IMPROVEMENTS IN VARNISHES FOR WOOD, IRON, AND OTHER MATERIALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY FOR AND METHOD OF APPLYING IT
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Kunkler, of 38, Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, London, Maltster and. Brewer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
VARNISHES FOR WOOD, IRON, AND OTHER MATERIALS, AND IN THE
MACHINERY FOR AND METHOD OF APPLYING IT."
Scaled the 11th August 1870, and dated the 17th February 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Kunkler at the Offico
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th February 1876.
EDWARD KUNKLER, of 38, Southampton Buildings," Chancery Lane, London,
Maltster and Brewer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VARNISHES FOR WOOD, IRON, AND
OTHER MATERIALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY FOR AND METHOD OF APPLYING IT."
This Invention of improvements in varnishes for wood, iron, and other materials,
and in the machinery for and method of applying it, consists in,—
Firstly. The varnish which is composed of alcohol; either pure or methylated wood
spirit, or similar alcoholic substance, resin, shellac, in the proportions of about by:
weight

page_text: Water pipes and other suitable articles may be enclosed in a stove or oven,
arranged so as to be heated in the manner above described.
If the surface to be varnished is not capable of receiving the treatment above
indicated, a floor for instance, I make a carriage holding a suitable number of gas
burners, or blow pipe jets, or Bunsen burners, and having supported the burner
carriage on wheels, it is with the jets of flame repeatedly passed over the surface
till the desired effect is produced, or even by the use of heated irons or rollers.
The effectiveness of the varnish depends not only upon its composition but
materially upon the method of applying it, heating with heat as above described:
weight,
Alcohol
Resin
Shell-lac
85°
10%
5%%
but according to the purposes required whether to be very hard or soft I add or
diminish the relative proportions of the resin and shell-lac as well as of the alcohol.
It is applicable to either wood, iron, concrete, masonry, or brickwork, cement, stone
plaster, metal, paper, and other materials, and will not be altered by beer and ale,
yeast, wine, vinegar, alcoholic liquors, petroleum and other oils, mineral waters,
alcalies, boiling water, steam even at high pressures, i.e., temperatures, animal and
vegetable preserves and fruits, gases of all kinds, many acids, etc. It can be applied
to all kinds of woods, metals, walls, floors, concrete, etc. It is composed of to suit
the various requirements in the proportions of
Alcohols of any kind
Shell-lac
Resin
50 to 85%
of the total weight
5 to 20%
5 to 25%
do.
do.
do.
do.,
more or less, according to the purpose it is wanted. It can also be used in the form
of a thick paste for filling fissures, cracks, etc.
"
The Invention consists also in the discovery that at certain high temperatures,
say from 150 to 400 degrees centigrade, more or less, equal, say, to 210 to 670
Fahrenheit, more or less, this compound becomes "glazed or sintered," ie., in-
different to the action of alcohols, steam, or the other ingredients or agents named
above.
Secondly. In the machinery for and method of applying the varnish. I employ
a stove made of a conical or cylindrical form, fed in the interior of the cone with
anthracite or other suitable fuel, the fuel burning at the bottom, and in an outer
enclosed cylinder, and round within which cylinder pass coils of pipe conveying
steam; by this means I get superheated steam intermingled with the gases from the
furnace, and air if required, which is conveyed by pipes, for example, to the interior
of barrels or brewers' vats, and whereby after the coat of varnish has been applied
it is by the action of the heat thoroughly driven into the wood or applied in a
very permanent manner to the surfaces under action.
Water pipes and other suitable articles may be enclosed in a stove or oven,
arranged so as to be heated in the manner above described.

page_text: If the surface to be varnished is not capable of receiving the treatment above
indicated, a floor for instance, I make a carriage holding a suitable number of
gas burners, or blow pipe jets, or Bunsen burners, and having supported the
burner carriage on wheels, it is with the jets of flame repeatedly passed over the
surface until the desired effect is produced, or even by the use of heated irons or
rollers.
