Improvements in the Manufacture of Water-colour Paints.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 26th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 27th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Water-colour Paints.
A communication by the Firm of L. AUERBACH & Co. (H. Stoeber's successors),
of Fuerth, Bavaria, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturers of Bronzes and
Hammered Metal Work.
I, George CECIL DYMOND, M.I. Mech. E. of The Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object a process for making water-colour paints which,
on the one hand, shall combine the advantages of oil colours. as regards painting-
technique, brilliancy, depth and the like, with those peculiar to aquarelles or
water-colours, and, on the other hand, are much brighter than distemper colours
and do not alter in any way when varnished over. These paints may also be kept
much longer, in consequence of the durability of their medium, than the ordinary
albumen distempers.
The process of manufacturing these paints is as follows:-
A medium is employed consisting essentially of a mixture of water, gum arabic
and boiled linseed oil with an addition of raw linseed oil. To this mixture there
are added glycerine, wax, tallow and soft soap in suitable proportions; the whole is
then boiled in suitable vessels with constant stirring to a thin liquid mass until the
same is thoroughly homogeneously mixed.
The proportionate quantities of the substances employed for this medium are
preferably selected as follows:-
Water
Gum arabic
Linseed oil-
Glycerine
Wax
Tallow
Soft soap
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600 to 800 parts by weight
650 to 800
"
"
"
400 to 500
"
"
200 to 300
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"
"
15 to 25
"
"
30 to
45
"
"
30 to 60
"
"
"
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A mixture of water, gum arabic and linseed oil, without the above mentioned
additions, would give rise to various disadvantages. It would, above all, dry too
rapidly, and, in order to prevent this, glycerine is added, which causes the medium
or the paint to dry slowly.
The dried medium, even with the addition of glycerine, is, however, too
brittle; cracks and scaldings soon become apparent, so that a rapid deterioration
of the picture takes place. In order to avoid this, tallow in combination with
wax is added, this latter substance imparting, in addition, a certain elasticity to
the whole substance, which is of great advantage when spreading paint mixed with
this medium.

page_text: Finally, as regards the admixture of soap, this plays an important part. It
considerably assists in facilitating the combination and unification of the various
substances when the medium is boiled, and thereby makes the same extremely ductile
or fluent, and consequently pleasant to spread. Paint mixed with this medium
without the addition of soap would drag under the brush and thus have a very
deleterious effect in painting.
The mixture hereinbefore described forms, as stated, the medium for the colours.
The latter are added, in a finely ground condition, to the former when cooled, in a
proportion to correspond to their intensity, or are thoroughly mixed with the same
in any suitable manner and then filled into tubes or the like. A few drops of
gaultheric acid or other like fluid are added to the mixture in order to impart to it
an agreeable aroma.
The water-colours thus constituted afford the following advantages over those
hitherto employed :-
1) They exceed oil colours in strength, depth and freshness without glazing:
2) They are so prepared that painting can be done on the wet with them thoroughly
wet, and, when necessary, also again when dried, the same as with oil colours, whilst
in the first case, after the drying, they are not more transparent than the ordinary
water colours:
3) With these paints equally as well as with oil paints, impasto effects can be
produced, that is to say, the painting can be done with a raised surface, in fact
the paint can be applied to the picture with the palette knife, which is not
possible with the water-colours hitherto employed, and in this case they are
extremely durable:
4) The painting-technique is, with these, the same as with oil paints. One colour
is placed impasto on top of the other without fear of their altering. The colours dry
quite firm in a period of time varying from a half to three quarters of an hour, so
that the painter, as soon as they are dry, can paint over the picture, or, when
necessary, can immediately varnish it:
5) A picture painted with these colours cannot be distinguished from an oil
painting and has the advantage that it will not darken with time as does an
oil painting:
6) In the pictures painted with these improved paints, the latter do not sink
as is the case with oil paintings, that is to say, that certain layers of colour,
or also the whole picture, does not assume a dead dry opacity, but has a dull
glaze, everywhere equal, and very fine, soft and durable, which considerably
increases the lighting effect of the colours, and which is very important for artistic
effects:
7) In contrast to many oil colours, they do not become greasy, that is to say, in
the course of time they do not form an adhesive skin which will not dry in, and
therefore cannot be painted over. These improved colours, on the other hand, dry
with certainty and firmness.
8) With these improved colours, any material may be painted on, such, for
instance, as silk, wood, stone, paper or the like. The colour adheres thereto, when
dry, everywhere so firmly that it can hardly be removed with a palette knife. Also,
even rough canvas may be painted on, without a chalk ground; it is only necessary
to saturate the same with milk.
9) These paints are much more tractable or ductile than oil colours, and do not
peel off or crack even when the pictures are folded or rolled:
10) Finally, these colours possess the same durability and permanency in tubes
as oil colours, they do not dry in the same, and do not otherwise undergo any
deleterious chemical changes :
11) As against distemper colours, they are much more brilliant than these latter,
and, when varnished over (in contradistinction to the former) do not change in
any way:
12) They are much more durable than the ordinary albumen distempers which,
as is well known, in consequence of their changeable medium, must be

