AN IMPROVED ARTIFICIAL COM. POUND CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR USE AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR INDIA-RUBBER OR CAOUTCHOUC
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Austin Goodyear Day, of Seymour, in the State
of Connecticut, in the United States of America, India-rubber
Manufacturer, for the
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED ARTIFICIAL COM.
POUND CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR USE AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR INDIA-RUBBER OR
CAOUTCHOUC."
Sealed the 29th January 1869, and dated the 31st July 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Austin Goodyear Day
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 31st July 1868.
I, AUSTIN GOODYEAR DAY, of Seymour, in the State of Connecticut,
in the United States of America, India-rubber Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED ARTIFICIAL
COMPOUND CHIKFLY DESIGNED FOR USE AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR INDIA-RUBBER OR
CAOUTCHOUC, to be as follows:-
Letters Patent have heretofore been granted to William Robert Lake,
dated the Fourth day of November, A.D. 1867, No. 3108, for an Inven-
tion communicated to him by me of an artificial compound chiefly
Price

page_text: designed for use as a substitute for india-rubber or caoutchouc, and the
object of this Invention is to provide a compound designed for similar
purposes.
My present Invention consists in combining certain acids with the
ingredients which compose the compound described in the Specification
of the previous Patent above referred to, for the purpose of enabling
the oils employed therein to better combine together, whereby also I
can materially diminish, or wholly or almost wholly dispense with the
amount of sulphur required in the said former compound.
In practising this Invention many varying proportions and com-
binations of the ingredients used may be adopted, but those which arc
best for any particular purpose will be readily determined by the work-
man. I will, however, state some examples of mixtures which I find to
answer a good purpose.
For a compound adapted for soft or elastic rubber goods I prefer to
take, when steam heat is to be employed for vulcanization, twenty
pounds of linseed oil, twenty pounds of cotton seed oil, four pounds
of coal oil, twenty-four ounces of sulphuric acid, one pound of bi-
carbonate of soda, one pound of nitrate of soda, fifteen pounds of coal
tar, five pounds of asphaltum, five pounds of litharge, two pounds of
calcined magnesia, and eight pounds of sulphur. If, however, dry
heat is to be used for vulcanizing, I prefer the following mixture--
Twenty pounds of linseed oil, twenty pounds of cotton seed oil, four
pounds of coal oil, thirty ounces of sulphuric acid, two pounds of
bi-carbonate of soda, one pound of nitrate of soda, fifteen pounds of
coal tar, five pounds of asphaltum, four pounds of litharge, one pound
of calcined magnesia, and eight pounds of sulphur.
For what are termed semi-hard rubber goods I prefer the following
mixture; Twenty-four pounds of linseed oil, sixteen pounds of cotton
seed oil, four pounds of castor oil, twelve ounces of sulphuric acid,
twelve ounces of nitric acid, one pound of bi-carbonate of soda, one
pound of sulphate of zinc, one and one half pound of muriate of tin,
eight pounds of coal tar, eight pounds of asphaltum, two pounds of
gutta percha, ten pounds of sulphur, and one pound of calcined
magnesia.
For hard rubber goods I take the following mixture:-Thirty-two
pounds of linseed oil, eight pounds of cotton seed oil, three pounds of

page_text: castor oil, one pound of coal oil, twenty-four ounces of nitric acid, six
ounces of muriatic acid, one-half pound of bi-carbonate of soda, two
pounds of muriate of tin, five pounds of coal tar, five pounds of
asphaltum, one pound of gutta percha, and ten pounds of sulphur.
In order to combine these ingredients properly together I prefer to
mix the oils in an iron vessel, and then put the acids into them,
stirring until both oils and acids are well mixed together. The mixture
may then preferably stand from twelve to twenty-four hours. When
more than one acid is employed, as shewn by preference in the foregoing
examples of semi-hard and hard goods, they may be mixed first and
then put into the oils, or they may be separately mixed into the oils, or a
single acid may be mixed with a single oil and then all be put together.
After the oils and acids are mixed in the above or in any other suitable
manner, I prefer to heat the mixture slowly to about 220 degrees
Fahrenheit, and then add the soda, and from one-fourth to one-fifth of
the sulphur, at the same time gradually increasing the heat to 250
degrees, and from this point still slowly raising it up to 300 or 350
degrees. This range I employ as a general rule, but care should always
be taken to avoid rapid or sudden heats. After the first portion of
sulphur has been combined it is more easy to regulate the heat to
combine the residue thereof, which may be added shortly after the first
portion has been combined, and while the heat is standing at about
300 degrees, care and time being taken to slowly mix the sulphur as
the mixture will bear it. I prefer to melt the coal tar and asphaltum
in a separate vessel heated to from 350 to 400 degrees, and if desired
the nitrate of soda and a part of the carbonate of soda (when large
proportions of the latter are used) may then be mixed into the same.
I also sometimes mix therewith the sulphate of iron or zinc and muriate
of tin, but often I combine these latter named ingredients with the oils
before the whole of the sulphur is combined. The litharge also may be
combined with the melted tar and asphaltum, or it may if preferred be
added after the tars have been mixed with the oils. I usually prefer a
temperature of about 300 degrees for combining the oils and tars, and
when this combination has taken place the gutta percha or other
equivalent resins or gums, if any be employed, may be mixed. When
calcined magnesia is used I generally prefer to mix it last at about
the time when the batch shews signs of thickening. Constant stirring
is required while the various ingredients are being mixed, but the periods
and degrees of heat will be easily ascertained by the workman according

