IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORKS, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jules Salleron, of No. 24, Rue Pavée, Paris,
in the Republic of France, Cork Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORKS, AND IN THE APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN.”
Sealed the 1st August 1873, and dated the 11th February 1873.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Jules Salleron at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 11th February 1873, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULES
SALLERON, of No. 24, Rue Pavée, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Cork Manufacturer, send greeting.
"
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORKS, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,'
and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and

page_text: to a pressure of six to seven atmospheres in a liquid, such as pure or
alcoholised water. This apparatus represented in Figure 12 is con-
structed of a metal reservoir A, having at O, O', openings for introducing
the cork. m is a steam gauge; P, a pump for drawing in the liquid
through the small tube F and forcing it through the small tube T; R is
a discharge cock. This apparatus may be modified and replaced by any
other that will allow the testing of the cork by submitting it to a strong
pressure in any suitable liquid, so as to be able to judge of its quality as
I will now proceed to describe. Thus if I withdraw at the expiration
of an hour the cork or the corks which have been submitted to this
operation in water the corks will be found of a bad quality (that is to
say, formed of large cellules and poor in resinous principle) if they are
covered with marbling and blackish spots. These spots are formed by
the soft or porous veins which have been penetrated by the liquid, and
are moistened. The cork in this state becomes brown, of a mahogany
colour, like a sponge which has been wetted; besides the corks are stiff,
channeled, and have veins, and these soft veins have sunk whilst the
others have resisted. If in this test I replace ordinary water by
alcoholised water the same pressure will produce in the same time the
larger spots. If the water contains twelve or thirteen per cent. of
alcohol, such as wine, a few minutes will suffice for producing these
spots. Brandy or pure alcohol will imbibe and blacken the cork in a
few moments in consequence of its dissolving action on the resin of the
cork, which permits of its entering into its pores and completely
softening it.
Cork of good quality submitted to this test is scarcely marked by the
alcoholised water at twelve or thirteen per cent. even when the pressure
is kept up during several hours, the channels or lines not becoming at
all visible.
Having thus described my means and apparatus for testing cork, I
will now proceed to describe, firstly, my improved mode of manu-
facturing new corks for sparkling wines or other gaseous liquids;
secondly, the manufacture of corks for ordinary wines and other
liquids.
The first object which I propose is to manufacture corks for champagne
bottles with cork cut in pieces of about one-third to one-half of an inch

page_text: in size, and grouped together in the direction and in the manner herein-
after described. Looking at a cork at the end introduced into the bottle
the hard veins will be seen as represented by the lines a, b, a¹, b', a", bu,
Figure 1, whilst the soft veins occupy the intermediate spaces.
It will be understood that the wine in forcing its way between the
cork and the glass will compress the intermediate veins and hollow them
into channels C¹, C', Figure 2, which will allow the liquid and the gas to
pass out, whereas the parts A, B, Figure 2, of the circumference formed
of a hard vein does not bend or channel. It is these parts which form
the back and the front of the cork. It will thus be seen that a cork for
a champagne bottle should have its circumference formed of hard veins,
in other words the pieces forming it should present the front of the cork
to the circumference of the cork or stopper.
The following examples will shew the application of the process :-
Figure 3 shows a sheet of cork seen through its thickness. The
horizontal lines which furrow its entire length represent the colored
veins separating each layer. The back is at the lower part, the front at
the top.
The triangle A represents a piece of cork cut to an angle of one hundred
and twenty degrees; three similar pieces united form a round cork,
Figure 4. B is a rectangular triangle, which, united to three other
similar pieces, form a cork of four parts, Figure 5. The piece C is a
sixth of a circle in circumference; six similar pieces form a cork,
Figure 6. D and E are two rectangular pieces, which being united,
two and two, form the cork or stopper, Figure 7. These combinations
may be varied ad infinitum, and the corks may be made of pieces of any
suitable form, provided the circumference be formed of fronts or backs,
and thus constitute a surface of hard veins. By this arrangement the
hard layers of the cork will bear considerable pressure, care being taken
to cut and group the pieces of cork so that these veins shall form an arch
so as to produce a mutual support.
The pieces of cork, Figure 8, being compressed in the direction A, G,
and in the direction of their thickness, are soft and malleable, and all
the soft veins flatten one on the other, whilst if they are compressed in
the direction A, B, or A, D, they are harder in consequence of the
resistance of the small and thick cellular veins. The ordinary cork

