IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF INDIARUBBER, GUTTAPERCHA, AND ANALOGOUS GUMS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Gerner, of 67 Strand, in the City of Westminster,
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF INDIARUBBER,
GUTTAPERCHA, AND ANALOGOUS GUMS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Gerner at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th December 1882.
"
HENRY GERNER of 67 Strand in the City of Westminster "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE TREATMENT OF INDIA RUBBER, GUTTA PERCHA AND ANALOGOUS GUMS
My present invention is a perfection of and an improvement on an invention for
which Her Most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria gave and granted unto me, the
said Henry Gerner, my executors, administrators and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent, No. 47, bearing date the sixth day of January, 1880, entitled "Improve-
ments in Processes for the Manufacture and Treatment of Caoutchouc, Guttapercha
and analogous Gums," and which describes and claims the incorporation by a
certain process of "camphor in different proportions with caoutchouc, guttapercha
and analogous gums, and with sulphur, or sulphur in its combinations, together
with other ingredients introduced for various purposes, and exposing the compound
to heat in order to vulcanize the same," &c. The "other ingredients" referred to
were the adulterates commonly used in rubber mauufacture, such as the metallic
salts, which I shall hereinafter refer to at length.
When I first applied myself, several years ago, to the study of the behaviour of
camphor in rubber mixtures, I had but an imperfect idea of its use with rubber
and sulphur alone, and used it in combination with such "other ingredients." The
resultant products of the process above referred to were of that character, and it
was not until after the date of the said Letters Patent that I succeeded in pro-
ducing satisfactory materials containing camphor alone in combination with rubber
and sulphur. The reason for my failure in those days was that I used a great excess
of camphor over the quantity necessary to form the chemical combination with the
rubber and the sulphur, the consequence of which was that the excess of camphor
effloresced, and left the material in a state of disintegration. For the purpose of

page_text: obviating this, I loaded the mixture with metallic salts in order to bind the excess
of uncombined camphor, and these compounds are those referred to in the said
Letters Patent. Since then I have perfected the manufacture of pure rubber-
camphor-sulphur products, and careful experiments have taught me that they are
arrived at by the use of just so much camphor as suffices to chemically bind the
sulphur, & quantity which hence varies with the quantity of sulphur in the mixture,
which in turn varies with the desired nature and quality of the product. Thus,
for instance, in hard rubber products where to every pound of rubber half a pound
of sulphur is generally introduced, an admixture of one-eighth of a pound of
camphor will suffice to bind the sulphur; while in soft rubber products where to
every pound of rubber generally one ounce of sulphur is introduced, I add another
ounce of sulphur, and not more than two ounces of camphor to this mixture in
order to effect a chemical combination. Reference to the said Letters Patent,
No. 47, of 1880, shows that I then used for hard products equal parts of rubber,
camphor and sulphur. For soft goods I used a proportion of one part of rubber
to one-eighth or more of sulphur to a quantity of camphor which is not stated
in the said Letters Patent and which in practice was never less than a quarter
of a part. These excessive admixtures of camphor defeated the object, while
the process of the incorporation of the ingredients has been superseded by a
more approved method to be hereinafter fully described. Having thus since
achieved the successful manufacture of products containing rubber, camphor and
sulphur only, by a process and a proportionate admixture differing from any
processes or proportions by me formerly practised and described, I therefore
hereinafter claim this combination as a part and feature of my present process as a
result hitherto unattained.
At the same time that I manufactured products under my said Letters Patent,
I practised the incorporation into my mixtures of the flours of certain agricultural
germs and seeds. In my present process, I make use only of the farina of mustard
seed, or of poppy seed, linseed, &c., carefully separated from their oils and husks,
while I then used the flours of the seeds with the whole or a part of their oils still
contained in them, either alone or in combination with the ordinary adulterates
used in rubber manufacture, such as the metallic salts. Since then I have entirely
discarded the use of any seeds from which the oils and busks have not been
carefully removed, and of such adulterates, as inimical to the durability of the
resultant product.
