US933436A - Art of coloring or transforming wood. - Google Patents

Description

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS HALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR'TO AMERICAN MAHOGANY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

ART OF COLORING OR TRANSFORMING WOOD.-

No Drawing. Application tiled Kay; 11,

Specification-of Letter-s'ratent. Patented Sept, '7, 1909.

1908. Serial No- 432,222.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. HALL, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and-State c of New York, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Im rovements in the Art of Coloring or Trans orming Wood, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention or discovery relates to the art of coloring or transforming wood, so as to produce, from comparatively inexpensive woods, products closely resembllng black walnut, mahogany or other high prlced woods, both in appearance and texture. e

.The invention or discovery is carried into e-lfect by forcin a coloring matter into and. throughout the ody of the wood, and in this forcing process the coloring matter is largely 5 deposite in the grain cells and more porou portions of the wood. This'forcing treat ment of the wood leaves the latter more 0 less streaky and some of the harder part of the woo produce a commercially desirable product it is necessary that the process by whi'h the: I coloring matter is forced into the: woodi should be followed by a siibsequent. 'rocess whereby the coloring matter is proper ydif E fused mthe wood. .This difi'usion of the coloring matter in the wood, as described in my application No. 373,152, filed May11,; 1907, is-efiected by boiling the wood inthek coloring solution, and preferably at. com? paratively high temperatures, subsequent to: the color-forcing operation; but I have dis-' covered that this ifiusion of the coloring matter in the wood may be more economically efl'ected, and; with uite as ood or hot already been permeated by the colorin solugion, instead of boiling the wood, as eretoore.

In carrying the invention or discovery into efli'ect the wood to be treated will referably be in the form of boards or Ian s of any convenient .size, and should thoroughly seasoned or dried as any sap or'moisture in the wood tends 'to act as a cushion to prevent the colorin matter' om being iorced into and throug out the same. "The dried wood is then preferably subjected, in a closed receptacle, to a vacuum action sufiiciently cordin are but very. slightly colored, and in order to secure the best results'and ter results, by steaming t e woo which has powerful and continued sufliciently long to remove from the wood practically all of the air therein contained, so as to make the wood absbrbent or receptive to the coloring solution or fluid to be applied later. It is referable, during the vacuum roce'ss, to su ject the wood to a moderate eat of 'approxima'tely 90 'F-., which has a tendenc to 0 en the pores and enables. betterwith rawa of the air by the vacuum pump. Any desired coloring solution is then drawn or pumped into the receptacle, while the vacuum is maintained, until the receptacle is' full, or

may be applied either hot, warm or co (1, ac-

iiigithdrawn by the vacuum process. A ydraulic or other pressure (preferabl O0 to 8 00 pounds to the s uare inch 'porous portions of the wood are impregnated throughout with the coloring solustep of the process being\ from two or three hours to tento twelve ours, or more ac- -cording to the thickness'or hardness of causes the coloring solution to permeate the wood, but in this coloring-forclni step of the process the coloring matter will e lar ely wood, as in the "sap wood and the concentric pm and grain cells, le'avmg, however, more Any suitable coloring materials or solutions ma be .employed to artificially color the woo accordlng to the colors which. it may be desired that the lumber should have.

imitation mahogany, a li uid coloring matter which will preferabcontain spruce bark extract, hemlock bar extract, or mahogany bark extract, will be employed. The coloring matter with which the wood s thus impre ated will then. be diflused 1n the wood steaming the colored wood, and this may be done either in the cylinder or receptacle in which itvihas been treated, as

g to. its characteristics, and the solution be taken up more or less rapidly by "ifiheabsorbent wood from which the air has -lumber under treatment and the amount of 5? pressure maintained. This high pressure 85 the wood therein is fully immersed in the solution. The coloring solution em loyed {en applied and maintains until the tion, the time required for this impregnating 8 vdeposited in the more porous portions. 0 the or ess' uncol'ored portions orstreaks and particularly in the heart portions of the wood.

