Phenolic resin varnish and method of making the same

Claim 1

A PHENOLIC RESIN VARNISH HAVING A NEGLIGIBLE AMOUNT OF UNREACTED INGREDIENTS AND POLYMERIC MATERIAL OF LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT COMPRISING THE REACTION PRODUCT OF ONLY PHENOL AND FORMALDEHYDE IN THE PROPORTIONS OF 1.0 MOL OF PHENOL AND FROM 1.0 TO 1.25 MOLS OF FORMALDEHYDE, THE REACTION BEING CARRIED OUT IN TWO STAGES, THE FIRST STAGE COMPRISING REACTING THE MOL OF PHENOL WITH 0.4 TO 0.85 MOL OF FORMALDEHYDE IN A CLOSED REACTION VESSEL UNDER REFLUX CONDITIONS FOR A PERIOD OF TIME OF FROM 15 TO 60 MINUTES, THE REACTION BEING CATALYZED BY AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SULFURIC ACID, PHOSPHORIC ACID AND HYDROCHLORIC ACID IN AN AMOUNT FROM ABOUT 0.1% TO 0.4% BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE PHENOL, THE SECOND STAGE OF THE REACTION COMPRISING REACTING WITH REACTION PRODUCTS OF THE FIRST STAGE A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF FORMALDEHYDE TO PROVIDE A TOTAL OF FROM 1.0 TO 1.25 MOLS OF FORMALDEHYDE PER MOL OF THE PHENOL BY REFLUXING FOR A PERIOD OF TIME OF FROM 30 TO 90 MINUTES, APPLYING A VACUUM AT THE END OF THE REFLUXING TO REMOVE WATER FROM THE REACTION PRODUCT THE REACTION OF THE SECOND STAGE BEING CATALYZED BY AN ALKALINE CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL OXIDE AND HYDROXIDES AND ALKALINE EARTH METAL OXIDES AND HYDROXIDES IN AN AMOUNT OF FROM ABOUT 0.25% TO 1.0% BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE PHENOL, AND A SOLVENT FOR THE REACTION PRODUCTS, THE SOLVENT AND REACTION PRODUCTS COMBINED TO PRODUCE A LIQUID PHENOLIC RESIN VARNISH.