Improvements in the Method of and Means for Manufacturing Soap.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 15th June, 1892-Accepted, 16th July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for
Manufacturing Soap.
I, JOSEF CATHREIN of Salzburg, Austria, Gentleman do hereby declare the
nature of this invention. to be as follows:-
The invention has for its object to incorporate mineral oils in hard (curd) and
other soaps in considerable proportions and in such a manner that the mineral oil
forms a compound readily soluble in water, and that, even when the soap is boiled
in water for some time, no mineral oil will separate out therefrom.
This invention is based upon the discovery that mineral oils, though they will not
combine with fatty acids, yet will combine with the salts of fatty acids and wich
oleates if a suitable quantity of alkalis
present or is added.
T
The following process may be employed in effecting the object of this
invention.
:
To an alkali-soap, boiled in the usual manner, ready for salting out ("cutting up
the pan) or for filling into moulds, and showing a temperature of 106° C. mineral
oil is added up to say 100% of the fatty acids contained in such soap, the
temperature of the oil being 10° to 20° C., the temperature of the mixture being
brought to 60°-70° C.; the whole must be very energetically stirred and the
stirring continued until the soap-suds so produced begin to be "stringy
solidify and adheres to the sides of the vessel containing it. The mixing of the
soap and oil above referred to is preferably effected by the apparatus hereinafter
described.
" or to
If the soap is neutral, alkaline lye of 6° strength should be added to the extent
of 2% of the oil. More than 2% may be added but this will cause the soap to
contain free alkali.
On the addition of the mineral oil the suds suddenly thicken and become almost
shiny. On energetically stirring the mass for some time it assumes a pasty
condition in which it adheres to the sides of the vessel and becomes viscous or
stringy "like syrup and this corresponds with the granulation of the soap in
ordinary soap boiling.
The soap will take up mineral oil at other temperatures also but will then yield
up a portion of it when boiled, whilst if treated as set forth the oil remains soluble
in water and no separation takes place.
With salts of fatty and oleic acids produced cold, such as of cocoa-nut oil, or
palm-kernel oil, the mineral oil can also be combined when the soap is being made
fresh alkali being added and with stirring.
In making soap from cocoa-nut oil or palm-kernel oil by the cold process as
hitherto practised the fatty acid is stirred with a suitable addition of alkaline lye
until a slight, syrup-like consistency is attained and then saponification is allowed
to proceed of itself. In the present process the mineral oil and alkali are added
when this consistency is reached and the whole constantly stirred until the mixture
has again attained such consistency. The saponification is allowed to proceed as
usual and a very hard soap is obtained..
The oil used in this process may be a light or heavy brown-coal oil, shale oil or
petroleum.
The apparent contradiction that the oil can be advantageously incorporated with
the soap only at a temperature of 60°-70°, and yet may be done in the cold is
explained by the fact that in the cold process spontaneous heating of the whole
mass takes place.
As soon as the liquid sud is brought together with the mineral oil a tough mass

page_text: is produced as already set forth and considerable power is required for "working
or mixing the same.
"
It is important to thoroughly mix the whole mass as otherwise uncombined
portions of oil and sud remain occluded in the product. The apparatus hitherto
employed in soap making are not suitable for this process as the mixture is too stiff
to be worked by the same, and the known apparatus are intended for liquid sud.
The mixture or sud made according to this invention adheres to the sides and parts
of the apparatus and would necessitate their being taken apart and cleaned each
time after use, a machine or apparatus had therefore to be devised which not only
mixes the material but also rapidly and in a simple manner discharges the same,
obviating the necessity for taking the machine apart. Such a machine may
consist of a cylinder with a piston and piston rod. The piston has perforations
or slots.
Now if the cylinder be filled with a liquid, a pulp or similar material and the
piston is moved to and fro, the contents of the cylinder will pass and repass through
the perforations or slots of the piston so that the liquid, pulp, paste or the like is
thoroughly mixed. It will be advantageous to make the perforations or apertures
in the piston oblique so as to cause not only longitudinal but also transverse
movement of the pulp or the like, but this is not absolutely necessary. At the
top the cylinder has three short pieces of pipe each capable of being closed by a
stop-cock.
In carrying out this invention the soap sud is introduced by one pipe and the
mineral oil by the second pipe the third pipe remaining closed. The cylinder is
filled when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke, and is filled right up to the
cover plate. This being done the stop-cocks are closed and the piston worked to
and fro by suitable power thus causing the contents to be intimately mixed as
stated.
When the mixing is complete and the soap made, it has to be discharged from
the cylinder. This is effected by a second piston having a hollow piston rod.
During the mixing operation the second piston remains in its lowest position, that
is to say resting on the bottom of the cylinder.
