CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING OXIDE OF LEAD, APPLICABLE TO MAKING PAINTS, AND TO OTHER PURPOSES; ALSO CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OP BLEACHING AND PURIFYING OILS SUITABLE FOR MIXING PAINTS AND OTHER OILS AND FATTY MATTERS
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GOSSAGE, of Stoke Prior, in the County of Worcester, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS His late most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of January, in the seventh year
of His reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-seven, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Gossage, His especial license, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said William Gossage, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Gossage, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of " CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING OXIDE OF LEAD, APPLICABLE TO MAKING
PAINTS, AND TO OTHER PURPOSES; ALSO CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS
OP BLEACHING AND PURIFYING OILS SUITABLE FOR MIXING PAINTS AND OTHER
OILS AND FATTY MATTERS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a

page_text: proviso obliging me, the said William Gossage, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of
iny said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to
cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Gossage, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of Certain Improvements in Manufacturing Oxide of Lead,
applicable to making Paints and to other Purposes; also Certain Improve-
ments in the Process of Bleaching and Purifying Oils suitable for Mixing
Paints and other Oils and Fatty Matters, apply to the making or manufac-
turing oxide of lead of greater purity than it is produced by the processes in
ordinary use, and in that respect more suitable for being converted into white
lead or red lead for making paints, also more suitable for other purposes; my
improvements also apply to the more perfectly bleaching and purifying oils
used for mixing paints, and thereby rendering these more valuable for such
purpose, and which improvements are also applicable to bleaching and
purifying oils and fatty matters used for other purposes. I will first describe
that part of my improvements which apply to the preparation of oxide of
lead, the objects of these being the preparation of fused protoxide of lead,
commonly called litharge, nearly free from extraneous matters, and the more
perfectly condensing and collecting any particles of oxide of lead, which
become volatilized during the operation. In the ordinary process of making
litharge by cupellation, metallic lead is exposed on a cupel made of bone
ashes, to the direct action of the flame and heat of a reverberatory furnace, and
the oxydation of the lead is promoted by a blast of air directed on the surface
of the lead; the oxide as it is formed becomes fused by the heat of the flame,
and flows off in the state of litharge. In this method of operating sulphureous
and carbonaceous particles emitted from the burning fuel are brought into
immediate contact with the oxide of lead, and become partly absorbed and
mixed therewith, and a portion of oxide of lead flies off in vapour, mixed with the
smoke, from which it is difficult to effect a perfect separation of the volatilized
oxide. In my novel or improved mode of manufacturing litharge, I make use

page_text: of iron pans or vessels to contain the metallic lead, and I apply the requisite
heat to the outside of these vessels, and at the same time I cause a blast or
current of air previously heated to be directed upon the surface of the heated
lead. By the combined action of the heat and of the air oxide of lead is
formed, and the temperature being kept sufficiently high, this oxide becomes
fused into litharge, and is caused to flow off from the vessel in this state. Any
particles of oxide of lead which may become volatilized during this operation will
be mixed only with the air from the blast, therefore the condensation of these
will be more readily effected than when mixed with smoke, as in the ordinary
process. As litharge in the state of fusion has the property of acting rapidly
on iron, I provide means for preventing the melted litharge from coming
in contact with the iron vessel, as lierein-after described.
Having stated generally the object and nature of the first part of my In-
vention, I will now describe such apparatus as I have found suitable for
carrying the same into effect, and the manner of employing the same, as
exhibited in the Drawings hereunto annexed, in which the same letters and
figures of reference are employed to indicate similar parts.
Figure 1 is a plan view or horizontal section, and Figure 2 a longitudinal
vertical section of the apparatus. A is the oxydizing vessel formed of iron,
and B an iron vessel for supplying A with melted lead through the connecting
pipe C. Heat is applied to these vessels externally by means of their respective
fireplaces A and B*. The oxidizing vessel is covered over by an arch or
dome of brick or iron work P, and has a flue or opening E. F is the hot
air pipe. G, G, are iron pipes placed in a flue, through which the flame
and heated air from a fire G are conducted. His a pair of bellows or other
blowing apparatus for driving a blast or current of air through the pipes G, G.
I is a chimney. E is the flue through which the air passing from the oxydizing
vessel escapes, and carries with it any volatilized particles of lead, which being
conducted with the air into a condensing chamber K, are by the cross walls
L caused to travel circuitously throughout this chamber, and the oxide of
lead deposits itself therein, the air escaping through the flue M to a chimney.
This deposition of the volatilized oxide of lead is also assisted by the introduc-
tion of steam into the flue E, by means of the pipe N (see Fig. 2), which steam
mixes with the air, and afterwards becomes condensed into particles of water
in the chamber K. This chamber is to be provided with doors or openings
for removing the deposited oxide of lead, and with apertures for running off
the water produced by the condensation of the steam. By examining the
Drawings it will be seen that air being driven from the bellows or blowing

