IMPROVEMENTS IN LUBRICATING COMPATINDE
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Ward, of No. 2, Cloud's Hill Villas, St.
George's, Bristol, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LUBRICATING
COMPATINDE"
Sealed the 28th October 1864, and dated the 3rd May 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Ward at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd May 1864.
I, PETER WARD, of No. 2, Cloud's Hill Villas, St. George's, Bristol, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LUBRICATING
COMPOUNDS," to be as follows:-
In preparing a compound for the lubrication of steam engine cylinders 1.
dissolve an earthy soap in petroleum oil, and afterwards add tallow, or fat, or
lubricating oil. I find the following to be suitable proportions:-4 parts of
alumina soap, 12 parts of petroleum oil, and 16 parts of tallow; or the earthy
soap dissolved in petroleum oil may be used without this addition.
In preparing lubricating grease for carriage or any kind of axles or parts of
machinery I dissolve an earthy soap in petroleum oil, and then add tallow.
palm oil, or such like fat,and afterwards an alkaline soap and water, a solution
of soap. I find the following to be suitable proportions:-12 partscfpetroleur
oil, 4 parts of lime soap, 1 part of alumina soap, 3 parts of tallow, 2 parts cf
soda soap dissolved in water in the proportion of a pound of soap to a gallon
of water. When using a metallic soap I dissolve it in the oil last obtained

page_text: froin the distillation of coal tar or that from pitch, and then add soap and
water as above. I find the following to be suitable proportions:-16 parts
of oil last obtained from the distillation of coal tar or that from pitch, 2 to 4
parts of metallic soap (that of zinc is preferred), 5 to 10 parts of solution of
soda soap as before, and when I prepare these cils to be used as lubricating
oils I dissolve a sufficient quantity of one or more of these earthy or metallic
soaps to give them sufficient body for that purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Ward in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd
November 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
WARD, of No. 2, Cloud's Hill Villas, St. George's, Bristol, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Peter Ward, Her special licence that I, the said Peter
Ward, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Peter Ward, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LUBRICATING COMPOUNDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Peter Ward, 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 Invention, and in what inanner 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 Peter Ward, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
In preparing a compound for the lubrication of steam engine cylinders I

page_text: dissolve an earthy soap in petroleum oil, and afterwards add tallow, or fat, or
lubricating oil; or the earthy soap dissolved in petroleum oil may be used.
without this addition.
..
..I prefer to proceed as follows :-I provide an iron vessel capable of holding
about 1,500 gallons, into which I run 500 gallons of water; I then add
4 cwt. of hard white soap made from tallow, and I heat the same by steam
or other wise until the soap has become dissolved, after which I add 12 cwt. of
petroleum oil (the heavy oil); I then add as much of a solution of sulphate
of alumina of about 30 degrees of Twaddle's hydrometer as will decompose
the soap, which is known to be the case when the solution of soap, after having
boiled, has been found to have become clear, or when on the addition of a
further quantity of the solution of the sulphate of alumina no white flocculent
or aluminous soap is formed. The water is then to be run off, and fresh
water added, so as to wash out any traces of the aluminous salt that may have
adhered to the earthy soap, which is then drawn off as before. I then add
16 cwt. of tallow which has been previously refined by having been melted
and treated with about 2 lbs. of soda crystals to the cwt. of tallow whilst at a
heat of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit, so as to free it from any acids which may
have been present. The heat is then increased until the composition has become
uniformly mixed and smooth in appearance; it is then allowed to stand for six
hours to allow the water to separate, and after the water has been drawn off
the compound may be run into casks to cool, and is then ready for use, and may
be applied for the lubricating of steam cylinders in the same manner as tallow
is generally used for that purpose. These proportions may be varied and the
process of preparing the same, but I prefer the above.
This composition being free from any acid will not injure the steam cylinders
orvalves, as tallow or oil is known to do, and being slightly adhesive it will be
found to protect the valves, and cylinders from any injurious effects of the
steam or gases therein, and will lubricate much easier than tallow or oil,
besides doing 40 per cent. more work, weight for weight.
In preparing lubricating grease for carriage or any kind of axles or
parts of machinery I dissolve an earthy soap in petroleum oil, and then add
tallow, palm oil, or such like fat, and afterwards an alkaline soap and water,
or a solution of soap. I prefer to proceed as follows:-I use the same vessel
as before described, into which I run 500 gallons of water, and add thereto
4 cwt. of white hard soap, made from tallow in preference, and heat the
same as before described until the soap has become dissolved; .I then add
12 cwt. of petroleum oil (heavy oil) and afterwards add as much of a solution
of chloride of calcium of about 30 degrees of Twaddle's hydrometer as will