page_text: stoppers, Figure 9, being cut out of the bark are thus soft in the
direction A, C, and hard in the direction D, F, and D, B. Thus in the
pieces of cork herein-before described, Figures 4, 5, and 6, the hard
veins abut arch wise, and support each other at angles of one hundred
and twenty degrees, ninety degrees, sixty degrees, and so on.
In Figure 7 the arcs A, B, A', B¹, resist in the direction of their
length, and the two rectangles D, D, in a perpendicular direction, from
which I obtain a medium resistance, insuring for the corks the required
incompressibility.
Figure 10 shews a central square, round which are closely placed four
thin bands of cork a, b, c, d, grouped in such a manner that the front
of the cork may be at the exterior; the cork or stopper thus formed is
very supple, and egresses easily from the bottle without spots or
channels. The central core A may be cut out of an ordinary cork, and
the four sides a, b, c, d, out of a square or rough cork, and thus form a
cork of ordinary dimensions. I can also employ for the central core A
cork of an inferior quality with large cells and of a slightly resinous
nature, provided that the sides a, b, c, d, are of good quality and of a
sufficient thickness to preserve the central core. When these pieces are
once cut it is then necessary to cement them together. The cement
which I prefer employing consists of pure india-rubber of the quality
known as 66
para" dissolved in ether or in a volatile hydrocarbon, such
as benzine, essence of petroleum, or in sulphuret of carbon. I apply
two coats of this solution on the surface to be attached as soon as this
dissolvent has evaporated; the india-rubber alone remains pure and
without smell. I place the pieces to be united one on the other, and
strongly compress them by any known suitable mechanism; the adhesion
is thus made perfect.
Instead of manufacturing the corks of the ordinary length for the
sake of economy, and with the view of allowing string to enter into the
cork without affecting its attached surface, I prefer that these united
pieces should be about one inch to one and a half inches in height, and
I cement a disk of cork D above them to form the head of the cork,
Figure 11.

page_text: I will now describe my means and processes of manufacturing corks
or stoppers for wine or ordinary liquids, applicable to all kinds of vessels
containing vegetable and animal substances.
I use the thin bark, and cement two pieces together, taking care to
unite the two sides of the bark one against the other in order to leave
outside the front side, which is always the finest and less punctured.
For large stoppers for fruit bottles or jars I unite the number of
pieces of bark necessary to obtain the required dimensions.
Corks of second quality perforated and broken are very common, and
are sold at a low price, they may be converted into corks of a good
quality by the following process:-I cement all round the cork or
stopper A, Figure 13, a sheet of very thin cork a, b, similar to that
employed for lining men's hats, and cut out of pieces of cork parallel to
their hard veins. An ordinary cork completely surrounded by a sheet
of this kind thus presents on all its surface a continuous front, and does
not present any soft veins which can become hollow; besides which the
holes and fissures which harbour insects, mycoderms or parasites, giving
rise to a corky taste are stopped by the layer envelopping it, by which
the production of any unpleasant smell is prevented. The two ends of
the cork are also covered with a sheet of cork cut through perpendicularly
to the height of the sheets, so that the appearance of the covered stopper
is exactly the same as the ordinary stopper.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best
manner I am acquainted with of carrying the same into effect, I wish
it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details
herein-before stated, as the same may be varied without departing from
the principle of my Invention, but what I claim is,—
First. The improved apparatus and method for ascertaining the quality
of rough or manufactured cork, as herein-before described and repre.
sented in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The juxtaposition of several pieces of cork and the mode of
arranging the same for manufacturing corks or stoppers, as hercin-before
described.
Thirdly. The mode of cementing or attaching pieces of cork by means
of a solution of dry india-rubber by simple pressure, as herein-before

page_text: Fourthly. The mode of covering common corks or stoppers with cork
of a good quality, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jules Salleron, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.