AN INVENTION FOR PREVENTING THE INCRUSTATION OF STEAM BOILERS, WHICH INVENTION IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PRESERVATION OF METALS AND WOOD
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifteenth day of April, in the fifteenth year of Her reign, did for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vin-
cent Newton, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, and such others
as I the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exer-
cise, and vend, within England, Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and
all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of
Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, "AN INVENTION FOR PREVENTING
THE INCRUSTATION OF STEAM BOILERS, WHICH INVENTION IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO
THE PRESERVATION OF METALS AND WOOD," being a communication from abroad;
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months

page_text: next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following description
thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my Foreign Correspondent, refers
to the manufacture of a compound to be applied to metallic and ligneous
surfaces for the preservation of the same under varying circumstances. One
of the uses to which the compound is to be applied is as a preventive to the
formation of a hard incrustation upon the inner surfaces of steam boilers.
In order to prepare this compound, which has been designated after the
inventor as "Sibbald's Metalline Compound," take of tallow or suet one pound;
graphite or blacklead, finely pulverized, one pound; charcoal, finely pulverized,
one eighth of a pound. First melt the fat, and then add the other ingredients,
which are thoroughly incorporated with it, by stirring. To render the mixture
more fluid, that it may be spread more easily over the surfaces to which it is
to be applied, oil or gas tar may with advantage be mixed with it, in the
proportion of one gill to the quantities of materials above specified. In using
this compound it is first warmed, and then applied, by means of a brush or
other suitable means, upon the whole interior of the boiler, which may also be
slightly warmed to facilitate the operation. When applied it dries almost
instantly, and forms a coating resembling in appearance a coat of ordinary
black paint. If the boiler be foul the compound is to be applied directly upon
the incrustation, and, after using the boiler for a few days, it will be found that
the compound has so thoroughly disintegrated and softened the incrustation
that it can be easily removed from the plates by a scraper or wire brush.
When applied to clean boilers, it has the effect of preventing the formation of
any hard incrustation, and adheres to the plates with great tenacity, and for a
considerable length of time. The compound, in addition to preserving boilers
to which it has been applied from the injurious effects attendant on the play of
the furnace fire over metallic surfaces coated with earthy deposits, appears to
increase the evaporating power of even a clean boiler. It has the effect
also of stopping leaks at the seams of the boiler plates, and of preventing the
corrosion of the rivets and of the metal at the joints. It is expedient in most
cases to apply the compound as often as once in two weeks to the most exposed
parts of the boiler; but the frequency with which the application should be

page_text: renewed will depend upon the form of the boiler, the kind of fuel used, and
the quality of water subjected to evaporation. The peculiarity which distin-
guishes this improved compound from other substances hitherto applied to
steam boilers is the property it possesses of adhering to the boiler plates, not-
withstanding the action of the heat and the abrasion produced by the rapid
movement of the sediment and water. This property has been found developed
in the highest degree when the combination of the three substances above
enumerated has been substantially in the proportions stated. When these
proportions are materially varied the property which the compound possesses
of tenaciously adhering to the boiler plates will be deteriorated, and the
formation of a hard incrustation thereon will not be so effectually prevented..
In addition to this important application, the compound may also be used with
great advantage for coating the exterior of boilers, and for defending the bed.
plate and framework of engines from corrosion, as well as other like metallic
surfaces required to be defended from rust or decay.
For ship building purposes the compound is also applicable, first, to protect
the bolts from corrosion, and, second, to preserve the wood from decay. To.
protect the bolts they should be well coated by first covering them with the
mixture, and then carefully lining the bolt holes with it before inserting the
bolts, which can be done by plugging each hole with a piece of the compound,
and then forcing through the hole a pointed rod somewhat smaller than the
bolt to be driven; and, to ensure the effectual coating of the hole, the compound.
may be rubbed into the wood by the pointed rod. The joints between the
timbers may be filled by pouring into them the compound in a melted state,
or caulking it in. This, however, can only be done with a due regard to
economy when the joints are narrow. The compound should be warmed
sufficiently to render it fluid, and then applied by a paint brush to every part
of the surface of the timbers, both before and after they are built into the
frame. As the charcoal is a good disinfectant, the coating of the timber in
the vessel's hold with it will be likely to render the air more pure and the
bilge water less offensive and injurious to health. The free use of the com-
pound, therefore, during the construction of the vessel will render her more
healthy, and greatly prolong her duration by preserving her fastenings, which
usually give way long before the timbers fail. Moreover, by protecting iron
bolts with a coating of the compound, especially when the holes are carefully
lined with it; also they will become as durable as copper, and thereby a
considerable saving in the item of "ships' fastenings" will result. Metal
roofs for houses, and the framework of mills and their machinery, and the iron
about docks, piers, and bridges, may be rendered much more durable by a

page_text: coating of this compound. In short, wood or iron will be protected by it from
the injurious action of water, salt or fresh, in all situations. It is well
known that many fatty substances have properties assimilating to those of suet
and tallow, and may be used in place of them; but I am not prepared to state
that any others are as good for the purpose. It is also well known that some
substances possess in a greater or less degree the peculiar absorbent and
disinfecting properties of charcoal, and such may be used to replace it in
manufacturing this compound. Of the latter substances the Inventor mentions
pulverized coke, but states that, not having had the opportunity of testing it,,
he cannot reccommend its use as a perfect equivalent for charcoal in manu-
facturing his compound, although it might, reasoning from analogy, be sup-
posed to possess the same properties. While recommending the compound to
be made of the ingredients and in the proportions above specified, which have
been found to answer the purposes, I wish it to be distinctly understood that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent I do not confine myself to the
precise materials, nor to the properties I have mentioned; but I claim the
right to employ any of the known equivalents of the materials specified above,:
as well as the materials themselves so specified, and that in any proportions;
that will produce substantially the improved compound above described and
designated as "Sibbald's Metallic Compound." And I claim the application
of the improved compound in the manner and for the purposes above set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our
Land One thousand eight hundred and fifty tw