page_text: apparatus at H, will pass through the tubes G, G, and these being exposed to
flame and heated air passing from a fire G* will communicate heat to the air
passing within the tubes, and this air will be delivered from the twyer or
nozzle F at a high temperature, and will impinge on the heated lead contained
in the oxidizing vessel A. Oxide of lead is thus produced; and the tempera-
ture of lead in the oxydizing vessel being sufficiently high to cause the oxide of
lead to fuse, it will flow off from the surface of the lead by the spout O in the
state of litharge. The level of the melted lead in the vessel A must be kept at
a height suitable for this flowing off by additions of lead in the vessel B, as
the workman perceives it to be necessary. In one of my arrangements of
apparatus, the fused litharge which floats on the surface of the melted lead is
prevented from acting on the iron of the vessel A by means of that portion
of the litharge which is in contact with the iron vessel being cooled so
as to become solid. I effect this by constructing the vessel A with an open
channel or a close chamber a, a, all round its edge, and through this channel
or chamber I cause a circulation of water to take place. When a close
chamber is used (which I prefer), I cause the steam produced in the said
chamber to be conducted into the flue E by means of a pipe b, the chamber
being supplied with water through the pipe d. This chamber is continued
under the whole lower surface of the spout O, where the water also solidifies a
portion of the litharge, which is kept in contact with the iron, whilst the fused
litharge flows over this coating or stratum of solidified litharge. The preser-
vation of the coating of solidified litharge in contact with the iron at the spout
O requires care, but practice soon enables a workman of ordinary skill to
accomplish it. Another arrangement which I adopt for preventing the fused
litharge acting on the iron vessel is shewn in transverse and longitudinal
sections in Figures 3 and 4. Figure 5 is a plan view of the same, and
Figure 6 is a cross section of the spout O. The vessel A is formed with a
bevilled projection e, which forms a groove extending all round the inner edge
of the vessel, and also along each side of the spont O. A bevilled projection f
forms another groove across the spout O, as shewn by the dotted lines in
Figure 5. These grooves are used for the reception and retaining of a
protecting coating formed of burnt bones, ground and applied in the same
manner as in making the ordinary cupels, by pressing the bone dust in a damp
state into the grooves, and thus forming a coating as represented at i, i,
extending all round the inner edge of the vessel A. It is also applied as a
complete lining to the spout O, as represented in Figure 6. The melted lead
must always be kept at such a height by the means before described as will

