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Limpet (J. W. Roberts / Turner & Newall)

Sprayed Limpet Asbestos was a sprayed coating of asbestos fibre and cement made by J. W. Roberts Limited of Bolton, England, a Turner & Newall company.1,2 A 1966 survey in Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, said the technique of spraying asbestos "to produce coatings for heat and sound insulation, fire protection and the prevention of condensation was created in Britain in 1931 by J. W. Roberts Limited, who secured world-wide patents for their Sprayed Limpet Asbestos process."1 It described how the work was done: "The asbestos fibre and cement mixture is applied as an airborne stream with jets of atomized water," then pressed back with a float to the thickness wanted.1

A report of Turner & Newall's annual meeting, printed in the magazine in February 1942, said that J. W. Roberts, a subsidiary, had largely made up for lost European markets for "their specialty Limpet Sprayed Asbestos by increased deliveries to the home market, particularly in connection with work in ships."3 The 1966 survey said Limpet Asbestos was used for condensation control in buildings and railway cars, on British Rail locomotives and carriages, in chemical and power plants, for fire protection of road tankers, and for the insulation of turbines "all over the world."1 It also listed recent applications of Sprayed Limpet Asbestos, without saying who supplied them: buildings at the New York World's Fair, the fireproofing of the 52-story Prudential Centre tower in Boston, the Olympic Judo Stadium in Tokyo, the liners Michelangelo, Raffaelo, Oceanic and Kungsholm, and mining.1

In April 1970 the magazine reported that J. W. Roberts had opened its first overseas manufacturing unit, in Victoria, Australia, to make Sprayed Limpet Asbestos "to meet the increasing demand from Australian licensees."2 By 1980 the name was also on a board: Turner & Newall's annual report, printed in the magazine in June 1980, listed "Limpet fire protection board" among the non-asbestos products whose U.K. sales rose in 1979.4

In America: Keasbey & Mattison's Limpet.

Also: Limpet from AC&S, a distributor.

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Pictures

How Limpet (J. W. Roberts / Turner & Newall) looked: a label, photograph or catalog page from our library. Each picture has its own page and library number, so it can be cited on its own.

What each document says

Every statement about Limpet (J. W. Roberts / Turner & Newall) in the documents, in each document's own words.

Asbestos Magazine, 1966, September 1966

  • Made from: “spraying technique created in Britain in 1931 by J. W. Roberts Limited, who secured world-wide patents for their Sprayed Limpet Asbestos process”, p. 51
  • Ingredient: “asbestos fibre and cement mixture applied as an airborne stream with jets of atomized water”, p. 51
  • Use: “condensation control in buildings and railway cars; British Rail locomotives and carriages; chemical and power plant; turbine insulation; fire protection of road tankers”, p. 61
  • Use: “New York World's Fair buildings (New York State, General Electric, General Motors Futurama); fireproofing the Prudential Centre tower, Boston; Olympic Judo Stadium, Tokyo; liners Michelangelo, Raffaelo, Oceanic, Kungsholm; mining”, p. 51

Asbestos Magazine, 1970, April 1970

  • Made at: “first overseas manufacturing unit in Victoria, Australia, to manufacture Sprayed LIMPET Asbestos” (the plant: Victoria, Victoria), p. 432

Asbestos Magazine, 1942, February 1942

  • Use: “J. W. Roberts' specialty Limpet Sprayed Asbestos, deliveries to the home (British) market, particularly work in ships”, said by Turner & Newall Limited, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 323

Asbestos Magazine, 1980, June 1980

  • Description: “Limpet fire protection board, listed among T&N's non-asbestos products with increased 1979 U.K. sales” (as of 1979), said by Turner & Newall, as recorded by Asbestos (magazine), p. 404

Label: "Limpet Mattresses" brass tag (J.W. Roberts Limited), Image

  • Sold from: “Date of First Use in Commerce: June 19, 1944”, said by J.W. Roberts, Limited, as recorded by U.S. Patent Office trademark file5

W. G. Wright to J. D. Pennington of J. W. Roberts on the Health Hazard of the Limpet Asbestos Spray Process (1960)

  • Use: “sprayed on board the "Empress of Canada" while on the stocks”, p. 16
  • Use: “sprayed in the new Research Laboratories of Pilkington Bros. Ltd.” (sales to Pilkington Bros. Ltd.), p. 16
  • Asbestos fiber: “Amosite (LW 25)”, p. 96
  • Description: “the Limpet asbestos cement spray process”, p. 16
  • Description: “Blue Asbestos Cement; White Asbestos Cement”, p. 76
  • Fiber grade: “LB.3 and LW.25”, p. 26

USPTO trademark case files (Trademark Full Text XML Data, Annual Applications, 2025 edition)

  • Description: “[ THERMAL INSULATION MATERIAL IN SHEET OR MATTRESS FORM MADE FROM ASBESTOS PARTICULARLY FOR BOILER INSULATION; ] ASBESTOS FIBRE [ PREPARED FOR USE IN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION; ASBESTOS SHEETS AND PANELS FOR USE IN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION PARTICULARLY FOR USE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VEHICLE BODIES, RAILWAY CARRIAGES, SHIPS, AND AIRCRAFT ]”, said by J. W. ROBERTS, LIMITED, as recorded by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office7

Kind of product

Trades that worked with products like it: Boilermakers.

See also

References

  1. Asbestos Magazine, 1966, September 1966 (September 1, 1966), pp. 5–6.
  2. Asbestos Magazine, 1970, April 1970 (April 1, 1970), p. 43.
  3. Asbestos Magazine, 1942, February 1942 (February 1, 1942), p. 32.
  4. Asbestos Magazine, 1980, June 1980 (June 1, 1980), p. 40.
  5. Label: "Limpet Mattresses" brass tag (J.W. Roberts Limited), Image.
  6. W. G. Wright to J. D. Pennington of J. W. Roberts on the Health Hazard of the Limpet Asbestos Spray Process (October 17, 1960), p. 1.
  7. USPTO trademark case files (Trademark Full Text XML Data, Annual Applications, 2025 edition) (March 23, 1951). Not yet published in our library.

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“Limpet (J. W. Roberts / Turner & Newall).” AsbestosClaims.Law Library. https://asbestosclaims.law/library/products/turner-and-newall-limpet.

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