Improvements in and relating] to Corks for Stoppering Bottles or other Vessels.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating] to Corks for Stoppering Bottles
or other Vessels.
We, DAVID BRAINERD COLDWELL, Chemist residing at Homeland West Chislehurst
Park, in the County of Kent, and ARCHIBALD GEORGE CROSBIE HUNTER, Chemist
residing at the Southend Drug Stores, High Street Southend-on-Sea, in the County
of Essex do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in and relating to corks for
stoppering bottles or other vessels and the object of our invention is to provide a
cheap substitute for the comparatively expensive rubber or gutta-percha plugs
hitherto largely employed for stoppering bottles or other vessels containing acids and
corrosive liquids.
It is well known that the ordinary plain corks are useless for stoppering bottles or
other vessels containing acids and corrosive liquids and that the indiarubber plugs
which have hitherto been employed for this purpose are comparatively very costly
and do not keep in position so well as corks and our invention consists in a cork or
stopper combining the advantages of the rubber or gutta percha plugs with the
cheapness almost of the common cork.
In carrying out our invention we employ ordinary corks which are cut or otherwise
shaped in any usual manner and-in accordance with one method of carrying our
invention into practice-we dip said corks into a solution of indiarubber gutta percha
or any other suitable solution or liquid which resists the action of acids or corroding
liquids so that said corks will be sufficiently coated with the same.
In accordance with our invention corks can be made to resist ac ids and corroding
liquids said corks being considerably cheaper than the indiarubber plugs or glass
stoppers hitherto employed for this purpose, and they possess the further advantage,
as compared with the rubber plugs, inasmuch as they keep in position in the neck
of a bottle stoppered therewith as well as the ordinary cork and better than the
rubber stoppers.
We may if desired cement sheet indiarubber or other suitable material on said
corks instead of dipping them as described and we wish it to be understood that,
although we prefer to make our improved cork with its lower end rounded-so as to
facilitate its insertion into the neck of a bottle or other vessel-we do not confine
ourselves to any particular shape of corks which we may employ and if desired the
solution or liquid in which the corks are dipped may contain any suitable pigment
or pigments.
A cork made or treated in accordance with our invention is rendered impervious to
moisture, caustic, volatile, and fixed alkalis, and also resists the acids and corrosive

page_text: liquids. It is comparatively very cheap and possesses all the advantages of the rubber
and gutta percha stoppers and the ordinary plain corks.
Instead of employing ordinary corks as described we may employ cork cuttings or
shavings which we may press or mount into shape and then treat or coat them in the
manner described.
HORN, SON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in and relating to Corks for Stoppering Bottles
or other Vessels.
We, DAVID BRAINERD COLDWELL of "Homeland" West Chislehurst Park in the
Connty of Kent, Chemist and ARCHIBALD GEORGE CROSBIE HUNTER of Southend Drug
Stores, High Street, Southend-on-Sea, Chemist 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 reference to improvements in and relating to corks for
stoppering bottles or other vessels and the object of our invention is to provide a
cheap substitute for the comparatively expensive rubber or guttapercha plugs hitherto
largely employed for stoppering bottles or other vessels containing acids and corrosive
liquids.
In carrying out our invention we employ ordinary corks and-in accordance with
one method of carrying our invention into practice-we dip said corks in a solution of
india rubber or guttapercha which resists the action of acids or corroding liquids so
that said corks will be coated with such solution, and in order to still further ensure
that the said acids or corrosive liquids shall not attack the cork we first dip said
corks in beeswax, paraffin or other wax before dipping it in the india rubber or like
solution which wax forms a ground and also fills up the holes in the cork.
We may, if desired, cement sheet rubber or guttapercha on said corks instead of
dipping them as described, and if the corks be dipped as firstly herein described we
prefer to mix some pigment, such, for example, as sulphate of barium or oxide of
zinc with the solution of india rubber or of guttapercha-whereby the appearance of
our improved cork is considerably enhanced and its grip against the neck of the
bottle increased.
Instead of dipping the corks in the solution we may coat said corks by painting
them over with the solution or said corks may be coated or covered in any other
suitable manner, and if desired our improved covered or coated cork may be vulcanised
by any usual process.
A cork made or treated in accordance with our invention is rendered impervious to
moisture, caustic, volatile and fixed alkalis and also resists the action of most acids
and corrosive liquids. It is comparatively cheap-costing little more than ordinary
plain corks and keeps in position better than the solid rubber or like plugs hitherto
employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
An improved cork coated with beeswax, paraffin or other wax and then coated or

page_text: covered with india rubber or
forth.
gutta percha for the purposes and substantially as set
Parcu PHO
D. B. COLDWELL and
A. G. C. HUNTER,
By their Agents, Horn, Son & Co.,
151, Strand (Somerset Chambers), London.