GLUE, GELATINE, ANIMAL CHARCOAL,
PHOSPHORUS, CEMENTS, PASTES,
AND MUCILAGES,
COMPRISING
THE RAW MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURE OF SKIN AND BONE GLUE,
DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF GLUE, ANIMAL CHARCOAL, PHOSPHORUS,
GELATINE AND PRODUCTS PREPARED FROM IT; ISINGLASS AND
FISH-GLUE, METHODS OF TESTING GLUE AND GELATINE,
AND THE PREPARATION AND APPLICATION OF
CEMENTS, PASTES AND MUCILAGES FOR USE
IN THE WORKSHOP, LABORATORY,
AND OFFICE.
BY
F. DAWIDOWSKY,
TECHNICAL CHEMIST.
EDITED FROM THE GERMAN, WITH EXTENSIVE ADDITIONS, INCLUDING
A DESCRIPTION OF THE MOST RECENT PROCESSES.
BY
WILLIAM T. BRANNT,
EDITOR OF “THE TECHNO-CHEMICAL RECEIPT BOOK.”
ILLUSTRATED BY FIFTY-NINE ENGRAVINGS.
SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND LARGELY RE-WRITTEN.
PHILADELPHIA:
HENRY CAREY BAIRD & CO.,
INDUSTRIAL PUBLISHERS, BOOKSELLERS AND IMPORTERS,
810 WALNUT STREET.
1905.
COPYRIGHT, BY
HENRY CAREY BAIRD & CO.,
1905.
PRINTED BY THE
WICKERSHAM PRINTING CO.,
53 and 55 North Queen Street,
LANCASTER, PA., U. S. A.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
The first edition of this work has been out of print for some years,
but nevertheless there is a constant demand for it, and this together
with the fact that frequent inquiries are received for information in
this department of industry, are the inducements which have led to the
preparation of the present treatise.
The book is arranged in two parts, Part I. comprising Glue, Gelatine
and Allied Products, and Part II. Cements, Pastes and Mucilages, and it
is fully illustrated with engravings of various types of apparatus.
Since the appearance of the first edition much progress has been made
in the manufacture of glue and allied products. Old and wasteful
methods of working have been replaced by more approved processes, and
in the present volume it has been endeavored to place before those
interested in these industries, a practical and comprehensive account
of modern methods of operation.
In order adequately to represent this advancement and development, the
best authorities have been freely consulted and drawn upon, special
acknowledgments being due to the following works: “Bone Products and
Manures,” by Thomas Lambert, and “Glue and Glue Testing,” by Samuel
Rideal.
As the demand for phosphorus is steadily increasing, and the
manufacture of this product from bones and bone-ash forms an important
branch of the utilization of bones, it has been deemed advisable to
devote a chapter to this subject.
The receipts for cements, pastes, and mucilages given in Part II.
have been gathered from numerous sources. They have been critically
examined, and are offered, with the full conviction, that they will not
be found wanting in efficacy.
The Table of Contents and Index have both been carefully prepared, and
being very full, will make reference to any subject in the volume easy
and satisfactory.
W. T. B.
PHILADELPHIA, PA., AUGUST 10, 1905.
CONTENTS.
PART I.
GLUE AND GELATINE.
CHAPTER I.
NATURE of GLUE.
PAGE
Sources of glue; Change in the animal tissues by continued boiling;
Definition of what is known as glue; Most important glue-yielding
substances 1
Transformations of which glue and gelatine are the products;
Transition stages of glue; Production of the glue-yielding substance
of the animal body 2
Crude glue and jelly; Constitution of glue; Combinations of which glue
consists 3
Preparation of pure glutin; Properties of glutin 4
Preparation and properties of chondrin 5
Adhesive power of glutin and of chondrin; Properties of glue and its
behavior towards other substances; Quantity of glutin in glue 6
Properties of jelly before drying to glue; Absorption of ozone by the
jelly; Behavior of glue solution towards different salts; Effect of
acids upon glue; Meta-gelatin 7
Combinations of tannin with the jelly; Effects of dry heat upon glue;
Chemical composition of glue and glue-yielding substance 8
CHAPTER II.
USES of GLUE.
Glue as a joining medium, and requirements for this purpose 10
Glue as a binding agent; Consumption of glue in the manufacture of
matches 11
Quality of glue required by bookbinders; Glue in sizing; Glue for
culinary and medicinal purposes 12
Glue for clarifying and fining beer, wine and other liquids; Bouillon
tablets; Glue as a healing agent 13
Glue for elastic masses and a partial substitute for rubber; Use of
glue in photolithography; Hectograph mass; Glue for fancy articles 14
Gelatine veneers and their uses 15
CHAPTER III.
RAW MATERIALS AND THEIR PREPARATION FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GLUE.
