IMPROVEMENTS IN CONVERTING VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL FIBRES AND FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OF VARIOUS KINDS INTO MATERIALS RESEMBLING WOOD AND OTHER HARD OR TOUGH SUBSTANCES FOR USE AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR ANY SUCH SUBSTANCES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents, 66,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONVERTING VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL FIBRES AND
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OF VARIOUS KINDS INTO MATERIALS RESEMBLING WOOD
AND OTHER HARD OR TOUGH SUBSTANCES FOR USE AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR ANY
SUCH SUBSTANCES." A communication from abroad by Alfred Joseph Macbay,
of Calcutta, India.
Sealed the 11th July 1876, and dated the 24th February 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th February 1876.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONVERTING VEGETABLE
AND ANIMAL FIBRES AND FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OF VARIOUS KINDS INTO MATERIALS
RESEMBLING WOOD AND OTHER HARD OR TOUGH SUBSTANCES FOR USE AS A
SUBSTITUTE FOR ANY SUCH SUBSTANCES."
The object of this Invention is to convert the fibres of jute, flax, tow, hemp, rhea,
cotton, coir, alvæ, palm, plaintain, and cocoa-nut fibres, grasses, leaves, straw, bark,
pine needles, woody matter, bran husks, and fibrous substances of various
descriptions, vegetable or animal, such as wool, silk, and waste thereof, either in the
raw or finely divided or otherwise reduced state, or after being scutched, heckled,
carded, spun, woven, or otherwise prepared into a solid material or substance
resembling wood, vulcanite, felt, papier machè, leather, rubber, gutta percha, horn,
bone, ivory, stone, clay ware, or other hard or tough substance rigid, elastic, or
flexible.
The artificial substance produced from any of these materials may be used as a
substitute for any of the natural substances above-mentioned, and may therefore be
applied to various useful purposes.
In carrying out this Invention the fibrous substances above referred to are
consolidated by hydraulic or other pressure in moulds or otherwise in a wet or dry
state, and by preference with the addition of resins of various kinds, pitch, tar, gums,
size, glue, shellac, rubber, gutta percha, turpentine, petroleum, or any other hydro-
carbons or oils fixed or essential, drying or non-drying, and their products, paraffine,
wax, tallow, and like substances and their products, farina, starch, or gluten, and

page_text: the glutinous matter of seeds, grain, pulse, and tubers of all kinds and thei
products, lime, chalk, sand, clays, earths, plaster of Paris, Portland and other
cements, or any other suitable modifying cementitious or adhesive matter, vegetable,
animal, or mineral substances, either simple or compound, manufactured, or
chemically prepared, may be used, and these substances may be mixed with the
fibres befere treatment, or may be applied at any stage of the process with or
without the aid of water, steam, or heat.
The process may be varied according to the nature of the material required or
the purpose for which it is to be applied, thus canvas, cloth, or felt of any fibre or
fibrous substance may be pressed sheet upon sheet, layer upon layer, or fold upon
fold, or otherwise to the required degree of solidity or thickness either with or
without any of the cementing matters or aids specified.
If the centre of a railway wheel is required, or any other similar object, the fibres
in the raw state, or after being scutched, heckled, or in slivers after being carded, or
in the form of yarn, thread, twine, cord, or rope, after being spun or twisted, or
after being woven into cloth, canvas, or tape in broad or narrow bands or other-
wise, may be wound or payed off upon a spindle or drum between discs, horns, or
guides or otherwise, or upon the boss of a wheel itself, or in situ where required, and
then compressed in moulds, shapes, or otherwise, to the required thickness, size, or
density with or without any of the cementing matters or aids aforesaid.
If desired the materials may be reduced to pulp or half stuff, and then solidified
or moulded by pressure or otherwise with or without any of the ingredients
aforesaid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
August 1876.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONVERTING VEGETABLE
AND ANIMAL FIBRES AND FIBROUS SUBSTANCES OF VARIOUS KINDS INTO MATERIALS
RESEMBLING WOOD AND OTHER HARD OR TOUGH SUBSTANCES FOR USE AS A
SUBSTITUTE FOR ANY SUCH SUBSTANCES.' A communication from abroad by
Alfred Joseph Macbay, of Calcutta, India.