In order to discharge the soap, the two pistons are connected or coupled say by
pushing a wedge through apertures in the two piston rods. Thus the apertures in
the first piston are closed and when the pistons rise the soap is forced out at the
third pipe in the cylinder cover the corresponding cock having first been opened
whilst the other two pipes remain closed.
The third pipe is connected with a soap mould of ordinary construction the
mould being closed by a lid screwed upon the same. In the mould 'lid a vent cock
is provided. The mould may be somewhat less in capacity than the cylinder so
that it becomes quite full when the cylinder is discharged. The vent cock will not
only allow the air to escape but also serve as a safety valve through which an
excess of soap can escape from the mould. The cylinder being thus discharged
the pistons are moved down again, and disconnected allowing the operation to be
repeated. The discharging of the machine as set forth is an important feature as
the viscous soap-sud or curd can not be poured out, and discharging it by other
means would be cumbersome and expensive.
As the incorporation of the oil and soap should take place at a suitable
temperature as stated, the cylinder may be steam-jacketted and fitted with a
thermometer.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1891.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,. Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means, for
Manufacturing Soap...
I, JOSEF CATHREIN, of Salzburg, Austria, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention: and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained. in and by the following statement :-
'
This invention has for its object to incorporate mineral oils in hard (curd) and
other soaps in considerable proportions in such a manner that the mineral oil will:
form a compound readily soluble in water and will not disunite therefrom even when
the soap is boiled in water for some time.
This invention is based upon the discovery that mineral oils, though they will
not combine with fatty acids, yet will combine with the salts of fatty acids and
with oleates if a suitable quantity of alkali is present or is added.
The following process may be employed in effecting the object of this
invention.
To an alkali-soap, boiled in the usual manner, ready for salting out ("cutting up
the pan") or for filling into moulds, and showing a temperature of 106° C. mineral
oil is added up to say 100% of the fatty acids contained in such soap, the
temperature of the oil being from about 10° to about 20° C., whereby the..
temperature of the mixture is brought to about 60° to 70° C. The admixture
must be very energetically stirred and the stirring continued until the soap-suds
so produced begin to be "stringy" or to solidify and adhere to the sides of the
containing vessel, such mixing of the soap and oil is preferably effected by means
of the apparatus hereinafter described.
If the soap is neutral alkaline lye of 6° strength should be added to the extent.
of 2% of the oil. More than 2% may be added, but this will cause the soap to
contain free alkali.
On the addition of the mineral oil tlie suds suddenly thicken and become almost
shiny. On energetically stirring the mass for some time it assumes a pasty
condition in which it adheres to the sides of the vessel and becomes viscous or
stringy like syrup and this corresponds with the granulation of the soap in ordinary
soap boiling.
The soap will take up mineral oil at other temperatures also, but will then yield
up a portion of it when boiled, whilst if treated as set forth the oil will remain
soluble in water and no separation will take place.
With salts of fatty and oleic acids produced cold, such as of cocoanut oil, or
palm-kernel oil, the mineral oil can also be combined when the soap is being made,
fresh alkali being added and the admixture being well stirred.
In making soap from cocoa-nut oil or palm-kernel oil by the cold process as
hitherto practised, the fatty acid is stirred with a suitable addition of alkaline lye
until a slight syrup-like consistency is attained, and then saponification is allowed
to proceed spontaneously.
In the present process the mineral oil and alkali are added when this consistency
is reached, and the whole is constantly stirred until the mixture has again attained'
such consistency, then saponification is allowed to proceed as usual and a very hard
soap is obtained.
The oil used in this process may be a light or heavy brown-coal oil, shale oil or
petroleum.
The apparent contradiction that the oil can be advantageously incorporated' with
the soap only at a temperature of 60°-70° C., and yet may be done in the cold is
explained by the fact that in the cold process spontaneous heating of the whole
miss takes place

page_text: For mixing the partly made soap (soap suds) and oil, the following apparatus
may be used:-
As soon as the liquid sud is brought together with the mineral oil a tough mass
is produced as already set forth, and considerable power is required for "working"
or mixing the same.
It is important to thoroughly mix the whole mass as otherwise uncombined
portions of oil and sud remain occluded in the product. The apparatus hitherto
employed in soap making are not suitable for this process as the mixture is too stiff
to be worked by the same, and the known apparatus are intended for liquid sud.
As the mixture or sud made according to this invention adheres to the sides and
parts of the apparatus, and would consequently necessitate their being taken apart
and cleaned each time after use, an apparatus has had to be devised which not only
mixes the material but also rapidly and in a simple manner discharges the same,
obviating the necessity for taking the apparatus apart.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, such apparatus may consist of a
cylinder a, provided with a perforated or slotted piston b, and piston rod c, vide
Fig. 1, which is a sectional elevation.
Now, if the cylinder be filled with a liquid, a pulp or similar material, and the
piston is moved to-and-fro, the contents of the cylinder will pass and re-pass
through the perforations or slots of the piston so that the liquid, pulp, paste or the
like will be thoroughly mixed..