Principal substances employed for the manufacture of glue; Division of
raw materials into groups 16
Animal skin and its constitution 17
Portion of the skin of value for the manufacture of leather and glue;
Yield of glue from tannery waste; Influence of the age of the animals
from which the skins have been derived upon the quality of the
glue 18
Notes in reference to judging glue-stock 19
Liming of waste 20
Precaution and care required when buying glue leather; Arrangements
required for the preparation of glue stock; Location of the glue
factory; Lime pits; Contrivances for washing the limed stock 21
Washing drums; Pits or vats with proper arrangements for stirring,
draining and inspection; Glue stock washer invented by W. A.
Hoeveller, described and illustrated 22
Sheds for storing and sorting; Mode of carrying on the work in the
factory; Liming; Preparation of milk of lime 26
Importance of the quality of the lime used; Testing the value of a
lime by determining the amount of real calcium hydroxide contained in
it; Mode of conducting the operation 27
Washing the material after removal from the lime pit; Washing and
drying 28
Preservation of the glue-stock by means of carbolic acid; Preparation
of carbolic acid solution for this purpose 29
Use of other antiseptics for the purpose of preventing putrefaction;
Formaldehyde and boric acid; Classification of the principal varieties
of hides and leather for glue-stock 30
Bones and cartilages 31
Constitution of bones; Composition of bone cartilage; Value of bones
for the manufacture of glue; Necessity of exercising care in buying
bones 32
Sorting the bones; Crushing or grinding the bones 33
Stamping mill for crushing bones, described and illustrated 34
Bone crusher, described and illustrated; Crosskill bone mill,
described and illustrated; Sieve for sorting the crushed bones,
described and illustrated 36
Lime bath for bones; Treatment of the bones with hydrochloric
acid 37
Washing the stock; Use of dilute sulphurous acid in place of
hydrochloric acid as suggested by Gerland; Jullion and Pirie’s process
for the preparation of gelatine from bones 38
Leather waste; Mechanical manipulation of the waste; Comminution of
the waste and use of a rag-engine or hollander for this
purpose 39
Various methods of extracting tannin from leather waste 40
Raw materials for fish glue; Difference between isinglass and glue
manufactured from entire fishes; Principal points to be observed in
the manufacture of fish glue 41
Utilization of scales of large fishes 42
CHAPTER IV.
MANUFACTURE OF SKIN GLUE.
Classification of operations; Definition of crude glue; Derivation of
the bulk of this stock 43
Cooking or boiling glue-stock; Boiler for this purpose, and manner of
using it 44
Duration of boiling 45
Mode of ascertaining the progress of the operation; Convenient
apparatus for glue-boiling with water, described and
illustrated 46
Extracting the glue stock by the use of steam 47
Boiler for this purpose, described and illustrated; Use of
open-jacketed pans heated by steam, described and illustrated 49
Process of cooking as described by Mr. Thomas Lambert; Terne’s glue
boiler, described and illustrated 51
Clarifying the glue-liquor 52
Distinction between clearness and color; Clarifying vats; Prevention
of putrefaction of the liquor 53
Use of alum and other chemicals for clarifying; Freeing the liquor
from coloring substances 54
Use of animal charcoal for this purpose; Bleaching the raw materials
previous to boiling them to glue; Use of chloride of lime or of
sulphurous acid for this purpose 55
Forming or moulding the glue; Moulds for this purpose 56
Detaching the glue from the sides of the moulding boxes; Cutting the
cubes of glue into commercial cakes or sheets; On what the shape of
the cakes depends 57
Use of stone-slabs in place of cooling boxes; Use of glass or zinc
plates for liquors which in gelatinizing do not become very
solid 58
Tools for cutting the jelly into cakes, described and
illustrated 59
Machine for slicing and spreading glue-jelly preparatory to drying
invented by Mr. J. Schneible, described and illustrated 60
Cutting apparatus patented by M. Devoulx, described and
illustrated 62
Drying the cakes of glue; Drying in the open air; Mode of conducting
the operation in a drying room 64
Size of the drying room; Circulation and change of air in the drying
room 65
Nets and frames for drying the glue; Objections to twine
netting 66
Metallic netting and its advantages; Regulation of the temperature of
the drying room; Means of promoting the dryness of the air 67
Use of long drying galleries; Apparatus for drying glue, invented by
W. A. Hoeveller, described and illustrated 68
Modern drying house, described and illustrated 71
Method to accelerate the drying of glue, proposed by Fleck 72
Mode of giving the dry cakes a good lustrous appearance 73
CHAPTER V.
MANUFACTURE OF BONE GLUE.
Comminution of the bones; Various methods of extracting the fat;
Boiling bones 74
Steaming bones and apparatus for this purpose 75
Extraction of bones with benzine or carbon disulphide; Apparatus for
the use of benzine invented by Messrs. Wm. Adamson and Charles F. A.
