TREATING ALL KINDS OP PAPER WHEREON ANY PRINTING, ENGRAVING, ENGROSSING, LETTER WRITING, OR LITHOGRAPHING HAS BEEN PRINTED OR IMPRESSED, SO THAT THE SAID PRINTING, ENGRAVING, ENGROSSING, LETTER WRITING, OR LITHOGRAPHING MAY BE COMPLETELY REMOVED, DISCHARGED, OR OBLITERATED FROM THE SAID PAPER, & SO THAT THE SAID PAPER MAY BE READILY RE-USED IN SHEETS, OR BE RE-CONVERTED & WORKED UP AGAIN INTO ITS PRIMITIVE PULP BY THE ORDINARY METHOD, & DE AGAIN MANUFACTURED INTO & BE USED AS PAPER
Year: 1854

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Maybury Archer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
July 1854.
I, CHARLES MAYBURY ARCHER, of No. 3, St. James' Gardens, Haverstock
Hill, Hampstead Road, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman of the Press;
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "TREATING ALL KINDS
OP PAPER WHEREON ANY PRINTING, ENGRAVING, ENGROSSING, LETTER WRITING,
OR LITHOGRAPHING HAS BEEN PRINTED OR IMPRESSED, SO THAT THE SAID PRINTING,
ENGRAVING, ENGROSSING, LETTER WRITING, OR LITHOGRAPHING MAY BE COMPLETELY
REMOVED, DISCHARGED, OR OBLITERATED FROM THE SAID PAPER, & SO THAT THE
SAID PAPER MAY BE READILY RE-USED IN SHEETS, OR BE RE-CONVERTED &
WORKED UP AGAIN INTO ITS PRIMITIVE PULP BY THE ORDINARY METHOD, & DE
AGAIN MANUFACTURED INTO & BE USED AS PAPER," to be as follows:-
(Having, since the public announcement of an accruing scarcity of paper,
directed my attention experimentally to the matter), I take sheets of any
paper, printed, engraved, engrossed, or lithographed upon, or, say, the Times, or
any other newspaper, or any book, and iminerse it for a given period in a bath
or solution of pure sulphuric or other acid, which latter forthwith acts upon or
eats its way into the oil, lamp black, &c. of which printers' ink is composed, &
so gradually decomposes or discharges it from the paper by a gradual evolu-
tion & efflorescence. To assist or precipitate this result or effect, and to
prevent, if I may so speak, the destructive or deflagrating influence of the acids

page_text: upon the paper, I plunge the sulphuric or other acid-saturated paper, during
the process of discharge & decomposition of the printers' ink, into a bath
of pure spring water or other water cold, or into hot water for a short period,
say, a few minutes; the water then unites in assisting the sulphuric acid further
to eat out, remove, wash out, & discharge the printers' ink; & the process may
be still further expedited & assisted by the passing of a soft brush over both
sides of the paper, so as to enable it (after being, if necessary, bleached), by
immersion in spirits of ammonia, or other alkali, to present an almost
normally clean surface for being (after the application of pressure to take
out the stamp of the types) used again in printing, engraving, engrossing, or
lithographing.
The printed paper so treated may either be so used again, or be recon-
verted, by the usual paper manufacture process, into pulp, & formed into
paper again.
I further claim the use & application of the residual products of my pro-
cess (other than the pulp & paper so treated) for use & conversion into
'printers' ink again, or to be used as pigments for coloring purposes, or as a
lubricating compound, or for electric telegraphic battery purposes; & I propose
to apply the aforesaid described process to all kinds of printing or plate papers,
wrapping papers, packing papers, parchment, & all kinds of papers..