Charles Macintosh
| Born | 29 December 1766 Glasgow |
|---|---|
| Died | 25 July 1843 (aged 76) Dunchattan |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Engineering career | |
| Significant advance | Waterproof clothes |
In 1823, Scottish chemist Charles Macintosh patented a method for
making waterproof garments by using rubber dissolved in coal-tar naphtha
for cementing two pieces of cloth together.
The now famous
macintosh raincoat was named after Charles Macintosh. Macintosh
raincoats were first made using the methods developed by Charles
Macintosh.
Charles Macintosh Invents Waterproof Fabric
While
he was trying to find uses for the waste products of gasworks, Macintosh
discovered that coal-tar naphtha dissolved india rubber.
He took wool cloth and painted one side with the dissolved rubber
preparation and placed another layer of wool cloth on top.
Improvements to Waterproof Fabrics
This
created the first practical waterproof fabric, but the fabric was not
perfect. It was easy to puncture when it was seamed, the natural oil in
wool caused the rubber cement to deteriorate