Simonis of Philadelphia, Pa., described and illustrated 76
Adamson’s method for treating substances with hydrocarbon vapor for
the purpose of extracting oils, fats, etc., described and
illustrated 79
Adamson’s method for treating substances with liquid hydrocarbon for
the purpose of extracting oils, fats, etc., described and
illustrated 82
Adamson’s process for removing hydrocarbons from substances which
have been treated therewith, described and illustrated 84
F. Seltsam’s apparatus, described and illustrated 86
F. Seltsam’s apparatus as improved by Th. Richter, described and
illustrated 88
Alfred Leuner’s apparatus, described and illustrated 90
Extraction with hydrochloric acid 91
Sulphurous acid process 92
Generation of sulphurous acid 93
Apparatus for the generation of sulphurous acid constructed by Dr.
Bruno Terne, described and illustrated; Conversion of cartilage into
glue; Wm. Friedberg’s apparatus for this purpose, described and
illustrated 94
Mode of operation with this apparatus 95
Construction of the filter used in connection with the
apparatus 96
Settling tank, described and illustrated; Arrangement of an open
evaporating pan, described and illustrated 98
Cooling the glue liquor; Use of refrigerating machines for that
purpose; Spiral evaporators 100
Vacuum pan for evaporating glue and gelatine liquors, described and
illustrated 101
Instrument which indicates the amount of dry glue in the solution,
described and illustrated 103
Process for the simultaneous utilization of bones for fat, bone-meal
and glue 104
Crushing the bones; Apparatus for subjecting the crushed bones to the
action of high-pressure steam, described and illustrated 105
Mode of operation with this apparatus 106
Duration of steaming the bones for the manufacture of animal
charcoal 107
Sorting the bones for the manufacture of animal charcoal; Former
method of carbonization 108
Arrangement of a Belgian retort-furnace, described and
illustrated 109
Products evolved in the destructive distillation of bones; Mode of
operation with Belgian retort-furnaces 112
Products obtained in making animal charcoal on a large scale; Process
for the simultaneous utilization of the bones for fat, glue and
calcium phosphate; Degreasing the bones 113
Treatment of the bones with hydrochloric acid; Preservation of the
resulting cartilage; Boiling the cartilage in open vessels 114
Mode of extracting the phosphates from bones; Yield of glue obtained
from cartilage after extraction of the mineral constituents;
Constituents of the liquor obtained by treating the bones 115
Utilization of the liquor in the manufacture of fertilizers 116
CHAPTER VI.
MANUFACTURE OF PHOSPHORUS.
Operations included in the ordinary method of preparing phosphorus;
Burning the bones to ash; Kiln used for this purpose 117
Improved form of kiln proposed by Fleck; Mode of operation with a kiln
of this construction 118
Quantity of substance which remains after burning the bones;
Composition of bone ash; Conversion of the bone ash into a coarse
powder; Decomposition of the bone ash by sulphuric acid 119
Separate processes which have to be distinguished; Embodiment of these
processes in equations 120
Actual yield of phosphorus; Methods by which the formation of calcium
phosphate may be effected; Process without the assistance of
heat 121
Decomposition of the bone ash in the warm way 122
Apparatus for hot lixiviation 123
Evaporation of the liquor; Mixing the fluid with charcoal 124
Yield of so-called distilling mass; Utilization of the liquor obtained
in treating bones for the manufacture of glue with hydrochloric acid;
Concentration of the liquor for crystallization 125
Mode of obtaining the calcium phosphate contained in the
mother-liquor; Drying the crystals 126
Mixing the crystals with charcoal; Evaporating pans; Treatment of
the residue of basic calcium phosphate left in the manufacture of
phosphorus; Distillation of the phosphorus; Conversion of the acid
calcium phosphate into calcium metaphosphate and reduction of the
latter; Retorts and furnace for distilling the mixture of acid
calcium phosphate and charcoal; The galley-furnace 127
Modification of the galley-furnace, described and
illustrated 128
Furnaces for the use of coke as fuel; Receivers for collecting the
phosphorus distilling over 129
Process of distillation; Indication of the commencement of
distillation 130
Removing the phosphorus from the receivers; Regaining the phosphoric
acid contained in the water from the receivers; Constitution of crude
phosphorus 131
Refining and purifying the phosphorus; Various methods of
purification; Percentage of loss of phosphorus 132
Distillation of the crude product in order to obtain pure phosphorus;
Retorts and distilling apparatus for this purpose, described and
illustrated 133
Process of distillation; Different qualities of the phosphorus
passing over in the various stages of distillation; Separation of the
phosphorus passing over according to quality 134
Moulding the refined phosphorus; Seubert’s apparatus for this
purpose 135
Disadvantages of Seubert’s apparatus; Improved apparatus by which
the operation is rendered perfectly free from danger, described and
illustrated 136
Moulding the phosphorus in wedge-shaped sheet-metal boxes 137
Mode of storing and shipping phosphorus; Manufacture of phosphorus
with the assistance of electricity; Mixture used for the
operation 138
Furnace employed for the electrolytic manufacture of phosphorus,
described and illustrated 139
Mode of operating the furnace 140
CHAPTER VII.
METHODS OF BLEACHING GLUE.
