A New or Improved Material for Building and other Purposes.
Year: 1884

page_text: A New or Improved Material for Building and other Purposes.
I EDWIN ROBBINS of 14 Balfern Street Battersea in the County of Surrey
Modeller and, Decorator in cements and plastic materials do hereby declare the
nature of my Invention for "THE MANUFACTURE OF NEW CONCRETE MATERIALS
FOR BUILDING AND OTHER PURPOSES BY CHEMICALLY CHARGING OR OTHERWISE
DYING AND INDURATING IN MASS AS BLOCKS OR GRANULAR FORMED BODIES OF
UNGROUND PLASTER ALONE OR COMBINED WITH OTHER INGREDIENTS
to be as
follows:-
"
My Invention consists of special mean and methods to be employed primarily as
herein discribed in preparing forming and finishing concrete materials for building
and other purposes being quite a new work first brought forth by the original
treatment use and and application of blocks and granular formed bodies of
unground plaster as the principal basis or first groundwork for the production and
future development of manufacture which are entirely new, and which are made by
boiling or firing to hydrate or otherwise to exhaust the gypsum or cobble rock as
by pressure or air pump and its subsiquent induration by immersion or as when
otherwise imbrued with liquids, fluids, heat or vapour also as when in compounds
of colours, dyes, glass, metals, metalic pottery or other ingredients in grains or
fibreous materials as asbestos and in any desired proportion as from 2 to 95 per
cent of the unground plaster to any other ingredient more or less, and with
lustres enamels and glazes combined or otherwise finished.
For example in some instances I prefere to prepare large blocks or other forms
of gypsum or cobble rock by hydration with heat in the various proceses of cor-
bonising the unground masses or as when otherwise charged worked or chemically
treated with tar, pitch and the silicates of soda, potash or alumina chlorides, acids
and dyes, in which condition I carve or work the mass as required to suit any
purpose of use, and set indurate and finish such works by subsequent treatment,
for example as with sulpher sulfurous vapour and other deposit (as spray) as the
sulphide of copper, iron or alumina, petrolem or parraffin and gums or viscous com-
pounds, to obtain any desired effect in colour metalic or other cast as bronze or
other finished results, weather water & fire-proof.
I also charge or otherwise treat, fill, flood or cover a mould, surface work, or die
with water, chemical or other liquids or fluids as slip or cements, glue or gum, or

page_text: other compounds or binding materials into or about which I cast scatter or throw
or otherwise use cover or fill in any such moulds or works with unground plaster
alone or combined with other ingredients neutral aggregate or active agents advan-
tageously those of the most binding quality which with its latent heat will set it
80 to work it of any dimension of a pure white or uniform colour throughout an
elevation or other works as a concrete, or concrete and pottery combination of many
kinds which for example again can be produced in the form of engravings painting
or prints from models electro deposits or other dies or moulds of metal plastor wax
sulpher or gelatine or otherwise worked as may be required for Architectural and
Horticultral decorative and structural works for ventilation draining and other
purposes as heating or fuel, garden paths or floors.

page_text: A New or Improved Material for Building and other Purposes.
T
I, EDWIN ROBBINS of 14 Balfern Street, Battersea, in the County of Surrey,
Modeller and Decorator in plastic materials do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED MATERIAL FOR BUILDING AND OTHER
PURPOSES," and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly.
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:--
My invention consists first in dehydrating unground sulphate of lime by heat or
pressure in any way; secondly, in pressing the dehydrated sulphate of lime in a
mould into which any suitable material may be first placed to form the face or to
be embodied in the product; thirdly, in indurating the mass by the addition of
water or an aqueous solution of any chemical or by heat or by pressure. The
gypsum may be combined with any other ingredient, solid, liquid, or, gaseous sucli
ingredients being either of a binding, neutral, or colouring nature.
My invention relates to special means and methods to be employed primarily, as
hereinafter described in relation to the several parts of the various processes
required in preparing gypsum or cobble rocks by the many various methods and
degrees of heating as by boiling with. viscous fluids such as tar or oil or molten
liquid substances as slag metal or sulphur more or less to dehydration..