The effectiveness of the varnish depends not only upon its composition but
materially upon the method of applying it, heating with heat as above described,
the machinery for which, and the method of applying the varnish, I will describe
in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings.
Plan No. 1, Figure 1, represents the apparatus for injecting the hot air at tho
necessary temperature into barrels, casks, drums, or other close vessels. It consists
of a cast-iron conical stove a, a, with its cover at the top. It is filled from the top
with coke, anthracite, or other fuel, giving little or no smoke, the fuel when ignited
can only burn from the grate m to the lower end of the cast-iron cone a, a. b, b, b,
is the outer skin of the stove; in the space or room left between it and the inner
cone is the coil of steam tubing 8, 8, 8, into which the steam-comes from the boiler.
The draft is produced by the steam injector, which by its action draws the outer
air through the grate and layer of ignited fuel, thereby generating a very hot air,
which in its passage upwards to the hot air tube e and injector x superheats, and
therefore partially dries the steam going through the coils and tube 8, 8, 8, to the
injector. The hot air combines with the superheated steam on their meeting below
the steam injector, and the effect of this is that the steam is almost dried by the hot
air, and the hot air rendered totally inexplosible by the steam. The finished hot air
(gases) escapes through the nozzles f (which plunges into the barrel or other vessel
to be prepared) and "finishes" the varnish or enamel.
The regulation of the temperature is effected by the apparatus v, v, of which
there is an enlarged Drawing on Plan No. 3. This apparatus works automatically
by the extension of the iron (or other metal) rod acting on a system of levers (first
the lever in the middle and these on the 2 or more other pipes) by which the 1, 2,
or more cold air valves are opened. The adjustment of the levers, i.e., the degree
of their action, is effected by the slides. If no cold air is wanted the action of the
iron rod and leverage is stopped by the withdrawal of the pin connecting the rod
with the first, i.e., middle lever.
If the action of the one or more of the hot air injectors is wanted to be stopped
the hot air of the corresponding jet of the apparatus is shut off, as well as the
superheated steam injector pertaining thereto, by one turn of the handle of the rod,
to which is adapted the hot air throttle valve and steam cock. The apparatus can
contain as many hot air injectors (and nozzles) as may be wanted, only the dimensions
of the stove and other apparatus must be in proportion.
The dust or ashes which might be drawn up by the draft from the burning coke
to the top of the stove are deposited in the cast-iron dust box d, d, d, whence they
can be removed through the small door or arm hole.
The grate in order to clear it of the ashes can be shaken by pushing the handle
o, Figure 2, Plan No. 1, to and fro, the grate can also be entirely removed by with-
drawing it from the slides after the withdrawal of the shaking rod pin.
For introducing the hot air nozzle into and withdrawing it from the cask, barrel,
or other vessel the hot air tube below the steam injector consists of 2 parts
(and i, Figure 1, Plan 1, and on Plan No. 3), of which the one can be screwed
into the other by turning the lower one round with a hook (by its handle) so that
the entering and withdrawing of the hot air nozzle is done in a moment, and pre-
sents no difficulty whatever. The hot air tube can thereby also be lengthened or
shortened enough to be adapted for larger or smaller vessels.
The barrel or other vessel to be operated upon is rolled on to the little truck 1,
where it rests on the 4 (or more or less) small rollers or wheels, and can be rolled
round until the bung hole or other orifice is at the apex; if it (the orifice) is then
1

page_text: little either to the right or to the left of the hot air nozzle the truck can be pushed
on its rails to the right or left until the bung hole is right under the nozzle.
Instead of the 4 rollers or wheels (more or less) especially for vessels with flat
sides or bottom up, 2 trucks, one on the top of the other, are adapted, one truck
giving the backward and forward movement, the other the movement from right to
left or left to right. The nozzle once introduced into the vessel the hot air jet is
put into action by a turn of the rod opening the hot air throttle valve and steam
injector cock, and the hot air blown into the vessel until the varnish or enamel
has acquired the necessary properties. The nozzle is then screwed upwards and
the vessel removed to give room to another one.