Bleaching in the air; Bleaching with chlorine 141
Bleaching with animal charcoal 142
Bleaching with sulphurous acid; Apparatus for the production of the
acid solution, described and illustrated 143
CHAPTER VIII.
DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF GLUE AND THEIR PREPARATION.
Joiner’s glue; Material for the best variety of joiner’s glue 146
How to make and use glue; Holding power of glue 147
Cologne glue 148
Russian glue; Additions by means of which the color and opaqueness are
imparted to this variety of glue 149
Patent glue; Gilder’s glue; Superior article of gilder’s glue; Size
glue and parchment glue; Paris glue 150
Liquid glues; Receipts for liquid glues 151
Preparation of saccharate of lime; Steam-glue; Russian steam-glue;
Pale steam-glue; Dark steam-glue 152
Chrome glue; Glue for attaching leather to metal; Glue for leather,
paper, etc. 153
Glue for parchment paper in making sausage skins 154
Tungstic glue; Indestructible mass for the manufacture of ornaments,
toys, etc.; Compound for billiard balls 155
Coloring glue; Process for this purpose invented by G. J. Lesser 156
Composition for printing rollers; Size 157
Process used in an English factory for making tub-size 158
Preparation of bone-size; Composition of the different grades
of size 159
Concentrated size; Bookbinder’s size; Water-proof glue; Glue solution
for rendering wrapping paper water-proof 160
Water-proofing fabrics with glue and tannin 161
Muratori and Landry’s process of water-proofing fabrics 162
Muzmann and Krakowitzer’s process of water-proofing fabrics; Glue for
joints in leather driving belts; Hectograph mass 163
Formulas for hectograph masses 164
CHAPTER IX.
MANUFACTURE OF GELATINE, AND PRODUCTS PREPARED FROM IT.
Properties of gelatine; Change in the chemical constitution of
gelatine produced by concentrated sulphuric or nitric acid; Tannin as
a test for the presence of gelatine; Use of gelatine for culinary and
medicinal purposes 165
Skin gelatine; Method of manufacture introduced and patented, in 1839,
by George Nelson; Process patented, in 1844, by Messrs. J. & G.
Cox of Edinburgh 166
G. P. Swinborn’s improved patented process for the preparation
of gelatine from hides, skins and glue pieces; Modern process of
preparing skin gelatine; “Steeping” the skins 167
Washing and bleaching the skins 168
Digesting the skins; Clarifying the liquors 169
Evaporation of the liquors in vacuo; Drying the cut cakes; Bone
gelatine; Materials for this purpose; Crushing the bones; Solution of
the glue cartilage 170
Apparatus and improved manner of manufacture employed in the factory
of D. J. Briers, described and illustrated 171
Modern process of preparing bone gelatine 179
Colored gelatine; Uses of colored gelatine; Harmless coloring matters;
Colors for coloring leaves of gelatine with aniline colors for
technical purposes 181
Gelatine for fining purposes; _Gelatine Lainée_; Fining powder for
wine and beer; Liquid fining gelatine; Preparation of gelatine from
ordinary glue 182
Preparation of gelatine for photographic printing and for photographic
purposes in general; Removal of the salts from the gelatine 183
Gelatine capsules for medicinal purposes; Court plaster 184
Gelatine foils; Mode of coloring the foils 185
Gelatine veneers; Principal operations in the manufacture of gelatine
veneers 186
Preparation of the plates; Preparation of the glue solutions;
Proportions by weight of the mixtures for ten different varieties of
imitations of marble and enamel 187
Imitation of mother-of-pearl veneers 188
Pouring the colored solutions of glue upon the plates 189
Preparation of imitations of malachite 190
Transferring the layer of glue to a layer of gelatine 191
Drying and detaching the veneers 192
Water-proofing gelatine veneers; Uses of gelatine veneers;
Formo-gelatine and its uses 193
Use of gelatine in bacteriology 194
Artificial silk from gelatine 195
CHAPTER X.
ISINGLASS AND ITS SUBSTITUTES.
Sources of isinglass; Properties of a good quality of isinglass;
Imitations of isinglass and their detection; Adulteration of isinglass
and its detection 196
Russian isinglass; Siberian purse isinglass; Preparation of isinglass
in Russia 197
North American or New York isinglass 198
East India isinglass; Hudson Bay isinglass; Brazilian isinglass 199
German isinglass; Isinglass from the scales of shad and herring;
Bleaching inferior qualities of isinglass; Ichthycolle
Française 200
Isinglassine; Chinese isinglass 201
Irish moss; Fish glue; Jennings’ process for the preparation of fish
glue 203
Treatment of fish scales; Production of fish glue on the Norwegian
coast; Substitute for isinglass according to C. A. Sahlström’s
process 203
Whale glue 204
CHAPTER XI.
TESTING GLUE AND GELATINE.