When the gypsum is dehydrated by various means of firing, or other modes of
exhaust as by pressure (or air pump) chemical treatment mechanical mixing, or
incorporating as by infusion or fusion, and vitrifaction or other means of induration
to set or harden the various qualities of gypsum rocks as with water alone, or
together with other ingredients such as broken slag, metal, or glass, fibrous
asbestos and other rocks and earth or ligneous substances, as solid matter in any
desired form combination or proportion as e.g. from 14 to 5, or 95 per cent of the
gypsum or cobble rocks (sulphate of lime) together with slag or other materials as
binding aggregates or neutral factors according to the binding nature of each
ingredient, its use or requirements as with woven fabrics when combined with the
viscous fluids or liquid substances as above referred to, and combined with finished
manufactures in building and other works or so employed in the progress of such
or kindred fabrications with colouring matter as pigments or dyes, and as combined
with the colouring effect of the direct or transmitted light and heat of the solar
rays, upon the highly heated mass as it flows into the mould by sudden contact
and prolonged exposure when at the most intense heat of liquefaction to the
same rays and its contact or impact with bituminous metallic or other colouring
matter or vapour given off froin such matter as the heated material flows over it.
In some instances I subject the mass of gypsum or cobble rocks to the
carbonizing action of the fumes of other rocks or earth such as lime stone by firing
such rocks or earths with the gypsum rock or by injection of such or other fumes
or liquids such as sulphur or the sulphides thereof or otherwise impregnate the
mass with other chemicals or ingredients such as the oxide of magnesia or
magnesite and its relative or other salts acids or chlorides as borax (boracic acid)
or the borate of magnesia,

page_text: And by those means and the use of open, closing, sliding, fixed, or shifting
Blencils employed upon plain ornamental and decorative surfaces moulds dics and
other forms suitably rendered rough or smooth and otherwise worked to design ns.
in an engraving, chasing, modelling or otherwise worked of good firm hard.
materials of metal wood cement or composition, well prepared by pressure or
otherwise suitably treated to receive the pressure and withstand the wear and tear
of such grits or grains and in manner to impart a clean sharp impress thereof to
the finished cast and citlier, with or without the air exhaust.
In some instances such moulds and other forms and surfaces aro made with
rough surface materials, as sanded paper or cloth gauze wire, felted and woven
textile fabrics, soft flexible or élastic substances, as sand or other fine or coarse
granular bodies asbestos or other fibre gelatine or india rubber, similar and other
materials such as sawdust and cork into or upon the surface of which I cast scatter
or otherwise work the grains of gypsum alone, or in compound with other
ingredients binding aggregates such as broken slag, glass, metal, chalk, stono, or
flint and with the use of stencils or other means such grains can be arranged to
design, over into and about which the same viscous fluids or fiery flowing mass of
slag glass or metal such as liquid substances or its compounds can in like manner
flow and in one operation, will fire dehydrate or exhaust the gypsum rock, reform
decorato fix indurate vitrify anneal and finish the whole mass as one piece of
work.
Into and upon such surfaces or moulds can be deposited cements or stucco by
preference the white Portland cement and strew as formed of the china clay and
lime (as described in the Specifications of my previous Patents dated 1800 and
1877) and other materials in various colours in fixed designs such as sgraffeto
painting and crayon drawing models and casts, also scagliola or marezzo marbles
and as by the combinations of the two systems I produce the now scag-inarezzo
and by the same and similar means employed in the scag-marezzo I produce a new
kind of granulated marbles or new style of granetic, combination marbling in
pottery and other materials such as cemonts melted slag glass or metal or its
compounds with the (sulphate of lime) in any form of fusion as art manufactures
which can be worked in this manner and any of which or such that are not mixed
with the sulphate of lime I can finish so and then back up with the unground
plaster alone, to form the body of or to the surface of glass slag metal pottery
cement or other materials and each in compound combinations with any other
material of a suitable kind and by the use of gypsum or cobble rocks alone or
mixed and otherwise incorporated I charge the mass with the melted alag when of
the greatest heat of fusion and by those means I fire the gypsum and produce
unground plaster in compound by such infusion to vitrification or actual fusion and
by slow cooling the annealing is performed and by subsequent immersion or other
means of saturation or absorption in water alone or chemical solutions it becomes
indurated finished and by pressure or otherwise glazed and polished comploto in
one operation, and by those means works of this kind can be carried out in one
picce of any dimensions, and in the most perfect manner.
