Roofs and other such like Purposes.
Year: 1885

page_text: This Specification was, upon the 11th day of October 1886, amended under
Sections 18 to 21 of the Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Act, 1883.
Roofs and other such like Purposes.
We ALFRED FORD of 22 Gloucester Crescent, Regents Park in the County of
Middlesex Gentleman and JACOB AYTON ARCHER of Waverley Lordship Lane
in the County of Surrey Foreign Agent do hereby declare the nature of our Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED MATERIAL APPLICABLE AS A WATERPROOF COVERING FOR
ROOFS AND OTHER SUCH LIKE PURPOSES to be as follows:--
"7
The object of this invention is mainly to provide an iron roofing which cannot
be injured by oxidation by the atmosphere and which is light flexible, and
transparent.
For this purpose we employ iron wire gauze coated with a tough, and elastic oil
varnish, so as to cover the wire and close the meshes-To so coat the sheets of wire
gauze with the varnish we repeatedly dip them into the varnish and after each
dipping allow the varnish to dry until the wire work has been rendered perfectly
waterproof.
The varnish we prefer is pure linseed oil which has been previously oxidized and
endued with drying powers and thickened by heat and exposure to the air, but
we may employ any other varnish or waterproofing mixture or agents capable of
efficiently bringing about the desired result.
Wire work so prepared is sufficiently transparent to admit light, is non com-
bustible waterproof, and sun proof, comparatively inexpensive and can easily be
applied to the framework of a roofing or of windows or used for other such like
purposes.

page_text: Roofs and other such like Purposes.
We ALFRED FORD of 22 Gloucester Crescent, Regents Park, in the county of
Middlesex, Gentleman and JACOB AYTON ARCHER of Waverley, Lordship Lane, in
the county of Surrey, Foreign Agent do hereby declare the nature of our 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 this invention is to provide a waterproof material which will be
but little liable to be injured by oxidation by the atmosphere and which is light,
flexible and translucent.
For this purpose I we employ wire gauze preferably iron, coated with a tough
waterproof and elastic varnish-er medium of the kind hereinafter described so as
to cover the wire and close the meshes: To so coat the sheet of wire gauze with
the varnish-or medium I we repeatedly dip them into the varnish same and, after
each dipping, allow them varnich to dry until the meshes of the wire-work have
been perfectly filled and the wire covered and the whole rendered waterproof.
The varnish or medium we find it advantageous to employ is pure linseed oil
which has been previously oxidized and endued with drying powers and thickened
in a suitable manner such as the following, videlicit.
I We take refined linseed oil and having imparted to it the property of drying
quickly by any well known method other than by boiling-which impairs the
elasticity of the coating medium such as by subjecting it to the action of litharge
or other siccative, I we allow it to rest until it has become clear and then subject
it to agitation by means of an air blast in a closed tank or by other suitable mode
such as by long exposure to the atmosphere and stirring until it has assumed a
consistence of cream or thereabouts--The oil so treated is then fit for use for the
above named purpose.
Wire work so prepared is sufficiently transparent or translucent to admit light,
is waterproof and sunproof, comparatively inexpensive, and can easily be applied
to the framework of a roofing or of windows, or used for other such like purposes
and, as the improved material is not liable to be injured by unequal expansion or
contraction between its component parts (a condition which does not exist in iron
and glass roofs), it is specially applicable for roofing purposes. The material can
be colored without affecting its transparency by the use of any of the well known
transparent colors.
1 We have described the use of a varnish-or medium prepared from linseed oil
as above named as giving excellent results in practice, but it will be obvious
that other varnishes or-waterproofing mixtures may be employed, although with
inferior-results and we desire to confine ourselves to the use of oil alone when
treated in the manner hereinbefore described so as to oxidize the oil, and impart
to it the consistence and drying powers necessary for our purpose.
In some cases where the roofing might be exposed to accident by the falling
upon it of stray pieces of hot cinder or wood + we coat the surface with powdered

page_text: glass in the following manner: I we either mix the glass in a fine state of division
with the last coat of material with which I we dress the wire or whilst the latter
is in an adhesive state I we brush powdered glass over the surface.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I we declare that
what I we claim is:
The manufacture and use of the improved material applicable as a waterproof
covering for roofs and other like purposes formed by coating wire gauze, sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described.