IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LUBRICATING COMPOUNDS."
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robert Johnson, of No. 31, Red Lion Square,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of." IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF LUBRICATING COMPOUNDS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Robert Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th October 1863.
I, JOHN ROBERT JOHNSON, of No. 31, Red Lion Square, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LUBRICATING COMPOUNDS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
lubricating compounds. In the production of lubricating materials fats and
oils have usually been mixed with alkalies or soap, and also with water in
large proportion. In lubricating materials so made the water is frequently
only mechanically held, as is shown by its being possible to separate the water
by pressing the mixture on an absorbent material, such as blotting paper.
Lubricating compounds of this description are commonly used for lubricating
railway axles; their employment is attended with inconvenience, as they

page_text: become fluid at a comparatively low temperature, but little above summer
heat, and so often run out of the box just when most required.
Now my Invention consists in forming lubricating compounds which are
semi-solid at the temperature of the air, and which do not materially soften
at the temperature of boiling water, by combining soap, by which I mean a
stearate or oleate, or their congeners of an alkali, or the insoluble stearates,
oleates, or their congeners of the metallic oxides with an animal, vegetable,
or mineral oil, and with water. In producing the new lubricating compound
from these ingredients I carefully regulate the quantities of the ingredients
employed, more especially that of the water, the quantity of which is
very important, as if too little is employed the combination of the other
materials is not effected, and if too much, the nature of the material is
changed, it becomes first lumpy, and afterwards (with a further excess
of water) thin and cream-like. The process of compounding requires
also to be suitably regulated; the regulation of the process is herein-after
further referred to. I prefer to employ a liquid oil of vegetable or animal
origin, whereas heretofore in producing lubricating materials from similar
ingredients tallow or other solid fats are preferred, and have to be used in
considerable proportion in order to give sufficient consistence to the mixture.
Solid fats and mineral fats and oils may, however, be employed in producing
my new lubricating compounds, but with less advantage. The soap I prefer
is potash soap, whereas heretofore a soda soap has most commonly been used.
With this soap the process may be conducted in the following manner :-I
take, say, two parts of the soap, four of oil, and about one part of water.
I add the oil and water to the soap gradually, and keep the mixture at a
boiling temperature. A portion of the water I keep back until towards the
end of the operation, and only add just sufficient to produce the perfect com-
bination of the other ingredients. With this quantity of soap a much larger
quantity of oil can be solidified, but about the proportion above mentioned I
believe to be the best in practice. In place of potash soap an insoluble soap,
stearate, or oleate of lime or other metallic oxide may be employed. If
insoluble soap be employed, it should be obtained in a finely divided state by
trituration, or by precipitating a soluble soap by a salt of lime, or other
metallic oxide. Or in place of conducting the process in the manner above
set forth, the component parts of soap may be substituted for soap ready
formed. Thus I mix with the oil a proportionate quantity of fatty acid and
lime, or other base sufficient to combine with the fatty acid, then an excess of
water being present combination of the fatty acid with the base is effected,
and the new lubricating compound is formed, and separates from the excess of

page_text: water. Or the proper quantity of lime or base may be added to the oil, (if a
stearate or oleate, or containing sufficient of these substances,) and the
mixture heated until saponification takes place, when the soap formed com-
bines with the excess of oil and a portion of the water, and so produces the
new lubricating compound.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Robert Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ROBERT JOHNSON, of No. 31, Red Lion Square, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Robert Johnson, Her special licence that I, the said
John Robert Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Robert Johnson, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF LUBRICATING COMPOUNDS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Robert Johnson, 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 same 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 John Robert. Johnson, 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:
This Invention has for its object improvements, in the manufacture of
lubricating compounds.. In. the production. of lubricating materials fats and
oils bave usually been mixed with alkalies or soap, and also with water in

page_text: large proportion. In lubricating materials so made the water is frequently
only mechanically held, as is shown by its being possible to separate the water
by pressing the mixture on an absorbent material, such as blotting paper.
Lubricating compounds of this description are commonly used for lubricating
railway axes, their employment is attended with inconvenience, as they become
fluid at a comparatively low temperature, but little above summer heat, and
so often run out of the box just when most required.
Now my Invention consists in forming lubricating compounds which are
semi-solid at the temperature of the air, and which do not materially soften at
the temperature of boiling water, by combining soap, by which I mean a
stearate or oleate, or their congeners of an alkali, or the insoluble stearates,
oleates, or their congeners of the metallic oxides, with an animal, vegetable,
,or mineral oil, and with water. In producing the new lubricating compound
from these ingredients, I carefully regulate the quantities of the ingredients
employed, more. especially that of the water, the quantity of which is very
important, as if too little is employed the combination of the other materials
is not effected, and if too much the nature of the material is changed, it
becomes first lumpy, and afterwards (with a further excess of water) thin and
eream-like. The process of compounding requires also to be suitably regulated;
the regulation of the process is herein-after further referred to. I prefer to em-
ploy a liquid oil of vegetable or animal origin; whereas heretofore in producing
lubricating materials from similar ingredients tallow or other solid fats are
preferred, and have to be used in considerable proportion, in order to give
sufficient consistence to the mixture. Solid fats and mineral fats and oils
may, however, be employed in producing my new lubricating compounds, but
with less advantage. The soap I prefer is potash soap, whereas heretofore a
soda soap has most commonly been used. With this soap the process may be
conducted in the following manner :-I take, say, two parts by weight of the
soap, four of oil, and about one part of water. I add the oil and water to the
soap gradually, and keep the mixture at a boiling temperature. A portion of
the water I keep back until towards the end of the operation, and only, add
just sufficient to produce the perfect combination of the other ingredients.
The workman will know when this is effected by the mass becoming uniform,
homogeneous, nearly transparent, like soft butter, whereas if too little water
be employed, the soap is seen in curdlike particles floating in the oil, and when
too much has been used, the mixture is opaque, and of the. consistence. of, or
even thinner than cream. With this quantity of soap a much larger quantity
of oil can be solidified, but about the proportion above mentioned I believe to
be the best in practice. In place of potash soap an insoluble soap, stearate, or

page_text: oleate of lime, or other metallic oxide may be employed. If insoluble soap
be employed, it should be obtained in a finely divided state by trituration, or
by precipitating a soluble soap by a salt of lime or other metallic oxide. Or
in place of conducting the process in the manner above set forth, the com-
ponent parts of soap may be substituted for soap ready formed. Thus I mix
with the oil a proportionate quantity of fatty acid and lime, or other base
sufficient to combine with the fatty acid, then an excess of water being present,
combination of the fatty acid with the base is effected, and the new lubricating
compound is formed, and separates from the excess of water. Or the proper
quantity of lime or base may be added to the oil, (if a stearate or oleate, or
containing sufficient of these substances,) and the mixture heated until
saponification takes place, when the soap formed combines with the excess of
oil and a portion of the water, and so produces the new lubricating compound.
I am aware that lime has been added to rosin oil and to other oils obtained
by distillation to form waggon grease, and that tallow and other neutral fats
have been used with the above-named oils to modify the consistence of the
grease obtained from them. I am also aware that limewater has been added
to oils to form fluid emulsions to be used in lubricating. I do not claim
generally such mixtures.
I claim as my Invention the manufacture of a lubricating compound having
the properties specified by the use of a stearate or oleate of a metallic base, in
combination with a neutral fatty body, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Robert Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.