IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HYDRATED PEROXYD OF IRON AND VARIOUS COLOURS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frank Wirth, of the Firm of Wirth and Company, Patent
Solicitors, at Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the Empire of Germany, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HYDRATED PEROXYD
OF IRON AND VARIOUS COLOURS." A communication from Richard Steinau
& Charles Steinau, Engineers, persons resident in the City of Brunswick, in
the Empire of Germany.
Sealed the 19th March 1878, and dated the 19th October 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frank Wirth at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th October 1877.
FRANK WIRTH, of the Firm of Wirth and Company, Patent Solicitors, at Frank-
fort-on-the-Main, in the Empire of Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF HYDRATED PEROXYD OF IRON AND VARIOUS COLOURS." [A com-
munication from Richard Steinau and Charles Steinau, Engineers, persons resident
in the City of Brunswick, in the Empire of Germany.]
This Invention consists of a novel method of producing hydrated peroxide of iron,
and of manufacturing from the same red, yellow, brown, and black colours, and
different shades of these colours. For this purpose we use novel mechanical means,
scrap iron being treated with running water and at the same time exposed to the
influence of atmospheric air, so that the desired products are obtained direct without
the addition of a hydrated combination of protoxide and oxide.
The object of our Invention is to produce a preparation of iron containing
colouring matters of unusual purity and quality, as well as iron oxides free from
salts and acids.
Heretofore the above-mentioned colours have either been obtained in their natural
state by mining, or have been manufactured from the secondary products or refuse
of chemical works, but in both cases the products are more or less impure, and have
not the desired strength of colour.
In order to obtain the purest colours it is necessary that they should be produced

page_text: from the purest materials, and to be produced economically they must be manu-
factured without the use of acids. For this purpose we use the oxygen of the air, to
produce a strong and sufficient oxidation of the iron, and our present Invention
consists of improved methods of doing this, not by a chemical process alone, but by
a combination with such process of mechanical arrangements by which water is
made to circulate or move in such a manner that air can have sufficient access to
operate at intervals upon the iron for the purpose of completing its oxidation. We
prefer to employ wrought-iron scraps, such as the shavings from turning lathes,
which present an extended surface to the water and to the air, and on account of
their structure allow free access through them to both. In order to obtain from
such iron scraps an oxide as free as possible from protoxide we arrange a box or
chamber somewhat resembling the "jigging" apparatus used for washing metallic
ores. This chamber consists of two separate compartments connected together below
and filled with water. One of these compartments contains near its upper open part
a horizontal screen or sieve, upon which the iron fragments are placed, whilst the
other compartment is fitted with a moveable piston or plunger, by working which
backward and forward by any suitable power the water can be made to rise and
fall through the sieve or screen and the iron scrap.
In
The quantity of water and the length of stroke of the piston are so proportioned
that when the piston is at one end of its stroke the scrap iron is covered with
water, but when at the other end of its stroke the iron is free from the water.
one direction therefore the water is forced through the fragments of iron, and in the
other direction the water is withdrawn, and air following, it has free access to the
whole of the wet surface of the fragments, causing a powerful oxidation, the
hydrated oxide thus formed being washed off by the water.
When the piston has worked in the way described for a sufficient time we stop
its action in order to allow the hydrated oxide formed, as described, to sink and
settle at the bottom of the chamber, from which it is then discharged, together with
the water, through one or more suitable valves. The apparatus is then refilled with
water, and the piston being set in motion the process is repeated as often as
necessary.
The water and hydrated oxide produced, as above described, are passed into a
receiving box or trough having a sufficient number of ridges or sunken grooves on
its bottom into which the impure particles fall, and the remaining products flow
from this trough into a suitable receiving vessel, where they are freed from water by
filtration and pressure.
The cakes of material thus obtained are placed in a drying chamber, and when
dry they consist of pure hydrated oxide, from which the different colours already
mentioned are manufactured. The hydrated oxide of iron thus obtained may be
used direct for the manufacture of yellow colours.
For red colours it must be converted into oxide of iron, and all impurities must
be removed. For this purpose we calcine it in an oven at a sufficient temperature,
and we then admit atmospheric air to it in the heating furnace.
In order to obtain black we heat the material in a furnace from which
atmospheric air is excluded, and we introduce one or more de-oxidizing sub-
stances, such as coal or sulphur.
Brown and different shades of colour are produced by only partially heating the
material, or by mixing together the different colours, red, yellow, and black.
In order to render fit for sale the oxide of iron prepared as above described, we
prefer to mix with it a sufficient quantity of carbonate of lime, and when required
for use the colours are treated in the ordinary way by being ground and sifted.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frank Wirth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th April
1878.
FRANK WIRTH, of the Firm of Wirth and Company, Patent Solicitors, of Frank-
fort-on-the-Main, in the Empire of Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF HYDRATED PEROXYD OF IRON AND VARIOUS COLOURS." A com-
munication from Richard Steinau and Charles Steinau, Engineers, persons resident
in the City of Brunswick, in the Empire of Germany.