page_text: immediately used, as, owing to the albumen contained therein, such medium
rapidly goes bad.
Daind L1
T1 100
Improvements in the Manufacture of Water-colour Paints.
A communication by the Firm of L. AUERBACH & Co. (H. Stoeber's successors),
of Fuerth, Bavaria, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturers of Bronzes and
Hammered Metal Work.
I, GEORGE CECIL DYMOND M. I. Mech. E., of The Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester both in the
County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, 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 :-
This invention has for its object a process for making water-colour paints, which,
on the one hand, shall combine the advantages of oil colours, as regards painting-
technique, brilliancy, depth and the like, with those peculiar to aquarelles or water-
colours, and, on the other hand, are much brighter than distemper colours and do
not alter in any way when varnished over. These paints may also be kept much
longer, in consequence of the durability of their medium, than the ordinary albumen
distempers.
The process of manufacturing these paints is as follows:-
A medium is employed consisting essentially of a mixture of water, gum arabic
and boiled linseed oil with an addition of raw linseed oil. To this mixture there
are added glycerine, wax, tallow and soft soap in suitable proportions; the whole
is then boiled in suitable vessels with constant stirring to a thin liquid mass until
the same is thoroughly homogeneously mixed.
The proportionate quantities of the substances employed for this medium are
preferably selected as follows:-
Water
Gum arabic
Linseed oil
Glycerine
Wax
Tallow
Soft soap
7 litres.
2250 gr.
2250 gr.
900 gr.
45 gr.
45 gr.
300 gr.
The above ingredients are mixed together and the whole boiled with constant
stirring to a thin liquid mass as aforesaid. The mixing together of the ingredients
previous to boiling may be effected by simply throwing the ingredients together in
the cold, but it is preferred to first dissolve the aforesaid quantity of gum arabic
in about half the aforesaid quantity of distilled water, then to add the linseed oil
in the proportion stated, thoroughly stirring the mixture until the liquids are
closely united, then to add in the proportion stated the glycerine, wax, tallow
and soft soap and the remaining half of the specified quantity of water and to
heat the whole to a lukewarm heat, and again stir until the ingredients. form one
complete mass.
'
A mixture of water, gum arabic and linseed oil, without the above mentioned
additions, would give rise to various disadvantages. It would, above all, dry too

page_text: rapidly, and, in order to prevent this, glycerine is added, which causes the medium
or the paint to dry slowly.
The dried medium, even with the addition of glycerine, is, however, too brittle;
cracks and scalings soon become apparent, so that a rapid deterioration of the
picture takes place. In order to avoid this, tallow in combination with wax is
added, this latter substance imparting, in addition, a certain elasticity to the whole
substance, which is of great advantage when spreading paint mixed with this
medium.
Finally, as regards the admixture of soap, this plays an important part. It
considerably assists in facilitating the combination and unification of the various
substances when the medium is boiled, and thereby makes the same extremely
ductile or fluent, and consequently pleasant to spread. Paint mixed with this
medium without the addition of soap would drag under the brush and thus have a
very deleterious effect in painting.
The mixture herein before described forms, as stated, the medium for the colours.
The latter are added, in a finely ground condition, to the former when cooled, in a
proportion to correspond to their intensity, or are thoroughly mixed with the same
in any suitable manner and then filled into tubes or the like. A few drops of
gaultheric acid or other like fluid are added to the mixture in order to impart to it
an agreeable aroma.
The water-colours thus constituted afford the following advantages over those
hitherto employed :-
1) They exceed oil colours in strength, depth and freshness without glazing:
2) They are so prepared that painting can be done on the wet with them
thoroughly wet, and, when necessary, also again when dried, the same as with oil
colours, whilst in the first case, after the drying, they are not more transparent than
the ordinary water colours.
5) With these paints equally as well as with oil paints, impasto effects can be
produced, that is to say, the painting can be done with a raised surface, in fact the
paint can be applied to the picture with the palette knife, which is not possible
with the water-colours hitherto employed, and in this case they are extremely
durable:
4) The painting-technique is, with these, the same as with oil paints. One colour
is placed impasto on top of the other without fear of their altering. The colours
dry quite firm in a period of time varying from a half to three quarters of an hour,
so that, the painter, as soon as they are dry, can paint over the picture, or when
necessary, can immediately varnish it.
5) A picture painted with these colours cannot be distinguished from an oil
painting and has the advantage that it will not darken with time as does an oil
painting.
6) In the pictures painted with these improved paints, the latter do not sink as
is the case with oil paintings, that is to say, that certain layers of colour, or also
the whole picture, does not assume a dead dry opacity, but bas a dull glaze,
everywhere equal, and very fine, soft and durable, which considerably increases
the lighting effect of the colours, and which is very important for artistic effects:
7) In contrast to many oil colours, they do not become greasy, that is to say, in
the course of time they do not form an adhesive skin which will not dry in, and
therefore cannot be painted over. These improved colours, on the other hand,
dry with certainty and firmness.
8) With these improved colours, any material may be painted on, such, for
instance, as silk, wood, stone, paper or the like. The colour adheres thereto, when
dry, everywhere so firmly that it can hardly be removed with a palette knife.
Also, even rough canvas may be painted on, without a chalk ground; it is only
necessary to saturate the same with milk.
9) These paints are much more tractable or ductile than oil colours, and do not
peel off or crack even when the pictures are folded or rolled:
10) Finally, these colours. possess the same durability and permanency in tubes

page_text: as oil colours, they do not dry in the same, and do not otherwise undergo any
deleterious chemical changes :
11) As against distemper colours, they are much more brilliant than these
latter, and, when varnished over, (in contradistinction to the former) do not change
in any way:
12) They are much more durable than the ordinary albumen distempers which, as
is well known, in consequence of their changeable medium, must be immediately
used, as, owing to the albumen contained therein, such medium rapidly goes bad.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An improved process for making water-colour paints, consisting in adding
glycerine, wax, tallow and soft soap to a mixture of water, gum arabic and
linseed oil, and then boiling the whole to a thin liquid mass which after cooling
is mixed in suitable quantities with the finely ground colours substantially as
described.
2. An improved medium for use in the manufacture or in the mixing of water
colour paints, consisting of glycerine, wax, tallow and soft soap, added to a mixture
of water, gum arabic and linseed oil, the whole being boiled to a thin liquid mass,
substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of February 1895.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.