Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

[Abe]

One of my units is interested in having a uniform issue. The one problem we are running into is what is Petroleum Paper. I assume it was wrapped around the bale as an inner waterresistant layer but that is just a guess.

If anybody knows what the stuff is, is it available, where can one purcahse it, can it be made, and finally will it kill any of my commrades (toxic??)? Any help would be great.

I will wait in utter suspense and thank you in advance

Jason W. Reinholz
Mess #3

[1stMaine]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

Comrade,

A simple google search with the words "petroleum paper" and "civil war" produced several instances of it's use. The one from the jaic website mentions how it was used, but none seem to know of it's actual ingrediants.
I have found that google is usually of excellent use when information regarding a subject is required, and that it should be the first stop on any quest for information, especially prior to a posting on the A/C forum. I would add that this forum also has an excellent search feature, which, in most cases, may yield the desired results with a minimum of wait time, thus often precluding the need to post and await any forthcoming replies.
Trusting this may be of some small use, I remain, sir,
respectfully,

[markj]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

A possible, and reasonable, substitute might be to apply "Copal" or "Grecian" varnish to the paper, which reportedly makes a waterproofed, but pliable surface. I found this suggested in, of all things, a Southern newspaper article discussing the fabrication of "ersatz" soldier blankets.

Copal varnish was frequently used by Nineteenth Century artists and is still prepared using period formulas for commercial sale:

http://www.jamescgroves.com/mediums.htm.

I also found an 1861 formula for Grecian varnish: this consists of one part turpentine, two parts 90 proof alcohol, three parts balsam of fir, mixed well (it almost sounds good enough to drink...BUT DON'T!). This formula can be found (along with a lot of other neat "recipes") in the transcribed "Young's Demonstrative Translation of Scientific Secrets; or A Collection of Above 500 Useful Receipts on a Variety of Subjects."

http://www.harvestfields.netfirms.com/etexts/38/13.htm

There is surely a description of "petroleum paper" somewhere--perhaps the process was patented...?

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[Abe]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

Dear Sir

Thank you for your quick response. I have tried multiple search engines with some usefull information on them. I tried using the AC Forum search with only one inrelevent hit. I even tallked to my former Chemistry teacher with no luck. I was wishing that someone else had found a source for petroleum paper in their use of clothing bales. I was not sure if somebody else had tried to make an authentic clothing bale and would be able to guide me in the right direction.

If not I understand, and the search will continue.

Jason W. Reinholz
Mess #3

[markj]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

Here's an interesting and potentially useful article dealing with the postwar (1869-1876) "Cowles Patent...Waterproofing Treatment" evaluated by the QM Department:

http://aic.stanford.edu/jaic/articles/jaic26-02-005_5.html

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[markj]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

Not surprisingly, "petroleum paper" appears to have been quite flammable as indicated this quote from Elizabeth "Libbie" Bacon Custer's "Boots and Saddles," (New York: Harper & Bros., 1885, Chapter 11), which is one of the standard accounts of Western army life:

"The gas from the petroleum paper put on between the plastering and the outer walls to keep out the cold had exploded. The roof had ignited at once, and was blown off with a noise like the report of artillery. The sentinel at the guard-house fired his carbine as an alarm. The general ran to one of the lower windows, and with his powerful voice that he could throw so far called for the guard."

I'll see if I can find more....

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[10nycav]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

Petroleum paper may be the same thing as tar paper. The characteristics of tar paper certainly meet the need--it keeps out water from the outside, but allows moisture from inside the packaging to escape. Libbie Custer's reference to its use as a building material further reinforces my hypothesis that the two materials are one and the same.

Trying to find out when tar paper was invented, I found this article:
“Case Study of Redevelopment of a Roofing Material Factory Site for Mixed Use” (Abstract of the presentation given during Session VII, Remediation for Reuse, on Saturday, April 3, 2004):

“The former GAF roofing materials factory is located on the banks of the Delaware and Raritan Canal in South Bound Brook, New Jersey. The D & R Canal provides raw water to several water purveyors serving hundreds of thousands of customers in Central New Jersey.

The site is a series of abandoned buildings that was owned by a small businessman who bought the property from GAF who manufactured asphalt shingles at the site for decades. Prior asphalt related manufacturing was active back to the Pre-Civil War era. In fact, ‘tar paper’ was invented by the first company to use the site for asphalt based products.”