The present process relates to the manufacture of products consisting of oil-less
and huskless seed farinas, and of other ingredients having the same or nearly the
same specific gravity as rubber, in contradistinction to the heavily-weighted products
resulting from the metallic substances introduced by rubber manufacturers
generally. It is only since that I have understood, as the result of careful
experiment, the use of the said pure farinas exclusive of metallic and other
adulterates, and I, therefore, now claim as a part and feature of my present process,
as results hitherto unattained, the manufacture of products consisting of rubber,
sulphur, and the said pure farinas, but chiefly in combination with Gum Kauri
with which, together with camphor, excellent results, especially in point of
cheapness, are achieved.
The introduction of Gum Kauri into my mixture is the great feature of my
present process, and is the reason of the high standard of excellence which I claim
for my products, and their great cheapness, under the present process. Apart from
the fact that this gum has already been introduced, although not successfully, into
rubber mixtures by others, I have attained no permanent success with it unless in
combination with camphor, and I therefore have no desire to claim it unless in
combination with that gum together with rubber and sulphur, or with rubber,
sulphur, and the said pure farinas.
The object of my invention is to produce superior and cheaper articles and goods
than at present known to others versed in the arts, without augmenting their
specific gravity over that of the rubber therein contained.

page_text: Herein before and hereinafter, the use of the term rubber replaces and implies
"indiarubber, guttapercha, or an analogous gum," the use of the term camphor
replaces and implies "camphor or its chemical equivalents;" the use of the term
sulphur replaces and implies "sulphur or its chemical equivalents;" the use of the
term kauri replaces and implies "Gum Kauri or an analogous resinous gum;" the
use of the term mustard replaces and implies " the farina of mustard seed, or of
poppy seed, linseed, &c., carefully separated from their oils and husks;" the use of
the term gasoline replaces and implies " gasoline, benzine, or an analogous hydro-
carbon" the use of the term hard rubber will replace and imply "ordinarily
vulcanized hard indiarubber, or vulcanite or ebonite ;" and the use of the term
soft rubber will replace and imply "ordinarily vulcanized soft indiarubber."
It is well-known, and agreed to by, all chemical authorities, that but a very small
percentage of sulphur introduced into rubber for vulcanizing or curing the same by
the aid of heat, enters into chemical combination with the gum, and that the major
part of the sulphur is merely mechanically suspended therein and constantly escaping
therefrom, as the efflorescence of sulphur on the surfaces of rubber goods abundantly
shows, and there forming sulphurous acid with a necessarily deteriorating influence
on the material.
When a suitable percentage of camphor and kauri combined is properly intro-
duced, together with a suitable quantity of sulphur, into rubber, and this compound
subjected to a proper temperature during a proper period of time, then the sulphur
combines with these substances, a sulphide is formed, and the sulphur is no longer
merely mechanically held in suspension in the rubber and will not effloresce nor
form sulphurous acid with the atmospheric air, but will, on the contrary, preserve
the articles and goods thus produced any length of time without deterioration.
There are but very few substances beside those mentioned which play a satis-
factory role in this combination, nor will any of them give satisfactory results
unless the directions herein given are diligently and intelligently carried out.
Some species of selected copal gum may, for instance, replace the kauri in the said
compound or be employed together with it, but the high price of the gum renders
its use undesirable. Other species of fine resinous gums such as amine, benzoë,
Damar, amber, &c., may be used, but the high price and scarcity of these likewise
defeat the object.
I have found that of all substances none will give the same uniformly excellent
results and at so small a cost as camphor and kauri combined. The former is the
well-known gum of commerce and the essential oil of science, and the latter is an
amber-like resinous fossil gum dug out from the soil in New Zealand and New
Guinea. Both are common articles of commerce in all civilized countries.
