IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING COMPOUNDS OF GUN COTTON AND OTHER VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES SIMILARLY PREPARED, ALSO IN THE PREPARATION OF CASTOR AND COTTON OILS AND GUM PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Parkes, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING
COMPOUNDS OF GUN COTTON AND OTHER VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES SIMILARLY
PREPARED, ALSO IN THE PREPARATION OF CASTOR AND COTTON OILS AND GUM
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Parkes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
October 1864.
I, ALEXANDER PARKES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MANU-
PACTURING COMPOUNDS OF GUN COTTON AND OTHER VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES SIMILARLY
PREPARED, ALSO IN THE PREPARATION OF CASTOR AND COTTON OILS AND GUM BALLATA
TO BE USED WITH OR SEPARATE FROM SUCH COMPOUNDS," to be as follows:-
In manufacturing compounds of gun cotton and of other vegetable sub-
stances similarly prepared, I first distil wood, naptha, or alcoholic spirit over
chloride of calcium, chloride of zinc, or chloride of manganese, using by
preference the solid or fused salts. I employ the spirit obtained by this
process alone or combined with the light spirits from coal, naptha, or other
mineral naptha as solvents of gun cotton or analogous compounds; and I

page_text: combine oils, resins, or gums, and other substances with the dissolved gun
cotton or analogous compounds. These preparations I use for waterproofing,
for coating, for making sheets, tubes, or other forms, and for insulating
telegraph wires. In order to prevent the great combustibility of preparations
and compounds of gun cotton and analogous substances, I combine therewith
chloride of zinc or tungstate of soda, prefering to use at the rate of from two
to ten per cent, of either of such substances with the gun cotton. I also treat
cotton seed oil, castor, and linseed oils, oxidized or blown (a technical term
known to oil-cloth makers), with chloride of sulphur, and these products I use
by preference combined with dissolved gun cotton or analogous substances,
though they may be used separate as a waterproof coating, or as an alternate
coating with other substances, also for making sheets or other forms, also for
insulating telegraphic wires. The proportions of chloride of sulphur may be
considerably varied, but I generally use at the rate of from two to ten per
cent. of the chloride with the oils.
In coloring gun cotton compounds I use colors derived from aniline, by
which such compounds will be greatly improved by reason of these coloring
matters being soluble in the same solvents as are used in gun cotton solutions.
I also treat gum ballata with chloride of sulphur, the proportions being
capable of variation, but I usually employ at about the rate of 5 per cent. of
the chloride with the gum, by such means I produce a permanently elastic-
compound; a larger proportion of chloride will render the gum more hard.
This gum so treated I combine with gun cotton compounds, or such gum may
be used alone for like purposes to those above described in respect to the gun
cotton compounds.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Parkes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
PARKES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alexander Parkes, Her special licence that I, the said Alexander Parkes,
my. executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said

page_text: Alexander Parkes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MANUFACTURING COMPOUNDS OF GUN COTTON AND OTHER VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES
SIMILARLY PREPARED, ALSO IN THE PREPARATION OF CASTOR AND COTTON OILS AND
GUM BALLATA TO BE USED WITH OR SEPARATE FROM SUCH COMPOUNDS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Parkes, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the sumo
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Parkes, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
In manufacturing compounds of gun cotton I employ a solvent which I
prepare by distilling wood naptha with chloride of calcium. To a gallon of
wood naptha I add from two to six pounds of fused chloride of calcium, the
greater the quantity of chloride employed within these limits the stronger will
be the solvent produced. I distil the mixture, and I collect for use as a
solvent the first three quarts which pass over, and the remainder may be
received into a separate receiver so long as any spirit comes over, and distilled
over again at the next operation together with other naptha and more fused
chloride of calcium. What remains in the still is chloride of calcium dis-
solved in water with tarry matter, it may be run out into an open iron vessel
heated by a fire; beneath to evaporate off the water and fuse the chloride of
calcium so as to prepare it for another operation. The solvent thus prepared
I add to the gun cotton usually in such a proportion as to produce. with it a
pasty mass, which I use for waterproofing or coating fabrics, making sheets.
tubes, and other articles, and for insulating telegraph wires. The gun cotton
compound if used alone would however become too hard and brittle to be
usefully employed for many purposes, to avoid this I knead with it in a mixing
machine castor oil, or it may be other similar oil, such as cotton seed oil, and
this I use in proportions varying according to the degree of toughness and
flexibility.I desire to obtain. In some cases I use as much castor oil as one-

page_text: half the weight of the gun cotton compound, such a mixture is suitable for
covering telegraphic wires where very great toughness and flexibility are
required, and it can be applied with dies in the same manner as gutta percha.
The same mixture is also suitable to be spread upon fabrics for waterproofing
them. The spreading may be done by means of rollers. For some descrip-
tions of articles I add to the mixture a small portion of gum or resin, such
as shellac, copal, and animi, these increase the hardness of the compound,
and to a greater or less extent modify the color. I seldom use more than
five per cent. of these gums or resins. In place of preparing the solvent with
wood naptha it may be similarly prepared with alcohol, chloride of zinc, and
chloride of manganese may be substituted for chloride of calcium; they should
be fused or dry. For the sake of economy a small quantity of the light spirits
from coal or mineral naptha may be mixed with the solvent, but otherwise I
do not prefer it. In place of gun cotton properly so called, other vegetable
substances similarly prepared may be employed, and so in each case where in
this Specification the use of gun cotton is directed.
For many purposes the great combustibility of compounds of gun cotton is
objectionable, and in the Specification of a former Patent granted to me, and
dated 22nd October 1855, No. 2359, there is described the mixing of various
substances with the compounds to check their combustibility. According to
my present Invention I do this by mixing with the compounds either chloride
of zinc or tungstate of soda; ten per cent. of either of these salts effectually
prevents the burning of the compound, but much less will frequently give
sufficient protection, especially when pigments are mixed with the compounds
to color them, as the pigments act more or less in the same way. I would
remark also that gelatine dissolved in glacial acetic acid may be usefully
combined with dissolved gun cotton to check its inflammability. I do not
however make any claim to this application.
I also according to my Invention combine dissolved gun cotton with oil
which has been treated with chloride of sulphur, thus I produce a more
elastic composition than that obtained by mixing the dissolved gun cotton
with unprepared oil. The oil I prefer is castor oil, but cotton seed and
linseed oils may also be used. I mix the oil with from 2 to 10 per cent. of
liquid chloride of sulphur according to the degree of elasticity required, and
I first dilute the chloride of sulphur with an equal bulk or more of mineral
naptha or bisulphide of carbon to prevent too violent an action. This prepared
oil I compound with the dissolved gun cotton in proportions varying with the
degree of elasticity required, but I seldom exceed 20 per cent. of prepared
oil. Cotton seed and castor oils treated with chloride of sulphur as above

page_text: described may be employed alone or without admixture of dissolved gun
cotton.
I also treat gum ballata with chloride of sulphur in the same way, but
usually with not more than five per cent. of the chloride, and I compound
the prepared gum with dissolved gun cotton in the same way as the prepared
oil is compounded. Gum ballata thus prepared may also be used without
admixture with dissolved gun cotton.
The several compounds above mentioned containing dissolved gun cotton
are all similar in their properties to the compounds now well known as
parkesine. In working them they are usually kept plastic by heat, and may be
moulded through dies, or worked by rollers, or with moulds. If made
sufficiently thin, the compositions may be cast in moulds, and also applied to
surfaces with a brush or otherwise.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Parkes, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
ALEXANDER PARKES. (L.S.)