Elsewhere I discovered that coal tar built up roofs were invented in Pittsburgh in the 1850s. These originally used felts made from paper, rag, hessian, and other available fibers that were then saturated with coal tar. Sure sounds flammable to me.

So, it’s quite possible that petroleum paper and tar paper are the same thing. Still haven't found the date for the invention of tar paper--sorry I don't have time to run down the 86 pages of references that Google turned up--but hopefully this provides enough info for someone to track this fact down.

Ken Morris

[markj]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

What you say may be possible but I suspect, rather, that "petroleum paper" was more akin to heavy packaging paper (perhaps like modern shopping bag paper) that had been saturated with a petroleum distillate. Such paper certainly would have been pliable enough to use in enveloping bundles of clothing items. I think a major downside of "tar paper" might be the possibility of melting and staining the items it enclosed. Indeed, would "tar paper" even be flexible enough to bundle items?

I'll bet you a Federal greenback that somebody patented a process for making "petroleum paper." I should add the mention of "petroleum" suggests the process dates from the late 1850's at the earliest (i.e., erection of the first oil wells in Pennsylvania around 1859).

Your thoughts?

Mark Jaeger

[10nycav]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

Here's another theory: I have found a few references that suggest in the 1850s-60s the words petroleum and paraffin (also spelled paraffine) were sometimes used interchangeably. (What's more, the terms coal oil and paraffine oil were apprently used interchangeably as well.) The process for deriving paraffin from coal was patented in 1850 by Young. Here is an article from Scientific American, 1865, which discusses the use of parrafin in waterproofing, complete with instructions! It describes its use for tents and cloth, but not paper. However it seems a pretty small step to get from this to paper.

http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABF2204-1013-26

The article is on page 369. This still does not answer the question, brought up by the Libby Custer quote, of the use of this product in building.

Ken Morris

[markj]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

I could certainly accept "paraffin"-treated paper more readily than "tar paper." Paraffin was used to waterproof tents but, as you well know, it's very combustible and was undoubtedly the source of many tent fires.

As for the Custer quote, the "petroleum paper" could have just as easily been material "recycled" from bales of clothing, etc. delivered to the post QM. Given the remoteness of many Western posts, it certainly isn't a stretch to think almost everything had a potential re-use.

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[markj]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

Page 401 of this "Scientific American" article (23 Dec 65) provides a recipe for waterproofing leather with paraffin. This might also work with heavy paper as well.

http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABF2204-1013-28

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[markj]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

Alas, "paraffin paper" appears to be strictly a post-CW invention. I've been on two different websites and they both assert that Thomas Edison invented it in 1872:

http://www.thomasedison.com/Inventions.htm

Looks like we're back to Square One. I still think some kind of petroleum distillate was used but determining the precise formula will likely require further research through 1850's and 60's scientific journals, textbooks, or patents.

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[KathyBradford]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

Virginia Mescher recently posted this information on a thread about storing food. (see the related threads at the bottom of this screen.) The first paragraph describes melting beeswax in turpentine (a petroleum product) and applying it with a brush. Perhaps this is what is meant?

Since reading her post, I've been making beeswaxed paper using a block of beeswax and heated paper. Although it is quite time-consuming, the results are very interesting. The finished product is a bit yellow and smells like honey. If the beeswax is applied generously enough, it is able to be sealed by simply warming the paper.


From Virginia's post...

_Dick's Encyclopedia of Practical Reciepts and Processes_ by William B. Dick (1858). "To Make Wax Paper. Take cartridge paper or some other paper, place it on a hot iron and rub it with beeswax, or make a solution of the wax in turpentine, and apply it with a large brush. It is generally prepared on a large scale by taking a quire of paper and opening it flat upon a table, and then going over it quickly with a very hot smoothing iron, against which is heald a piece of wax and is absorbed by it. A little practice will soon determine the amount of wax should be melted off from time to time. When the upper sheet is saturated it is taken off, and the one below is treated in a similar manner. Any excess of wax applied in the first instance readily penetrates through the lower layers. Useful for making water or air-proof pipes, for chemical experiments, also for tying up the necks of bottles, covering preserve jars, and for enveloping tobacco and other substances that require to be kept from the air, replacing generally tin-foil and other similar substances."

