How to make linoleum ?

[Konstantin]

Hi. I am interested in experimenting with making linoleum and was digging on the internet about how actualy make linoleum, but did not found any step by step procedures, only ingredients (linseed oil, cork , pine resin and fluor, etc.) and general info. I want to experiment with linoleum on wood, some crazy ideas I want to try on. So has anyone seen the linoleum recepy around? I guess the linoleum patent must have the specifics about the elaboration process but is that info of public domain?

Konstantin.

[m Ransley]

Cook it and press it , simple. Making bread would be logical, not linoleum.

[Pop]

I don't have a recikpe answer, but ... patent information IS in the public domain, AND is available on the internet. Unfortunately I haven't used it in a few years (retired for health reasons) but as long as you only use it for yourself and gain no profits, you can even duplicate some parts of the process if they're usable. Just don't advertise that part of it. It;'s available because it's used mostly for patent searches.

Try Google for "patent search" (with quotes) or "patent office" (with quotes). Something should turn up for you. All I recall for sure is that it is there, and I think it's a .gov site; definitely not a com or net.

If no luck finding it, come on back and I'll take a crack at it.

Pop

[MUADIB®]

That'll get you to the GVMNT office of patents.

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply

MUADIB®

one small step for man,..... One giant leap for attorneys.

[dadiOH]

Unless you have tons of money and a Quixotic nature, you would be far better off just buying it. There is none being made in the USA, btw, only in Europe.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.05... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[maradcliff]

I dont have any interest in making linoleum, but I would be interested in learning how it's made. Or how it "was" made. They dont make linoleum any more. Its all vinyl now.

Mark

[Konstantin]

I want to make some sorf of a very customized finish of exotic hard woods, like phernambuco and ebony, and I want to go through the linoleum manufacturing process and see where can I alter it to suit my particular needs. I tried googling the about linoleum but haven yet found the "process" only general infos and some manufacturers. Linoleum has many caracteristics that I find useful for the purpose of finish instead of contemporaneous lacker/polishing techniques.

I am not running for linoleum manufacturer, not me.

If anyone digs up the original linoleum patent number, or any patent relating to manufacturing linoleum please let me know. Meanwhile I am going to try to find it myself at the patent office site. Konstantin.

[Chet Hayes]

Even with the patent, it would seem to me it's impossible for an amateur to produce a product that's actually useable. I would think a good part of the process is having highly specialized equipment to correctly form the material under high temperature and pressure and then extrude it into a uniform sheet. To me, it sounds like trying to get the formula for aluminum or plastic, hoping to make a sheet of custome material yourself.

[Duane Bozarth]

There's an article in the last (or one before last) Fine Homebuilding magazine (you could check whether the article is online at

and follow links to Fine Homebuilding site) or try local library or (gad!) :) even buy a copy...

Linoleum still being manufactured, but not in the US...it's still (apparently) reasonably popular in Europe and, according to the above article, making a resurgence amongst the green movement in the US as it's judged by them to be more "environmentally friendly"...

[Duane Bozarth]

Konstantin wrote: ...

What, specifically, ary you wanting this to do, how to use it/the finished product, etc.? Perhaps someone could make some suggestions knowing the actual objective more specifically, but I sincerely doubt you'll have any luck making anything at all like linoleum w/o some pretty stiff investment. (At least anything that will last any length of time).

I'd think encapsulating material in an expoxy might be a more feasible approach, but not knowing what you're after, can only speculate...

[Abe]

----------- I think Armstrong is still manufacturing it in the US

[Duane Bozarth]

The article implied it was being manufactured in Europe, but that, of course, may have been either wrong or out of date...

[Roger]

Enter on Google search line "linoleum is made by" , using the quotation marks. You'll get several hits. Basically it is made from linseed oil (as in lin-) and some oils or resins that set up (as in -oleum) plus some crushed rock for color and body. Its sorta like health food on the floor. I love linseed seeds as topping on my mush in the morning - at the health food store they call it flaxseed. The flax plant is fantastically versitile - the stem fibers are made into linen sheets and shirts, the seed oil made into paint vehicle and wood preservers such as boiled linseed oil, plus there are the flooring and food uses as well. Waitaminute, I think I am getting off-topic.....................