382 Deodorizing India- Rubber. 
on the insignant success he has achieved. We congratulate 
the British nation upon the possession of a monument in- — 
comparable with none ; and we individually congratulate 
ourselves in having to share with thousands the satisfaction 
of being possessed of what our countrymen must all admire. 
DEODORIZING INDIA-RUBBER.* 
HE extremely disagreeable odour attaching to india- 
rubber manufactures, and the power possessed by 
them of imparting a nauseous taste to liquids or other sub- 
stances, has long been a difficulty in the way of its use for 
many purposes for which india-rubber is peculiarly adapted. 
To obviate this evil, many expedients have been resorted 
to, but none hitherto with perfect success, and this on 
account of the strong tendency which india-rubber has to ~ 
acquire and retain odours. ‘The new process, invented by 
Mr. S. Bourne, depends upon the still greater affinity pos- 
sessed by charcoal, especially animal charcoal, for all kinds 
of odours, and its great capacity for the absorption of 
gases. The practical difficulty lies in so using the charcoal 
as not to injuriously affect the articles with which it may 
be brought in contact, and this has now been overcome by 
very simple means. 
The mode of application necessarily varies, according to 
the description of articles which are thus treated. Gene- 
rally speaking, they are laid in shelves or trays in a hot 
chamber, with a thin stratum of charcoal, beneath and on 
top, and exposed to a temperature of from 120 to 180 
degrees, for from three to six hours, after which they are 
removed from the charcoal, having sustained no other 
alteration than the all-important one of being rendered 
devoid of smell, and incapable of imparting any taste to 
liquids or other substances they may touch. Under proper 
management, the most delicate textures can be thus dealt 
with without being impaired either in substance or appear- 
ance. The most convenient mode of applying heat is by 
hot water or steam surrounding the vessel or chamber in 
which they are placed. One very considerable advantage 
of this process is, that fora large number of vulcanized 
* Journal of the Society of Arts. 
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