IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS, POTTERY, PORCELAIN AND OTHER CERAMIC AND PLASTIC WARES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Cane Coombe. Chemist, and James Wright,
Civil Engineer, both of 42, Bridge Street, Blackfriars, London, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS, POTTERY,
PORCELAIN AND OTHER CERAMIC AND PLASTIC WARES."
Scaled the 11th January 1861, and dated the 15th July 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Cane Coombe and
James Wright at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 15th July 1861.
We, JAMES CANE COOMBE, Chemist, and JAMES WRIGHT, Civil Engineer,
both of 42, Bridge Street, Blackfriars, London, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS,
POTTERY, PORCELAIN. AND OTHER CERAMIC AND PLASTIC WARES," to be as
follows:-
These improvements consist in the application of precipitated silica, artificial
silicates, and fluo-silicates, of the alkalies, alkaline earths, and other earthy
bases, to the manufacture of glass, pottery, porcelain, and other ceramic and
plastic substances. The mode in which we form these silicates and fluo-
silicates is as follows:-We premise, that in speaking of fluo-silicic acid, we
mean fluo-silicic acid gas combined with water, known as hydro-fluo-silicic
acid, but which, for brevity we call fluo-silicic acid. We propose to obtain our
silicic and fluo-silicic acids by decomposing any fluorine compounds in contact
with silica or siliceous combinations by means of sulphuric or any other available
027

page_text: acid; the fluo-silicic acid passes off in a gaseous form, and being received into
water deposits silica. This process of forming silicic and fluo-silicic acids we
call the fluorine process. The silica which is deposited, and the fluo-silicic acid
which remains in solution and obtained by this process, are the ingredients we
employ, and we use them in combination with alkalies alkaline earths and
other earthy bases.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Cane Coombe and James Wright in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th January 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
CANE COOMBE, Chemist, and JAMES WRIGHT, Civil Engineer, both of 42,
Bridge Street, Blackfriars, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Iler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
James Cane Coombe and James Wright, Her special licence that we, the said
James Cane Coombe and James Wright, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said James Cane Coombe and James Wright,
our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
GLASS, POTTERY, PORCELAIN, AND OTHER CERAMIC AND PLASTIC WARES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Cane Coombe and James
Wright, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 Palent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Cane Coombe and James
Wright, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-

page_text: Our Invention consists in the application of fluo-silicates and silicates of
alkalies or alkaline earths, and earthy bases, and precipitated silica, to the
manufacture of glass, pottery, porcelain, and other plastic and ceramic wares.
The mode in which we form these silicates and fluo-silicates is as follows:--
We premise, that in speaking of fluo-silicic acid, we mean fluo-silicic acid
gas combined with water, known as hydro-fluo-silicic acid. but which for
brevity, we call fluo-silicic acid. We propose to obtain our silicic and fluo-silicic
acids by decomposing any fluorine compound in contact with silica or siliceous
combinations by means of sulphuric or any other available acid. The fluc-
silicic acid passes off in a gaseous form, and being received into water deposits
silica. This process of forming silicic and fluo-silicic acid we call the fluorine
process. The silica which is deposited, and the fluo-silicic acid which remains
in solution and obtained by this process are the ingredients we employ, and we
use them in combination with alkalies, alkaline earths, and other earthy bases.
In the glass manufacture we substitute fluo-silicate of lime for the lime now
employed, and either alone or with fluo-silicate of baryta. Fluo-silicate of
potash we employ in the glass manufacture likewise, instead of the ordinary
potash, thus obtaining by the fluo-silicate. glass of a much superior
description, and with many practical advantages in the economy of loss from
imperfections.
The more important part of our process is the substitution of the fluo-silicic
acid for phosphoric acid, in combination with lime, alumina, and other bases
for the production of the finer porcelain bodies, and for producing the ordinary
earthenware bodies approaching to the quality of china more cheaply. We
propose to mix the fluo-silicates of lime, alumina, and precipitated silica with
ordinary clay, Kaolin or China clay, Cornish stone, spars or any other available
substance, or we confine ourselves to the employment of fluo-silicates of lime,
alumina, and precipitated silica, with suflicient kaolin or stone to enable the
potter to work it up. We vary the quantities and proportions of the materials
according to the quality of the ware the potter wishes to produce. In the finer
kinds of porcelain we prefer the use of the precipitated or gelatinous silica to
the exclusion of flint or other materials hitherto employed.
Our fluo-silicic acid and gelatinous silica we propose to obtain by decomposing
any fluorine compound in contact with silica or any other siliceous compound
by means of sulphuric or any other available acid. The fluo-silicic acid passes
off in a gaseous form, and being received into water, deposits silica. The gela-
tinous silica thus deposited, and the fluo-silicic acid which remains in solution,
are the ingredients we employ in combination with alkalies, alkaline earths,
and other earthy bases.

page_text: Instead of forming the fluo-silicates by the method above described, we in
some cases prefer to produce them by acting directly upon the kaolin or other
materials, as the case may be, with fluoric acid.
Having now described our Invention, and how the same is produced
and used, we wish it understood that what we claim and desire secured
to us by the before in part recited Letiers Patent is, the application of
fluo-silicates and artificial silicates of the alkalies, alkaline earths, and other
earthy bases to the manufacture of glass, pottery, porcelain, and other ceramic
and plastic wares, and more particularly the substitution of the fluo-silicic
salts of the alkalies, alkaline carths, and other earthy bases for the phosphoric
compounds of the same or other bases in the manufacture of glass, pottery,
porcelain, and other ceramic and plastic wares.
In witness whereof. I. the said James Wright, on behalf of myself and
the said James Cane Coombe. have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Fifteenth day of January. One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JAMES WRIGHT. (L.S.)