Inflatable receptacle

A receptacle for use in the impregnation with an impregnant in a liquid or semi-liquid state of at least one body made at least in part of organic fluid-permeable material, which receptacle is made of a flexible fluid-impermeable material which, over at least a part of at least one wall of the receptacle, is of double thickness and forms at least two closed pockets which can be inflated by fluid impregnation, the pockets being so positioned that when the pockets are inflated, the receptacle is in the form of a container of substantially rectangular shape and has side and end faces bounded by boundary edges, which receptacle is effectively hinged along at least one of its side faces to divide the receptacle into two separable parts and so provide an opening for introduction into the receptacle of said body at least one of said two separable parts carrying around that one of its boundary edges that will abut a boundary edge of the other separable part when the container is closed, material for sealing said opening to form a substantially fluid-tight flexible enclosure, at least one port with an associated valve opening into the pocket through which fluid can be introduced to inflate said pocket and at least one port with an associated valve opening into the receptacle through which air and any other fluid can be evacuated from the receptacle and through which impregnant in a liquid or semi-liquid state can be introduced into the receptacle.