CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING SOAP
Year: 1829

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
TURNER STURTEVANT, of Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, Soap Boiler,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the tenth year of His
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Turner Sturtevant, His especial licence that I, the said Charles
Turner Sturtevant, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Charles Turner Sturtevant, my executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS
OF MANUFACTURING SOAP," in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso,
obliging me, the said Charles Turner Sturtevant, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause
the same to be enrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with-the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Turner Sturtevant, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inven-
tion to consist in a process whereby I am enabled to make pure alkaline
lees unite with animal or vegatable matter in the soap copper, which therefore
enables me to use caustic alkalies instead of the crude alkalies, such as
barilla, kelp, and the like, now in use for that purpose, thereby avoiding the
residium which is used in the process of black ash making, and which causes
much waste of animal matter. And in further .compliance with the said
proviso, I, the said Charles Turner Sturtevant, do hereby describe the manner
in which my said Invention is to be performed as follows (that is to
say):-
I put into the copper." in the first instance a small portion of soap and
water, and mix them well together, so as to form a saponaceous compound, to
which I add a small quantity of tallow, or fat, or oil, as the case may be,
mixing it with the compound, and adding thereto as much caustic soda lees as
will be taken up by these materials without separating. In this manner I
continue adding animal or vegatable matter as aforesaid, and caustic soda
'lees, till the copper is full, gradually increasing the fresh doses of animal or
vegetable matter and alkali in proportion as the quantity of matter in the
copper accumulates, keeping the mixture well roused or stirred during the
whole of the process. When this is accomplished the soap is moulded in
frames; and cut up in the ordinary way. The best strength for the caustic soda
lees I believe to be about one thousand. two hundred and sixty specific gravity,
and the temperatures used in the boiling, may be the same as heretofore
adopted, but I recommend the use of smaller coppers and of an oblong form,
capable of containing from two to four tons, and I prefer them being heated
by steam. Now, whereas I claim as my Invention the following "improve-
ments (that is to say) :-
First, using pure caustic alkaline lees in the soap copper instead of the lees
now in use, thereby doing away with the residuum aforesaid. And secondly,
commencing the operation of boiling with the saponaceous compound afore-
said, and adding animal or vegetable matter and caustic alkali therēto, in
manner herein-before described, till the copper is filled.
And such my improvements being to the best of my knowledge and belief
entirely new, and never before used within that part of His said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His said
Dominion of Wales, or 'Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare
this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my
said Specification doth comply in all respects 'fully and without reserve ör

page_text: disguise with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained; wherefore I do hereby further claim to maintain exclusive
right and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Turner Sturtevant, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine.