US30807A

US30807A - Improvement in vulcanizing caoutchouc

Info

Publication number: US30807A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1860-12-04
Anticipated expiration: 1877-12-04

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

OSCAR FALKE, OF COLLEGE POINT, NEW YORK, AND A. C. RICHARD, OF NEWTON, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN VULCANIZING CAOUTCHOUC.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 30,807, dated December 4, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ()soan FALKE, of College Point,in the county of Queens and State of New York, and A. O. RICHARD, of Newton, Fairfield county, Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vulcanizing India-Rubber and Other Gums; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

It is well known that india-Iubber goods are often defective from the imperfect mode of vulcanization. Sometimes the efflorescence of the sulphur is very objectionable, especially with goods treated with free sulphur and steam heat. Goods apparently excellent at first frequently deteriorate after a time. Owing to the different defects observed from time to time in such goods, manufacturers of indiarubber fabrics have been induced to institute numerous experiments in order to improve the processes of manufacture.

After trying many experiments, we believe we have made a new and valuable improvement in vulcanizing caoutchouc, gutta-percha, and other vulcanizable gums.

Our invention consists in an improved process of vulcanizing caoutchouc, gutta-percha, and other vulcanizable gums by treating the same with sulphite of soda and sulphuret of antimony, accompanied by heat.

In order to vulcanize caoutchouc or indiarubber according to our improved process, we prefer to take about six parts of india-rubber and add to this two parts of the sulphuret of antimony and one-half part of the sulphite of soda. Then'mix these ingredients and combine them by passing the compound through heated rollers, such as are generally used by manufacturers of india-rubber.- We also add various well-known ingredients to increasethe bulk or change the color as desired but these are not essential to the success of our invention or improvement.

After the ingredients are intimately mixed with the india-rubber by grinding, we roll the compound into sheets or spread it upon cloth or cut it into any desired form, and then subject it to the curing process, as follows: We

inclose the fabrics or compound in an iron vessel or heater, and raise the heat immediately to 280 Fahrenheit and maintain that temperature one hour. Then we let the temperature fall to 275 Fahrenheit and sustain that heat one hour. At the end of the second hour we reduce the temperature to 270 Fahrenheit, and thus continue to cool down five degrees each hour until the rubber is complete- 1y cured.

The time required for curing the rubber depends upon the quality desired in the fabric or article under treatment. To obtain a tough, strong article, the heat should be longer continued; and to obtain a very elastic article, we continue theheat a shorter time. As a rule, we continue the heat not less than three hours and not more than ten hours,according to the effects desired to be produced, which effects are well known to persons well acquainted with curing india-rubber.

Substantially the above-described mode of treatment is appliable to gutta-percha and other vulcanizable gums. The proportions of the ingredients and the amount of heat and other steps of the process may be somewhat varied without departing from our invention.

We do not claim the use of free sulphur or the compounds of lead, of zinc, or of other substances heretofore employed in vulcanizing india-rubber, gutta-percha, and other gums, but confine our claim to the use of the abovedescribed ingredients or compounds of antimony and soda, when used in the manner and with the results above described.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire'to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The use of the combination of the sulphuret of antimony and sulphite of soda, for thepurpose of vulcauizing caoutchouc, gutta-percha, and other vulcanizable gums, substantially in the manner above described.

OSCAR FALKE. ALBERT C. RICHARD.

Witnesses:

E. SIMON, F. F. SIMON.