IMPROVE- MENTS IN PROCESS AND COMPOUND TO BE USED IN REFINING METALS AND METALLIC ALLOYS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Alfred Barlow of 6 St. Pauls' Churchyard in the
City of London Patent Agent and Engineer for an invention of IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PROCESS AND COMPOUND TO BE USED IN REFINING METALS AND
METALLIC ALLOYS". A communication from abroad by John Leonhard Seyboth
of Vienna Austria
ン
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Alfred Barlow at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th April 1882.
$
WALTER ALFRED BARLOW of 6 St. Pauls Churchyard in the City of London
Patent Agent and Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCESS AND COMPOUND TO BE
USED IN REFINING METALS AND METALLIC ALLOYS," a communication from abroad
by John Leonhard Seyboth of Vienna Austria
The object of this Invention is to purify and improve metals and metal com-
positions by adding to them while in a molten state salts suited for this purpose
closely mixed with charcoal in certain proportions.
This compound may be shaped or pressed into balls, blocks, bricks cakes or bars
of the proper weight, suited for certain quantities of metal to be purified.
This compound may be formed either with Kalium, Natrium or Phosphor as the
principal ingredient and is produced in the following manner:
.
1. With kalium, The common potash of commerce is steeped with cold water
for several days during which time it should be frequently stirred; the clear
solution is filtered boiled down and mixed with fresh powdered charcoal in pro-
portion of one quarter by weight of the potash. Now this mixture is subjected.
to a gentle heat (for several hours) till a thick paste is formed which is either by
hand or by a suitable machine formed into the said balls, blocks, bricks cakes or
bars of a certain weight. (The best suited weight being 0.4 lbs a piece of this
weight serving as addition for 20 lbs of metal or metallic composition
In place of charcoal, paper pulp or cellulose may be employed and the whole
may be ground in the hydraulic press or the mass may be ground to powder and
used in packages of the proper weight as indicated above

page_text: The compound is applied in the following manner:
About one fourth of the
metal to be melted is placed upon the bottom of the crucible heated in the usual
manner and melted. Now according to the quantity of metal to be purified, a
certain number of such packages, balls, blocks, bricks cakes or bars of the compound
is added and after stirring the metal, a shovelful of powdered charcoal is thrown in
and subsequently the rest of the metal put into the crucible; after being melted
it is stirred thoroughly, skimmed and poured out.
The metals treated in this manner show a fine fibrous fracture and are of
uncommon toughness, density and elasticity.
The chemical process the metal undergoes is the following: In the first place
the (purified) carbonate of potassium loses through the influence of the heat its
carbonic acid and oxide of potassium with carbon remains. The layer of carbonic
acid on top of the metal prevents the latter from absorbing oxygen which in the
common melting process takes place in such high degree; the carbonic acid being
the heavier keeps away the lighter oxygen.
Part of the carbon reduces the oxides contained in the metal into molten metal
while another part of the carbon acts to decompose the oxide of potassium and
Kalium in the nascent state combines with the deoxidized metal. The carbon
finally burns with the oxygen of the metallic oxide into carbonic oxide and
carbonic acid.
2. With Natrium The process and applications for this compound are the same
as with Kalium with the only difference that instead of potash anhydrous soda is
employed.
3. With phosphor. The acid phosphate of lime, as obtained from animal charcoal
in the usual manner, is closely mixed with carbon (the same as the Kalium in
former compound) this mixture is subsequently heated or roasted in order to
obtain non-deliquescent meta-phosphate of lime from the acid phosphate of lime.
The dried product should be used in the proportion of 0.68 parts by weight to
10 parts of metal and the latter will then contain one per cent. of phosphor.
The compound is added to metal the same way as that of Kalium or Natrium
only according to the percentage of phosphor the metal is intended to contain the
quantity added varies. By the heat of the molten metal part of the carbon
(similar to the case of kalium or natrium compound) abstracts the oxygen from
the metallic oxides and the other part from the phosphoric acid. Phosphor is
formed which in the nascent state, closely combines with the metal while the
carbon is burnt as before.
By this process phosphuretted metal is obtained in a much cheaper and more
rational way than by the process heretofore employed viz, To produce by an
expensive process a high graded phosphuret of copper or tin and to use the one
or the other for phosphuretted compositions. The loss of phosphor increases with
the number of times the phosphuret is melted and with the quantity of phosphuret
the finished metal is intended to contain and thus it has by the old process never
been possible to obtain an exact and cheap result