And in some instances where it is desired the sand, glass, slag, metal, pottery
and other materials such as the white portland stucco or cement, can be used in
the formation of such moulds dies or surfaces intended to receive the various kinds
of painting drawing modelling and other works cast or deposited thereon, can if
desired be formed of one or variously coloured materials as a ground work to the
finished painting drawing or modelling, and other finished decorative works referred
to, and when cast with such works and fired it will form a finished or enamelled
surface to the whole, or to the ground work alone or any part of such work as
desired.
Or the whole can be carried out producing corresponding results, but of a far
superior order in the "Robinesque style" of art work, and structural science.
And by the use of gypsum, cobble rocks or unground plaster to bind and when
combined in the various forms of compound concrete manufactures by heat water.

page_text: or pressure, as with the rich or poor bituminous coal or other combustible and non-
combustible ingredients either such as chalk clay slag metallic fibrous asbestos and
other earths or rocks or the cements, lime and the silicate or any suitable kind of
viscous fluid or liquid substances can be used in the manufacture of fuel for firing
and by this kind of produce many other various kinds of prepared and finished
materials can be made of great novelty for building and other purposes as free or
slow combustion fuel suited to domestic or manufacturing uses, producing a more
intense and prolonged heat and by its increased, duration less consumption and.
cost is incurred. I
Also as fertilizing agents for vegetation gypsum, cobble rock or unground plaster
alone will form a good compost manure and when charged with fertilizing'
chemicals such as ammonia slag or dung and liquid soil, or by preference when
mixed with the slag and soil for heavy clay land; or to enrich and improve garden
mould which can also be used as a new kind of concrete compost manure, or vehicle
for manure in the form of a concreté substrata made to underlie the whole of an
estate or lawn carpet bedding or green sward for cricket and other sports, and
structural works of this kind as jardiniers flower borders and other adjuncts and.
comely surroundings of health, interesting and instructive occupation whereby a
more perfect and permanent system of ventilation draining filtering storing and
other works as in planning and rearranging of roads and paths may be formed and
reformed continually for the pleasure and practice of the same with many
improving results and thus realizing a more ready and closer observation treatment:
and attention to the art and science of florticulture in general and florticulture-
in particular as in the germination fertilizing training and cultivation of flowering
and other plants can be obtained and whereby the natural foliating and flowering
verdure may be combined in florticultural "Robing " embellishments, with
architectural house "Robing" in coloured chromatics.
I can also use the granular form of unground plaster with the fibrous compounds
by spinning and weaving such fibres as can be produced from the melted masses
of sulphate, silica slag glass and metal separately or combined in its molten-
condition with revolving drums or plates sliding shifting or moving sheets with
other contrivances or machines for forcing or trailing the molten fluids or liquid
substances in compound and thus render such fibres in coarse or fine fibrous form
for weaving plain or decorative fire and water proof fabrications and interwoven
or interlacing works, also by preparing running and forcing the flowing fiery:
liquids into highly heated conduits or other channelled forms, where a new kind of
granular and fibrous compounds are variously formed in the production of tesser
and mosaic materials and works of that kind can be produced in the same or
similar manner as the works above referred to and in conjunction with the house
Robing" methods of the sliding moulds or templates where any desired effect can
be produced in diaphonous compounds and other materials by the infusion of the
various metallic slags with glass and metal and with the sulphate of lime and other
ingredients in varying proportions to obtain any result desired or effect in color or
cast; and thus in some instances I produce various decorative materials and work
such as structures of any required colour, tint or shade, by the use of the
("Robinesque ") or luminated or granular form of rendering such works with the
running moulds or templates referred to, thus to use, work and preserve the colours
in its primitive condition throughout whereby all secondary colours shade or tints
are obtained by the want of sufficient power of sight to be able to distinguish the
primitive colours as separate and distinct, thus producing a new system in
inonochromatic colouring and other effects of decoration by transmitted or directed
rays of light and heat and the dissolving effect of such colours and the various
arrangements of the primitive colours upon the solar rays of light.
