19 December: Lino

On this date in 1863 Linoleum was patented by Frederick Walton. Here are a few things you might not know about lino!

1. The word linoleum was coined by its inventor, Frederick Walton. It's from the Latin words "linum" (flax) and "oleum" (oil). At first Walton called his invention "Kampticon", which was deliberately close to Kamptulicon, the name of an existing floor covering made from rubber.
2. As early as 1855, Walton was experimenting with using solidified linseed oil (linoxyn) to replace India rubber, after noticing how a skin formed over a can of oil based paint. His initial idea was to dip cloth in the stuff to make waterproof clothing and patented this as an idea in 1860. However, it never caught on. The cotton cloth wasn't durable enough and it took a long time to make. It didn't help, either, when his first factory burned down.
3. He didn't give up on his idea, though, and kept looking for better ways to make it. He found that hanging the cloth up and sprinkling the oil from above worked better, and that it helped to mix it with sawdust or cork dust to make it less tacky. He applied for the patent for his new method in 1863.
4. Walton established the Linoleum Manufacturing Company Ltd., with a factory at Staines, near London. It was an uphill struggle at first, with the company making a loss for the first five years because the competition from Kamptulicon was too intense. Still Walton didn't give up. He advertised his product and opened two shops in London which sold nothing but lino.
5. In due course, others jumped on the bandwagon and came up with better and quicker ways to make lino. By 1877, Kirkcaldy in Fife, Scotland was the largest producer of linoleum in the world, with no fewer than six lino factories in the town.
6. One of these was Michael Nairn & Co. Walton tried to sue them for using the name linoleum for their product, but he lost because, although he'd patented the product, he hadn't trademarked the name. The court ruled that, even if he had, the product was so widely used the name had become generic. Hence linoleum is considered to be the first product name to become a generic term.
7. Walton took his invention to what would then have been called "The Americas" and opened a linoleum factory in Staten Island. Up until 1930, the town where the factory was located was called Linoleumville. In 1930, the town was renamed Travis.
8. Linoleum was a popular floor covering for around 100 years as it was durable and easy to clean. In the 20th century, however it was largely replaced by vinyl or PVC flooring. The stuff in your hose which you refer to as lino probably isn't, it's probably PVC. That said, lino is making a comeback because it is made from natural ingredients and is therefore more eco-friendly. It's made from linseed oil from flax, wood powder, limestone, resins and some coloured pigments. The backing is made from jute.
9. Heavy duty linoleum, the kind used in office buildings and other high traffic areas got the name “battleship linoleum” because it was used by the US Navy on the decks of warships. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, most of them removed it because it was considered too flammable, although Submarines continued to use it.
10. Lino laid nowadays is expected to last about 40 years. There isn't much original 19th century lino around but if you're a lino geek and want to see some, the National Trust property, Tyntesfield, in Somerset, has some on show in one of the bathrooms.

My Christmas Novella!

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

Available from Createspace, Amazon and Amazon Kindle

New!

Secrets and Skies

Jack Ward, President of Innovia, owes his life twice over to the enigmatic superhero, dubbed Power Blaster by the press. No-one knows who Power Blaster is or where he comes from - and he wants it to stay that way.

Scientist Desi Troyes has developed a nuclear bomb to counter the ever present threat of an asteroid hitting the planet. When Ward signs the order giving the go ahead for a nuclear test on the remote Bird Island, he has no inkling of Troyes' real agenda, and that he has signed the death warrants of millions of people.

Although the island should have been evacuated, there are people still there: some from the distant continent of Classica; protesters opposed to the bomb test; and Innovians who will not, or cannot, use their communication devices.

Power Blaster knows he must stop the bomb from hitting the island. He also knows it may be the last thing he ever does.

Meanwhile in Innovia, Ward and his staff gather to watch the broadcast of the test. Nobody, not even Troyes himself, has any idea what is about to happen.

Part One of The Raiders Trilogy.

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