IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WOOD STOPPERS
Year: 1885

page_text: We MURDOCH MACKAY and ANGUS MACKAY both of No 42 Leipsic Road in
the county of Surrey, Manufacturing Chemists, do hereby declare the nature
of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WOOD
STOPPERS" to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of wood stoppers of
all kinds.
Hitherto it has not been practicable to employ wood for stoppers for bottles and
other purposes from the fact that wood is so liable to contract and expand from
the effect of variations of temperature and contact with liquids or moisture.
Now our improvements have for object to so construct and treat stoppers made
from wood that they shall not be liable to the changes above named.
In carrying out our invention as applied for example in the manufacture of
screw stoppers we form the screwed part of the stopper to the size of the opening
of the bottle or other article to be closed but we make the stem of the stopper
hollow for the purpose of allowing the stopper to be made thoroughly impervious
to liquid and moisture, after it has been subjected to any suitable waterproofing
treatment.
The waterproofing treatment which we have found to give good results is the
following viz:-
The stopper is deprived of rosin and air by any well known process and is then
dried by steam or otherwise; when thus prepared the pores of the wood are filled
up by being saturated with paraffin wax, ozokerite or other suitable material or
varnish.
In practice we have found that with some classes of wood such as beech in order
to prevent the shape and diameter of the stem of the stopper from being affected
by the waterproofing treatment, it is advantageous to form the side of the stem of
the stopper with a cut.
The screw stem of the stopper we prefer to make straight; and the washer of
cork, rubber, or other suitable material we make of such a size and shape that

page_text: it will enter the mouth of the bottle and at the same time bear upon the top
thereof.
When cork is employed to form the washer we sometimes place the same within
a recess formed in the under side of the head of the stopper whereby when the
stopper is screwed into the bottle neck the cork washer is prevented from being
torn.or broken.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicants.
We MURDOCH MACKAY and Angus Mackay both of N° 42 Leipsic Road in
the county of Surrey, Manufacturing Chemists, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly 1
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of wood stoppers of
all kinds.
Hitherto it has not been practicable to employ wood for stoppers for bottles and
other purposes from the fact that wood is so liable to contract and expand from
the effect of variations of temperature and contact with liquids or moisture.
Now our improvements have for object to so construct and treat stoppers made
from wood that they shall not be liable to the changes above named.
In carrying out our invention as applied for example in the manufacture of
screw stoppers we,form the screwed part of the stopper to the size of the opening
of the bottle or other article to be closed but we make the stem of the stopper
hollow for the purpose of allowing the stopper to be made thoroughly impervious
to liquid and moisture after it has been subjected to any suitable waterproofing
treatinent.
The waterproofing treatment which we have found to give good results is the
following viz:
The stopper is deprived of rosin and air by any well known process and is then
dried by steam or otherwise; when thus prepared the pores of the wood are filled
up by being saturated with paraffin wax, ozokerite or other suitable material
or varnish.
In practice we have found that with some classes of wood such as beech in order
to prevent the shape and diameter of the stem of the stopper from being affected

page_text: by the waterproofing treatment, it is advantageous to form the side of the stem of
the stopper with a cut.
The screw stem of the stopper we prefer to make straight and the washer of
cork, rubber, or other suitable material we make of such a size and shape that
it will enter the mouth of the bottle and at the same time bear upon the top
thereof.
When cork is employed to form the washer we sometimes place the same within
a recess formed in the under side of the head of the stopper whereby when the
stopper is screwed into the bottle neck the cork washer is prevented from being
torn or broken.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what inanner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. The herein described improvements in the manufacture of wood stoppers such
improvements consisting in forming the stems of the stoppers hollow or partly
hollow and then rendering them waterproof by a process such as is herein
described.
2. The manufacture and use of the improved wood stoppers herein described.