I have found in practice that camphor alone may be used, but I prefer to use
camphor and kauri in combination, as a cheaper and at the same time by no means
inferior article is thereby produced. Camphor alone is very good, and recom-
mendable for the finest grades of soft goods, but I prefer to use a small part of
camphor in proportion to the kauri in all goods, both hard and soft, as the camphor
serves to thoroughly dissolve the kauri by the aid of heat, and give in every respect
desirable results.
I have found in practice that, as far as the action of the camphor upon the kauri
is concerned, a quarter of a pound of camphor to every pound of kauri is very
recommendable, and as little as one eighth of a pound of the former to every pound
of the latter is generally all what is required. In fact, all that is needed is camphor
enough to thoroughly penetrate and dissolve the kauri with the aid of heat. Kauri
being so much cheaper than camphor, one-half as cheap in fact, and capable of
being kept for any length of time, unlike camphor, without evaporation and loss,
manufacturers will not use any more camphor than is necessary.
The proper manipulation of the camphor and kauri for use in rubber manufacture,
is as follows:-
For use in hard goods, pulverize the camphor and the kauri separately on
common grinding, reducing, and mixing rollers, which for this purpose must not be

page_text: heated. Break the large lumps to nut size first so as not to injure the rollers, and
let these fragments go through the rollers a couple of times. Then add to this so
much dry flowers of sulphur, free from acid, as is required for the particular product
to be manufactured. If one pound of sulphur is mixed with one pound of mixed
camphor and kauri, and this in turn mixed with one pound of rubber, the propor-
tion will be right for many classes of hard goods, which thus contain one-half of a
pound of sulphur to each pound of rubber, camphor, and kauri together. The
mixture before the introduction of the rubber must be thorough, and again go
through the rollers several times screwing the rollers up by degrees nearer to each
other as the mixture becomes finer. It is then ground in a proper mill, and taken
through a suitable sieve having meshes which will make what goes through as fine
as the flowers of sulphur were before mixing. What will not go through must be
re-ground on the mill until it all goes through the sieve.
By a proper use of gasoline, which serves to moisten the mixture in the mill, on
the rollers, and in the sieves to prevent clogging, both time and power are saved.
The mixture so prepared, when destined for hard goods, will keep almost any
length of time without hardening, and can therefore be conveniently kept on hand
for use.
All that is needed is to resift the mixture before use, moistened with
gasoline, the latter being also mixed into it before bringing it on the hot rollers, so
as to insure not only the prevention of clogging on the rollers, but also the very
necessary fine subdivision of every particle of the mixture, in default of which the
result will not be satisfactory. Any lumps in the mixture and in the "batch
(technical term for a mass or quantity which can at one time be conveniently inixed
on the rollers by the operator) will appear in the vulcanized product.
"
As the camphor and kauri require the same amount of sulphur for their proper
vulcanization as the rubber, the same quantity of sulphur per pound of camphor
and kauri should be used as per pound of rubber.
How much camphor and kauri should be employed in the mixture for hard as well
as for soft goods, depends entirely upon the grades and nature of goods required,
and for what purpose they are to be used. For certain grades of hard goods, half
a pound of mixed camphor and kauri to every pound of rubber may be used to
great advantage, while for other grades a quarter of a pound, or an eighth of a
pound, or even less, will prove to be the best proportion.
For use in soft goods, the mixture of camphor, kauri, and sulphur, and its
manipulation, is substantially the same as herein before indicated for use in hard
goods, with the difference that the mixture requires much less sulphur. Of this
mixture no more ought to be made than is used for the day, as it gets hard and
lumpy in time. This can, however, be prevented by moistening the inixture daily
with gasoline. Under all circumstances, the mixture should be resifted, and so
moistened before being brought on the rollers and there incorporated with
rubber.
I desire especially to point out the necessity of the proper use of a light hydro-
carbon with which to moisten the mixture sufficiently both for hard and soft goods.
In default hereof, the mixture will stick to the rollers, and then no thorough
incorporation can take place; lumps will be formed, and the product will be
spoiled.