Likewise with a great variety of new compounds, and cements which can be
made of white china clay and other clays and lime as alumina alum, alum shale;
schist schistose or slate and silicious materials, silex silica or the silicates of soda
and potash from which and its combination with any other cements as Portland,

page_text: Keens, parian Martin's or the magnesites, separately or combined likewise the
chemicals or the solutions thereof either as of a pottery or cement concretioua
nature or mechanical mixture with which I form a great variety of white and light
portland cement or bastard Portland cements and stucco pottery and pottery like
compounds concretes and combinations as described in the specifications of my
former patents dated 6th January 1869 No 41, 16th June 1873 N° 2110, and
2nd May 1877 No 1,701, as in relation to the selenitic lime pottery pottery-liko
and other combinations therein referred to but as herein described with the
additional means methods and admixtures in relation to the use and application
of the granitic masses of the sulphate of lime charged with water alone charged
impregnated or otherwise infused or incorporated with chemicals and other,
ingredients vapours, or liquefied substances, as metals metallic and other slags
glass and other materials of a fusible kind as bitumen or bituminous earths or
other materials pitch tar and other fluids vapours, fuines, colours dyes or solutions
thereof earths and other materials more or less charged with metallic or other
colouring matter animal vegetable or mineral the many various combination of
each any or the whole of which can be effectually accomplished in one or more
operations, processes and productions whereby any required result can be obtained
in the many original productions of its various manufactures, and kinds of work
brought about by the change devised in the means and now methods of incorpora-
tion vitrifaction fusion, infusion, exhaust strange compounds and combinations of
materials employed and the exceptional effects realized in colours cast, and forms
resulting therefrom as when immersed mixed or otherwise charged with water
alone or with pressure heat or vapour or by capillary attraction of any kind
required for building and other works artistic architectural horticultural chemical
mechanical and engineering purposes constructive decorativo or ventilation heating
draining filtering and otherwise using as fuel, garden paths, bed pots jardinières
borders or otherwise contrived or arranged to design coloured chromatic effect
enamelled glazed and otherwise finished and polished as with metal slag glass
pottery lustres coments and other concrete materials separately or in joint
compounds or combinations of any kind which I cast cut carve or otherwise form
or work in the exceptional manner as herein described.
For example I employ the crude white china clay or other clays alumina, alum
or alumina shalo, schist, slate and other argilaceous rocks or earths as alumstone
river mud and lime combined or such as the Rugby cement rocks (argilaccous
stone) also the Rugby.coments cementitious limes similar and other materials and
cements and the chemicals or solutions thereof in compounds or otherwise combined
with the various granular and granulated forms of the sulphate of lime and in the
same or similar manner. I also use Keens, Parian, Martins, and other cements
with the china white and other clays and limes mixed or otherwise incorporated
with the granular sulphates of lime or tho well known chemicals or other ingredients
used in the manufacture of such cements and those of other cements and com-
positions of any or every kind as the silicates of soda glue gum petrolouin viscous
and other oils and substances of a silicious bituminous metallic or other nature
whereby I produce the many novel kinds and variously coloured examples of cement
and works such as scagliola marezzo or "scag-marezzo" and other marbles fresco
Agraffeto and other decorative works of the now granular and granulated forms of
improved granitic or granizzo kind of selenitic limes and selenitic cements concrates,
pottery and pottery-like concretious combinations and other works the proportions
of which are regulated and varied to give the works or parts thereof more or less thio
character or appearance desired of pottery by vitrifaction or concrete cemonts and
lime by other and well known means of induration or one and both at will to.
produce any desired effect when 80 combined or otherwise na may be required for.
decorative constructive and other purposes by either or both of the processes and
kinds of materials as when so combined in one work it can be finished complete by
sucli means methods and materials in the granular formed massos required. Or.
