The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-14

TIE IRoNINTEREsE.
4 haehine for PuddIInE--An Impor.
tant Invention---rhe Way It oPe-

1 LhNlN
A Machine for. PuddIing-..An Impor-
tant Inyention---The Way It OPe-
rates. 5are.. .i'-,5a .s--g - !.
FFpns he london Mt,lfn0 Journal FEB. ., 1s0I.
The proprietors of the Mortified
Iron Works, near Rotterdam, have had
in operation for the past three weeks a
machine for pudding iron, which has
proved most satisfactory. The machine
is the invention OF Mr.. John Grihthsy
of Derby, and is the result of number
of experiments made during long
practical experience In the manage
ment of pudding FORCES. The appara-
tus is not complicated or costly, can be
placed on any ordinary turnaceI ana
will not only work double the qnantt-
ty OF iron usually operated upon, and
finish it better, but il will do 1t at a less
per centage of waste. It is not expect.
ed to supersede entirely human skill
and practical experience of the pud-
dler, we are informed by Mr.. Grithths,
will always be required SO long as the
present system of making iron shall
last; but this apparatus Will lessen very
much the mere physical toll now re-
at -Northfield have taken to it
wonderfully, finding that it does
better for them and their mas
tiers than they could themselves. The
furnace is charged in the same way
''but as soon as the melting moment
comes, and the hard work OF keeping
the iron curCls and whey continually
skimmed arrives, when the puddler
should begin to strain back muscle and
nerve, and persptre from every pore
of his naked skin, he coolly puts the
long rake or poker into the hands OF r
! long iron bar, with rest that does dutY
| for hands, and which hangs suspended
in front of the furnace, turns on sne
steam, and Immediately the iron bar
begins pudding with measured turn,
twist aud poke, which takes the iron
quite clear from the bottom, and out OF
| the Jams OF the furnace, and puddles 1t
about in the ball condition, that renders
it agreeable to the shiuglers." From
the time the heat was charged yester-
day to getting out the first ball was one
hour and fifteen minutes, and the, saw
| ing of coal was considerable. There
are ten balls in the heat, all of which
shingIed first class. AT the ordinary
| furnace the men were stripped 70 the
skin, and appeared jaded and worn out,
while those engaged at the machine
wore their waistcoats and braces, and
were not in the least distressed. The
machinery is thus described by persons
protesting to have a thorough knowl-
edge of the details: s,'
| On the top ofthe furnace plates two
cross bars are fixed, and these support
a circular bed plate over the highest
point of the arch of the furnace. A
vertical shaft is supported by the bed
/ plate, and the lower end of the shaft
passes through the bed plate, and car
ries at bottom pulley, by which rotary
| motion Is given TO the ghaft. On the
shaft, short distance above the bed
L &, ,ItaKn tho 1o afZn
| as, and parallel to, the bed plate, and
the other plate is loose upon the shaft:
The same plate Is supported on the bed
plate by means of spheres or balls roll
| ing in grooves on the bed plate. The
plate loose on the shaft, or the move
| able plate as 1t may be called, receives
Ia reciprOcating rotary motion through
the Quadrant To the movable plate
a jib is Joined, which ji6 is set about
| midway between vertical and hori-
zontal piston, and projects about eigh-
teen inches beyond the furnace door.
To the projected end of the jib bar or
hanger is suspended, the lower end OF
| the hanger being iointed to the pudding
| tool or rabble. AT the top of the yer-
tical shaft is a crank, and horizontal
connecting rod from the crank tsjotnted
| to the hanger about two feet from the
point where it is suspended from the 1io.
| A bevel-toothed wheel is fixed on the
I VeEIlcal SAo
crank and thiswheel gears another bev-
! Iel-toothed wheel oflarge diameter. The
latter is fixed on one end of the hnrt-
Izontal shaft, making iu-bearings on a
movable plate, On the other end OF
| the horizontal shaft is a pinion, which
| works into a hollow coned roak, fixed
| to the cross bars which carry the ma
chine. This rack is of the form of a
quadrant through nearly its whole
| length, and both the upper and lower
| edges of the opening are provided with
teeth. The pinion in traversing the
rack passes first along its lower edge up
| to the end, and returns along the upper
edge down the other and to the bottom,
and so on, the pinion being guided by
a plate situated between the upper and
| lower rows of teeth. In this way the
4 rotary motion of the shaft is made 10
communicate reciprocattng notion TO
the movable plate. The action Of the
machine is as follows: Motion being
tRiven to the vertical shaft, the pnddling
| tool is worked backwards and for
wards across the furnace by means OF
the crank and connecting rod. The
pinions working in the double quad
rant rack communicates a reciprocal.
| ing motion to the movable plate anu
4 the lib Joined to 1t, and by the com
bined motion the pudding tool is made
to travel up and down and across the
furnace, and the iron is stirred very
i nearly in the same manner as by the
manual operations Of the puddlsE
4