Determination of moisture; Determination of ash; Determination of
acidity 205
Determination of glutin; Bisler-Beumat’s method 206
Analysis of samples of American glue by S. Dana Hayes; Deduction of
the quality of glue from indirect properties 207
Lipowitz’s method of testing the strength of a glue, described and
illustrated 208
Results obtained by comparative experiments 209
Facts shown by the results 210
Weidenbusch’s method of testing glue 211
Preparation of the plaster of Paris stick and of the glue solution
used in this test 212
Apparatus for testing the strength of the plaster of Paris sticks,
described and illustrated; Test adopted by the “Artillerie Werkstätte”
at Spandau 213
Determination of adulterations 214
Kissling’s results in testing a large number of samples of glue 215
Practical tests of glue 216
PART II.
CEMENTS, PASTES, MUCILAGES.
CHAPTER XII.
CLASSIFICATION OF CEMENTS.
Stohmann’s division of cements and pastes; Groups of cements 218
Chemical nature of cements; Oil cements 219
Resinous cements; Definition of resins 220
Properties of resinous cements 221
Rubber and gutta-percha cements; Glue and starch cements 222
Lime cements 223
CHAPTER XIII.
PREPARATION OF CEMENTS, PASTES, AND MUCILAGES.
Oil cements; Putty and its preparation 224
French putty; Soft putty; Litharge cement; Red lead cement; Cement
for wash basins 225
Zinc-white cement; Mastic cement, mastic or _pierres de mastic_ 226
French mastic; Paget’s mastic; Water-proof cement; Serbat’s
mastic 227
Stephen’s oil cement; Oil cement for glass; Oil cement free from lead
for steam pipes; Oil cements for steam pipes; Oil cement for
marble 228
Oil cement for porcelain; Diamond cement; Hager’s diamond cement;
Resinous cements; Resinous cement for amber; Cement for
turners 229
Cement for ivory and bone; Cement for white enameled clock faces;
Cements for glass; Cement for glass upon glass; Cement for glass upon
metal; Cement for metal letters upon glass; Cement for wood 230
Cement for knife handles; Cement for petroleum lamps; Cement for
porcelain; Cement for porcelain which is to be heated; Cement to
withstand the action of petroleum; Cement for mica 231
Cement for horn, whalebone and tortoise shell; Cement for terra cotta
articles; Mastic cement for glass; Stick mastic cement; Sulphur cement
for porcelain 232
Insoluble cement for wooden vessels; Rubber cements; Cements for glass;
Soft rubber cement 233
Hard rubber cement; Elastic cement; Marine glue 234
Jeffrey’s marine glue; Marine glue for damp walls; Gutta-percha
cements; Cement for leather 235
Cement for hard rubber combs; Elastic gutta-percha cement; Cement for
horses’ hoofs; Cement for crockery 236
Cement for leather; Caseine cements; Preparation of pure caseine 237
Preparation of ordinary technical caseine; John A. Just’s method for
obtaining a purer technical caseine 238
Caseine cement which can be kept for a long time; Cement for glass;
Cement for metals; Cement for porcelain; Cement for meerschaum;
Cement for wood, etc. 239
Cement for porcelain; Water-glass and water-glass cements; Water-glass
and its properties; Cement for cracked bottles 240
Cement for glass and porcelain; Cement for hydraulic works; Cement for
uniting metals; Cement for tightening joints of pipes exposed to a red
heat 241
Cement for marble and alabaster; Glycerine and glycerine cements;
Properties of commercial glycerine; Glycerine and litharge cement 242
Lime cements; Properties of lime and chalk; Cement for glass; Cement
for joiners; Cement for cracked clay crucibles and porcelain 243
Lime and glue cement; Gypsum cements; Preparation of plaster of Paris;
Cement for plaster of Paris statues 244
Cement for glass and porcelain; Cement for iron and stone; Cements
for porcelain; Universal plaster of Paris cement; Iron cements;
Heat-resisting cement; Water and steam-proof cement; Cement for
iron 245
Fire-proof cement for iron pipes; Cements resisting high temperatures;
Cement for filling in defects in castings; Cement for cracked
stove-plates, etc.; Cement for iron water-tanks; Cement for cracked
iron pots 246
Black cement for stoves; Cements for chemical apparatus; Requirements
of such cements; Cement for small apparatus to be used for the
development of fluoric acid 247
Linseed oil and clay cement; Linseed oil and manganese cement; Cements
resisting very high temperatures; Cement resisting acids; Rubber
cement for chemical apparatus 248
Scheibler’s cement for chemical apparatus; Cements for special purposes;
Cement for attaching metal letters to glass, marble, wood, etc.; Cement
for joints of iron pipes 249
Steam boiler cement; Cement for rubber; Cement for tires; Cement for
steam pipes, etc. 250
Cement for marble; Cement for attaching wood, glass, etc., to metal;
Brushmaker’s cement; Cement for electrical apparatus 251
Jeweler’s cement; American cement for jewelers; Cement for celluloid;
Stratena; Cement for cloth; How to use cements 252
Importance of bringing the cement into intimate contact with the
surface to be united 253
Obstacles to the junction of any two surfaces; Importance of using as
little cement as possible 254
Cleansing surfaces to be joined from grease and dirt; Paste and
mucilages; Starch paste 255
Rules for preparing paste; Flour paste 256
