AN IMPROVED COATING FOR EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS AND CARTRIDGES
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
I MICHAEL COCK of Golden Square, Sandhurst, in the Colony of Victoria,
Mining Manager do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVED
COATING FOR EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS AND CARTRIDGES" and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention has been designed principally for the purpose of providing
cartridges with a waterproof coating which will not injuriously affect the
ingredients of which such cartridges are composed, but rather assist them. This
coating however is not only beneficial for its waterproof properties, but for the
prevention or lessening of abrasion in use and transport, and if preferred it may be
used simply for this purpose or as a lining for other coatings. It is applicable to
cartridges of all kinds, nitro-glycerine ones included, and to explosive compounds of
all kinds, but it is not intended for use as a coating for the grains of finely powdered
explosives, but only for those of coarser grain such as are commonly known as
pellet powders, although it may be used for explosives of finest powder if desired.
My coating consists of melted sulphur, or melted compounds or mixtures of
sulphur-such for instance as black lead and sulphur, or iron and sulphur-but
these mixtures and compounds can be multiplied almost indefinitely, my novelty
consists in the sulphur either alone or compounded or mixed with any other
ingredients or forming part of any other natural product.
The cartridges or explosive compounds to be coated are simply warmed and then
dipped into the melted sulphur or compounds or mixtures of sulphur and then
allowed to dry. The coating they are allowed to take up may be of any desired
thickness and when dry may be painted or varnished or covered with another and
outer coating.
One great advantage obtained by the use of my Invention is that nitrate of soda
can be substituted with safety for nitrate of potash in all explosives and cartridges
in which said latter ingredient is now commonly used, and so greatly reduce their
cost. And inasmuch as it will prevent the exudation of oil from cartridges made of
dynamite or other nitro-glycerino compounds, it greatly lessens the danger arising
from the use of such materials. It will thus be seen that by my Invention cheaper
and safer cartridges can be made than by any other process while grains of pellot
and other powders can be made cheaper and rendered quite waterproof.

page_text: I desire it should be understood that I do not confine the application of my
Invention to any particular kind of explosive compound or cartridge, nor to the use
of pure sulphur, or of any particular mixture or compound of sulphur.
Having now particularly described the nature of my said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
The coating of cartridges and explosive compounds with melted sulphur or
melted compounds or mixtures of sulphur substantially as and for the purposes
herein described and explained.
Dated this sixteenth day of September One thousand eight hundred and
eighty four.