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Walter Alfred Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th October 1882.
WALTER ALFRED BARLOW of 6 St Paul's Church-yard in the City of London
Patent Agent and Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCESS AND COMPOUND TO BE
USED IN REFINING METALS AND METALLIC ALLOYS A communication from abroad
by John Leonhard Seyboth of Vienna Austria
"
The object of this invention is to purify and improve metals and metallic
compounds by adding to them while in the molten state certain salts mixed in
suitable proportions with charcoal cellulose or paper pulp from which salts their
respective metals or metalloids such as Kalium, Natrium, phosphor, Boron,
manganese, chrome or silicium are formed in the melting heat of the metals
to be purified while the impurities are carried to the top of the crucible or auto-
matically skimmed off as it were by à pan inserted for this purpose to be herein-
after described.
According to the metal or metalloid to be employed in this purifying process the
latter varies as follows:-
a, with Kalium-The common potash of commerce is steeped with cold water
(in about equal proportions for several days during which time it should be
frequently stirred; the clean solution is filtered boiled down and mixed with fresh
powdered charcoal in proportion of one quarter by weight of the potash-Now this
mixture is subjected to a gentle heat (for several days) till a thick paste is formed
which either by hand or by a suitable machine is formed into ball blocks, bricks.
cakes or bars of a certain weight. The best suited weight being about 0.4 lbs
avoirdupois. A piece of this weight serving as addition for 20 lbs of metal or
metallic composition
In place of charcoal paper pulp or cellulose may be employed and the whole may
be formed under the hydraulic press or the mass may be ground to powder and used
in packages of the proper weight as indicated above
With Natrium-The process here is the same as above with the difference
that instead of potash anhydrous soda is employed (carbinate of sodium).
c. With phosphor-The hydrophosphate of calcium as obtained from animal
charcoal is closely mixed with charcoal-The dried product is used in proportion of
068 parts by weight to 10 parts of metal to be purified and improved which after
undergoing the above process will contain one per cent of phosphor.
The mixture must be well heated or roasted in order to obtain non-deliquescent
metaphosphate of lime from the hydrophosphate of calcium-According to the per-
centage of phosphor the metal is intended to contain the quantity of the mixture
to be added may be varied. By this process phosphuretted metal is produced in a
much cheaper and more rational way than by the process heretofore employed viz:
To produce by an expensive process a high grade phosphuret of copper or tin
and to use the one or the other for phosphuretted compositions-As the loss of
phosphor increases with the number of times the phosphuret is melted and with
the quantity of phosphor the finished metal is intended to contain it has by the
said process never been possible to obtain an exact and cheap result.
d-With chrome-Protoxyde of chromium is mixed with one quarter by weight
of charcoal and then treated in the same manner as above described for Kalium
according to formula a.
e-With manganese-The protoxide of manganese (manganose) is treated in the
same manner before described for chrome according to d.

page_text: f. With silicium-Fluo-silicate of potassa is mixed in equal proportions with the
finished Kalium mixture as described above according to a.
9. With Boron Boracic acid and phosphoric acid in equal quantities are mixed
with one fourth part of charcoal and treated as above described.
In a similar way any metal salt that may be reduced at the melting heat unto
an easily oxidized metal either by being mixed with carbon as according to
formulae, a b, c, d e and g or with Kalium and Natrium according to ƒ can be
employed for forming metallic alloys.
The following method for their employment is considered the most simple and
advantageous
The proper number of balls or packages of either of the compounds above
described is placed in a pan or shell with perforated bottom and sides, the best and
cheapest receptacles for this purpose being the cut off bottoms of old crucibles.
This pan containing the compound is placed at the bottom of the crucible and the
pieces of metal to be melted and put on top of said pan-After the metal has been
melted the pan now containing all the residue and and impurities will rise to the
surface and may be lifted or skimmed off automatically by means of a knife blade
or ladle thus leaving the metal perfectly pure.
In the compounds mentioned at a and b the potash or the carbonate of sodium
respectively by the influence of the melting heat of the metal loose their carbonic
acid as the heavier layer protects the metal against the lighter oxygen of the air
which otherwise it would absorb. Part of the carbon reduces the oxides contained
in the metal into molten metal while another part, acts to decompose the oxide of
potassium or the protoxide of sodium respectively and Kalium or Natrium in the
nascent-state combines with the deoxydised metal. In like manner the reduction
of phosphoric acid by the carbon takes place according to c. whilst that of the
protoxide of chromiuni takes place according to d and of the protoxide of manganese
according to e while according to f the kalium obtained from the Kalium mixture
combines, in place of the silicium of the fluo-silicate of potassa with the fluoride
of potassium according to g the phosphoric acid is first by the carbon reduced
into phosphor, which as such in the nascent state reduces the boracic acid into
boron. In place of the potash according to a and the soda or carbonate of sodium
at b the corresponding supertartrates may be employed by carbonizing them and
mixing them with charcoal and likewise according to c where in place of the
hydrophosphate of calcium phosphoric acid may be used which is best obtained
from animal charcoal by an excess of sulphuric acid
Having thus described the nature of the said invention I claim. Firstly-The
production of Kalium Natrium, phosphor, Boron, manganese chrome or silicium
from their corresponding salts or combinations which when closely mixed with
charcoal cellulose or paper pulp are added in certain determined proportions to
metals or metal compositions during their melting process for the purpose of their
direct purification and improvement as herein set forth
Secondly The herein described automatic arrangement for skimming the
impurities and residues off the molten metals treated as set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Walter Alfred Barlow have hereunto set my
hand and seal this sixteenth-day of October in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.