The same amount of sulphur per pound of rubber which is required for making
soft goods is also required per pound of camphor and kauri employed in the mixture.
Thus, if one ounce of sulphur is employed, as is usual for soft goods, for every
pound of rubber, one ounce of sulphur must also be employed for every pound of
camphor and kauri used in the mixture.
When a pound of finely powdered mustard is added to four pounds of the mixture
of rubber, camphor, kauri, and sulphur, in their proper proportions, as hereinbefore
indicated, a very superior compound for certain soft goods is obtained. I do not,
however, restrict myself to this proportion. I also use mustard in hard goods
mixtures. These mixtures require less moistening with gasoline than the mixture
without it, as it is less liable to stick to the rollers.

page_text: With regard to the proper temperature and time for vulcanization of hard goods
mixtures, great care should be taken to raise the temperature very gradually; but
a shorter time, by employing a higher temperature, will suffice than is required for
hard rubber vulcanization. Four to five hours are all that is required, according
to the thickness of the goods, while for hard rubber as much as thirteen hours are
required. The temperature should, for the last two hours, be raised as high as up
to 312° F., and even up to 320° F., while for hard rubber the utmost is generally
300 F. For the vulcanization of the soft goods mixtures embodying my invention, it
is safe to employ the same time as for the vulcanization of soft rubber, but as a rule
less time will suffice. The temperature should be raised at least to 280° F. and in
many cases even up to 312° F. and 320° F., the latter temperature being approached
as kauri and camphor predominate in the mixtures.
All the mixtures herein described can be worked on the rollers, calenders, and on
rubber machinery in general, at a much lower temperature than common rubber
mixtures, a great desideratum, since the higher temperature employed for the latter
destroys the fibres of the rubber. This lower temperature varies with the nature
of the mixture, so that the experienced operator will understand that it cannot be
stated here within reasonable limits.
It will be readily understood that I do not restrict myself to any of the propor-
tions of mixtures or to any of the periods or temperatures herein before given. The
purpose for which certain goods, both hard and soft, are destined, requiring certain
qualities, must of necessity entirely guide the experienced manufacturer in his
choice of proportions, manipulations, and circumstances.
Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure
by Letters Patent, is :-
1. The use and treatment of camphor, or its chemical equivalent, in combination
with indiarubber, guttapercha, or an analogous gum, and with sulphur, or its
chemical equivalent, substantially as set forth.
2. In general, the use, treatment and incorporation into mixture of indiarubber,
guttapercha or an analogous gum, of the finely powdered farinas of mustard seed,
and of poppy seed, linseed, &c., carefully separated from their oils and husks,
substantially as set forth.
3. The use and treatment of the mixture specified in the first claim, together
with the farinas specified in the second claim, but in which the flours of the said
seeds, with the whole or a part of their oils still contained in them, and not merely
their farinas as in the present process, were employed, substantially as set forth.
4. The use and treatment of Gum Kauri, or an analogous resinous gun, in com-
bination with camphor, or its chemical equivalent, and with sulphur, or its chemical
equivalent, in all processes of rubber and analogous manufactures, substantially as
set forth.
5. The use and treatment of the mixture specified in the fourth claim together
with the farinas specified in the second claim, substantially as set forth.
6. As new articles of manufacture, vulcanized products consisting of the ingre-
dients as severally specified in the foregoing first, third, fourth and fifth claims,
substantially as set forth.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Gerner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd June
1883.
