Unpublished paper, 'On the protection of iron from oxidation and from turning foul when it is exposed to the action of the sea and other waters' by William John Hay

Description

Hay describes a process of experimental research, founded on chemical principle, to identify the superior efficacy of a varnish consisting of one part of pitch and two parts of naphtha, together with ten pounds of the suboxides and peroxides of copper to each quart of the varnish. This varnish is made to adhere by applying it to the iron previously rendered hot by placing it above braziers of ignited charcoal. Hay finds that this coating of varnish not only protects the iron from oxidation, but forms a perfect barrier to electro-chemical action between the copper oxide and the iron. Two or three of these coats are applied in succession, each being laid on after the preceding one has become hardened. The trials made of this method on various ships, the results of which are detailed in an appendix to the paper, have proved perfectly satisfactory.

Includes a covering letter.

Subject: Chemistry / Metallurgy / Marine engineering

Received 30 March 1848. Communicated by Admiral [Francis] Beaufort.

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 5 of Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London [later Proceedings of the Royal Society] as 'On the protection of iron from oxidation and from becoming foul when it is exposed to the action of sea and other waters'.

Reference number

AP/30/3

Earliest possible date

March 1848

Physical description

Ink on paper

Page extent

33 pages

Format

Manuscript