I subsequently submit such works to the same similar or other materials in

page_text: repented order as were previously formed or incorporated in the body of the works
or I charge. the work with materials of an opposite nature as the calcareous
carbonaceous and sulphurous fumes or the solutions thereof so to dehydrate and
rehydrate corbonise or otherwise charge or exhaust such work by heat pressure or
vapour so to chemically charge impregnate treat or otherwise to cover the samé
with lustres metal metallic or other slags, glass and other compounds and so glazed
fused vitrified or annealed and otherwise worked to indurate and reindurate by fire
or water either or each, and otherwise to produce the hardest most perfect
permanent or indestructible results as by the infusion of the above compounds
formed of the sulphates of lime and other materials with any of the various liquids
or liquefied substances referred to above as melted metal slag glass, pitch, tar,
bituminous viscous and other fluids.
j
And I treat the crude (or native) gypsum cobble rock granular or granulated
plaster in mass or its compounds in the same or similar manner. as the above, and
in other forms but in this instance without the use of other limes clays or cements
by the dry process of firing slow baking or otherwise heating as by boiling with
chemical solutions or liquefied substances as melted metal slag glass sulphur or the
sulphates and sulphites-pitch, tar, and bitumen, or other fluids referred to above
as by immersion saturation capillary attraction of the heated or dehydrated mass
or I use other means of absorption as the air pump or other exhaust so to preserve
or give it form color or cast as by dyeing cutting carving or otherwise forming
casting or working as by pressure to dry and harden the whole in any desired
manner or form.
The more readily and thoroughly to charge or impregnate the granular or
granulated sulphates of lime alone or when combined. with other materials active
agents neutral ingredients or aggregates I heat the whole mass to any desired
degree in heated chambers moulds or other forms or I otlierwise form the mass and
render it more or less of a close or open texture so to infuse vitrify or unite the
grains thereof with the boiling liquids or other liquefied substances so to give
the work any desired quality character or appearance with metal pitch, tar,
bitumen silicious metallic or other molten fluids as slag or glass and in some
instances I carbonise the granular sulphates of lime by the impregnation of such
substances with carbolic acid calcareous or carbonaceous ingredients or the fumes
thereof as the fumes or salts of lime as when used in the process of baking, firing,
boiling or otherwise heating as by immersion flooding or saturating advantageously
with hot solutions and by immersing the work while in a heated condition and
with the use of the exhaust pump whereby the whole mass becomes completely
charged to any depth or degree with one or more materials colouring matter
indurating chemicals ingredients or dyes as the above carbonates of lime boracic
hydrafluor silicic acids and chlorides or the silicates of soda or other silicious earth
with which also with other fluxing materials it can in this form be again used as
a medium or flux for the more perfect union or incorporation of the melted slag,
glass metal and other molten substances by subsequent fusion or infusion with the
granular sulphates of lime and its compound aggregates active agents or neutral
ingredients which I use in its separate or combined form to form the surface or
body of any such works or I form the surface of any work with the various slags
metals glass and other materials as pearl ivory pottery lustres enamels glazes and
cements in a molten or other condition the backing or body of which I form of
the grains of the sulphate of lime in mass separately or combined with metal,
glass, slag, pottery, cements colours and other materials in a melted or other
condition.