page_text: decompose the soap, which may be known to be the case when on examination
of the soap solution after boiling it is found to have become clear, or when on
the addition of a further quantity of the calcium solution no precipitate or
earthy soap is found. The water is then run off and fresh water added to
wash out any of the calcium salt which may have been retained in the com-
pound. After this water has been separated and run off from the vessel I
add to the compound 1 cwt. of aluminous soap, prepared by decomposing a
solution of hard soap in water by a solution of sulphate of alumina, and
after being dissolved by the petroleum oil previously added; I then introduce
3 cwt. of tallow or palm oil, and after boiling until all the materials have
become intimately mixed and smooth in appearance it may be run into shallow
vessels to cool, where it is mixed with 22 gallons of water holding in solution
about 11 lbs. of hard white soap, and after being mixed and thoroughly com
bined and cooled down it is ready for use, or the last addition of water and
soap may be added to the pan and boiled with the compound therein previous
to having been removed into the cooler. The foregoing proportions, and the
process by which the same is prepared, may be varied to some extent, but I
prefer them as above described. This grease has the peculiar properties of not
becoming affected in any degree by the heat of summer or the cold of winter,
and after being applied to carriage axles, or other parts of machinery, will be
found to be alwaysin afit state for use. It will also be found to lubricate three
times as long as oil, and to reduce the wear and tear of the brasses or bearings
fully one half. When using a metallic soap I dissolve it in the oil last obtained
from the distillation of coal tar, or that from pitch, and then add soap and
water as above. I prefer to proceed as follows:-I first wash the oil in about
half its bulk of water containing about 2 lbs. of soda ash of 52°/, soda to each
cwt. of the oil under treatment, and after being well steamed for, say, 2 hours
with open steam I allow the oil to subside from the water, after which I draw
off the water and again repeat the washing of the oil with the water alone for
a second or third time, until all the coloring matter, which becomes soluble
in the first washing, has been removed. The oil will now be found to have
lost its unpleasant smell, to retain its color when exposed to the air. When
coal tar oil contains much napthaline the heat must not reach to that of boiling
water, otherwise some of the napthaline will be driven off; in such a case
instead of boiling by steam they should be well plunged up in the process of
washing. I take of the oil thus treated 16 cwt. and from 2 to 4 cwt. of zinc
soap (more or less according to the quality of the oil) prepared by decom
posing a solution of hard soap in water with sulphate or chloride of zinc, (or
any of the cheap metallic salts may be used, but I prefer the salts of zinc),

page_text: and I put them in a suitable vessel and apply heat by fire or close steam
until the zinc soap has become dissolved. I then add from 5 to 10 cwt. of a
solution of hard soap in the proportion lb. of soap to the gallon of water,
and after boiling the compound until it becomes incorporated and smooth in
appearance. It is then removed into shallow vessels to cool, and when cold
mixed up or raked to and fro until all the water that it will part with sepa-
rates. It will then be found in a fit state for use. When I prepare petroleum
oil, or the oils last obtained from the distillation of coal tar, or that from
pitch, to be used as lubricating oils, I dissolve a suflicient quantity of one or
more of the earthy or metallic soaps in the oil to give it sufficient body for
that purpose. I prefer to proceed as follows:-When I prepare petroleum
oil to be used as a lubricating oil I put into a suitable vessel 16 cwt. of the
heavy oil, 2 cwt. of lime soap (made from a solution of hard soap in water
decomposed by chloride of calcium), and 2 cwt. of aluminous soap, prepared as
before described. I then apply heat until the earthy soaps have become
dissolved in the oil, which may be heated up to about 212° Fahrenheit, and
may then be transferred to a suitable tank where it should remain until it
becomes clear and bright for use. More or less of either of these carthy
soaps may be employed to the same quantity of oil, but in a general way the
above proportions will be found to answer most purposes. When I preparo
coal tar or pitch oil to be used as lubricating oil, I use that part which remains
fluid at the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere, and I wash them as
before described. I then take 18 cwt. of the oil, after being thus washed, and
2 cwt. of zinc soap prepared as before described, more or less, according to
the body or quality of such oil, and place them in a suitable vessel and apply
dry heat until the metallic soap has become dissolved in the oil and brought
up to a heat of about 212° Fahrenheit. The oil thus prepared may be trans-
ferred to a tank to settle for use.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Ward, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
PETER WARD. (L.S.)