For example, if it be desired to produce an *hardness; an

inbefore referred 35 to the surfaces BO materia-I, to other and less ex harder- 60 impre above described, or in a separate chamber or receptacle, preferably the latter. The

length of time necessary to efl'ect the diffusion of the color b steaming will depend upon the d thickness of the lumber, but generally from six to fourteen hours will be required; and in this steaming process a temperature in the vicinity of 212 F. Wlll preferably be maintained. This process of eflect- 10 ing the diffusion of "the color in the wood by steaming has several advantages over the process of effecting the diflusion by boiling the wood in the coloring solution, as de-' scribed in my application No. 372,152, hereto! If the wood be'boiled in the colorin solution sufficiently long and at a suificientfy high temperature to e ect a proper diffusion of the coloring matter in the wood thecoloring solution itself. is generally altered and often destroyed by the heat, thu s 'rendering the surplus llquid unfit for usea second time; but where the surplus coloring solution is withdrawn from the cylinder immediately after the wood has been thoroughly 2 5 impregnated, and without having been submitted to any high degree of heat, such surplus liquid can be used. for 'mpregnating other wood; and it is necessary, i the diffusion be effected b boiling, to boil the wood in the colorin so ution for the reason that if duce the time during whichthey are occupied by the lumber'as much as possible; and to this end it will be fdund advantageous to remove the wood, as soon as it has been properly impregnated with the coloring pensive receptacles for the steaming'operatlon to effect a pro er diffusion of the color.

The wood when first removed from thee linder into which it has been impregnated by 55.the coloring solution is in a more or less streaky condition, is very largely and sa and thecoloring matter deposited in the moreporous portlons' of the wood, leaving the cart portions of the wood much less ated with the coloring solution; so that t e sap portions of the wood are then darker than the heart portions. By the steaming process, however, the coloring solution is so diffused throughout the wood that ally scribed for efi'ecting a d1 be done in the same-cyL; 40 inder, without removing the wood therefrom.

" same a sorbent the heart portions of the wood may be actudarker than the sap portions; while by the methods heretofore employed in ,diflusing the coloring material by boiling, the sap portions of the wood were darker than the heart portions'thereof. Moreover as it has been found necessary in diffusing the color,

to maintain relatively high temby boiling, peratures of from 225 to 27 5 F., or thereabout, the wood itself, as well as the coloring solution, is liable to be more or less damage I by the high temperatures thus employed; whereas by the steaming rocess herein defi usion of the color this liability of in uring the wood by high temperature is entirely avoided. Moreover it has been ascertained that the steaming process above described has more effect in eveloping the grain of the wood, and thereby rendering the same/more conspicuous or prominent, than results from the boillng process which I have previously practiced.

Having thus described my'invention or discovery I claim Letters Patent: w

;1. The herein described process for coloring or transforming wood, consisting in forcing a coloring solution into and throu hout the-more porous portions of the wood by pressure, and then subsequently diffusing the coloring material in the wood by subjecting the latter, with the coloring matter therein, to the action of steam. 7 t

2. The herein described process for coloring or transforming wood, consisting in forcing a coloring solution into and throughout the more porous portions of the wood by pressure in a close receptacle, withdrawing the surplus coloring solution from said receptacle, and then subsequently difi'using the co oring material in the wood by subjecting and desire to secure by the latter, with the coloring matter therein,

to the action of steam.

3. The herein described process for coloring or transforming wood consisting in subjecting the wood to the action of a vacuum in a 'c osed receptacle for thepurpose of removin the air therefrom and same a sorbent, then forcin tion into and'throughout t pressure,

rendering the a coloring solue wood b high the wood, with the coloring solution therein to -the action of'steam for the purpose of difi'using the color in the wood;

4., The herein described process for coloring or'transforr'ning wood consisting in subjectin the wood to th action of a yacuum a c osed receptacle or the purpose of removin the airtherefromand rendering the then forcin a colorin solution into and throughout t e wood 5% high pressure, withdrawing the surplus'coloring solution from said receptacle, and then suband then subsequently sub ecting sequentlv subjecting the wood, with the 001- as derk as or darker than the sap portions 10 orm tion therem, to the action of steam thereof. fog-0t. purpose of difiusing the color in the In testimon whereof I aflix my signature,

W5 Th h d 4 bed n 1 d in presence 0 two witnesses. 5 e erem escri ert' cia y co ore 4 wood havin the coloring matter therein WILLIAM AUGUSTUS HALL properly di used throughout the wood and Witnesses: the grain cells fully eveloped, with the V C. M. SWEENEY, harder heart portions of the wood of a color J. D. KLINGE.