Thomas Hancock (inventor) facts for kids

Thomas Hancock (born May 8, 1786 – died March 26, 1865) was an amazing English inventor. He taught himself engineering and started the rubber industry in Britain. He was also the older brother of another inventor, Walter Hancock.

Thomas Hancock invented a special machine called the "masticator." This machine could shred old rubber pieces. It allowed rubber to be recycled and made into new blocks or sheets. A special blue plaque in Marlborough, England, honors him and his brother.

Thomas Hancock's Early Life

Thomas Hancock was born in 1786 in a town called Marlborough, Wiltshire. We don't know much about his very early years. His dad was a cabinet maker, someone who builds furniture. Thomas might have learned this skill too.

By 1815, he was working with his brother, Walter. They were coach builders in London. This means they built horse-drawn carriages.

Hancock's Journey with Rubber

Thomas Hancock became interested in rubber because he wanted to make waterproof fabrics. He hoped these fabrics would protect passengers in his coaches from rain. By 1819, he started trying to make rubber solutions.

In 1820, he got a patent for fasteners for things like gloves and shoes. While making these stretchy items, he wasted a lot of rubber. So, he invented a machine to shred the waste rubber. He secretly called it his "Pickling machine." Today, we know it as the "masticator." He kept it a secret at first instead of getting a patent.

The Masticator Machine

In 1820, Hancock rented a factory in London. There, he used his new machines to work with raw rubber. His machines made the rubber warm and smooth. This processed rubber was easier to shape and mix with other materials. It also dissolved more easily than raw rubber.

The first masticator was a wooden machine. It had a hollow cylinder with metal "teeth" inside. A person would hand-crank an inner core with more teeth. This small machine could process about 3 ounces of rubber. By 1821, he made a bigger machine that two people could operate. It could handle 1 pound of rubber. By 1841, he had a huge machine that could process up to 200 pounds of rubber at once!

Working with Charles Macintosh

Hancock kept experimenting with rubber solutions. In 1825, he patented a way to make fake leather. He used rubber solution mixed with different fibers. He likely got ideas for his solvents, like coal oil and turpentine, from Charles Macintosh. Macintosh had a similar patent from 1823.

In the same year, Hancock started working with Macintosh. They made Macintosh's "double textured" fabric together. By 1830, everyone agreed that Hancock's rubber solution was better. So, the two inventors joined their companies. They worked together more closely. For example, they built a machine to spread the rubber automatically. Before, workers had to use paint brushes!

Challenges and Patents

In 1834, Hancock's factory in London burned down. Macintosh had already closed his factory in Glasgow. So, they moved their work to Manchester. In 1838, another fire destroyed that factory too. But they quickly built a new factory and kept going.

Even though Macintosh's patent had ended in 1837, their business continued. It wasn't until 1837 that Hancock finally got patents for his masticator and his spreading machine.

Today, the famous "Mackintosh" style of waterproof coat is named after Charles Macintosh. The company that Hancock and Macintosh started still exists! It's now two separate companies: Mackintosh and Hancock Vulcanised Articles. Both still make rubberized coats using the same methods invented by these two pioneers. Hancock Vulcanised Articles even uses the original Victorian factory for its fabric production.

The Discovery of Vulcanisation

On November 21, 1843, Thomas Hancock received a patent for a process called vulcanisation. This process uses sulphur to make rubber stronger and more durable. This was 8 weeks before Charles Goodyear in the United States got his patent for a similar process.

Hancock wrote in his book, "Personal Narrative," that his friend William Brockedon came up with the word "vulcanisation." It came from the Roman god Vulcan, who was the god of fire. Hancock didn't claim he discovered how sulphur reacts with rubber. Instead, he said that in 1842, Brockedon showed him some American rubber samples that had been treated with sulphur.

Some people debated whether Hancock had copied Goodyear's work. However, Hancock said he had been experimenting with sulphur for many years himself. Many chemists also said that even if Hancock had studied Goodyear's material, it wouldn't have given him enough information to copy the process.

Later Years and Legacy

Hancock's company had big displays at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. They also showed their products at the 1855 Exposition Universelle in Paris. In 1857, Hancock published a book about his life's work. It was called "The Origin and Progress of the Caoutchouc or India-Rubber Industry in England."

Thomas Hancock's Death

Thomas Hancock passed away on March 26, 1865, in Stoke Newington, London.

Inspiration for a Manga Character

Did you know that Thomas Hancock inspired a character in a famous Japanese manga and anime series? The creator, Eiichiro Oda, used Thomas Hancock's name for the character Boa Hancock. In the series One Piece, Boa Hancock is a powerful character who falls in love with a man made of rubber!