IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAD
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alphonse René le Mire de Normandy, of 67, Judd
Street, Brunswick Square, in the County of Middlesex, Analytical
Chemist, and Edward Thornhill Simpson, of the Calder Soap Works,
Wakefield, in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAD"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alphonse René le Mire
de Normandy and Edward Thornhill Simpson at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 16th September
1857.
We, ALPHONSE RENÉ LE MIRE DE NORMANDY, of 67, Judd Street, Bruns-
wick Square, in the County of Middlesex, Analytical Chemist, and EDWARD
THORNHILL SIMPSON, of the Calder Soap Works, Wakefield, in the County of
York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAP," to be as follows:-
We first make soap by boiling tallow, bone fat, lard, palm oil, or any other
suitable fats or oils, all or either of them, with soda lyes in the ordinary
manner known to soap makers, and after having, in technical language, curded

page_text: the soapy mass in the usual way, by means of common salt brine or strong
lyes, the liquor or lyes are allowed to settle for a short time to the bottom of
the soap pan and are pumped or drawn off. We then add to the curded soap
a certain quantity of lye and coco-nut oil, and boil the whole together until it
has become a homogeneous well saponified mass, having the appearance of a
well finished or fitted yellow soap except as to colour; this being done, we
add to the said soapy mass a certain quantity of sulphate, sulphite, or hypo-
sulphite of soda, and boil the whole together and charge the mass into the
frames, whereby we produce a mottled soap of a better consistency than could
be obtained from the same materials in the ordinary way, and without separa-
tion of lyes in the frames, as is generally the case with other processes for
making mottled soap.
Our second improvement is as follows:-When the soap is made in the
usual manner, instead of crutching into it sulphate of soda in the manner well
known to soap makers, we introduce therein a certain quantity of hyposulphite
of soda, which, like the salt just alluded to, imparts to soaps a greater degree
of hardness than they would otherwise possess, without being so liable to
effloresce as is the case with the sulphate, but has, like the sulphite of that
base, the property of removing the chlorine which bleached fabrics have a
tendency to retain, and whereby they are exposed to deterioration.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alphonse René le Mire de Normandy and Edward Thornhill
Simpson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALPHONSE
RENÉ LE MIRE DE NORMANDY, of 67, Judd Street, Brunswick Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Analytical Chemist, and EDWARD THORNHILL SIMPSON,
of the Calder Soap Works, Wakefield, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Alphonse René le Mire de Normandy and Edward Thornhill Simpson,
Her special licence that we, the said Alphonse Rene le Mire de Normandy
and Edward Thornhill Simpson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Alphonse Rene le Mirè de Normandy and Edward

page_text: Thornhill Simpson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAP," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Alphonse Rene le Mirè de Normandy and Edward Thornhill Simpson,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or
their hands and seals, or under the band and seal of one of us or them,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alphonse Rene le Mire de Normandy,
on behalf of myself and the said Edward Thornhill Simpson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
We first make soap by boiling tallow, bone fat, lard, palm oil, or any other
suitable fats or oils with soda leys in the ordinary manner known to soap
makers, and after having, in technical language, curded the soapy mass in the
usual way, by means of common salt or strong leys or brine, the liquor or
leys are allowed to settle for a short time to the bottom of the soap pan and
are pumped or drawn off. We then add to the curded soap a certain quantity
of ley and cocoa-nut oil, and boil the whole together until it has become a
homogeneous well saponified mass, having the appearance of a well finished or
"fitted "yellow soap except as to colour; this being done, we add to the said
soapy mass a certain quantity of sulphate, sulphite, or hyposulphite of soda,
and boil the whole together, whereby we produce a mottled soap of a better
consistency than could be obtained from the same materials in the ordinary
way and without separation of leys in the frames, as is generally the case with
other processes for making mottled soaps.
Our second improvement is as follows:-When soap is made in the usual
manner, instead of crutching into it sulphate of soda in the manner well
known to soap makers, we introduce therein a certain quantity of hyposulphite
of soda, which, like the sulphate just alluded to, imparts to soaps a greater
degree of hardness than they would otherwise possess, without being so liable
to effloresce as is the case with sulphate of soda, but has, like the sulphite of

page_text: that base, the property of removing the chlorine which bleached fabrics have a
tendency to retain, and whereby they are exposed to deterioration.
Having thus stated the nature of our said Invention, we will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
In producing mottled soap according to the first part of our Invention, we
take any desired quantity of tallow, bone, fat, lard, palm oil, or any other of
the fats or oils used in soap making, either separately or combined, and boil
them with a lye or solution of caustic soda to convert such quantity into soap
in the manner well known to soap manufacturers. The lye is then separated
from the soap by the use of salt or brine, as is well understood, thereby
forming a curd. After being allowed to remain a short time the lye will
settle to the bottom of the boiler. This lye is to be drawn off and replaced by
a quantity of fresh lye. A quantity of cocoa-nut oil is next to be added to the
previously made curd, and the whole contents of the boiler are to be boiled till
quite saponified, a quantity of sulphate, or sulphite, or byposulphite of soda
previously dissolved in water is then to be added, and the whole boiled for a
few hours, till the soap has the appearance of finely finished yellow soap except
as to colour; it is then ready to be transferred to the frames and there allowed
to cool. Black manganese, ultramarine blue, or other coloring matters used
by perfumers for making marbled soaps may be added during the process
of boiling, according to the variety of color desired to be obtained. The pro-
portions of the above matters may be varied, but we prefer the following
combination: For each 112 lbs. of palm oil or other oil or fat made into soap
as above described we add to the curd 56 lbs. of cocoa-nut oil, and 112 lbs. of
caustic soda lye, 30° Twaddell, and 20 lbs. of solution of sulphate, or sulphite,
or byposulphite of soda at about 52° Twaddell's hydrometer.
In carrying out the second part of our Invention, we make a quantity of
soap in the ordinary manner, and as if intending to crutch in a quantity of
sulphate of soda, as has heretofore been practised, and as is well understood,
and in place thereof we crutch in a like quantity of the hyposulphite of soda,
which will be found to impart to the soap a greater degree of hardness than it
would otherwise have, per se, with less liability to effloresce than when sulphate
of soda is similarly employed, and although the proportions may be varied, we
prefer to add for every ton of soap at the rate of 1 or 2 cwts. of hyposulphite
of soda dissolved in as little hot water as possible, or melted by ordinary
steam.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that what we claim is the

page_text: making of a soap resulting from the combination of cocoa-nut oil, lye, and
curded soap, mixed with sulphate, sulphite, or hyposulphite of soda; and also
the use of hyposulphite of soda with soap, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alphonse René le Mire de Normandy,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
GEO. PITT.
A. NORMANDY. (L.S.)