IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBROUS MATERIAL APPLICABLE FOR FLOOR CLOTH.
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Weygang, late of 31 Cowper Road, South
Hornsey, but now of 7 Hermitage Villas, Childs Hill, in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturers Agent for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBROUS MATERIAL APPLICABLE FOR FLOOR CLOTH.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Weygang at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th January 1883.
CHARLES WEYGANG, late of 31 Cowper Road, South Hornsey, but now of
7 Hermitage Villas, Childs Hill, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturers Agent,
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBROUS MATERIAL APPLICABLE FOR
FLOOR CLOTH, ROOFING FELT, WALL COVERING AND OTHER PURPOSES."
"
This Invention relates to the manufacture of a new or improved article
applicable for Floor-Cloth, Roofing felt, wall covering and many other useful
purposes, the process for the manufacture of which is in its general features soine-
what similar to that by which paper is manufactured and by which I produce a
strong fibrous and durable article, and by varying the proportions and qualities of
the materials & I make the product suitable for one or other of the before named
purposes, or for one of the many purposes for which Leather, Leather cloth,
India rubber, Gutta percha & are used.
In carrying my Invention into practice I beat up in a paper makers beating
engine any suitable fibrous materials which I select of appropriate quality and
color according to the article I wish to produce.
I boil a drying oil, by preference Linseed oil, to a very thick or solid consistency
and I add thereto from 10 to 30 per Cent, or thereabouts, of a resinous substance,
such as the common resin of commerce, and I then saponify the mixture of oil and
resin with an alkali.
Of the soap thus produced I add to every 100 parts of fibrous pulp in the
beating engine from 100 to 400 parts according to the article I wish to produce,

page_text: and when thorough mixture has taken place I oxidize the Soap in the beating
engine either by introducing free Oxygen, or by adding any suitable Chemical
which will readily give up its oxygen, such as the manganese salts, for instance
the permanganate of potash, and I then precipitate the Soap with a suitable agent
such as Alumina, and run the stuff off on a paper machine as is done in paper or
millboard making.
Instead of oxidizing and precipitating the Soap separately as above described,
I sometimes. use a chemical agent which oxidizes and precipitates at the same
time, such as for instance, Chloride of Lime, or I use Chloride of Lime in com-
bination with an oxidizing salt such as Permanganate of Potash, or Bichromate of
Potash, or in combination with lime.
After the fibrous material thus made has been laid out and dried I pass it
through heated chambers and between rollers, or between heated rollers only, in
order to consolidate the materials into a homogeneous mass.
The rollers may be engraved with patterns in order to impart ornamental
designs to the fabric, to adapt it for one of the various purposes for which it may
be intended.
If I desire to produce a very cheap material which will nevertheless be very
durable, such as would answer for roof covering as well as for floor cloth, I
dissolve tar in water with the aid of resin soap and add to every 100 parts of this
soluble tar from about 10 to 40 parts of the previously described saponified oil, and
I incorporate this mixture with the fibrous pulp and proceed as before described.
Roofing felt thus made is very durable and is not easily inflammable, and if I
desired to render it still less inflammable I add to the Soapy compound a small
quantity of sulphur in the form of powder.
I use various pigments for giving any color I may desire to the articles
produced, and employ various devices for producing fancy articles in various
colors.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Weygang in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th July 1883.
CHARLES WEYGANG late of 31 Cowper Road South Hornsey but now of
7 Hermitage Villas Child's Hill in the County of Middlesex Manufacturers' Agent.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBROUS MATERIAL APPLICABLE FOR
FLOOR CLOTH, ROOFING FELT WALL COVERING AND OTHER PURPOSES
دو
This invention relates to the manufacture of a new or improved article
applicable for Floor cloth, Roofing felt, wall coverings and many other useful
purposes, the process for the manufacture of which is in its general features some-
what similar to that by which paper is manufactured and by which I produce a
strong fibrous and durable article, and by varying the proportions and qualities of
the materials &c. I make the product suitable for one or other of the before
named purposes, or for one of the many purposes for which leather-cloth, india-.
rubber, gutta-percha & are used.