"
In some instances I charge a surface mould, dies or other forms with slag, glass,
metal, pottery, cement or other materials in any form or design as "Robing
marezzo or other marbles "Robing" and other Fresco pottery or other painting
crayon and other drawing intaglio cameo or other works bas-relievo or other
castings run cast and other works in "Robing" mosaic and decorations of that
kind likewise modelling incised or low relief of the same and similar kinds
•

page_text: combined in rustic slag and polished cemerits or other castings printings or
impressed work the whole glazed or rendered offulgent with lustres in metal, glass
or otherwise combined and finished. Also as when transferred in cements pottery
lustres enamels clay, silex, slag, glass, metal and its various compounds or com-
binations coloured pigments dyes and other materials as limes with printing blocks
or other means or contrivances so arranged and worked in or on plain, engraved
or other surfaces more or less: smooth or roughened stamped cast chased incised
deposited stippled or otherwise worked or prepared as gauze wire woven fabrics
sanded or other granulated surfaces or materials as glass silica silex slag or other
ingredients devised and in a manner prepared to receive the crayon drawings or
otlier decorations freely and so to form part of the decoration or otherwise as n
transparent or other surface to give other effect or other novel appearance which
can be accomplished in the most perfect manner with the means methods and
materials above described opening and closing moulds melting annealing and other
furnaces and chambers moving opening shifting and changing stencils and other
opening closing and shifting and revolving contrivances designed to carry convey
scatter or otherwise to conduct or regulate the flowing mass of liquefied or other
substances as fibrous asbestos granular or calcined materials into through or about
the heated. or other moulds gauzo wire open work plates stencils chambers or other
works cast contrivances heated or other materials of any kind, so arranged for the
Bowing or other masses to become charged or impregnated by contact or impact
with the exhaling particles of fluids or earthy substances as dyes metallic chrome
bituminous earth its vapours or fumes as induced by heat or otherwise charged
with pigments and other colouring matter so arranged to give increase, or retain
the lieat to any degree and in any manner or form required for the more complete
union by fusion or otherwise as vitrifaction and to render the molten mass more
susceptible to the colouring effects of the solar rays of heat and light which
I employ separately or in conjunction with the above earths and other colouring
mediums or shapes referred to as moulds, furnaces, beating and other chambers,
stencils and other open closing moving revolving plates or tumbrils and expanding
and reacting contrivances whereby I can regulate or control work weave or other-
wise form the flowing liquids as textile woven or other materials as desired to give
various decorative effects in colour form and other design as tessera or mosaic
likewise to arrange or regulate the solar light (or heat) more or less by shading or
by exposure of the various parts of the heated mass to the sun's rays through the
open parts of the stencils formed to any design which effect likewise depends more
or less upon the intensity of heat immediate and sudden exposure to the solar rays
of the whole or parts thereof to design and produce decorative work or otherwise
which also depends upon its clear and fluid condition; kind and quality of the
materials used and its subsequent treatment or finish thereof whereby the variously
coloured or colouring slags glass metals or other ingredients becomes intermingled
by the heated or cold blast by means of flowing together streaming scattering or
otherwise to blend mix or diffuse the liquid substances in a heated or other
condition with the same similar or other materials in a granular powdered or
other condition as fibres to produce marbling and other coloured and decorativo
offects.
I also charge or otherwiso treat fill flood or cover a mould surface work or die
with water chemical or other liquids or fluids as slip or cements gluo or gun or
other compounds or binding materials into or about which I cast scatter throw
or otherwise use coyer or fill in any such moulds or works with unground plaster
alone or combined with other ingredients neutral aggregate or active agents
advantageously those of the most binding qualities which with its latent or other
hoat will set it so to work it of any dimensions of a pure white or uniforin colour
throughout an elevation or other works as concreto; concrete and pottery or
pottery-like combinations of many kinds as compounded with the various metals
metallic.álags or glass which for example again can be produced in the form of
engravings painting or prints from models electro deposits or other dies or moulds

page_text: of metal plaster wax sulphur or gelatine or otherwise worked modelled in wax
and cast in or from metal deposits thereof as may be required for the various
purposes therein described.
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
The manufacture or production of a new or improved material for building and
other purposes, substantially as herein before described.