The apparatus can be worked without intermission, as the stove can be replenished
through the lid on its top during the working.
The hot air stove can be erected anywhere on the premises, as the hot air and
superheated steam can be carried to any part of the premises through their tubes,
care being taken to surround the tubes with non-conductors in order to prevent
any appreciable loss of heated.
The smaller sizes of the stove and other apparatus can be made portable with one
or more jets.
I also claim for this apparatus that it can be used for cleaning barrels and other
vessels as well as for drying them, also for use in the manufacture of barrels, casks,
and other vessels, or pieces of wood planks, &c., where dry heat of high temperatures
is needed for drying, bending, or preparing, also for soldering, giving a coat or
film of tin or other metal fusible at the temperatures given by my apparatus.
This apparatus will prevent the opening of the barrels or other vessels as the
varnish can be poured into the vessel by the bung hole or other small orifice, the
vessel is then rolled round either by hand or machinery, and the excess of varnish
poured out again to be used another time. The varnish is then let dry for a
short time (to accelerate the drying a jet of atmospheric air can be blown through
the vessel), and afterwards at any time it can be finished" by the hot-air
"
apparatus.
For "preparing," i.c., "finishing," the varnish or enamel on the inside or outside
of large open or closed vessels, tanks, floors, ceilings, walls, etc., the apparatus shown
on Plan 4, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Plan No. 4, Figure 1, is an apparatus for giving a large jet of flame like the onc
from a large blow pipe, which jet is made to act on the varnished surface in order
to "finish" the varnish. Gas and atmospheric air are mixed before becoming
ignited at the mouth of the nozzle, in the nozzle itself, as shown in the Drawings.
The gas and atmospheric air are supplied through india-rubber hose into the
apparatus. The apparatus can be screwed to the end of a pole or iron rod or tube,
which is held by a man so that it can be worked in all directions, presenting its
flame to the surface required to be "finished." Figure 2 represents a nozzle top, to
.be screwed to the nozzle if wanted, supplied with a cap of wire gauze (platinum or
other wire), should such a kind of jet be necessary.
Figure 3, Plan No. 4, represents the same idea as Figures 1 and 2, only a larger
or smaller number of jets given by nozzles of one kind or another are combined.
The apparatus which also is used for "finishing" the varnish or enamel on the
sides, floor, or ceiling of the varnished object is rolled on the 4 (more or less) small
rollers, or castors, or wheels on or against the surface to be "finished" or dried; the
distance of the apparatus from the object can be regulated by the parts contain-
ing the small wheels, rollers, or castors being pushed forwards more or less.
nozzle ends can if wished be supplied with wire gauze caps, as shown and described
by Figure No. 2.
The
Figure No. 4, Plan No. 4, same apparatus as Figure No. 3, only the gas and air
are mixed before entering the apparatus. This apparatus has either a number of
nozzles of one kind or another with or without wire gauze caps, as shown in the
left-hand side half of the Drawing, or a plain surface of wire gauze (without
nozzles), as shown in the right-hand side half of the Drawing.

page_text: Figure No. 5, Plan No. 4, same apparatus as Figure No. 1, only the gas and
atmospheric air are mixed before entering the apparatus. Figures 5 and 6 show
different kinds of nozzles, which can also be supplied with wire gauze caps.
The gas and air for all these different kinds of apparatus are supplied by a
gasometer, or a blower, or both, at the necessary pressure.
For "finishing" the varnish on tins tubes or any other appropriate object, ovens or
drying chambers are used, giving the necessary teinperatures and ventilation, which
ovens are in general use for other manufactures.
The dimensions of the Drawings are of course not strictly to be adhered to in
the making of the apparatus as they are proportionate to the work to be done, i.c.,
the different sizes of apparatus.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,-
Firstly. The particular proportions of the materials as set forth for making the
varnish, substantially as described.
Secondly. The construction and use of the apparatus as particularly described,
with the method of applying it for the purposes set forth, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Kunkler, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
EDWARD KUNKLER. (L.S.)