IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PARKESINE OR COMPOUNDS OF PYROXYLIN TO RENDER SUCH MATERIALS MORE SUITABLE FOR MAKING BILLIARD BALLS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Parkes, of Liverpool Street, Birmingham,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PARKESINE
OR COMPOUNDS OF PYROXYLIN TO RENDER SUCH MATERIALS MORE SUITABLE FOR
MAKING BILLIARD BALLS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 28th October 1868, and dated the 16th May 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Parkes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th May 1868.
I, ALEXANDER PARKES, of Liverpool Street, Birmingham, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF PARKESINE OR COMPOUNDS OF PYROXYLIN TO RENDER SUCH MATERIALS
MORE SUITABLE FOR MAKING BILLIARD BALLS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
parkesine or compounds of pyroxylin to render such materials more
suitable for making billiard balls, and for other purposes.

page_text: In order to produce a white material without increasing unduly the
specific gravity of the compound I mix with the dissolved pyroxylin
and other matters commonly used in the manufacture of parkesine white
starch, either such as is manufactured commercially from wheat, rice,
potatoes, and other matters, or such as are known as arrowroot, tapioca,
or it may be other amylaceous substances. Or in some cases I use
wheaten flour or white flour of other grain. Or I take cotton, grind it
and bleach it with chloride of lime or other suitable bleaching material,
and the ground fibre so prepared I compound with the dissolved pyroxylin
and other matters.
In order to remove from articles made of parkesine the solvent
remaining in the material, and which whilst it is suffered to remain
gives a slight odour to the articles and renders them liable to shrink
slightly in the course of time, I season such articles (usually in a partly
manufactured state) by soaking the articles in a liquid which will
dissolve out the solvent, but without affecting the pyroxylin; such
liquids as bi-sulphide of carbon, chloride of carbon, and benzole are
suitable. The articles being so soaked are afterwards placed in a vessel
from which the air is exhausted, and so the curing liquid which-had
entered into the pores of the material is drawn out and it is condensed
and recovered.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Alexander Parkes in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th November 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
PARKES, of Liverpool Street, Birmingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Parkes, Her special licence that.
I, the said Alexander Parkes, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Alexander Parkes, my executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, 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 MANU-
FACTURE OF PARKESINE OR COMPOUNDS OF PYROXYLIN TO RENDER SUCH MATERIALS
MORE SUITABLE FOR MAKING BILLIARD BALLS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Parkes, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Parkes, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
parkesine or compounds of pyroxylin to render such materials more
suitable for making billiard balls and for other purposes.
In order to produce a white material without increasing unduly the
specific gravity of the compound I mix with the dissolved pyroxylin and
other matters commonly used in the manufacture of parkesine white
starch either such as is manufactured commercially from wheat, rice,
potatoes, and other matters, or such as are known as arrowroot, tapioca, or
it may be other amylaccous substances. Or in some cases I use wheaten
flour or white flour of other grain. Or I take cotton, grind and bleach it
with chloride of lime or other suitable bleaching material, and the
ground fibre so prepared I compound with the dissolved pyroxylin and
other matters.
In order to remove from articles made of parkesine the solvent
remaining in the material, and which whilst it is suffered to remain
gives a slight odour to the articles, and renders them liable to shrink
slightly in the course of time, I season such articles (usually in a partly
manufactured state) by soaking the articles in a liquid which will

page_text: dissolve out the solvent, but without affecting the pyroxylin'; such liquids
as bi-sulphide of carbon, chloride of carbon; and benzole are suitable.
The articles being so soaked are afterwards placed in a vessel from which
the air is exhausted, and so the curing liquid which had entered into the
material is drawn out, and it is condensed and recovered.
My improvements in the manufacture of white parkesine billiard balls
or other articles consists in the combination of starch, flour, arrowroot,
amylaceous substances, ground bleached cotton fibre, mixed with
dissolved pyroxylin or zyloidine or compounds of pyroxylin.
I find the following proportion of either of the above-named substances
combined with dissolved pyroxylin or its compounds will answer very
well for billiard balls:-100 parts of pyroxylin dissolved, ground, and
strained as in the usual way of manufacturing parkesine; 300 to 500
parts usual solvent (alcohol 100 parts, mineral naptha 50 parts), or
other solvent; 100 to 150 parts arrowroot or starch; 50 to 100 parts best
zinc white. The solid matters are added to the plastic solution of
pyroxylin and placed in a closed rolling or grinding apparatus; the
rollers heated by steam passing through them (as described in my
former Patents for the manufacture of pyroxylin or its compounds); tho
combination is ground up until most of the solvent of the pyroxylin is
driven off by the heated rollers; the solvent is recovered by conveying
it through pipes connected with the enclosed rolling apparatus and a
Liebig condenser (also described in former Patents); the mass is now
about as stiff as clay, and may be moulded into the shape of balls or
rolled into sheets or other forms, and is put in a warm place for
seasoning; when well scasoned the balls may be finished by turning,
and will be of a very good clear white colour, and many other articles
may be made of these compounds of starch, which look very much like
ivory, and when the specific gravity is required to be lighter I find it
best to employ as much of the amylaceous substances as possible, being
of less specific gravity than oxide of zinc or other metallic colouring
matters usually used in the manufacture of white parkesine, and ground
bleached cotton fibre may be ground up with plastic pyroxylin in
proportion of 100 parts of the cotton to 300 parts pyroxylin paste to
produce white parkesinc.
41 41.

page_text: substances or ground cotton I add the required colour at the same time
with the other substances and grind them up therewith.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Parkes, have hereunto
hand and seal, this Sixth day of November, in the year of
set
my
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
ALEXANDER PARKES. (L.S.)