IMPROVEMENTS IN MARKING-INK PENCILS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JAMES HICKISSON, trading as the Daughter of the late John Bond, of the
Crystal Palace Marking Ink Works, 75, Southgate Road, Hackney, in the County
of Middlesex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN MARKING-INK PENCILS, to be as follows:-
My improvements in marking ink pencils consist in forming the pencil with
its marking point at one end, and with its mordant, or fixer, at the other end.
The marking point may be composed of nitrate of silver, nitrate of potash and,
in some cases, carbonate of ammonia, in order to bind the nitric acid of the silver.
Or the nitrates of silver and potash may be combined with other compounds or
ingredients, as may be found necessary.
The ingredients when combined are run into moulds or are pressed and then
formed into points, sticks or lengths as required.
The mordant may be composed of aniline black, pyrogallic acid, or other
compounds or ingredients as may be found necessary, clays, gums, earths, or the
like, reduced to an impalpable powder, and distilled water, all of which are well
mixed together to form a stiff mass, and then moulded or pressed into points, sticks.
or lengths.
The marking points, sticks or lengths, and the mordant, also in points sticks or
lengths of the required size and shape are then introduced into a wooden casing, like
an ordinary pencil; the groove or channel in the said casing for the reception of the
points sticks or lengths being previously coated with shellac, or other suitable
substance, to prevent the ingredients forming the points sticks or lengths attacking
or injuring the wooden casing.
The marking points, sticks or lengths, and the mordant, also in same form may,
if desired, be introduced into what are known as sliding or propellible pencil cases
or pencil holders.
The fabric to be marked or written upon, with the instrument thus constituted,
must first be wetted or dampened, with water or other solution, and the inscription
to be marked on the fabric is then outlined or traced with the mordant point or
end, and this inscription is then retraced or gone over with the marking point at
the other end of the instrument. The fabric thus marked may be heated or not
as occasion may require.

page_text: I, JAMES HICKISSON, trading as the Daughter of the late John Bond, of the
Crystal Palace Marking Ink Works, 75, Southgate Road, Hackney, in the County
of Middlesex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for,
IMPROVEMENTS IN MARKING-INK PENCILS, and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say:-
My improvements in marking ink pencils for marking or writing upon linen,
cotton, silk or other materials, consists in forming the pencil with its marking
point at one end, and with its mordant or fixer at the other end.
The marking point or pencil may be composed of nitrate of silver, nitrate of
potash, and, in some cases, carbonate of ammonia, in order to harden the points or
neutralize the nitric acid of the silver. Or the nitrate of silver and potash may
be combined with other compounds or ingredients, as may be found necessary. The
ingredients when combined are run into moulds, or are pressed, and then formed
into points, sticks or lengths, as required.
The following ingredients and proportions may be advantageously used, but
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself thereto.
I melt about 8 ozs. of pure nitrate of silver, or any other soluble salts of silver, in
a crucible, then about 2 ozs. of nitrate of potash, or nitrate of soda, or chlorate of
potash, or chloride of silver, or peroxide of manganese, or nitrate of lead is added,
in order to make the pencil harder, and when quite melted it is poured into a
warmed metallic mould. Or the nitrate of silver is powdered, mixed with gum, or
other suitable materials, moistened with water and pressed into a form. If it be
required to colour the pencils, any suitable colouring matter may be added, as for
instance, lamp black, plumbago, red lead, ochre, venetian red, chromic acid, smalt
or black platinum.
The mordant is, by preference, composed of pyrogallic acid and burnt borax, but
aniline black, or other compounds or ingredients-may-be-used, as-found-necessary,
such as clays, gums, earth or the like (reduced to an impalpable powder) and
distilled water, all of which are well mixed together to form a plastic mass, and
then moulded or pressed into points, sticks, lumps or lengths. The following
proportions and ingredients may be advantageously used, but I also wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself thereto.
I mix 1 lb. of pyrogallic acid with 1 lb. of gum acacia, and 2 lbs. of finely
powdered clay, preferably the white clay known as Kaolin. I then burn 2 lbs, of
borax, in order to drive off the crystallization water, till 1 lb. remains, and I then
reduce the same to powder, and when cool, mix it with the above named materials,
and form, with the aid of a small quantity of water, a mass.
It is then rubbed
and kneaded till a plastic mass is produced which is then pressed into moulds, and
formed into sticks, points, lumps or the like. The sticks, points or lumps may also
be fornied of wax, stearine or paraffine, or a mixture of any two of these, together
with pyrogallic acid and borax, in say the following proportions,-1 part of
pyrogallic acid, 1 part of burnt borax and 3 parts of wax or paraffine.
Instead of gum acacia, gum tragacanth, dextrine, or other gummy matter, soluble
in water, may be used, and instead of Kaolin, powdered starch or the like may be
used.
The marking points, sticks or lengths and the mordant, also in points, sticks,
lumps or lengths of the required size and shape, are then introduced into a wooden
casing like an ordinary pencil, the groove or channel in the said casing for the.

page_text: reception of these points, sticks, lumps or lengths being previously coated with
shellac, or other suitable substance, to prevent the ingredients forming the points,
sticks, lumps or lengths attacking or injuring the wooden casing.
The marking points, sticks or lengths and the mordant, also in the form of
sticks, lumps or lengths may, if desired, be introduced into what are known as
sliding or propellible pencil cases, or pencil holders.
The fabric to be marked or written upon with the instrument thus constituted,
is first slightly wetted or damped with water, or other solution, as for instance,
carbonate of soda solution, and well wiped off, and the inscription to be marked or
written on the fabric is then outlined or traced with the mordant point or end, and
the inscription is retraced or gone over with the pencil or marking point; or the
mordant point or end is rubbed over the damped portion and the material is then
marked or written upon with the marking point, when a deep colour will be at
once produced which may be heated or not, as occasion may require. When the
mordant end, in the form of a point is used for first tracing the inscription to be
marked, it is preferably coloured so as to render the inscription to be gone over
visible, but this is not necessary when the mordant end is in the form of a lump.
To strengthen the marking point, or the mordaunt end, I may varnish or coat
them with any suitable material, as for instance, mastic varnish.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A marking-ink pencil having at one end its marking point or pencil, and at
the other end its mordant or fixer, substantially as described.
2. The improved manufacture of mordant or fixer, consisting in the combination
of pyrogallic acid, burnt borax, kaolin, a suitable gum, and water (preferably
distilled) and in or about the proportions mentioned, the whole being well kneaded
together to form a plastic mass and then moulded into the required form and
dried.
3. The improved manufacture of mordant or fixer, composed of pyrogallic acid,
wax and borax, or pyrogallic acid, paraffine and borax, or progallic acid, stearine
and borax, and in or about the proportions mentioned.
4. The manufacture or production of marking-ink pencils or points, of the
combined ingredients herein set forth, and substantially in or about the proportions
mentioned, so that the same when brought into contact on the fabric with the
mordant before mentioned, in which pyrogallic acid and burnt borax constitute
the chief elements, a deep black colour is produced on the fabric written or marked
upon.