Improvements in the Manufacture of Glass Chains.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1890-Accepted. 13th Dec. 1800
5
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Glass Chains.
A communication from HUGO THÜMLER, of Berlin, in the Empire of Germany.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The glass chains hitherto used for decorating chandeliers suspension lamps, brackets,
and the like generally consisted of separate pieces of ground glass connected by
metal devices. In what are known as Venetian chandeliers the chains consisted of
specially drawn glass-rods slung or plaited together.
This invention relates to a process of manufacture of glass chains each link of
which is obtained by compression in a mould, so that the links may be directly
connected with each other. This enables a great variety of shapes, designs and
colours to be produced.
The process consists in forming each chain-link of two rings, one open (II) and one
closed (I). When removed from the mould the open ends of one of them may be so
formed as to close of their own accord, or so as to require some auxiliary tool to bring
them close together. When this is done the two connected rings are placed in a
cooling-chamber which has before been suitably heated. After cooling the doublo
link is removed from the chamber whereupon the closed ring of the adjacent link is
passed into the open ring (II) and the open ring of another adjacent link, hooked
into the closed ring (I). When this is done the four rings are again placed into the
cooling chamber, and the process is thus continued two rings being added to the chain
at each stage.
Or each link may consist of four rings instead of two and such links may after-
wards be connected by open links II (Fig. 3).
To carry out this process a mould such as is illustrated in the accompanying
drawing may be employed.
This mould consists of two parts a a¹ jointed at bb' and adapted to be turned to and
fro on their pivots by means of the handles or knobs c c. The glass is taken from the
furnace by means of the blow-pipe p and forced into the space d within the mould.
Hence it flows through the opening é into the annular recess which forms the mould
proper. In the moulds intended to produce continuous or closed rings I this recess
forms a complete circle, while in the moulds used for forming open rings, part of the
j
circle is occupied by a wedge shaped piece 9. After the molten glass has thus been
forced into a mould, the latter is opened and the compressed ring is removed, which
emoval may be effected by simply causing the blow-pipe to continue its forcing
ction so as to drive on the glass remaining in the opening e and the hollow
The rings I and II are then quickly connected, the ends of the open ring are
ompressed and the small projecting fins formed at the junction e removed by a slight
troke of some appropriate tool. When the rings are thoroughly cooled this joint
ortion may be ground or polished off.
space d.
A moderate amount of practice will, if the glass be sufficiently fluid, enable the
perative to turn out these rings very rapidly.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
e by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
A process of manufacture of flexible chains of moulded glass, consisting in forming
ngs or links alternately open and closed in suitable moulds or equivalent devices and
on removing them from such moulds or devices connecting them by passing the
[Price 6d 1

page_text: open rings through the closed ones which open rings may after being so con-
nected either close of their own accord or be pressed together by hand or other
suitable means substantially as described.
Dated this 7th day of November 1800.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.