Improved Material to be Used as a Substitute for Wood.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Feb., 1897-Accepted, 10th Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Material to be Used as a Substitute for Wood.
1 JOHN CHRISTOPHER NICHOL, of No. 7 Beaver Hall Square, in the City of
Montreal, in the District of Montreal and Province of Quebec, Dominion of
Canada, Surgeon Dentist, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as
follows:-
My invention is intended to produce a rigid, inflexible, grainless and waterproof
material, which may with advantage be substituted for wood in many instances
and can be produced by the impregnation of a fabric with gum resins or resinous
gums and subjecting same to the simultaneous action of heat & pressure.
This material may be of various thicknesses, the thinnest of which being
preferably made of canton flannel, which I have found to be most suitable owing
to its possession of a firm smooth surface on one side and a rough fluffy surface on
the other, as well as being the most inexpensive and a single sheet of the same
thoroughly impregnated with a resin or gum resin such as "gum shellac" "gum-
chapel" and the like in a melted condition of such a consustency as will allow of
its ready absorption by the fabric & the whole subjected to about 150 lbs. pressure
will provide a section of the new material which will be found as rigid as wood of
a similar thickness and yet be free from any chance of splitting, as wood does along
its grain, warping or absorbing moisture.
A heavier class of material can be produced by combining two lengths of the
canton flaunel, their rough fluffy surfaces being brought together and thus more
thoroughly interconnected, while the exterior surfaces will be smooth & can be
worked to present quite a polished appearance.
To furnish even a heavier material, an intermediate body of cotton batting or
annalogous material, which from its wooley nature readily binds with the wooly or
fluffy inside faces of the outer layers of canton flannel, is added.
In producing the material 1 prefer to pass the fabric through a vat of the
melted gum so as to thoroughly impregnate same & then allow the gum to harden
somewhat after which I pass the material through heated pressure rolls.
Dated this 29th day of April 1896
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.
Improved Material to be Used as a Substitute for Wood.
I, JOHN CHRISTOPHER NICHOL, of 7, Beaver Hall Square, in the City of
Montreal, in the District of Montreal and Province of Quebec, Dominion of
Canada, Surgeon Dentist, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
I have ascertained by experiment that a rigid inflexible grainless and waterproof
material, which may with advantage be substituted for wood in many instances,
го

page_text: can be produced by the impregnation of a fabric with gum-resins, and subjecting
same to the simultaneous action of heat and pressure.
In the accompanying drawings I illustrate in sectional views various thicknesses
of material, the thinnest shown in Figure 1 being made of a single sheet or layer
of fabric, a thicker material, shown in Figure 2, composed of two layers of fabric,
and the thickest shown in Figure 3 and comprising two outer layers of thin fabric
enclosing a more bulky intermediate layer or body.
The thinner fabrics a are preferably canton flannel, which I have found to be
most suitable owing to its possessiou of a firm smooth surface on one side and a
rough fluffy surface on the other, as well as being the most inexpensive, and a
single length or sheet of same thoroughly impregnated with a resin or gum-resiu,
such as "gum-shellac," " gum-copal " and the like, iu a melted condition of such a
consistency as will allow of its ready absorption by the fabric, and the whole
subjected to about 150 pounds pressure will provide a section of the new material
which will be found as rigid as wood of a similar thickness and yet be free from
any chance of splitting, as wood does along its grain, warping or absorbing
moisture.
A heavier class of material can be produced by combining two lengths of the
canton flannel, their rough fluffy surfaces being brought together and thus more
thoroughly interconnected, while the exterior surfaces will be smooth and can be
worked to present quite a polished appearance.
To furnish even a heavier material as indicated in Figure 3, an intermediate body
of cotton batting or analagous material b, which from its woolly nature readily
binds with the woolly or fluffy inside faces of the outer layers of canton flannel, is
added.
In producing the material I prefer to pass the fabric through a vat of the melted
gum so as to thoroughly impregnate same and then allow the gum to harden some-
what, after which I pass the material through heated pressure rolls. I also find it
desirable to apply a temporary paper covering to the surfaces of the material
before passing it through the rolls.
The degree of heat and pressure will, of course, vary with the thickness of the
material to be produced, greater degrees being naturally required for the heavier
thicknesses.
Among the many uses to which the material may be put with decided advantages
over wood I may mention boat building, artificial limbs, fishing rods and tubular
articles generally.
I may also point out that all necessity for planing the surfaces of the material,
as required in like articles constructed of wood is avoided, and a tougher and more
durable article produced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The new and useful material to be used as a substitute for wood, of a
solid, rigid and inflexible nature and consisting of a fabric the threads or fibres
of which are intimately connected with and bound together by a gum-resin
permeating the whole.
Second. The new and useful material to be used as a substitute for wood, of a
solid, rigid and inflexible nature and consisting of a fabric the threads or fibres of
which are intimately connected with and bound together by a gum-resin permeating
the whole and presenting a hard smooth exterior.
Third. The new and useful material to be used as a substitute for wood, of a
solid, rigid and inflexible nature and consisting of two outer layers of canton
Hannel and au intermediate body of cotton batting, the threads or fibres of which
are intimately connected together and with and by a gum-resin such as "gum
shellac" permeating the whole.
Fourth. The new and useful material to be used as a substitute for wood, of a

page_text: solid, rigid and inflexible nature and consisting of two outer layers of canton
flannel and an intermediate body of cotton batting, the threads or fibres of which
are intimately connected together and with and by a gum-resin, such as "gum-
shellac" permeating the whole and presenting a hard polished exterior.
Fifth. The new and useful material to be used as a substitute for wood, of a
solid, rigid and inflexible nature and consisting of two outer layers of canton
flannel with their woolly or fluffy surfaces facing each other, and an intermediate
body of cotton batting, the threads or fibres of which are intimately connected
together and with and by a gum-resin, such as "gum-shellac" permeating the
whole.
Sixth. The process of manufacturing the new and useful material to be used as
a substitute for wood, which consists in impregnating a fabric with a gum-resin
such as "gum-shellac" in a melted condition and subjecting same to the
simultaneous action of heat and pressure to render it rigid and inflexible.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1897.
GEORGE BARKER,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.