Means to prevent the spoiling of paste 257
Shoemakers’ paste 258
Gum arabic and its properties; Dextrine and its use in place of gum
arabic; Properties of commercial dextrine 259
Preparation of dextrine; Blumenthal’s method 260
Heuzé’s method; Tragacanth, or gum tragacanth; Pastes and mucilages
for special purposes; Starch paste; Flour paste 261
Strong adhesive paste; Paste that will not sour; Venetian paste 262
Label paste; Elastic or pliable paste; Mucilage for labels;
Mucilage 263
Mucilage for postage stamps; Caseine mucilage; Tragacanth mucilage;
Adhesive paste; Fluid pastes 264
Sugar and lime paste; Liquid sugar and lime paste; Pastes for paper and
fine fancy articles; Albumen paste 265
Glycerine paste; Paste for fixing labels on machines; Paste for
mounting maps; Paste for fastening paper on tin-foil; Paste for paper
bags; Caseine mucilage for photographer’s use; Paste for scrap
books 266
Paste for skins; Strong mucilage capable of fastening wood on china
and glass; Dextrine mucilage; Paste for joining leather to
pasteboard 267
Paste for attaching labels to polished nickel; Mucilage for attaching
labels to tin; Mucilage for office use; Glycerine paste for office
use; Clean and durable paste 268
Banknote or mouth glue; Paste for cardboard; Paste for attaching cloth
or leather to table tops; Caseine mucilage; Very adhesive paste which
may be used for wood and parchment 269
Paste for pads; Paste for fastening paper on tin-foil; Paste for
attaching labels to glass, porcelain and metal; Preparation of
arabol-gum; Preparation of an adhesive substance from desaccharized
beet-root slices 270
Index 273
GLUE, GELATINE, CEMENTS, PASTES.
PART I.
GLUE AND GELATINE.
CHAPTER I.
NATURE OF GLUE.
1. SOURCES OF GLUE.
The organisms of all animals, but more especially of the higher
classes, contain tissues which are insoluble in cold, as well as in
hot, water. However, by continued boiling they become dissolved, and
yield on evaporation of the solution a glutinous, gelatinizing mass. By
further drying this mass exhibits, according to the degree of purity
of the material, a more or less transparent and brittle substance,
which in its pure state is devoid of color as well as of smell; it
swells up in cold water and dissolves by boiling in that liquid. This
substance, _i. e._, the product of the conversion of the so-called glue
or gelatine-yielding tissue, is what is known in the trade as _glue_.
Among the glue-yielding tissues, the following are the most important:
Cellular tissue, the corium, tendons or sinews, the middle membrane of
the vasa lymphatica and veins, the ossein or organic matter of bones,
hartshorn, cartilage, the air bladders of many kinds of fishes, etc.
Neither glue nor gelatine exists ready formed in the animal organism,
except under abnormal conditions as a phenomenon of disease, but they
are the products of various transformations. The first of these
transformations evidently takes place in drying the hide, since the
result of boiling to glue a green hide prepared in the usual manner by
liming, etc., but not previously dried, will be an entirely different
product of less consistency than that obtained by drying the hide after
liming and then boiling. A second transformation seems to take place
in boiling the material, and a third in drying the jelly obtained, and
this may explain the fact that the latter, which is not converted into
actual glue, differs in its behavior from glue solution. The series
of transformation does not end even with the actual glue, for it is a
well-known fact that glue dissolved in water and boiled for some time
does not gelatinize on cooling, but remains liquid. We have here to
deal with organic combinations which are distinguished from the more
solid organic compounds by passing more readily into decomposition.
However, it is an established fact that glue is an organic combination
presenting itself in different modifications. In the animal organism
it occurs ready formed only under abnormal conditions as a phenomenon
of disease, and hence it is only produced by first drying and then
by continued boiling of the glue-yielding substance, and finally by
evaporating and further drying the gelatinous mass obtained by boiling.
2. TRANSITION STAGES OF GLUE.
We therefore distinguish:
_a._ Glue-yielding substance.
_b._ Crude glue.
_c._ Jelly.
_d._ Glue.
_a._ The glue-yielding substance of the animal body is produced from
proteïne substances, albumen, fibrine and caseïne, in a manner similar
to that in which new substances are formed in the ripening fruit by
the transformation and disintegration into constituent parts of others
previously present.
_b._ By _crude glue_ are understood glue-yielding materials free from
all foreign matter and physically prepared by drying. It forms an
intermediate link between glue-yielding substance and jelly.
This distinction between glue-yielding substance and crude glue is
justified by experience. If, for instance, fresh calves’ heads, such as
the tanner cuts off after swelling the skins, be carefully limed and
then boiled without previous drying, the result will be a turbid liquor
containing, though everything be dissolved, no jelly whatever, or at
least, very little.