This Invention consists of a novel method of producing hydrated peroxide of iron,
and of manufacturing from the same red, yellow, brown, and black colours, and
different shades of such colours. For this purpose we employ novel mechanical
means by which scrap iron is treated with water, running or in motion, and is at
the same time exposed to the influence of atmospheric air, so that the desired pro-
ducts are obtained direct and without any hydrated combination of protoxide and
peroxide.
The object of our Invention is to produce a preparation of iron containing
colouring matters of a purity and quality better than usual, as well as iron
peroxides free from salts and acids.
Heretofore the above-named colours have either been obtained in their natural
state by the process of mining, or have been manufactured from the secondary pro-
ducts or refuse of chemical works, but in both these cases the products are more or
less impure, and have not the desired strength of colour.
In order to obtain the colours in the greatest purity it is necessary that they
should be produced from the purest materials, and in order to obtain them econo-
mically they must be manufactured without the aid of acids. We therefore employ
the oxygen of the air for the purpose of producing a strong and sufficient oxidation
of the iron, and the present Invention consists of an improved method of doing this,
not by a chemical process alone, but by a combination with such process of mechanical
arrangements or apparatus by which water is made to circulate or move in contact
with the iron in such a manner that air can have sufficient access to operate at
intervals upon the iron for the purpose of completing the oxidation of the latter.
We prefer to use the iron in the form of wrought-iron scraps, such as the shavings
from turning lathes, which present an extended surface to the water and to the air,
and on account of their structure allow free access through them to both. In order
to obtain from such iron scraps an oxide as free as possible from protoxide, a tank
or chamber is arranged of a kind somewhat similar to that sometimes used for
washing or jigging metallic ores. This chamber consists of two separate compart-
ments connected together below and filled with water. One of these compartments
contains near its upper open part a horizontal screen or sieve upon which the iron
fragments are placed, whilst the other compartiment is fitted with a moveable piston
or plunger, by causing which to reciprocate by any suitable power the water
can be made to rise and fall through the screen or sieve and the iron scrap placed
upon it.
The quantity of water and the length. of stroke of the piston are so proportioned
that when the latter is at one end of its stroke the scrap iron is covered with water,
whilst at the other end the iron is free from the water. In one direction therefore
the water is forced through the fragments of iron, and in the other direction the
water is withdrawn, and air following it, has free access to the whole of the wet
surface of the fragments, thus causing a powerful oxidation of the latter, the hydrated
peroxide formed being washed off by the water.
When the piston or plunger has worked in the way described for a sufficient time
its action is stopped in order to allow the hydrated peroxide formed as described to
sink and settle at the bottom of the chamber, from which it is then discharged,
together with the water, through one or more suitable openings or valves. The

page_text: apparatus is then refilled with water, and the piston or plunger being set in motion
the process is repeated as often as necessary.
The water and hydrated peroxide discharged from the machine, as above described,
are passed into a receiving box or trough having a sufficient number of ridges or
sunken grooves in its bottom into which the impure particles fall, whilst the
remaining products flow from the trough into a suitable receiving vessel, where they
are freed from water by filtration and pressure.
The accompanying Drawing is in illustration of the apparatus above described.
Figure 1 is a transverse section; Figure 2, a longitudinal section; and Figure 3, a
plan.
A is the tank divided into two parts a and b. In thepart b the scrap iron is placed
upon the screen c (as shewn in Figure 1), and in the part a the piston d is fitted
and is made to work up and down by any suitable power by the rods e, e, e, working
through guides f. ff. The valves g, g, allow the water and hydrated peroxide to be
discharged from the tank and to pass into the trough h, down which the lighter and
purer products pass into the receiving vessel i.
The cakes of material obtained in the way described are placed in a drying
chamber, and when dry they consist of pure hydrated peroxide of iron, from which
the different colours already mentioned are manufactured. This pure hydrated
peroxide of iron may be used direct for the manufacture of yellow colours.
For red colours it must be converted into peroxide of iron, and all impurity must
be removed. For this purpose it is calcined in an oven at a sufficient temperature,
and atmospheric air is then admitted to it in the heating furnace.
In order to obtain black the material
atmospheric air is excluded, and one or
coal or sulphur, are introduced.
is heated in a furnace from which
more de-oxidising substances, such as
Brown and different shades of colour are produced by only partially heating the
material, or by mixing together the different colours, red, yellow, and black.
In order to render fit for sale the peroxide of iron, prepared as above described,
we prefer to mix with it a sufficient quantity of carbonate of lime; and when
required for use the different colours are prepared and treated in the ordinary way
by being ground and sifted.
Having now described the Invention, and the manner in which it is to be per-
formed, I claim,-
The method of and apparatus for producing hydrated peroxide of iron, substan-
tially as described, and shown in the Drawing.
Also the method of oxidizing scrap iron by its intermittent covering with water
and exposure to the action of atmospheric air alternately, substantially as described,
and shewn in the Drawing.
Also the method of producing the colours, red, yellow, brown, and black, and
their different shades, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frank Wirth, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this First day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-eight.
FRANK WIRTH. (LS.)