Imitation coal and method of making same
OwnerNigel A. Corryinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
To make imitation coal elements, in the form of pellets or lumps which will glow and radiate heat effectively when heated by a gas flame in an open-type firegrate, use is made of raw ceramic bulk fibers. An appropriate mass thereof is moistened with a stiffening agent such as potato starch and is then squeezed to shape it into its pellet or lump shape and to express any excess stiffening agent; then it is baked to set the stiffening agent and fix the shape of the pellet or lump. Thereafter the element is colored by use of a black metallic oxide/colloidal sodium silicate impregnant which is applied twice in successive dipping and baking operations.
Claims7
An imitation coal element comprising:
- a raw ceramic bulk fibre mass which has been moistened with a heat-settable stiffening agent, squeezed into its desired coal lump shape and baked to set it into the desired shape of lump which has subsequently been coloured black by a two-stage colouring process each stage of which consists in impregnating the shaped mass with a black metallic oxide/colloidal sodium silicate impregnant and then baking the impregnated mass.
A method of producing an imitation coal element in the form of a lump which comprises the steps of:
- moistening a mass of raw ceramic bulk fibres with a heat-settable stiffening agent in the form of a ceramic rigidiser, shaping the resultant moistened mass into a desired coal lump shape and expressing therefrom the excess stiffening agent, setting the moistened mass into its lump shape by baking, applying a first and a second treatment of black metallic oxide/colloidal sodium silicate impregnant and baking the mass after each treatment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.