page_text: to the variations in materials and proportions which he may employ,
and the character of the product which he may desire to produce.
With my improved compound I am able by using the above specified
acids freely to wholly or almost wholly dispense with sulphur as an
ingredient of the mixture. After the compound has been formed as
described I combine it with india-rubber or caoutchouc in the manner
following-The compound and the rubber are united in the usual way
by grinding, and for soft or elastic goods I prefer to combine from
one-half pound to two pounds of the compound with one pound of
caoutchouc, varying between these proportions of the compound ac-
cording to the particular kind of soft goods required. For semi-hard
goods I generally prefer to combine about equal parts of the compound
and rubber, and in so doing I add from about one ounce to about three
or four ounces of sulphur, according to the particular character of the
semi-hard goods desired. For hard goods I usually combine from about
half a pound to a pound of the compound to a pound of rubber, and I
prefer to add from two to eight ounces of sulphur, according to the
degree of hardness required in the product. After the compound is
thus united with the rubber I vulcanize the whole in the usual way.
This improved compound is adapted to all the purposes to which the
compound described in the Specification of the previous Patent herein-
before mentioned is applicable, but under the present Invention the
character and quality of the product is materially improved, and I am
enabled to perform the chemical manipulations of the manufacture more
conveniently and with better effect.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Austin Goodyear Day in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUSTIN
GOODYEAR DAY, of Seymour, in the State of Connecticut, in the United
States of America, India-rubber Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said Austin Goodyear Day, Her special
licence that I, the said Austin Goodyear Day, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Austin Goodyear
Day, 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,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED ARTIFICIAL COMPOUND CHIRFLY DESIGNED FOR USE AS A SUBSTITUTE
FOR INDIA-RUBBER OR CAOUTCHOUC," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Austin Goodyear Day, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Austin Goodyear Day, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
Letters Patent have heretofore been granted to William Robert Lake,
dated the Fourth day of November, A.D. 1867, No. 3108, for an Inven-
tion communicated to him by me of "An Improved Artificial Compound
chiefly designed for use as a Substitute for India-rubber or Caoutchouc,"
and the object of this Invention is to provide a compound designed for
similar purposes.
My present Invention consists in combining certain acids with the
ingredients which compose the compound described in the Specification
of the previous Patent above referred to, for the purpose of enabling the
oils employed therein to better combine together, whereby also I can
materially diminish, or wholly or almost wholly dispense with the amount
of sulphur required in the said former compound.
In practising this Invention many varying proportions and combina-
tions of the ingredients used may be adopted, but those which are best
for any particular purpose will be readily determined by the workman.
I will, however, state some examples of mixtures which I find to answer
a good purpose.