In carrying my invention into practice I prepare a fibrous pulp in the ordinary
manner of paper making, choosing the quality and color of the raw material
according to the article to be produced-Thus, for purposes where no tensile
strength is required, as for instance for floor-cloth, waste paper may be used and
I prefer to employ such qualities as are made of soft fibres, and for such purposes
I sometimes also use ligneous meal in a fine or a coarse and fibrous state mixed
with other and stronger fibrous pulp-Of course the greater the strength the
material to be produced is to have, the better the raw material must be
I boil a drying oil to a very thick consistency-I prefer to employ linseed oil
for its cheapness and as giving the best results. For most purposes I boil the oil
until when cold it is of the consistency of treacle or a little thicker but it may be
boiled to a much thicker consistency.
The oil is sometimes used alone but for most purposes I find it advantageous
to add to it from 10 to 30 per cent of a resinous substance the proportion
to be determined according to the hardness or softness of the material to be
manufactured
For ordinary purposes I employ the common rosin of commerce in a proportion
of 25 per cent.
Other resinous substances may be employed and for purposes where the material
is to be elastic and soft waste india rubber and gutta percha is used with
advantage either alone with the oil, or in combination with another resinous
substance as common rosin-Also for some purposes herein after described a large
proportion of tar is mixed with a resinous substance such as common rosin and
used in combination with the oil as herein after described
Instead of boiling the oil it may be reduced to the requisite consistency by
oxygenation by exposure to the air or otherwise and then heated with the resin
in order to dissolve the latter-But boiling the oil is the quickest and cheapest
process.
When the oil has been reduced to the requisite consistency I treat it or the
mixture of oil and resin, with an alkali, such as a carbonate, oxide or sulphide of
Boda or potash-The oily substance may be boiled in a solution of one of these
salts until it is dissolved-but I prefer to proceed in the following manner and to
employ an alkaline carbonate or sulphide-as soda carbonate or soda penta
sulphide
I allow the oil, or the mixture of oil and resin, to cool a little, somewhat above
the boiling point of water. I then run in a weak boiling solution of the alkali

page_text: very slowly until the oily compound is miscible in water, which may be ascertained
by taking out a small quantity and putting it into a dish containing hot water.
If it perfectly diffuses in the water when stirred a little sufficient alkali has been
added. if it is however lumpy more of the alkaline solution must be added.
When this oily compound has cooled it forms an elastic tenacious body and I add
of this to every 100 parts of fibrous pulp in the beating engine or other suitable
incorporating apparatus from 100 to 400 parts previously dissolved in hot water,
according to the hardness or softness of the article to be produced, or, calculating
the pulp in dry weight and the oil or mixture of oil and resin before it is treated
with the alkali, the proportions would be from about 30 pounds to 100 pounds of
the oil or oil and resin to about 100 pounds of fibrous pulp
I find that from 45 to 50 pounds of oil or oil and resin to 56 pounds of pulp is
the most useful proportion, but a much larger proportion of oil or oil and resin may
be employed, and for some purposes, such as for common floor and wall coverings a
much smaller proportion can be used
Although the oil in thickening absorbs a large amount of oxygen and can be
manipulated very well without further oxidizing especially when it has been
treated by an alkaline sulphide-I prefer for most purposes to introduce more
oxygen in any convenient form such as by means of salts which will readily part
with their oxygen such as the manganese salts, or the bichromate of potash, or by
adding metallic oxides. These oxidizing agents are added to the oily compound
either before or after its introduction in the beating engine or other apparatus as
aforesaid or they are added in conjunction with the precipitating agents described
hereafter
When the oily compound has been thoroughly mixed with the pulp in the
beating engine I precipitate it as follows:-To oxidize and precipitate at the same
time I can employ chloride of lime-but I find better results are obtained by
employing either of the following processes-a metallic oxide. such as zinc white, or
the redoxide of iron in conjunction with a calcium sulphide or chloride-Or, a
metallic sulphate such as the sulphate of iron, zinc, alumina and manganese in
conjunction with calcium hydrate or sulphate, or, an oxy-acid salt such as the
bichromate of potash in conjunction with calcium hydrate or sulphate.
The proportion of metallic oxide to the oil may be as high as 40 pounds of the
former to 100 pounds of the latter, but a much smaller quantity can be employed
especially if a calcium sulphide be employed in conjunction with it
The proportion of calcium hydrate or sulphate to the metallic sulphates or
oxy acid-salts may also vary considerably-The greater the proportion of the lime
employed the harder the material produced will be-an average proportion is
about 15 per cent of the hydrate and 25 per cent of the sulphate of lime-
Excepting when employing sulphate of alumina the proportion of lime must be a
little higher-In employing a metallic oxide, the oxide must be reduced to a very
fine powder. It can be added to the oily compound either before this is introduced
in the beating engine or other apparatus or after, or, it may be mixed with the
precipitating calcium chloride or sulphide, which must be added in the beating
engine in a state of solution, and until the water in the beating engine has become
quite clear, showing that all the oily compound is precipitated-In using a
sulphide I prefer the calcium penta sulphide and I proceed with this in the same
manner as with the chloride. Instead of employing calcium penta-sulphide only
I sometimes use it in conjunction with a little barium chloride, in a proportion of
about 25 per cent of the latter-The sulphide with the oxide may first be added in
the beating engine and afterwards the solution of barium chloride or the two
solutions may be added separately but simultaneously.
