January i, 1908.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



107 



NEW REPAIR VULCANIZING PROCESS. 



AFTER pointing out the drawbacks or disadvantages attend- 

 ing the various methods of cure in use hitherto for apply- 

 ing repair patches to tire tubes, Emile Allard, writing in Omnia, 

 a French journal, describes a new vulcanizing fluid, suited for 

 tire repairing, and sold on the market under the name "Sulfumate 

 of Camphor." its composition being kept secret. The new 

 preparation is intended to be used in cold curing, as distinguished 

 from repairing operations which call for vulcanizing apparatus. 

 The writer quoted is of the opinion that the solvent used 

 is tetrachloride of carbon. The "sulfumate" begins to boil at 

 79-5° C. [= 175.1° F.], which figure is close to the boiling point 

 of tetrachloride. Moreover, by distillation, M. Allard has been 

 able to isolate a colorless liquid which boils at 78.1° C, the 

 identical boiling point of tetrachloride of carbon. The "sul- 

 fumate" possesses therefore the advantages of the tetrachloride — 

 absolute inflammability and absence of danger of explosion. As 

 to the vulcanizing compound, it appears to be chloride of 

 sulphur, containing sulphur in solution. When mixed with water 

 and stirred the "sulfumate" precipitates sulphur in abundance. 

 Moreover, the "sulfumate" evaporates in the atmosphere, the 

 same as solutions of chloride of sulphur. 



It is claimed for "sulfumate" that it is a stable compound and 

 that its action does not vary, like that of th« protochloride, with 

 meteorological conditions. The vulcanizing action of the com- 

 pound is slower than that of the ordinary protochloride solution, 

 which permits workmen engaged in re-treating to apply the 

 tread in large sections at a time. If a piece of crude rubber is 

 dipped into the "sulfumate," it at first softens slightly, which 

 proves that the liquid impregnates the mass regularly, such action 

 being favorable to the uniformity of the vulcanization. Soon, 

 ■however, the rubber sets, giving a very dense product. 



It may be asked what is the cause of this particular property 

 of this product, the slowness of its vulcanizing action? Un- 

 doubtedly its low content of chloride of sulphur. It may also 

 be, says M. Allard, that the camphor which the product seems 

 to contain, in a smaller quantity, has a tendency to retard the 

 action of the chloride of sulphur on the rubber. This, however, 

 remains to be proved. The late Dr. Weber, in writing on the 

 Parkes process, said ; "The present method of vulcanizing rub- 

 ber by means of chloride of sulphur is very irrational, as it can- 

 not lead to a homogeneous vulcanization. A process permitting 

 homogeneous vulcanization, by means of chloride of sulphur, 

 would be of incalculable practical value." 



However valuable this "sulfumate" may prove to be, ulti- 

 mately, it is likely to be received at first with some caution. 

 To be wholly frank, those who use the cold curing solutions 

 such as are sold in small packages and made up of new and 

 secret combinations of sulphur, chloride and bisulphide of car- 

 . bon are growing wary. They have been bitten more than once, 

 and while sulfumate of camphor may be excellent, it will have 

 to be proved so before it is widely adopted. 



RECLAIMING AND REPAIRING PROCESS. 



goods only. Just how he gets pressure in the molds when the 

 mass fuses without a part of the contents escaping by the 

 "spewing vents" does not appear. 



It is gossiped that the Dunlop syndicate offered Mr. Gare 

 £100,000 for his invention, which he refused, as he desires to 

 license individual manufacturers to use his process rather than 

 tie it up to one concern. It is further rumored that Charles 

 Macintosh & Co. and David Mosele/s Sons have looked into 

 the process and may use it. 



ly^R. T. GARE, of New Brighton, England, has established a 

 I»* small factory at Hazel Grove, near Stockport, England, 

 to develop a new patented process for reclaiming and repairing 

 old rubber articles and altering the shape of new articles of rub- 

 ber already vulcanized. For example, he takes an old worn 

 solid tire, puts it in a mold together with powdered solid tire 

 scrap, and by intense heat and pressure fuses the mass and turns 

 out a new solid tire "apparently better than the original." This 

 better appearance is due to the fact, so he says, that any first 

 mixing, however well done, is not homogeneous. His high heat 

 corhpletes the mixing, while the pressure prevents the rubber 

 from being injured. The process is applicable to heavy molded 



THE SYNTHETIC RUBBER SITUATION. 



\Y7 RITING in the London Daily Mail, Ferrar Fenton ex- 

 ' ' pres.ses surprise at the unbelief expressed by some ex- 

 perts as to the possibility of producing synthetic rubber. The 

 study of this, he says, has afforded a fascination for him for 

 forty years, and ten years ago he succeeded in producing a 

 synthetic rubber which added to the life of pure gum. Wishing 

 to satisfy himself that his samples would stand the test of time, 

 he holds them to-day looking as good, he says, as when they 

 were made. Mr. Fenton writes that two years ago he estab- 

 lished a factory in the United States, to work out his latest 

 invention in synthetic rubber, and "the success of which is 

 already assured." Mr. Fenton does not happen to mention what 

 was formerly called Fenton's Patent Artificial India-Rubber 

 Syndicate, Limited, which in 1898-99 was doing business in Eng- 

 land, but which has not been heard of in the trade for several 

 years. He visited the United States in May, 1906, in connection, 

 it is understood, with the formation of the National Co., at 

 Chiciigo, to work his patents in this country. 



Now that Mr. Fenton is really at work it is of interest to 

 consider what his product really is. The product which he 

 brought out ten years ago, and which it is fair to suppose he 

 thought was synthetic rubber, was made of oxidized oil mixed 

 with tar and treated with dilute nitric acid. The resultant 

 mass was about as resilient as Roquefort cheese and not as 

 pleasantly odored. It was not rubber ; it did not look like, 

 smell like, compound like, or act like rubber. It was an oil 

 "sub." pure and simple, and for the sake of Mr. Fenton, who 

 doubtless is an honest but mistaken gentleman, it is to be hoped 

 that it is a fairly good one. 



THE SYNTHETIC RUBBER CO. 



.A. LoNUO.N' firm of brokers in rubber planting shares reports 

 "In good quarters it is told that an American syndicate has been 

 formed for the manufacture of rubber by a certain chemical 

 process which has been discovered. The names of strong peo- 

 ple are mentioned as being members of the syndicate, and to 

 its formation is attributed the recent weakness of the price of 

 rubber and of rubber companies' shares." This undertaking is 

 presumably that mentioned in the last India Rubber World 

 (page 88) as having been registered in London as the Synthetic 

 Rubber Co., Limited. In answer to inquiries that have been 

 made as to whether this is connected in any way with the Para 

 Rubber Co. (Bayonne, New Jersey), it can be stated authori- 

 tatively that the London company have no relation whatever to 

 the processes of Mr. G. E. Heyl-Dia. 



The Japan Celluloid Co. have begun the construction of a 

 factory at Aboshi. The company's head office is in London, and 

 considerable of the $2,000,000 stock has been taken in England 

 and Germany. It is expected that the company will be able to 

 manufacture a ton of artificial silk and three tons of celluloid 

 per day. Suggestions have not been wanting that the Japanese 

 may yet seek to utilize their control of the raw material to 

 capture also the celluloid manufacture. 



.\ PETITION in bankruptcy has been filed against the Da-an-Nite 

 Auto Supply Co., of Xcw York. , .\mong the creditors are three 

 tire making firms, with claims aggregating $5845. 