_c._ _Jelly_ is obtained by boiling the crude glue. Its adhesive power
is far less than that of solution of finished glue, and it will become
more quickly putrid than the latter.
_d._ The finished product _glue_ is, in most cases, not a definite
chemical compound, but a mixture of substances, with two of which
scientific research has made us thoroughly acquainted.
3. CONSTITUTION OF GLUE.
Independent of impurities and accidental constituents, glue consists
of two distinctly distinguishable combinations, namely, _glutin or
gelatin_ and _chondrin_, the former being formed from the hide and
osseous parts, and the latter from young bones while still in a soft
state, and the “permanent” cartilages, such as those of the ribs and
joints.
The manufacturer has it, of course, in his power to allow either of
these substances to predominate in his product, but since experiments
have shown glutin or gelatin to possess much greater adhesive power
than chondrin, it is advisable to separate as much as possible the
cartilaginous matter from other glue-yielding material.
As an accurate knowledge of these constituents of glue is of great
importance to the manufacturer, brief reference will here be made to
what scientific research has made known to us in regard to them.
Pure glutin or gelatin is obtained by treating buckshorn, etc., with
water containing hydrochloric acid, until the phosphate of lime which
serves, so to say, as a frame for the glue-yielding substance, is
dissolved, and the organic tissue called _collagen_ or _ossein_,
remains behind. After freeing the latter from fat by steeping in milk
of lime and careful washing, it is boiled, and the resulting jelly,
when cold, mechanically distributed in cold water, in which it softens
but does not dissolve. By thoroughly stirring the mass the glutin
yields its coloring matter to the water, the latter being replaced
by fresh water until all the coloring matter is extracted. Then pour
off the water and after dissolving the jelly in hot water, filter the
solution through a cloth. By mixing the filtered solution with an
equal volume of alcohol, a precipitate of pure glutin is obtained. By
the precipitation with alcohol, the separating glutin carries down
inorganic salts, especially phosphates, which may be present in the
solution. To free it from them, dissolve it in a small quantity of
lukewarm water, acidulate the solution with hydrochloric acid and bring
it into a dialyser. The salts and the acids diffuse in the water which
has from time to time to be renewed, and finally a jelly of pure glutin
remains behind; this is evaporated to dryness in shallow vessels.
Pure glutin, in a dry state forms a glassy substance, almost colorless,
transparent to translucent, brittle or slightly elastic, free from odor
and taste, and remains unchanged in the air. Its specific gravity is
greater than that of water. It is neutral, exerts no influence whatever
upon vegetable colors and is insoluble in alcohol, ether, hydrocarbons
or oils. In cold water it swells up, absorbing as much as 40 per cent.,
and becomes opaque, but does not dissolve. It dissolves in hot water
and on cooling forms a jelly even if the solution contains only 1 per
cent. of glutin. It gelatinizes at a lower temperature than chondrin.
An aqueous solution of glutin is precipitated by chlorine, platinic
chloride, tannin and alcohol, but not by hydrochloric acid,
acetic acid, lead acetate, alum and ferric sulphate. Concentrated
sulphuric acid decomposes glutin, forming, besides other products of
decomposition, chiefly glycocoll and leucine.
When heated, glutin softens, swells and diffuses an odor of burnt
hartshorn. In the air, it takes fire with difficulty, smokes, flames
only for a few minutes, and leaves a bulky charcoal difficult to
incinerate, the ashes of which consist principally of calcium phosphate.
Glutin, when in the jellied state, and treated with alcohol, undergoes
dehydration, under the influence of which it contracts greatly. It was
by this means that Gonnor succeeded in reducing in a remarkable degree
the size of a print obtained in a very hydrated film of glutin, and
transferring it, so reduced, to stone, from which he obtained a new
impression, quite similar to the first, but more or less diminished.
By taking these prints, on the contrary, with glutin very little
hydrated, and afterwards steeping them in water, a dilatation of the
plate is obtained, which enlarges the figures with the same regularity.
Pure _chondrin_ is prepared by boiling for from 24 to 48 hours the
cartilages of the ribs, of the larynx with the exception of those of
the epiglot, or of the windpipe and the bronchi.
Chondrin is precipitated from its solution by alcohol. The precipitate
is redissolved in warm water, evaporated, and dried. It forms a
semi-translucent mass of a slightly yellow color and resembles glutin
as regards fracture and all external properties, but differs from it in
being precipitated from its aqueous solution by mineral acids, acetate
of lead, alum and ferric sulphate, and also by organic acids such as
vinegar, citric and oxalic acids, none of which precipitate glutin.
As regards its chemical composition, chondrin is poorer in nitrogen
than glutin, and contains more sulphur. Its formula approaches more
closely that of albumen, which corresponds also with the origin of
chondrin, for cartilages may be considered as transition-links between
the proteïne and glue-yielding substances.