It is found to be advantageous to make the perforations or apertures in the piston
in an oblique direction so as to cause not only longitudinal but also transverse
movement of the pulp or the like, but this is not absolutely necessary. At the top,
the cylinder has three short pieces of pipe d, e, f, each respectively capable of
being closed by a stop-cock d², e', f..
In carrying out this invention, the soap sud is introduced by the pipe d, and the
mineral oil by the pipe e, the pipe f, remaining closed.
When the piston is at the bottom of its stroke the cylinder is filled right up to
its cover plate. This being done, the stop-cocks d', e¹, are closed, and the piston
worked to-and-fro by suitable power so as to cause the contents to be intimately
mixed as aforesaid.
When the mixing is complete and the soap made it has to be discharged from
the cylinder. This is effected by a second piston y, having a hollow piston rod h,
which surrounds the rod of the piston b. During the mixing operation the
piston g, remains in its lowest position, that is to say it rests on the bottom of the
cylinder.
In order to discharge the soap, the two pistons are connected or coupled, say, by
pushing a cotter, through corresponding apertures in the two piston rods C, h.
Thus, the oblique apertures in the piston b, are closed, and when the pistons rise
the soap is forced out through the pipe f, in the cylinder cover, the corresponding
cock having first been opened whilst the cocks of the pipes d, e, remain
closed.
The pipe, is connected with a soap-mould k, vide Fig. 2, of ordinary construc-
tion, the mould being closed by a lid screwed upon the same and provided with a
vent cock l. The mould k, may be somewhat less in capacity than the cylinder a,
so that it will become quite full when the cylinder is discharged. The vent cock 1,
not only allows the air to escape but also serves as a safety valve through which an
excess of soap can escape from the mould. The cylinder being thus discharged,.
the pistons are moved down again and disconnected by withdrawing the cotter,
allowing the operation to be repeated. The discharging of the apparatus as set
forth is an important feature, as the viscous soap-sud or curd cannot be poured out;
and discharging it by other means would be cumbersome and expensive.
As the incorporation of the oil and soap should take place at a suitable
temperature as stated, the cylinder may be steam-jacketter as at m, and fitted with
a thermometer as at p.
The apparatus above described, especially, however, the manner of emptying

page_text: the same, will be found of particular importance for this process, as without the
same the manufacture of the soap on a large scale is not advantageously practicable,
because of the difficulty of treating the viscous mass produced by bringing together
the soap-suds and the mineral oil.
In using these mineral-oil soaps, the compound containing mineral oil gives up
alkali in the same manner as when the salts of fatty acids alone are used, and this
explains the superiority in detergent power shown by this soap compared with soaps
hitherto known.
The improved soap has the appearance and smell of ordinary soaps, but, on
accouut of mineral oils being used instead of fats (in comparison with which
the former are cheap) it is much more cheaply produced, and by reason of its
greater detergent power a product of special good quality and cleansing power is
presented.
The mineral oil soap thus appears as a gratifying advance in the art of soap
making and this would appear sufficiently to prove the technical importance of the
new product.
The differences between the present process and those previously known con-
sist in:-
1. The determination of the temperatures at which the mixing of the mineral
oil and soap-suds are to take place.
2. The high percentage of the mineral oil to be added, which no other process
can show.
3. No other soap exists that contains mineral oil and does not give up the same
when boiled.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The described method of manufacturing soaps, distinguished by adding to
salts of fatty or oleic acids (fatty or oleic soaps) a further amount of alkali if the
soap does not already contain sufficient free alkali, then adding mineral oil at such
temperature that the mixture is brought to about 70° C., which is not to sink below
about 60°, during the stirring of the mixture, the mineral oil in the finished
mineral oil-soap entering into such combination as to become soluble in water and
as not to separate out even on continued boiling.
2. The described cold process of making mineral oil soaps, distinguished by the
addition of alkali and mineral oils to soaps mixed in a cold state (such as cocoa-
nut oil and palm-kernel oil soaps) under continued stirring, previously to these
soaps being exposed to self saponification, the mixture so made and brought to
about the consistency of syrup being left to self saponification, whereby a hard
mineral-oil soap of great detergent power is produced.
3. An apparatus for mixing soap-suds and mineral oil according to the process
set forth in Claim 1, consisting of a cylinder a, fitted with piston b, having
apertures so that when the piston moves to-and-fro the mineral oil and soap-suds
introduced in the cylinder will be caused to repeatedly pass from one side of the
piston to the other so as to become intimately mixed.
4. In the apparatus characterized in Claim 3, the arrangement of the second
piston g, for the purpose, when the same is coupled with the piston b, of expelling
the finished soap from the cylinder a.
Dated this 13th day of June 1892
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.