Improvements in Purifying or Disinfecting Wooden Vessels.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 6th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 13th Oct., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Purifying or Disinfecting Wooden Vessels.
I, HARRY BOYS WOOLDRIDGE, of Tottenham Brewery, Tottenham, in the
County of Middlesex, Brewer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
It is well known that wooden vessels employed for containing fermented liquids
are liable to be attacked on their inside surfaces by certain low forms of germ
life or ferments, which germ growths after a time under favourable conditions gain
such a stronghold upon the surface of the wood as to render the vessels useless
for the purposes to which they are intended more particularly is this the case
with beer casks and tuns, such vessels becoming so foul as to render it impossible
to keep beer in them in a sound condition for even a short period.
It is for the preservation of the above in good condition by the prevention and
destruction of such germ growths that the treatment which I have invented is
intended.
I employ a solution of an iron salt to be used alone or in conjunction with other
ingredients.
The salt of iron I prefer to use is that known as ferric-sulphate but I may
employ ferric-chloride or other ferric or ferrous salt- or 1 may employ the cheap
chemical article known in commerce as alumina-ferric a mixture of alumina and
ferric sulphates or iron alum. In the preparation of ferric sulphate I take
ordinary sulphate of iron; dissolve it in water to the strength I require and add
sulphuric acid to form ferric sulphate. I then add to the solution an oxidising
agent, by preference potassic-chlorate, or I may use bleaching powder or sodic
nitrate. In the employment of the solution for disinfecting of such articles as
beer casks, I wash the vessel thoroughly and blow in a jet of steam until the
vessel gets thoroughly hot. It is then quickly drained and one pint or more of
the ferric solution is put in. The cask is then well rolled so that all the inside
surface while in a hot condition will be covered with the solution. The rolling of
the cask is repeated several times at short intervals and the cask is then allowed
to stand 12 hours or longer. When treating ordinary deal casks I first apply a
solution of cutch or other material containing taunin to the hot cask before
applying the ferric or ferrous salt as above described.
.
Ordinary brewers fermenting tuns and other large vessels I wash down
repeatedly with a hot solution of the iron salt whilst the sides of the vessel are
heated.
These methods I employ either on old casks or tuns or on freshly made
vessels.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Purifying or Disinfecting Wooden Vessels.
I, HARRY BOYS WOOLDRIDGE, of Tottenham Brewery, Tottenham, in the
County of Middlesex, Brewer, 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 :-
It is well known that wooden vessels employed for containing fermented liquids

page_text: are liable to be attacked on their inside surfaces by certain low forms of germ
life or ferments, which germ growths after a term under favourable conditions
gain such a strong hold upon the surface of the wood as to render the vessels
useless for the purposes to which they are intended, more particularly is this the
case with beer casks and tuns, such vessels becoming so foul as to render it
impossible to keep beer in them in a sound condition for even a short period.
It is for the preservation of the above named vessels in good condition by the
prevention and destruction of such germ growths that the treatment which I have
invented is intended.
.I employ a solution of an iron salt to be used alone or in conjunction with other
ingredients.
The salt of iron I prefer to use is that known as ferric-sulphate but I may
employ ferric-chloride or other ferric or ferrous salt in conjunction with a
suitable oxidising material-or I may employ the cheap chemical article known in
commerce as alumina-ferric a mixture of alumina and ferric sulphates or iron
alum. In the preparation of ferric sulphate I take ordinary sulphate of iron;
dissolve it in water to the strength I require and add sufficient sulphuric acid to
form ferric sulphate. I then add to the solution an oxidising agent, by preference
potassic-chlorate, or I may use bleaching powder or sodic nitrate. In the
employment of the solution for disinfecting such articles as beer casks, I wash the
vessel thoroughly and blow in a jet of steam until the vessel gets thoroughly hot.
It is then quickly drained and one pint or more of the ferric solution is put in.
The cask is then well rolled so that all the inside surface while in a hot condition
will be covered with the solution. The rolling of the cask is repeated several
times at short intervals and the cask is then allowed to stand 12 hours or longer.
When treating ordinary deal casks I first apply a solution of cutch or other
material containing tannin to the hot cask before applying the ferric or ferrous salt
as above described.
Ordinary brewers fermenting tuns and other large vessels I wash down
repeatedly with a hot solution of the iron salt whilst the sides of the vessel are
heated.
These methods I employ either on old casks or tuns or
vessels.
on freshly made
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
:-
1. The treatment substantially as described of brewers casks and other wooden
vessels with a ferric salt to prevent and destroy germ growths therein as above
set forth.
2. The treatment substantially as described of brewers casks and other wooden
vessels with the material known as alumina-ferric or crude sulphate of alumina
containing iron to prevent and destroy germ growths therein as above set forth.
Dated this 6th day of September 1894.
H. B. WOOLDRIDGE.