HENRY GERNER of 67 Strand in the City of Westminster
"IMPROVEMENTS
"
IN THE TREATMENT OF INDIA-RUBBER, GUTTA-PERCHA, AND ANALOGOUS GUMS
My present Invention is a perfection of and consists of improvements based
upon an invention for which Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria gave and
granted unto me the said Henry Gerner my executors administrators and assigns
Her Royal Letters Patent No 47 bearing date the 6th day of January 1880
entitled Improvements in processes for the manufacture and treatment of
Caoutchouc Gutta Percha and analagous gums" and which describes and claims
the incorporation of "camphor in different proportions with caoutchouc, gutta
percha and analogous gums and with sulphur or sulphur in its combination
together with other ingredients introduced for various purposes and exposing the
compound to heat in order to vulcanize the same" &--The "other ingredients'
referred to were the adulterates commonly used in rubber manufacture such as the
metallic salts which I shall hereinafter refer to at length.
When I first applied myself several years ago to the study of camphor in rubber
mixtures I had but an imperfect idea of its use with rubber and sulphur alone and
used it in combination with metallic oxides metallic salts metallic sulphides &c
commonly used in rubber manufacture-I was accustomed to use a great excess of
camphor over the quantity necessary to form as I have since ascertained the
chemical combination with the rubber and the sulphur the consequence of which
was that the excess of camphor effloresced and left the material in a state of disinte-
gration For the purpose of obviating this I loaded the mixture with metallic
salts in order to bind the excess of uncombined camphor and these compounds are
those referred to in the said Letters Patent Since then I have succeeded in
perfecting the manufacture of rubber-Camphor-Sulphur products and careful
experiments have taught me that they are arrived at by the use of just so much
camphor as suffices to chemically bind the sulphur a quantity which hence varies
with the quantity of sulphur in the mixtures which in turn varies with the desired
nature and quality of the product-Thus for instance in hard rubber products
where to every pound of rubber half a pound of sulphur is generally introduced an
admixture of one eighth to one quarter of a pound of camphor should be used as
it will suffice to bind the sulphur, while in soft rubber products where to every
pound of rubber generally one ounce of sulphur is introduced I add another
ounce of sulphur and not more than one to two ounces of camphor to this mixture
in order to effect a chemical combination.
After having obtained my said Letters Patent of 6th January 1880 I discovered
that the products might be improved in quality and cheapness by the incorporation
into my mixtures of the flours of certain agricultural germs and seeds and on the
25th June 1880 1 applied for further Letters Patent for such improvements but
further experience proved to me that the improvements comprised in my said
provisional Specification [N° 2595-1880] were not as successful as I had hoped
they would have been and I did not proceed with that Patent but continued to
examine into the causes of such want of success and the experiments and
examinations so made by me have resulted in the improvements the subject of my
present Patent. I have discovered that the great cause of my comparative want of
success in the use of the flour of certain agricultural germs and seeds was that

page_text: I had used them with their oils and husks still in them either alone or in com-
bination with the ordinary adulterates used in rubber manufacture such as the
metallic salts-Since then I have entirely discarded the use of any seeds from
which the oils and husks have not been carefully removed and I have also entirely
discarded the use of such adulterates as both I find are inimical to the durability of
the resultant product.
According to my present process I manufacture products consisting of oil-less
and huskless seed farinas using such farinas only in the condition in which they
exist when carefully separated from their oils and husks and of gum kauri all of
which have the same or nearly the same specific gravity as rubber in contradis-
tinction to the heavily weighted products resulting from the metallic substances
introduced by rubber manufacturers generally-It is only since the date of my
former application for a Patent above mentioned that I have ascertained that the
use of the said pure farinas exclusive of metallic and other adulterates is so
valuable in the manufacture of rubber goods and I therefore now claim as a part
and feature of my present process as results hitherto unattained the manufacture
of products consisting of rubber sulphur and the said pure farinas deprived of oil
but chiefly in combination with gum kauri with which together with camphor
excellent results especially in point of cheapness are obtained.
The introduction of gum kauri into my mixtures is a great feature of my present
process and is one reason for the high standard of excellence which I claim for my
products and their great cheapness under the present process. Apart from the fact
this gum has already been proposed to be introduced although not successfully
into Rubber mixtures by others-I have not attained to permanent success with it
unless when it is used in combination with camphor and I therefore make no
claim to it unless in combination with that gum together with rubber and sulphur
as herein described or with rubber sulphur and the said pure farinas.
