IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF OLEAGINOUS, FATTY, OR GELATINOUS SUBSTANCES, PRO PURIFYING, DECOLORIZING, COMPOUNDING, OR CLARIFYING THE SAME
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Pidding, of the Strand; in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE TREATMENT OF OLEAGINOUS, FATTY, OR GELATINOUS SUBSTANCES,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Pidding
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th February 1853.
I, WILLIAM PIDDING, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF OLEAGINOUS, FATTY,
OR GELATINOUS SUBSTANCES, FOR PURIFYING, DECOLORIZING, COMPOUNDING, OR
CLARIFYING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in improvements in the making of soaps
and the treatment of oils and fatty bodies with a view to the bleach-
ing, clarifying, and refining thereof. My improved mode of making
soap consists in first distilling the oils or fats so as to convert

page_text: them into the "fat acids," as they are termed, and then subjecting
them to the action of a carbonated alkali, and subsequently adding
a sufficient quantity of caustic alkali to fit them for use. My improve-
ments in the bleaching, clarifying, and refining of oils or fatty bodies,
consists in allowing them to percolate through filters containing pure
alumina, or hydrate of alumina, or mixtures of hydrates co-mixed
with any substance which renders the alumina or mixture somewhat
adhesive and less dense than it would be if used aloné. To effect
this object, gums finely pulverized, but not soluble, aniseed, oil, or
copal, and sandoric in a similar state, or gutta percha rendered in a
fluid state by heat. Fatty bodies which are solid at the ordinary
temperature must of course be kept liquid by heat during the
operation. I also manufacture what are termed "fancy soaps."
I form "mosaic" soap by putting angular slips or pieces of any size,
or length, or form together, so as to produce variegated patterns,
regular or irregular, and of various colours and shapes of colours.
The conglomerates are then heated sufficiently only to produce a
due adhesion of the surfaces in contact, and form a solid compound
block of soap. In forming patterns of irregular kind, I obtain by
placing variously coloured and shaped pieces of soap together, and
by means of heat, I force the mass into portions, packets, or cakes
for cutting into any definite size or shape. I coat the above cakes
with a transparent varnish or gelatine or collodium, to give them a
slightly glazed surface, improving their appearance, and preserving
the perfumes when such are therein incorporated. I bo il fat
acids, however formed, whatsoever, with carbonated alkali instead
of employing the ordinary method or methods of making soap,
using a small quantity of caustic alkali to fit it for use. To form
which I boil the fat and oiley bodies in contact with metallic oxides
and water, using about four pounds of any cheap metallic oxide to
1 cwt. of the fat or oil. I keep up the boiling until a perfect
combination is effected, and thus the fat acids are formed. The
completeness of the combination of the ingredients may be easily
ascertained by feeling it, as it leaves the compound dry and brittle,
instead of being greasy. I then pour in as much diluted and cheap

page_text: acid as will completely decompose the metallic soap, the boiling
being kept up until the whole fat or oil is separated. The oxides
may be again separated from the acids to be available for the
repetition of the operations above mentioned by any cheap earthly
alkaline substances. The fats or oils may be boiled with lime in
the usual way for the manufacture of candles, and converted with
the fat acids in combination with lime. These may be separated
in the ordinary manner-viz. by sulphuric or other cheap acid.
When separation takes place between the fat acids and the sub-
stances employed in the operation, I stop the boiling, allowing the
material to stand until the fat acids so formed float, when they are
to be pumped or drawn off and submitted to the action of the
carbonated alkali, and then the soap is to be finished or fitted up for
use by means of caustic alkali.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said William Pidding in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 10th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM PIDDING, of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Pidding, Her-spe-
cial licence that I, the said William Pidding, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Pidding,
my 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,

page_text: 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 TREATMENT OF OLEAGENOUS, FATTY, OR GELATINOUS
SUBSTANCES, FOR PURIFYING, DECOLORIZING, COMPOUNDING, OR CLARIFYING THE
SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Pidding, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 William Pidding, 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):
My Invention consists in improvements in the making of soaps,
and the treatment of oils and fatty bodies with a view to the
bleaching, clarifying, and refining thereof. My improved mode of
making soap consists in first distilling the oils or fats so as to
convert them into the "fat acids," as they are termed, and then
subjecting them to the action of a carbonated alkali, and subsequently
adding a sufficient quantity of caustic alkali to fit them for use.
My improvements in the bleaching, clarifying, and refining of oils
or fatty bodies consist in allowing them to percolate through
filters containing pure alumina (that is, hydrate of alumina),
or hydrates commixed with any substance which renders the
alumina or mixture somewhat adhesive and less dense than
it would be if used alone. To effect this object, gums finely
pulverized but not soluble in fatty bodies, copal and sandarach
(usually called gums) in a similar state, or gutta percha rendered in
a fluid state by heat. Fatty bodies which are solid at the ordinary
temperatures, must of course be kept liquid by heat during the
operation. I also manufacture by this my Invention what are termed
"fancy soaps.". I form "mosaic" soap by putting.angular slips or

page_text: pieces of any size, or length, or form together, so as to produce
variegated patterns, regular or irregular, and of various colours and
shapes of colors. The conglomenates are then heated sufficiently
only to produce adhesion of the surfaces in contact, and form a solid
compound block of soap. In forming patterns of irregular kind,
I obtain by placing variously colored and shaped pieces of soap
together, and by means of heat, I force the mass into portions,
packets, or cakes for cutting into any definite size or shape. I
coat the above cakes with a transparent varnish, or gelatine, or.
collodium, to give them a slightly glazed surface, improving their
appearance and preserving the perfumes when such are therein
incorporated. I boil or melt fat acids with carbonated alkali
instead of employing the ordinary methods of making soap, using a
small quantity of caustic alkali, to fit it for use. My mode of
forming such fat acids is to boil the fat and oily bodies in contact
with metallic oxides and water, using about four pounds of any
cheap metallic oxide to 1 cwt. of the fat or oil. I keep up the
boiling until a perfect combination is effected; the fat acids are
consequently formed. The completeness of the combination of the
ingredients may be easily ascertained by feeling the compound, as it
leaves it dry and brittle, instead of being greasy. I then pour in
as much diluted and cheap acid (as sulphuric) as will completely
decompose the metallic soap, the boiling being kept up until the
whole fat or oil is separated. The oxides may be again separated
from the acids to be available for the repetition of the operations
above mentioned by any cheap earthy alkaline substances. The
fats or oils may be boiled with lime in the usual way for the manu-
facture of candles, and converted with the fat acids in combination
with lime; these may be separated in the ordinary manner -
videlicet, by sulphuric or other cheap acid. When separation takes
places between the fat acids and the substances employed in the
operation, I stop the boiling, allowing the materials to stand until
the fat acids so formed float, when they are to be pumped or
drawn off and submitted to the action of the carbonated alkali,

page_text: and then the soap is to be finished or fitted for use by means
of caustic alkali.
In witness whereof, J, the said William Pidding, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
Witness,
JAMES PIDDING,
3, Crown Court,
Threadneedle Street.
W. PIDDING. (L.S.)