The first patent for waxed paper (#257,791) was issued on 5/9/1882 to J. H. Ridgway. The title was "Water Proofing Paper." This patent stated that before this process, paper had just been saturated with melted paraffine. The patentee's process stated that paraffine was applied to paper by rubbing a thin film of paraffine on the paper by rubbing the paper with blocks, lumps, or granulated massses of paraffine on the paper. Pressure was applied under
the paper as it was run under the paraffine block.

The first mention of commercially made waxed paper was in the _Grocer's Handbook_ (1883). "Waxed paper - a new item in the market; is used to wrap butter, lard, cheese; bought at retail, and is very convenient and cleanly. Being very cheap, and, when well made, without taste or odor, it is rapidly getting into general use."

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

I'll bet you a Federal greenback that somebody patented a process for making "petroleum paper." I should add the mention of "petroleum" suggests the process dates from the late 1850's at the earliest (i.e., erection of the first oil wells in Pennsylvania around 1859).

Mark Jaeger

Mark,

I just looked in the _Subject Matter Index of Patents Issued 1790-1873_ and did not find any petroeluem paper listed with petroleum or paper. The first waterproof paper or damp proof paper was patented in 1868 and used and a gum was brushed on the paper to make it impervious to water and damp.

I did find in _Dick's Encyclopedia of Practical Reciepts and Processes_ by William Dick (1858) instructions for making waxed paper and oiled paper. The waxed paper used beeswax and the oiled paper used boiled oil. "To Make Oiled Paper. Brush sheets of paper over with boiled oil, in which dissolve a little shellac carefully over a slow fire, and suspend them on a line until dry. Waterproof. Employed to tie over pots and jars, and to wrap up past blacking, etc."

Another recipe for waterproof paper was, "To Make Paper Waterproof. Melt in 10 pints hot water, 30 ounces glue, gelatine or size, and 2 ounces gum arabic. In another 30 pints hot water, melt 20 ounces soap and 4 pounds alum; mix both liquids together in one pot. The constitutes composition No. 1. In another pot heat 1/2 gallon benzole and 1 gallon paraffine [paraffine oil not wax], and melt it in 24 ounces rosin; let it boil until it attains a moderate degree of consistency. To these materials, resin, oil, and copal or mastic varnish may, in some cases be added. This is composition No. 2. First dip the article to be waterproof in the composition No. 1 in a heated state, and then dry it. Next apply7 composition No. 2 in a cooled state with a brush, or in any other convenient manner."

[markj]

Re: Petroleum Paper for Clothing Bales

Mark,

I just looked in the _Subject Matter Index of Patents Issued 1790-1873_ and did not find any petroeluem paper listed with petroleum or paper. The first waterproof paper or damp proof paper was patented in 1868 and used and a gum was brushed on the paper to make it impervious to water and damp.

I did find in _Dick's Encyclopedia of Practical Reciepts and Processes_ by William Dick (1858) instructions for making waxed paper and oiled paper. The waxed paper used beeswax and the oiled paper used boiled oil. "To Make Oiled Paper. Brush sheets of paper over with boiled oil, in which dissolve a little shellac carefully over a slow fire, and suspend them on a line until dry. Waterproof. Employed to tie over pots and jars, and to wrap up past blacking, etc."

Another recipe for waterproof paper was, "To Make Paper Waterproof. Melt in 10 pints hot water, 30 ounces glue, gelatine or size, and 2 ounces gum arabic. In another 30 pints hot water, melt 20 ounces soap and 4 pounds alum; mix both liquids together in one pot. The constitutes composition No. 1. In another pot heat 1/2 gallon benzole and 1 gallon paraffine [paraffine oil not wax], and melt it in 24 ounces rosin; let it boil until it attains a moderate degree of consistency. To these materials, resin, oil, and copal or mastic varnish may, in some cases be added. This is composition No. 2. First dip the article to be waterproof in the composition No. 1 in a heated state, and then dry it. Next apply7 composition No. 2 in a cooled state with a brush, or in any other convenient manner."

Virginia,

I checked this site and it does incorporate some waterproofing and varnishing formulas, incorporating "turpentine" etc. that may well have been applicable to paper as well. This search is getting interesting....

http://www.harvestfields.netfirms.com/etexts/38/00.htm

Regards,

Mark Jaeger