IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAP
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gedge, of No. 4, Wellington Street South,
Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAP."-A communication.
Sealed the 23rd February 1858, and dated the 26th August 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Gedge at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th August
1857.
I, JOHN GEDGE, of No. 4, Wellington Street South, Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SOAP," communicated
to me by a certain foreigner residing abroad, to be as follows:-
To make yellow soap I use the understated articles in about the quantities
mentioned; say, in a copper, heated by fire or steam, I place 375 lbs. of
cocoa-nut oil and about 650 lbs. of resin; when these are melted, add
about 1200 lbs. of alkali, boil, then pour in by three operations 1000 lbs. of
water, boiling the mass; at each operation add 200 lbs. of muriate of soda
(common salt) to separate the lees. I then place in a copper as aforesaid.
say, about 750 lbs. of cocoa-nut oil; when well melted add 900 lbs. of alkali,
and boil; then add, as in the former operation, 700 lbs. of water. I then
add the result of the first operation, mixing it with the produce of the
second. When the mixture is quite complete and has boiled, I add about
25 lbs. of glue, and when thoroughly dissolved I run the soap into moulds.

page_text: For white soap, I first place in the copper about 700 lbs. cocoa-nut oil
and about 100 lbs. resin, upon which when melted I throw about 900 lbs. of
alkali; after boiling, add, as aforesaid, about 900 lbs. of water; separate the
lees by 300 lbs. muriate of soda. Then, I place in a copper 700 lbs. cocoa-
nut oil, and, when melted, add 700 lbs. of alkali and 700 lbs. of water as
aforesaid; after the last boiling add 200 lbs. of cocoa-nut oil, and boil again;
then mix the soap obtained by the first operation with the above, adding
about 800 lbs. of water to the whole; when all is thoroughly melted, add
85 to 90 lbs. of glue, and proceed as aforesaid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
February 1858.
TO. ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GEDGE, of Number 4, Wellington Street South, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reigu, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Gedge, Her special license that I, the said John Gedge, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Gedge, 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 THE
MANUFACTURE OF SOAP," being a communication to me by a certain foreigner;
upon the condition, (amongst others, that I, the said John Gedge, 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 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 Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Gedge, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
that is to say:-
The process communicated to me is applicable to the manufacture of all
descriptions of soap, of whatever nature the fatty or oleagenous matters
forming the foundation may be.
I will first describe the manufacture (according to the invention) of yellow
soaps, which is divided into two operations; secondly, of white soap, also in
two operations; and, thirdly, of white or curd soap, in a single operation,
when manufactured without resin.
For yellow soap, I have a copper or cauldron (heated by steam or ordinary
furnace), into which I throw about three hundred and seventy-five pounds
weight of cocoa-nut oil and about six hundred and fifty pounds of resin;
when these are melted, I add thereto about twelve hundred pounds of alkali
of the strength of 1260%, or thereabouts; the whole must be again boiled, and
during such boiling about one thousand pounds weight of water is added, at
three different times, taking care that the mass be in a state of ebullition
when the first addition of water is made, and again boiling before the second
portion of water is added, and the same with the third. After the whole of
the water has been poured in and the mass has again been boiled, I throw in
(always during ebullition) about two hundred pounds weight of muriate of soda
(common salt) in order to seperate the lees, which being effected I withdraw
the saponaceous mass, throw away the lees, and the first operation is finished.
I now commence the second operation by throwing into a copper (heated as
aforesaid), say, about seven hundred and fifty pounds weight of cocoa-nut oil,
and melt; when it is melted I mix with it about nine hundred pounds
weight of alkali at the same strength as named in the previous operation, and
boil the whole; to these add, in three pourings in, as before directed, about
seven hundred pounds weight of water; after ebullition of the third and last
addition of water I take all the soap or saponified substance obtained by the
first operation and mix it with that made by the second just described; when
the mixture is quite complete, and it has boiled, I throw in about twenty-five
pounds weight of glue, and when this latter is thoroughly dissolved and mixed
or incorporated with the saponaceous mass, it then becomes a complete soap
and is poured into frames in the ordinary manner.
In making white soap (with resin) I proceed, both as regards the copper or
cauldron and the means of heating the same as for the yellow soap herein-
before described, and also effect the manufacture in two operations. I first
put in the copper or cauldron about seven hundred pounds weight of cocoa-
nut oil and about one hundred pounds weight of resin, into which (when the

page_text: oil and resin are well melted) I put about nine hundred pounds weight of
alkali of the same strength as given for that used for yellow soap, after full
ebullition of the whole has taken place and during the boiling I add about
nine hundred pounds weight of water, as before directed to be done, and
finally seperate the lees with about three hundred pounds weight of common
salt; the saponified substance or soap is then taken out of the copper, as
are also the lees, the latter being thrown aside.
For the second part of the process I put into the copper about seven
hundred pounds weight of cocoa-nut oil, and when it is well melted I add
thereto about seven hundred pounds weight of alkali at 1260°, as aforesaid,
and boil; during the boiling I add about seven hundred pounds weight of
water at three different times, as previously explained. After this has been
done I again add cocoa-nut oil, say, about two hundred pounds weight, and
boil over again; after which the saponified substance or soap obtained by the
first described operation (for making white soap) is mixed with the boiling
mass, and to the whole add about eight hundred pounds of water, in the
manner before described; lastly, add thereto about eighty-seven pounds
weight of glue, which must be thoroughly melted and incorporated with the
materials forming the mass in the copper, and then the operation is complete
and the soap is poured into frames as usual.
I make white soap, "curd" soap, or yellow soap, without using resin. I
place in a copper or cauldron (heated as before mentioned by steam or
furnace), say, about one thousand one hundred and three pounds weight of
fatty or oleagenous substances, and about one thousand five hundred and
fifty-six pounds weight of alkali of the same strength as before directed, and
boil them well together, as the reaction of the alkali upon the fatty bodies
is in this operation an affair of evaporation. I prefer attacking the fats at
once by the alkali at a high degree of temperature, say about 1250° of
Farenheit, I keep up the heat until the reaction is complete and a dry or
nearly so) saponification has taken place; I then throw in about two thousand
pounds weight of water to redissolve the saponified substance formed by the
fats and the alkali, and partially dried as aforesaid; after, adding the water
and just as the mass has attained the point of ebullition, I precipitate about
one hundred and three pounds of common salt into the cauldron for the
purpose of seperating the lees; the saponified substance rises to the top in the
cauldron and the lees fall to the bottom; I then withdraw the saponified
substance (which is usually of the weight of about fifteen hundred pounds)
and place it in moulds with water to give the soap the consistence and
appearance desirable (say about four hundred pounds weight of water). I

page_text: might withdraw the lees from the cauldron and then add the necessary
quantity of water to the saponaceous mass, but I prefer the mode of operating
first stated as less troublesome and more simple.
Having now described the nature of the Invention communicated to me
as aforesaid, I would observe that while I lay no claim to the exclusive use
of any of the articles or substances mentioned in the foregoing operations
I do not confine myself to the exact proportions of parts herein given as they
may vary according to their relative fineness or quality; but I claim the
exclusive manufacture of soap or soaps made or manufactured with the
combination or combinations of materials herein mentioned, and in the
manner herein-before set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Gedge, have hereunto set my hand
and affixed my seal, this Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
W. E. GEDGE,
4, Danes' Inn, Strand.
JOHN GEDGE. (L.S.)