The object of my present invention is to produce better and cheaper articles and
goods than those hitherto known without substantially augmenting their specific
gravity over that of the rubber therein contained that is so far as soft rubber
goods are concerned inasmuch as hard and semihard rubber contain so large an
amount of sulphur that the specific gravity must of necessity always be
considerably bigher than that of rubber notwithstanding that the new ingredients
that I use as set forth are of less or of the same specific gravity as that of the
rubber contained in the mixture.
"
Herein before and hereinafter the use of the term "rubber" replaces and implies
"India rubber gutta percha or any analogous gum the use of the term "kauri"
replaces and implies "gum kauri or an analogous resinous gum," the use of the
term "mustard" replaces and implies "the farina of mustard seed or of poppy or
linseed & carefully separated from their oils and busks;" the use of the term
'gazoline" replaces and implies not only "gazoline but also benzine and any
analogous hydrocarbon;" the use of the term "hard rubber" will replace and
imply "ordinarily vulcanized hard rubber or vulcanite or ebonite ;" and the use
of the term "soft rubber" will replace and imply "ordinarily vulcanized soft india
rubber"
"
It is well known by all chemical authorities that but a very small percentage of
sulphur introduced into rubber for vulcanizing or curing the same by the aid of
heat enters into chemical combination with the gum and that the major part of
the sulphur is merely mechanically suspended therein and constantly escaping
therefrom as the efflorescence of sulphur on the surface of rubber goods abundantly
shews and there forming sulphurous acid with a necessarily deteriorating influence
on the material.
When as herein described a suitable percentage of camphor and kauri combined
is properly introduced together with a suitable quantity of sulphur into rubber
and this compound subjected to a proper temperature during a proper period of
time then the sulphur combines with those substances and sulphide is formed and

page_text: the sulphur is no longer merely mechanically held in suspension in the rubber and
will not effloresce nor form sulphurous acid with the atmospheric air but will on
the contrary preserve the articles and goods thus produced any length of time
without deterioration.
There are but very few substances besides those mentioned which play a
satisfactory part in this combination nor will any of them give satisfactory results
unless the directions herein given are carried out-Some species of selected copal
gum may for instance. replace the kauri in the said compound or be employed
together with it but the high price of the gum renders its use undesirable.
species of fine resinous gums such as Amine, Benzöe, Damar, Amber & may be
used but the high price and scarcity of these likewise defeat the object.
Other
I have found that of all substances none will give the same uniformly excellent
results and at so small a cost as "kauri" and camphor combined. The latter is
the the well known gum of commerce and the former is an amber-like resinous
fossil gum dug out from the soil in New Zealand and New Guinea-Both are
common articles of commerce in all civilized countries.
I have found in practice that camphor alone may be used with sulphur and
rubber but I prefer to use camphor and kauri in combination as a cheaper
article is thereby produced. Camphor alone is very recommendable for the finest
grades of soft goods but I prefer to use a small part of camphor in proportion to
the kauri
I have found in practice that as far as the action of the camphor upon the kauri
is concerned the use of a quarter of a pound of camphor to every pound of kauri
is very advantageous and in some cases one eighth of a pound of the former to a
pound of the latter may be used-Kauri being so much cheaper than camphor one
half as
cheap in fact and capable of being kept for any length of time unlike
camphor without evaporation and loss; manufacturers will not desire to use any
more camphor than is necessary.
The proper manipulation of the camphor and Kauri for use in rubber manu-
facture is as follows:-
For use in hard goods pulverize the camphor and the Kauri separately on
common grinding reducing and mixing rollers which for this purpose must not be
heated Break the large lumps to nut size first so as not to injure the rollers and
let these fragments go through the rollers a couple of times-Then add to this so
much dry flour of sulphur free from acid as is required for the particular products
to be manufactured.