"
The object of this Invention is to convert into a solid and hard substance
resembling wood, jute, flax, tow, hemp, sunn, rhea, cotton, coir, aloe, palm, plaintain,
and cocoa-nut fibres, grasses, leaves, straw, and all other fibres and waste thereof,
bark, pine needles, woody matter, bran, husks, &c., fibrous plants and fibrous
substances of every description, vegetable or animal, as wool, silk, and hair and
waste thereof, rags and waste pieces of woven, netted, or felted fibres, or any
combination thereof, either in the raw or finely divided or otherwise reduced
state, or after being scutched, heckled, carded, spun, woven, or otherwise prepared.
These materials are by the process hereafter described converted into materials
resembling wood, vulcanite, felt, papier machè, leather, rubber, gutta percha, horn,
bone, ivory, or analogous substances, according to the materials or the combination
of materials used in the process.
In addition to the above the materials by a suitable modification of the
process may be converted into a substance resembling stone, clayware, and any
other hard or tough substance, rigid, elastic, supple, or otherwise, and composed of
vegetable, animal, or mineral substances, either alone or in combination, or manu-
factured for use as a substitute for any of such substances, and for novel applications
of such substances.
The materials of which the artificial substance is composed may be consolidated
either in a wet or dry state by hydraulic or other pressure in moulds or otherwise,
and with or without the addition of any suitable resins or pitch, tar, gums, size,
glue, shellac, rubber, gutta percha, turpentine, petroleum, or any other hydrocarbon

page_text: oils of all kinds, fixed or essential, drying or non-drying, may be used as well as
their products, paraffine, wax, tallow, and like substances, and their products farina,
starch, or gluten, and the glutinous matter of seeds, grain, pulse, and tubers of all
kinds and their products, lime, chalk, sand, clays, earths, plaster of Paris, Portland
and other cements, or any other suitable modifying cementitious or adhesive matter,
vegetable, animal, or mineral, simple, compound, manufactured or chemically
prepared, to be mixed therewith or applied at any stage of the process with or
without the aid of water, steam, or heat.
The various kinds of fibres or other substances require varying quantities of the
cementitious substance that is employed for causing the disintegrated materials to
adhere together. The proportions will of course vary with the materials employed,
and it would be impossible for me to give the proportions of all; it must suffice,
therefore, to say that as small a proportion as possible of the cementitious substance
should be employed in most cases, as the pressure to which the mass is subjected is
the principal cause of the fibres adhering to each other although the process would
not be accomplished in a satisfactory manner without the addition of the
cementitious substance.
When lime, Portland, or other mineral cements are used, they should be mixed
with a suitable quantity of water to form a slip with which the other ingredients
may be damped and then subjected to pressure.
Although it will be impossible to give the proportions of the several substances,
as they would necessarily widely vary under different conditions and combinations,
the proper and most suitable proportions in all cases can be very easily found by
one or two preliminary experiments.
The process may be varied according to the nature of the material required, or
the purpose for which it is to be applied for instance in order to produce a slab,
canvas, cloth, or felt of any fibre or fibrous substance may be pressed sheet upon
sheet, layer on layer,' or fold upon fold, or otherwise, to the required degree of
solidity or thickness.
To produce a circular or other article of any convenient thickness, the fibres
in the raw state, or after being scutched, heckled, or in slivers after being carded, or
as yarn, thread, twine, cord, or rope, after being spun or twisted, or after being.
woven into cloth, canvas, or tape in broad or narrow bands, or otherwise, may be
wound or paid off upon a spindle or drum between discs, horns, or guides, or
otherwise, or upon the boss of a wheel, or in situ where required, and then
compressed in moulds, shapes, or otherwise, to the required thickness, size, or
density.
If considered desirable the materials may be reduced to pulp or half stuff, and
then solidified or moulded by pressure or otherwise with or without any of the
ingredients aforesaid.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated to me from
abroad as aforesaid, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the
process or processes herein set forth for converting vegetable and animal fibre and
fibrous substances of every kind into solid substances resembling wood and other
hard or tough substances of various kinds, so that such factitious substances may be
used as a substitute for the real article for various purposes in the arts.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Edward Newton; have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six
H. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)