page_text: For a compound adapted for soft or elastic rubber goods I prefer to
take, when steam heat is to be employed for vulcanization, twenty
pounds of linseed oil, twenty pounds of cotton seed oil, four pounds of
coal oil, twenty-four ounces of sulphuric acid, one pound of bi-carbonate
of soda, one pound of nitrate of soda, fifteen pounds of coal tar, five
pounds of asphaltum, five pounds of litharge, two pounds of calcined
magnesia, and eight pounds of sulphur. If, however, dry heat is to be
used for vulcanizing I prefer the following mixture:-Twenty pounds of
linseed oil, twenty pounds of cotton seed oil, four pounds of coal oil,
thirty ounces of sulphuric acid, two pounds of bi-carbonate of soda, one
pound of nitrate of soda, fifteen pounds of coal tar, five pounds of
asphaltum, four pounds of litharge, one pound of calcined magnesia,
and eight pounds of sulphur.
For what are termed semi-hard rubber goods I prefer the following
mixture: Twenty-four pounds of linseed oil, sixteen pounds of cotton
seed oil, four pounds of castor oil, twelve ounces of sulphuric acid,
twelve ounces of nitric acid, one pound of bi-carbonate of soda, one
pound of sulphate of zinc, one and one half pound of muriate of tin,
eight pounds of coal tar, eight pounds of asphaltum, two pounds of
gutta percha, ten pounds of sulphur, and one pound of calcined
magnesia.
For hard rubber goods I take the following mixture:-Thirty-two
pounds of linseed oil, eight pounds of cotton seed oil, three pounds of
castor oil, one pound of coal oil, twenty-four ounces of nitric acid,
six ounces of muriatic acid, one-half pound of bi-carbonate of soda,
two pounds of muriate of tin, five pounds of coal tar, five pounds of
asphaltum, one pound of gutta percha, and ten pounds of sulphur.
In order to combine these ingredients properly together I prefer to
mix the oils in an iron vessel, and then put the acids into them, stirring
until both oils and acids are well mixed together. The mixture may
then preferably stand from twelve to twenty-four hours. When more
than one acid is employed, as shown by preference in the foregoing
examples of semi-hard and hard goods, they may be mixed first and
then put into the oils, or they may be separately mixed into the oils,
or a single acid may be mixed with a single oil and then all be put
together. After the oils and acids are mixed in the above or in any
other suitable manner, I prefer to heat the mixture slowly to about
220 degrees Fahrenheit, and then add the soda, and from one-fourth to

page_text: one-fifth of the sulphur, at the same time gradually increasing the heat
to 250 degrees, and from this point still slowly raising it up to 300 or
350 degrees. This range I employ as a general rule, but care should
always be taken to avoid rapid or sudden heats. After the first portion
of sulphur has been combined it is more easy to regulate the heat to
combine the residue thereof, which may be added shortly after the first
portion has been combined and while the heat is standing at about
300 degrees, care and time being taken to slowly mix the sulphur as the
mixture will bear it. I prefer to melt the coal tar and asphaltum in a
separate vessel heated to from 350 to 400 degrees, and if desired the
nitrate of soda and a part of the carbonate of soda (when large pro-
portions of the latter are used) may then be mixed into the same.
I also sometimes mix therewith the sulphate of iron or zinc and
muriate of tin, but often I combine these latter named ingredients with
the oils before the whole of the sulphur is combined. The litharge also
may be combined with the melted tar and asphaltum, or it may, if
preferred, be added after the tars have been mixed with the oils. I
usually prefer a temperature of about 300 degrees for combining the
oils and tars, and when this combination has taken place the gutta
percha or other equivalent resins or gums, if any be employed, may be
mixed. When calcined magnesia is used I generally prefer to mix it
last at about the time when the batch shows signs of thickening.
Constant stirring is required while the various ingredients are being
mixed, but the periods and degrees of heat will be easily ascertained by
the workman according to the variations in materials and proportions
which he may employ, and the character of the product which he may
desire to produce.
With my improved compound I am able by using the above specified
acids freely to wholly or almost wholly dispense with sulphur as an
ingredient of the mixture. After the compound has been formed as
described I combine it with india-rubber or caoutchouc in the manner
following The compound and the rubber are united in the usual
way by grinding, and for soft or elastic goods I prefer to combine from
one-half pound to two pounds of the compound with one pound of
caoutchouc, varying between these proportions of the compound
according to the particular kind of soft goods required. For semi-
hard goods I generally prefer to combine about equal parts of the
compound and rubber, and in so doing I add from about one ounce to

page_text: about three or four ounces of sulphur according to the particular
character of the semi-hard goods desired. For hard goods I usually
combine from about half a pound to a pound of the compound to a
pound of. rubber, and I prefer to add from two to eight ounces of
sulphur according to the degree of hardness required in the product.
After the compound is thus united with the rubber I vulcanize the
whole in the usual way. This improved compound is adapted to all
the purposes to which the compound described in the Specification of
the previous Patent, herein-before mentioned, is applicable, but under the
present Invention the character and quality of the product is materially
improved, and I am enabled to perform the chemical manipulations of
the manufacture more conveniently and with better effect.
AUSTIN GOODYEAR DAY. (L.S.)