Silicious Concrete Stone

Description

A brand name used by the Pacific Stone and Concrete Company (San Francisco) for an artificial stone made with water glass. Silicious Concrete Stone was made by a process patented by Frederick Ransome in 1856. In this process, water glass (sodium silicate) is mixed with sand (and gravel, flint, chalk, or limestone) in an aqueous solution of caustic soda. Then this alkaline solution is mixed with calcium chloride to form an insoluble silicate stone.

Synonyms and Related Terms

cast stone; imitation stone; artificial stone

Authority

• Susan E. Schur, Conservation Terminology: A review of Past & Current Nomenclature of Materials, Technology and Conservation, Spring (p.34-39); Summer (p.35-38); Fall (p.25-36), 1985

• Thomas C. Jester (ed.), Twentieth-Century Building Materials, McGraw-Hill Companies, Washington DC, 1995