IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF KEEL PLATES FOR VES- SELS, IRON GATES, GATE POSTS, FENCING, AND GRATINGS
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BOYDELL, Junior, of the Oak Farm Works, near Dudley, in the County of
Stafford, Iron Master, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-fourth day of May, in the fifth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Boydell, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said James Boydell, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, or such others as I, the
said Joseph Boydell, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF KEEL PLATES FOR VES-
SELS, IRON GATES, GATE POSTS, FENCING, AND GRATINGS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said James Boydell, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Boydell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My Invention relates, first, to a mode of making the keel plates for vessels
by rolling iron into the proper form, in place of forming such keel plates by
bending iron plates by hammering.
Secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of making iron gates, iron fencing,
and iron gratings, by welding a series of bars together by rolling.
And, thirdly, my Invention relates to a mode of making the feet of posts for
gates and for fences, by moulding or forming an enlargement or block of the
scoria or fluid ciuder of iron works on the end of each iron post, whether for a
gate post or for a fence.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, and readily carried
into effect, will proceed to explain the means pursued by me.
In the manufacture of keel plates used in the construction of vessels of
iron, it has been usual to bend iron plates into the desired form by hammering
when the plate is in a heated state, which is an expensive means of making
such keel plates. Now the object of the first part of my improvements is to
form such keel plates by rolling, by which means I am enabled to obtain better
and cheaper keel plates.
Figure 1 represents the section of a keel plate, which I prefer to make of
three pieces of iron, as I am thereby enabled to put a greater thickness of
metal at the angles than results when using a single plate of uniform thickness.
Figure 2 shows the section of two portions of angle iron, which I first produce
by rolling, as is well understood. Figure 3 shows the section of a plate of iron,
which I use for producing the bottom plate of a koel plate for a vessel; and I
make tho plates. Figures 2 and 3, about seven to nine feet long, that being a
convenient length, but such length may be varied, if desired. Figure 4 shows
the plates a, b, c, of Figures 2 and 3, combined or clamped together by wood
cramps d. In this state the iron is put into a proper furnace to be heated to
a welding heat, by which the wood cramps will be burnt, but the edges of tho
iron will run together sufliciently to allow of the combined parts being with-
drawn from the furnaco and passed between rollers properly formed to roll the
iron keel platos into the shape required, whereby the shape desired will not
only be obtained, but the parts will be securely welded; and I prefer that the
iron should pass between three or more pair of rolls, the spaces between which

page_text: being slightly less and less, in order to elongate the iron keel plate, and securely
weld the parts together.
I would remark, that although I consider it better to form each keel plate of
three pieces combined by welding, as above explained, yet the simple shaping
keel plates by means of rollers will be found a superior mode of producing
them than by bending by hammering by hand, as heretofore practised. In
case of sinking iron plates by rollers into the required form for keel plates,
it will be desirable to pass the plate more than three times between rollers,
gradually sinking the trough till it is of the depth required, and the projecting
edges a, b, are of the size desired.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which relates to placing
several bars of iron together into the form of a gate, or of part of a fence, or of
a grating, and when heated to a welding heat, to pass them together between
rollers, such as are commonly used for making iron plates; thus, supposing I
wish to make a light iron gate, I place several bars one on the other, and bind
them together with wire, or use wood clamps, so as to retain various bars cor-
rect whilst being heated in a proper furnace to a good welding heat, which will
cause the surfaces to run together sufficiently to allow the combined bars to be
drawn from the furnace on to a truck or platform on wheels, and thereby to be
conducted up to the rollers and entered between them. Figuro 5 shows a
series of bars placed together, suitable for making a gate or a portion of a
fence; and in like manner a series of bars will be combined when making a
grating. b, b, are the bars which are to be upright; and f, f, are horizontal
bars which are to be held together by wire or by wood cramps, or other con-
venient means, and when the whole is at a welding heat, the combined bars are
to be carefully introduced between the rollers, and the pressure thereby given
will securely weld all parts together, and the gate, or part of a fence, or
the grating, will be elongated in the direction in which it passes between the
rollers. In this manner very light and useful iron gates, fencing, and gratings
may be made; or in place of placing the bars or portions of iron f,f, across
the bars b, b, portions of iron, of a length the bars 6 are apart, may be placed
between the bars b, and the whole be retained together by clamps, or wood
frames, or wire, or other means, and then by rolling the whole, well combined
together.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention, which relates to forming
or moulding a block or enlarged foot on to the ends of iron bars to be used as
posts for gates or for fencing; for this purpose I form a mould or case of thin
sheet iron of the size I desire to have the foot of a post, such as is shown in
section at Figure 6, and I place the iron bar which is intended for a post into

page_text: this case, and secure it in a perpendicular position, and then pour in the liquid
scoria or cinder of iron works; that which I generally use is what is tapped
from blast furnaces, though the liquid cinder from other furnaces may be user;
by this means an iron post will have an enlarged foot securely formed, which
will retain the post secure when the foo tis placed in the ground; on the upper
surface of the scoria I sometimes place a cover or plate, with turned-down
edges, as is shown at Figure 7 at g.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the precise details, provided the peculiar character of either part of my improve.
ments be retained; but what I claim is,-
First, the mode of manufacturing keel plates for vessels by rolling iron into
the proper form, as above described.
Secondly, claim the mode of making gates, fencing, and gratings by
welding bars by rolling, in the manner above described.
And, thirdly, I claim the mode of applying feet to iron posts for gates and
for fences, by casting or formning thereon scoria or cinder of iron works, as abovo
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Boydell, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-two.