of grease), I
place in cylindrical vessels made of wirework or pierced metal, and fitted with
a central tube of the same material. Of these vessels I use any given number,
and pile them one above the other in a steam-tight cylindrical chamber,
which is fitted with a central steam pipe pierced with holes for supplying steam
to the whole body of the material under operation; this chamber I connect at
its lower end with an elevated reservoir by a pipe which rises up above, and
dips into the reservoir. And I so arrange these vessels with respect to each
other, that the reservoir shall, when required, discharge its contents by means
of a tap into the steam cylinder. In the reservoir I place quicklime slaked
with hot water, to which I occasionally add nitric, fluoric, or some other
suitable acid, and I sometimes, in lieu of acids, add common salt, brimstone,
sulphuret of potash, or other sulphuret of an alkaline or mineral base. This
liquor I run into the charged chamber in a hot or boiling state, put on the lid,
and secure the chamber steam-tight. I next inject steam at any desired
pressure, and keep up the supply until the resinous, siliceous, or greasy
properties of the material are dissolved. I then discharge the liquor to be
reused into the reservoir above, employing the elastic pressure of the steam for
that purpose, or if the liquor is spent, I discharge it into a suitable-receptacle
below. The operation being now completed, I wash the material, if necessary,
with hot water, and then remove the lid of the chamber and by means of a
hoisting apparatus I lift the-perforated vessels out of the chamber, and convey
the material direct to the reducing engines, where it is reduced as before
mentioned to pulp or half stuff, suitable (according to the quality of the
material) for being made up into fine or coarse papers, millboard, sheathing,
or other like fabric.
:

page_text: 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 14th May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
PRINTY WHEELER, of Abbinghall, near Mitcheldean, in the County of
Gloucester, Paper Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first 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,
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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF MATERIALS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
PAPER PULP OR HALF STUFF," 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.
per-
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Printy Wheeler, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
formed, to be particularly-described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :—
The chief object of this Invention is to treat flax straw in its crude or
unretted state, and the waste of scutching mills, known to the trade as
"scutching hards and tows," and prepare the same for being manufactured
into paper pulp. The Invention is also applicable to the treatment. of other
vegetable substances requiring a macerating process to separate the fibres.
For the purpose of dissolving the resinous matter which binds the fibres of
the flax plant together, it has been usual to subject the flax to retting and
other operations, but it has been found that when the moisture which the

page_text: plant has imbibed is driven off from it, a considerable amount of gum or resin
remains in the fibres, besides which the silica contained in the boon or
woody part of the plant remains more or less intact. Now, in order that the
fibres of the plant may be effectually separated and fitted for being reduced
to pulp, I subject the flax straw or the refuse of scutching mills to the
macerating process to be presently described, and then convey the fibrous
material to the reducing engine, by which means I prevent the resetting of
the resinous and other substances which the process is specially designed to
dissolve, and thereby ensure a good result. The material to be operated upon,
whether it be flax or cotton waste (which latter contains a large portion of
grease), I place in cylindrical vessels made of wirework or pierced metal, and
I pile up a given number of these in a steam-tight chamber, where the fibrous
materials are subjected under a pressure of steam to the action of a macerating
solution, the component parts of which are hereafter stated, and are thereby
rendered fit for being converted into paper pulp.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews in sectional elevation the
apparatus which I employ in carrying out my Invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan
view of the same. It consists of an elevated reservoir A, in which the
macerating solution is made, and a steam-tight cylinder B, in which the
materials to be operated upon are subjected to the macerating solution. The
vegetable substances to be treated are packed in vessels similar to that shewn
in plan view and sectional elevation at Figures 3, and these vessels are then
placed one above the other in the cylinder B, as shewn at C, C, Fig. 1. The
vessels C are made of pierced metal, and fitted with a central tube also made
of pierced metal, and open at both ends. In the centre of the cylinder B is a
steam pipe a, which is fed by a branch pipe from a steam boiler, and
distributes steam through its perforated sides to the body of liquid contained
in the cylinder. The lower end of this cylinder is connected with the
elevated reservoir A by a pipe c, which rises up above and dips into the
reservoir, and projecting from the reservoir is a tap d, which, when required,
discharges the contents of the reservoir into the steam cylinder B; e is a steam
pipe for heating the contents of the reservoir, and keeping the same boiling;
and f is a pipe leading from a water tank. Supposing now the macerating
solution to have been prepared, and the cylinder to have been charged with a
suitable number of porous vessels containing the fibrous material to be
operated upon, I run into the charged cylinder a sufficient amount of the
liquor (in a hot or boiling state) to nearly fill it, and I then put on the lid and
secure the chamber steam-tight. I next inject steam at any desired pressure

page_text: (say twenty-five pounds to the inch), and keep up the supply until the resinous,
siliceous, or greasy properties of the material are dissolved, which will in
general take about eight hours; I then discharge the liquor to be re-used into-
the reservoir above, employing the elastic pressure of the steam for that.
purpose, or if the liquor is spent, I discharge it into a suitable receptacle
below, through the discharge pipe g.. The operation being now completed, I
wash the material, if necessary, with hot water, and then remove the lid of the
chamber, and by means of a hoisting apparatus I lift the perforated vessels out
of the cylinder, and convey the material direct to the reducing engine, where
it is reduced to pulp suitable (according to the quality of the material) for
being made up into fine or coarse papers, millboard, sheathing, or other like
fabric.
The chemical compound or mixture which I employ for the purpose of
removing the resinous and siliceous matters or grease from the flax or other
raw material or refuse manufactured materials mentioned above, I
prepare as
follows:-I take of slaked lime (slaked in hot water) two hundred pounds,
chloride of sodium one hundred pounds, sulphur twenty-five pounds, potash
(caustic) twelve and a half pounds, water four hundred gallons. These
ingredients I mix and boil together, and employ while hot as the macerating
solution; or the mixture may be made, and afterwards evaporated to dryness.
It will then be ready for use at any time by adding boiling water thereto.
Sometimes I substitute in proper proportion caustic soda for the caustic
potash, or I omit altogether the soda or potash from the mixture, as I find that
in treating flax straw the compound acts efficiently without either of those
substances being present. It will be understood that I do not limit myself
to the use of the proportions given above, but these I have found to yield a
good result.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
the Preparation of Materials for the Manufacture of Paper Pulp or Half
Stuff," 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, subjecting flax straw and other like fibrous materials in their crude or
unretted state, and also "scutching hards and tows" to the macerating process
as herein-before described, whereby at one operation the fibres are rendered
fit for reduction to pulp by means of the rag or pulping engine, and are made
peculiarly sensitive to the bleaching process.
Secondly, I claim the use of the macerating solution above described, for
preparing fibrous materials for the reducing engine.
.

page_text: And lastly, when raw fibrous materials containing resinous or siliceous
matters are operated upon as above described, I claim submitting them,
while still moist from the macerating process, to the action of the reducing
engine.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Printy Wheeler, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
G. P. WHEELER. (L.S.)