In employing a metallic sulphate or an oxy-acid salt and lime, the salt is
dissolved and the lime is separately mixed with water and then mixed with the
solution This mixture is added in the beating engine until all the oily compound
is precipitated as before described. By "sulphate of lime" the calcined quality is
to be understood

page_text: In employing for oxydizing purposes such powerful agents as the permanganates
of soda or potash, or if the oil has been boiled or otherwise reduced in the first
instance to a solid or almost solid consistency I prefer to precipitate it in the
beating engine or other apparatus as aforesaid with a salt containing chlorine the
chlorine of which has greater affinity for the alkali employed in the oily compound
such as Barium chloride, calcium, chloride, or with diluted hydro-chloric acid-In
using permanganate of soda or potash I employ for most purposes from 8 to 10
pounds to every 100 pounds of oil but much more may be used-The permanganate
must first be dissolved in water and may be added to the oily compound either
before this is introduced in the beating engine or after-The precipitating agents
are added in a state of solution and until the water in the beating engine has
become clear. Instead of precipitating with Barium or calcium chloride or with
hydrochloric acid-I precipitate with very good results with calcium penta sulphide,
alone or in conjunction with barium chloride as before described or with a metallic
sulphate as sulphate of alumina or sulphate of zinc or the sulphate of iron-and
for some purposes where a hard material is to be produced these may be combined
with hydrate or sulphate of lime as before described.
When an alkaline sulphide has been employed to dissolve the oil or mixture of
oil and resin excellent results may also be obtained by precipitating in addition
to all the above methods, with a calcium sulphide as the calcium penta sulphide, or
calcium chloride, or Barium chloride alone or in combination with each other and
without the addition of an oxidising agent
I also precipitate with very good results with a metallic sulphate alone or in
conjunction with hydrochloric acid, that is to say-I first add a solution of a
metallic sulphate as the sulphate of zinc, Iron, alumina, or manganese until all the
oily compound is precipitated and I then add about 5 pounds of hydrochloric acid,
very much diluted, to every 100 pounds of oil or oil and resin employed.
For the purpose of making a very cheap material applicable for roofing felt and
many other purposes I employ a large quanity of tar in combination with the oily
compound before described, and I proceed as follows
I saponify about 28 pounds of common rosin and allow this to cool and the
soapy compound to separate from the water, which I drain off and pour a little
fresh hot water upon the compound in order to thin it a little-when it has cooled
again I add from 120 to 160 pounds of coal tar, and after mixing thoroughly I
add about 28 pounds of the oil treated as before described that is reduced to a
thick consistency and treated with an alkali-A larger proportion of oil and rosin
may be employed for a more expensive material
The mixture is incorporated in various proportions with the, fibrous pulp in the
beating engine-An average proportion would be about 140 pounds of the compound
reckoning the weight before the rosin and oil have been treated with the alkali, to
about 112 pounds of fibrous pulp, reckoning dry weight.
I then precipitate the tarry compound with the same means as the oily compound
previously described-A metallic sulphate mixed with hydrate of lime, or a calcium
sulphide may be employed with advantage
In order to render the material to be produced less inflammable a silicious
substance in the form of clay or fine sand may be added and a little crude borax,
in combination with the precipitating agents and a small quantity of powdered
sulphur may be added with advantage in the proportion of about 5 pounds to every
100 pounds of the tarry compound-The silicious substance should not exceed
20 per cent of the tarry compound unless hardness of the material to be produced
is no object when more may be employed
Instead of silicious clay or sand a soluble silica such as soda silicate may be
employed in the proportion of 20 to 30 per cent to the tarry compound-The
soluble silica should however be added independently of the tarry compound in the
beating engine before the precipitating Agent is added
Of course a silicious substance may be employed in all cases where the
inflammability of the material is to be lessened.