page_text: cause the fused litharge to be in contact with the protecting coating, and not
with the unprotected iron of the vessel A, as shewn by the red dotted lines in
Figures 3, 4, and 6.
Having now described some of the means by which the first part or section
of my Invention may be carried into effect; I wish it to be understood that I
claim as my Invention under this head or section the application of heat to
lead (during the operation of converting it into fused oxide or litharge),
through the medium of the oxydizing vessel which contains the lead, thus
preventing the contact of flame or smoke with the lead during its oxydation.
I also claim the use of a blast or current of air, previously heated by means
of any of the well-known apparatus used for communicating a high tem-
perature to atmospheric air, without passing it through or in actual contact
with burning fuel, this hot blast being used in place of the blast of cold air
hitherto employed in the manufacture of litharge.
And I further claim these improvements, whether used separately or
together, and whether carried into effect by means of the apparatus above
described, or by means of any other suitable apparatus.
I will now describe the second part of my improvements, or that which
relates to "Certain Improvements in the Process of Bleaching or Purifying Oils
suitable for Mixing Paints and other Oils and Fatty Matters." I will first
describe the manner in which I apply the same to bleaching or purifying linseed
oil, which is the kind chiefly employed for mixing paints. For this purpose I
make use of muriatic acid and black oxide of manganese; and for one hundred
gallons of linseed oil I take fourteen pounds of black oxide of manganese in fine
powder, and by stirring I cause these to be mixed together; I then add forty
pounds of muriatic acid, of the strength indicated by 1200 specific gravity;
and I cause the acid to be well mixed with the oil by agitating them, and I
repeat the agitation at intervals during twenty-four hours; I then add about
ten gallons of water, and cause steam to be injected into the mixture during a
period of from four to six hours, and I agitate the same occasionally. After
this I run off the whole contents of the vessel in which this operation has
been performed into a vessel for settling, and I draw off the lower fluid which
settles from the oil; I then add a further quantity of about ten gallons of
water, for the purpose of washing out any acid from the oil, and I cause the
whole to be well mixed together by agitation, and by the injection of steam
for about two hours, and I then allow it to remain quiet, when the oil rises
above the watery part of the mixture, and may be drawn off for use.
When I wish to apply my improvements to bleaching or purifying palm oil,

page_text: which is a substance that possesses a certain degree of solidity at ordinary tem-
peratures, I mix twenty-eight pounds of black oxide of manganese in fine powder
with each ton weight of palm oil, whilst in the solid or semi-fluid state, taking
care that the temperature of the palm oil does not exceed 100 degrees of
Fahrenheit's thermometer. To this mixture I add eighty-four pounds of
muriatic acid (specific gravity 1200), and I cause the whole to be well mixed
together, and the lumps or grains of palm oil to be divided and broken down.
At the expiration of about twelve hours from the mixing I add for each ton of
oil about thirty gallons of water, heated to the temperature of 150° of Fabren-
heit, and by agitation and stirring I cause this to be well mixed with the oil;
I then inject steam into the mixture, and cause the whole to be agitated for
two or three hours, so as to wash the oil thoroughly, which being effected I
allow the mixture to remain quiet till the oil has separated from the water,
when it may be drawn off for use. I sometimes repeat this washing and
steaming for the purpose of washing out the acid from the oil more completely.
The operation or process which I have described for bleaching or purifying
linseed oil may be applied to effect the same purpose with other vegetable
and animal oils which are fluid at ordinary temperatures; and the operation or
process which I have described for bleaching or purifying palm oil may be
applied to effect the same purpose with such vegetable and animal oils and
fatty matters as are possessed of a certain degree of solidity at ordinary
temperatures.
Having now fully described and ascertained the materials I employ, and the
manner in which I make use of the same for effecting the second part of my
improvements, I wish to state that I prefer the employment of vessels and
agitators made of wood for containing and mixing the matters operated upon.
I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention, under this second
part of my Improvements, the combined application of muriatic acid and black
oxide of manganese to bleaching or purifying oils and fatty matters; and I
claim this application as my Invention, whether effected by using these sub-
stances or materials in the proportions I have indicated, or in other suitable
proportions, and whether applied to effect the said purposes in the manner I
have described or in any other suitable manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Gossage, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.
WILLIAM (L.S.) GOSSAGE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of July,
in the first year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said
William Gossage came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery,
and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-
fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third,
Inrolled the Eighteenth day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and thirty-seven.