An Improved Compound Suitable for the Manufacture of Various Articles by Moulding.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CHARLES TENNANT LEE, of Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America, Chemist.]
An Improved Compound Suitable for the Manufacture of Various
Articles by Moulding.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
The object of my invention is the production of a material which shall be strong
and hard, which may be easily molded to any shape when desired, and which may
be cheaply produced; and it consists in a composition composed of mica or similar
laminated substance, in a comminuted state, bound together with a resinous gum.
In the form in which I prefer my composition it consists of mica comminuted so as
to form scales or lamina, varying in size from very small fragments to pieces one-
eighth or one-quarter of an inch, or even larger, mixed with shellac in the proportion
of about sixty-five parts of mica, by weight, to thirty-five parts of shellac. These
proportions may of course be varied; but I prefer the proportions given for the best
results. The mica is incorporated with the shellac by the aid of heat, which softens
the shellac, after which any suitable method of mixing the substances may. be
employed. I prefer to mix them by means of a friction-roll mixer, of well known
construction, consisting of a pair of heated rolls, one roll running at about one-third
greater speed than the other roll. The pieces of shellac and mica are mixed and
thrown together onto the hot rolls, which revolve side by side and may be adjusted
relatively to each other, and as the mixture passes through into a trough or receiver
placed underneath it is again put onto the rolls, and this working is continued until it
becomes a plastic mass, when it will adhere to one of the rolls, whence it is skived off
with the aid of a knife and laid aside in a flat sheet. To prepare these sheets for
molding, in case they are allowed to cool, I prefer to place them on a steam-table,
and thus heat them until they become plastic and workable again, after which the
sheets, or parts of them, of a proper size, are put into hot molds, molded under
pressure, and allowed to cool. Such a composition will take a clear and fine
impression in the molds, is comparatively light, very strong and durable, and may be
used for a great variety of purposes. In mixing the mica and shellac to form a sheet
of composition, the laminae of mica tend to a parallel position, and as they overlap
and interlock the breaking strength of the composition is very much greater than that
of compositions in which laminated material is not used. In case the composition is
to be molded, it will be found very desirable to use either shellac alone or a
considerable quantity of shellac combined with other resinous gum.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
The composition of matter herein set forth, consisting of a laminated substance,
such as mica, in a comminuted state, mixed and incorporated with a resinous gum,
such as shellac, by the aid of heat.
D
11
1
T
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.