page_text: The pulp is colored either directly in combination with the oxidization by
metallic oxides, or by the addition of mineral colors to the precipitating Agents-
The colors may however be produced in a variety of ways which will be
understood by a practical manufacturer
Patterns throughout the body of the material to be produced, such as would be
suitable for floor cloth purposes may be produced by preparing several colors in
different beating engines and employing different kinds of fibrous material and
beating the different kinds for unequal lengths of time-also by adding the
precipitating agent gradually or quickly-For instance the pulp intended for
the ground color of the material would be beaten to a very fine state and the
precipitating agent added very gradually whilst the pulps which are to form
the pattern are kept coarser and precipitated quickly-After the different colors
have been separately prepared-they are run together into a large vat and thoroughly
mixed The pulp is run off in the ordinary manner on paper or millboard machines
or made into sheets in moulds according to whether great lengths of material or
only small sheets are to be made. From the paper machine the material is taken
into the drying room, unless it does not exceed in thickness the sixteenth of an
inch, when it may be dried on heated cylinders combined with the paper machine
-It is however always better to dry it by exposure in a drying room.
When the material is required to be very soft and pliant and perfectly
homogeneous, it is exposed in the drying room only until all the moisture has
evaporated, which of course depends upon the thickness of the material and the
temperature of the drying room. It is then passed between heated rollers or it
may pass over heated boxes and between hot or cold rollers-The pressure under
any circumstances must be brought to bear gradually upon the material-In the
case of small sheets other than a rolling pressure may be employed. Thus it may
be heated and pressed between metal plates in a suitable press-To avoid the
adhesion of the material to the plates-these are dusted with some suitable stuff
adapted to the color and nature of the material, such as chalk, wood flour,
flock &c.
If the material is to be very hard it is exposed for a much longer time in the
drying room say from 10 to 30 days, the time depending of course upon the
thickness of the material-After this it is placed between heated metallic plates
and subjected to a very heavy pressure in a strong press. It is left in the press
until the plates have quite cooled and it is then exposed in a heated room for 7 to
14 days
Another method to make a soft and pliant material is to expose it in the drying
room, for 14 days or longer before it receives any pressure. It is then subjected
to a moderate pressure, heat being employed in connection with the pressure in
the same way as above described-Then whilst the material is still warm it is
repeatedly passed between rollers of small diameter, being held during the time in
such a position that it has to curve round the roller, or a set of rollers may be so
arranged that the material will pass between and around the whole set mechanically
when it has been pushed between the first pair of the set.
A material made in this way is however not waterproof, but it may be made
waterproof by treating it with melted paraffin or other fatty matters
Similar results to those described above may be obtained by employing some
of the other siccative oils such as nut oil but linseed oil is used almost without
exception.
I also sometimes employ any waste solidified oil, for instance, old floor cloths-I
treat these with a caustic alkali in order to dissolve the oil and I use the solution
in the same way as I would fresh oil as before described.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :-
First The manufacture of a fibrous material consisting of a fibrous mass
mixed preferably in the beating engine with a siccative oil with or without a
resinous substance, the oil having been previously reduced to a thick consistency

page_text: by boiling or otherwise oxidizing and together with the resinous substance rendered
miscible with water by means of an alkali and subsequently precipitated in an
insoluble condition, substantially as hereinbefore described
Secondly. The process of combining oxygen with a siccative oil after the oil has
been saponified or rendered miscible with water by treatment with an alkali for
the purpose and as substantially herein before described
Thirdly The manufacture of a fibrous material consisting of a fibrous mass
mixed preferably in the beating engine with a siccative oil which has been previously
reduced to a thick consistency by boiling or otherwise oxidizing together with a
resinous substance and a mineral tar for the purpose and as substantially herein-
before described
Fourthly The use of an alkaline sulphide for the purpose of dissolving or
saponifying any oily or resinous substance so far as this applies to the sizing of
any material made by paper machinery for the purposes substantially as herein-
before described
Fifthly The process of precipitating from its soluble or partially soluble state
any oily resinous or tarry compound which has been previously treated with an
alkali firstly by means of a sulphide of an alkaline earth alone or of compounds of
chlorine or otherwise combined or by means of a chemical Agent in which chlorine
and sulphur are combined-Secondly-by means of a metallic sulphate or an
oxyacid salt combined with hydrate of lime substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof I the said Charles Weygang have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twenty sixth day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three
ATT
ANATANודרוזי
CHARLES WEYGANG
(L.S.)