By the action of concentrated sulphuric acid upon chondrin, leucine
is only produced but no glycocoll. By potassium hydrate chondrin is
converted into glutin and yields then, like the latter, leucine and
glycocoll. By boiling with concentrated hydrochloric acid chondrin is
decomposed; a peculiar variety of fermentable sugar, to which the term
chondroglucose has been applied, being formed.
It may finally be remarked that chondrin possesses less adhesive power
than glutin and its presence in glue may be considered detrimental. To
avoid its formation, the glue manufacturer should separate as much as
possible cartilages from bones. Chondrin, however, is useful for size.
4. PROPERTIES OF GLUE AND ITS BEHAVIOR TOWARDS OTHER SUBSTANCES.
The product designated by the general term glue, is always a mixture of
glutin, chondrin and other substances not yet accurately determined.
Glue is formed by evaporating and further drying the jelly, and its
properties depend on the crude glue and glue-yielding material used for
the production of the jelly.
It may here be remarked that even if the quantity of glutin contained
in the different products could not be determined by scientific means,
the glue obtained from various materials can be readily distinguished
by external characteristics. Every manufacturer knows that hides and
bones yield a distinct quality of glue as regards adhesive power,
elasticity and fracture, and that the jelly from glue-yielding
substances of older animals is more solid and gives a larger yield than
that obtained from the tissues of younger and weaker animals. Glue from
the bladders and scales of fishes, though consisting mainly of glutin,
differs materially from hide or bone glue.
Generally speaking, the jelly, no matter whether consisting of glutin
or chondrin, possesses, before drying to glue, different properties
from glue solution. It has less adhesive power and spoils more quickly.
At a temperature of 68° to 72.5° F., jelly putrefies inside of 24
hours, smells of ammonia, and decomposes, while glue solution can be
kept much longer without suffering deterioration.
The jelly absorbs ozone with avidity and is decomposed by it, this
being the reason why an approaching thunderstorm may cause great damage
by destroying the coagulating power of the glue liquors, or causing the
glue to turn on the nets, _i. e._, to lose its consistency and become
liquid and foul.
The behavior of glue solution towards different salts also deserves
attention.
By adding potassium or sodium carbonate, neutral potassium tartrate,
Rochelle or Epsom salts to a lukewarm fluid containing 15 to 20 per
cent. of glue, the latter coagulates by the salt withdrawing the water
from it. A lukewarm solution saturated with common salt, sal ammoniac,
saltpetre, or barium chloride does not gelatinize.
By adding to glue solution a large quantity of alum, the glue is
precipitated as a transparent mass.
Glue compounded at a high temperature with dilute acids, does not
gelatinize by itself, but will do so on adding common salt.
Boiling with slaked lime deprives glue solution of its power of
gelatinizing, and, on evaporation, changes it into a colorless gummy
mass which is soluble in cold water and in saturated solution of common
salt.
From a glutin solution compounded with oxalic acid, the latter can
after some time be again separated by the addition of lime, the result
being a non-gelatinizing fluid which, however, possesses great adhesive
power. This is the so-called _meta-gelatin_.
Glue solution also loses its property of gelatinizing by repeated
boiling and cooling (for about six days).
Tannin enters with the jelly, as well as with glue solution, into
characteristic combinations which are formed even in solutions
containing only 0.005 per cent. of jelly or glue. Glue is, therefore,
an excellent agent for the detection of tannin.
When quite concentrated glue solution is treated with tannin, a heavy,
flocculent precipitate of a dirty-yellow, caseous character is formed,
which turns brown on exposure to the air and, after drying, constitutes
a hard brittle mass, easily reduced to powder and soluble in hot potash
lye, but insoluble in water, ether and alcohol. This precipitate, if
not identical with, is closely allied to the combination of tannin with
skin, called leather.
Glue exposed to a dry heat melts, diffuses a strong disagreeable odor
of burned horn and leaves behind a charcoal which has a powerful
discoloring effect like animal charcoal. When subjected to destructive
distillation, glue yields an aqueous solution of ammonium carbonate
and a thick brown oil consisting of a mixture of ammonium carbonate,
sulphur, ammonium cyanide, etc.
The chemical composition of glue is such as to bring to mind that of
starch and cellulose derived from the vegetable kingdom. It contains:
Carbon 49.1 per cent.
Hydrogen 6.5 per cent.
Nitrogen 18.3 per cent.
Oxygen and sulphur 26.1 per cent.
which may be represented by the formula: C_{12}H_{10}N_{2}O_{4}.
The composition of glue differs but little from that of the
glue-yielding substance. Isinglass is composed of:
Carbon 49.5 per cent.
Hydrogen 6.9 per cent.
Nitrogen 18.8 per cent.
Oxygen 24.8 per cent.
This justifies the assumption that glue in its various transition
stages does not represent different chemical combinations, but only
modifications of one and the same combination distinguishable from each
other by physical characteristics, as is the case with starch, which
without suffering an alteration in its composition, appears as dextrine
and grape-sugar, or as with cellulose, which, without altering its
composition, can be transformed into amyloid and grape-sugar.