IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER AND GUTTA PERCHA COMPOUNDS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lucius Henry Norris, of No. 6, Upper Bedford
Place, Russell Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER AND GUTTA
PERCHA COMPOUNDS."-A communication from abroad by Lyman Holl,
residing at No. 10, Rue Vendome, Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 15th March 1864, and dated the 26th September 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lucius Henry Norris
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th September 1863.
I, LUCIUS HENRY NORRIS, of No. 6, Upper Bedford Place. Russell Square,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER AND GUTTA PERCHA
COMPOUNDS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its objectimprovements in the manufacture of india-
rubber and gutta percha compounds. For this purpose waste vulcanized india-
rubber is reduced to powder,and is mixed or combined with purified gutta
percha and with tar; good results are obtained by mixing about 30lbs. of
cleaned gutta percha with 60 lbs.of waste vulcanized india-rubber and 10lbs.
of tar. This compound may be submitted to heat or mechanical manipulation
or both combined, thereby bringing the mixture into a homogeneous mass, if
subjected to heat alone then to the extent of about 200° Fahrenheit. The
027

page_text: product is next combined or mixed with sulphur, hydrocarbons, lead,
magnesia, chalk, with or without coloring or other matters, and subjected
to heat to produce the change whether for vulcanization or for the hard
or semi-hard or elastic compounds Or the cold process may be resorted to
by the employment of bisulphite of carbon, with or without bromine or
chlorine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Lucius Henry Norris in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th March 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LUCIUS
HENRY NORRIS, of No. 6, Upper Bedford Place, Russell Square,in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our
LordOne thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Lucius Henry Norris, Her special licence that I, the said
Lucius Henry Norris, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Lucius Henry Norris, my executors, administrators
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and 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 INDIA-RUBBER
GUTTA PERCHA COMPOUNDS," a communication to me from abroad by Lyman Holl,
a person resident at No.10,Rue Vendome, Paris, in the Empire of France, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Lucius Henry Norris, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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.
AND
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Lucius Henry Norris, 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 :-

page_text: The Invention consists in combining valcanized india-rubber waste with
gutta percha and tar, and such manufacture may be further combined with
such compound or mauufacture. Other ingredients, such as native india-
rubber, sulphur; lead, magnesia, chalk, also coloring and other matters,
according to the purposes to which the several manufactures thus produced
are to be applied, and some of such compounds may be converted by heat
in order to produce permanently elastic articles or articles of what is known
as vulcanite, ebonite, or hard compounds of india-rubber and gutta percha.
The proportions in which gutta percha, vulcanized india-rubber waste, and
tar may be usefully combined can be greatly varied, depending on the
nature of the articles to be made from the new compound. In some cases
the quantity of vulcanized india-rubber waste may greatly preponderate over
the quantity of gutta percha, in other cases the quantity of gutta percha
may greatly preponderate over the vulcanized india-rubber waste. When
the articles made from the compound are to be vulcanized, whether by
heat or by what is known as the cold process, it is desirable that a larger
quantity of waste, together with native india-rubber, should be employed,
and when heat is to be resorted to in converting the compound' additional
sulphur is to be added. When articles are to be vulcanized, it is pre-
ferred that oxide of lead (litharge) should be added to the compound, or
in place thereof carbonite of lead. Where weight and bulk are desired with
cheapness, particularly when the articles are not to be vulcanized,chalk may
be added. Where bulk with comparative lightness is desired, magnesia
may be added; and as a general rule it should be understood that although
such or other foreign matters and coloring matters may be added they
tend to prejudice the effect of vulcanization in proportion to the extent of
their use.
Supposing the compound is intended to bespread on to fabrics,orforcoating
belting for driving machinery, the following is a good compound:-
30lbs. gutta percha,as free from wood and other impurities as maybe
and formed into shavings or thin sheets or cuttings.
60lbs. of vulcanized india-rubber waste reduced to powder.
15lbs. of tar, Stockholm by preference.
These are to be well mixed and blended by a masticating machine or
otherwise, as is well understood in manufacturing compounds of india-
rubber.

page_text: These ingredients are to be mixedandcombined withthepreviouscompound,
and then made into the desired articles,and then converted or vulcanized by
heat in the ordinary manner.
If it be desired that the articles to be made should possess greater
elasticity, then native india-rubber and additional sulphur should be added
to the compound, according to the degree of elasticity desired to be
obtained..
The original compound of gutta percha waste,vulcanized india-rubber, and
tar is applicable for various purposes, amongst others to the coating and in-
sulating of telegraphic wires,inwhichvulcanizing isnotnecessary; butarticles
may be made of the first mentioned or original compound, and subjected to
heat without additional sulphur, but it is generally preferred to add a small
quantity of sulphur.
Articles of the original compound may be converted by the process known
as the cold process; using bisulphite of carbon, with or without bromine or
chlorine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lucius Henry Norris, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
LUCIUS H. NORRIS. (L.S.)