If one pound of sulphur is mixed with one pound of mixed camphor and kauri
the proportion will be right for many classes of hard goods. The mixture before
the introduction of the required rubber must be thorough and again go through
the rollers several times screwing the rollers up by degrees nearer to each other as
the mixture becomes finer it is then ground in a proper Mill and taken through a
suitable sieve having meshes which will make what goes through as fine as the
flour of sulphur was before mixing what will not go through must be reground on
the Mill until it all goes through the sieve.
By a proper use of gazoline or benzine which serves to moisten the mixture in
the Mill on the rollers and in the sieves to prevent clogging both time and power
are saved the mixture so prepared when destined for hard goods will keep almost
any length of time-without hardening and can therefore be conveniently kept on
hand for use.
All that is needed is to resift the mixture before use moisten with
gazoline or benzine whichever spirit is used being also added to the mixture before
bringing it on the hot rollers so as to insure not only the prevention of clogging
on the rollers but also the very necessary fine subdivision of every particle of the
mixture in default of which the result will not be satisfactory-Any lumps in the
mixture and in the "batch" (techicial term for a mass or quantity which can at
one time be conveniently mixed on the rollers by the operator) will appear in the
vulcanized product.

page_text: As the camphor and kauri require the same amount of sulphur for their proper
vulcanization as the rubber the same quantity of sulphur per pound of catuphor
and kauri should be used as per pound of rubber.
How much camphor and kauri should be employed in the mixture for hard as
well as for soft goods depends upon the grades and nature of goods required and
for what purpose they are to be used-For certain grades of goods half a pound of
mixed camphor and kauri to every pound of rubber may be used with great
advantage while for other grades a quarter of a pound or even less will prove to be
the best proportion.
For use in soft goods the mixture of camphor kauri and sulphur and its
manipulation is substantially the same as herein before indicated for use in hard
goods with the difference that the mixture requires as herein before indicated less
sulphur-Of this mixture no more ought to be made than is used for the day as it
gets hard and lumpy in time. This can however be prevented by moistening the
mixture daily with gazoline benzine or equivalent hydrocarbon Spirit-Under all
circumstances the mixture should be resifted and 80 moistened before being
brought on the rollers and there incorporated with rubber.
I desire to point out the necessity of the proper use of a light hydrocarbon
Spirit with which to moisten the mixture sufficiently both for hard and soft goods.
In default bereof the mixture will stick to the rollers and then no thorough
incorporation can take place-lumps will be formed and the product will be
spoiled.
.
The same amount of sulphur per pound of rubber which is required for making
soft goods is also required per pound of camphor and kauri employed in the
mixture Thus if one ounce of sulphur is employed as is usual for soft goods for
every pound of rubber one ounce of sulphur must also be employed for every pound
of camphor and kauri used in the mixture.
If a suitable quantity of finely powdered mustard deprived of its oil and husk
that is mustard farina should be added to the mixture of rubber camphor and
sulphur or to rubber camphor kauri and sulphur in their proper proportions as
herein before indicated the quantity will vary according to the consistency required
to be given to the finished compound and in all cases by its use a very superior
compound is obtained. These mixtures require less moistening with gazoline or
benzine than the mixture without the farina as it is less liable to stick to the
rollers.
With regard to the proper temperature and time for vulcanization of hard
goods mixtures great care should be taken to raise the temperature very gradually-
but a shorter time by employing a higher temperature will suffice than is required
for the ordinary hard rubber vulcanization. Four or five hours are all that is
required according to the thickness of the goods while for ordinary hard rubber as
much as thirteen hours are required-The temperature should for the last two hours
be raised as high as up to 312° F and even up to 320° F while for ordinary bard
rubber the utmost is generally 300° F.-For the vulcanization of the soft goods
mixtures embodying my invention it is safe to employ the same time as for the
vulcanization of soft rubber as heretofore manufactured but as a rule less time will
suffice-The temperature should be raised at least to 280° F. and in many cases
even up to 312° F. and 320° F. the latter temperature being approached as
Camphor and kauri predominate in the mixtures.
