Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 8th May, 1897
I, JOHANNES CHRISTIAN FREDRICH MÜLLER of 4 Gertrudenkirchhof, Hamburg,
in the Empire of Germany, Painter do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In preparing cleaning agents of the kind heretofore known for cleaning plastic
and flat works of art, experts have always employed a so-called secret of the art
for the purpose of cleaning such articles. In other cases the known methods for
cleaning works of art were useless either because they damaged the colours, in
the case of paintings and thus rendered those paintings valueless, or the action of
said methods of cleaning was so slight as to scarcely constitute a cleansing
operation.
Now this invention relates to a method of manufacture of a cleaning agent which
shall be a neutral product. The composition of such an agent may naturally
vary very considerably. I shall now proceed to describe one of these processes for
producing a cleansing agent.
The inventor operates as follows:-He mixes by stirring and kneading, a soap
from 1kg. of bydrated oxide of sodium, 14 kg. of potash, 5 kg. of olein and
3-4 kg. of water, the caustic soda and the potash being first dissolved in the water,
and then the olein being introduced into the mixture by stirring. This mixture
of caustic soda, carbonate of potassium, olein, and water, is boiled until the olein
has become completely saponified. Further 25 kg. of Iceland moss are boiled in
as small a quantity as possible of water to form a mucilage which is then mixed
with 5 kg. of linseed mucilage produced by boiling, and to this mixture there are
added 125 kg. of salicylic acid. In this manner a cleansing mass is produced
which is a neutral product and to which the salicylic acid is added for purposes
of disinfection. Instead of the caustic soda employed, there might also be
employed an equivalent amount of potash, or an equivalent amount of ammonia in
solution, when the articles to be cleaned are neutral, to such a degree that caustic
ammonia will not have a reducing action upon them. Similarly instead of salicylic
acid a more powerfully acting disinfecting agent might be employed.
When the articles to be cleaned are to be freed from old oil colour, it is
necessary to use a cleansing agent which shall have a more powerful alkaline action,
viz.; which shall contain more caustic soda and potash than are contained in the
above proportions. The process hereinbefore described for producing the cleansing
agent may be employed without fear for cleaning ceiling-paintings, works of art of
all kinds, decorations, windows, doors, staircases, work done in wax colours, facades
painted in oil colour and the like. The caustic agent when rendered powerfully
alkaline by a greater addition of caustic soda and potash, is capable of removing
all varnishes and old colours, the removal of which is desirable for example as in
the case of renovating or rendering visible old oil paintings, which are hidden by
coats of old oil paint which are to be removed. Further, the agents produced
according to this process have a disinfecting action which is of no small importance
in the case of old works of art that have to be renovated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1.) A process for producing a cleansing agent by making a neutral or alkaline

page_text: soap composed of a mixture of the hydrated oxide of an alkali, a carbonate of
an alkali, olein, and water, which mixture is well boiled together and introduced
into a mixture of Iceland moss and linseed mucilage and to which there is added a
disinfecting agent, as set forth.
(2.) A cleansing agent compounded, substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 90th dor of Tanu 1807
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Associate Agent.