The improved mixtures berein described when properly compounded can be
worked on the rollers calenders and on rubber machinery in general at a lower
temperature than common rubber mixtures; a great desideratum since the higher
temperature employed for the latter destroys the fibres of the rubber. This lower
temperature varies with the nature of the mixture so that the experienced operator
will understand that the proper temperature cannot be stated here within
reasonable limits.
As rubber goods manufacturing in general is one of those industrial pursuits

page_text: which require great personal experience and skill as well as practice so as to
produce goods of a high quality-it will be readily understood that persons in
order to make high quality goods or even satisfactory goods of the compounds
herein described should not only be men in possession of the above mentioned
qualities and capacities in Rubber Manufacturing but should be men who have
made themselves throughly familiar with the Nature Qualities and Peculiarities
of the new ingredients now for the first time in this Country introduced into rubber
manufacturing I the Inventor-a rubber manufacturer of many years experience
after having discovered the combinations described succeeded only after much
practice in making satisfactory products and I therefore warn the Rubber
Manufacturer who shall try to produce satisfactory goods by following this
specification as his guide that he will only succeed after having made himself
familiar with the nature and peculiarities of the new ingredients and how they
act and behave in the working and manipulations-I warn the manipulator to see
too that not only the rubber used is entirely dry more so than in ordinary rubber
Manufacturing but that the new ingredients are completely deprived of their
water or moisture. As the new compounds require much less heat to be worked
on the different machines than ordinary rubber compounds so he must by experience
and trials find out the best temperatures for the machines as I cannot possibly
give him directions or rules therefor, much as I should wish to do so, as the
different mixtures and compounds (of which there are hundreds for different
goods requiring different qualities and different properties) require to be worked
on the machines at different temperatures. If the heat is too high or too low the
manipulator will not succeed in producing satisfactory goods-experience alone can
tell him the right temperature-If the compounds have been overheated they will
be found to be sticky and difficult to work and will not make satisfactory goods-
if on the contrary the compounds have been subjected to too low a heat on the
machines the material is not sufficiently plastic or pliable and no satisfactory result
will follow. The incorporation of the compounds into rubber on the heated mixing
rollers must take place gradually and be very thorough if good results are to be
expected-It takes less time to work these compounds on the mixing rollers than
ordinary rubber compounds and less heat is required but both heat and time are
dependent upon the different ingredients and the different proportions used-As
a rule a lower heat and less time is required as the new ingredients preponderate
over pure rubber in the mixture and vice versa.
It will be readily understood that I do not restrict myself to the proportions of
mixtures or to any of the periods or temperatures herein before given―The purposes
for which certain goods both hard and soft are destined requiring certain qualities
must of necessity guide the experienced manufacturer and will vary the quantities
of the mixtures used and the manipulations employed according to circumstances.
Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure
by Letters Patent is :-
--
1 The combination of Rubber sulphur and camphor compounded treated and
vulcanized substantially as set forth.
2 In general the use treatment and incorporation into mixtures of India Rubber
gutta percha or an analogous gum of the finely powdered farinas of mustard seed
and of poppy seed linseed &c carefully separated from their oils and husks
substantially as set forth.
3 The use and treatment of the mixture specified in the first claim together
with the farina specified in the second claim substantially as set forth.
4 The use and treatment of gum kauri or an analagous resinous gum in com-
bination with rubber sulphur and camphor in the manner substantially as set forth.
5 The use and treatment of the mixture specified in the fourth claim together
with the farinas deprived of oil and husks specified in the second claim sub-
stantially as set forth.

page_text: 6 The manufacture of articles of the improved mixtures severally specified in
the foregoing first second third fourth and fifth claims substantially as set forth.
Signed Sealed and Delivered by the
Raid Henry Corner (the alterations