IMPROVEMENTS IN CASTING METAL TUBES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Felix Estivant, in the name of the Society Estivant
Brothers, of Paris, in the Empire of France, and of 45, Essex Street,
Strand, London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CASTING METAL
TUBES."
Sealed the 6th March 1857, and dated the 8th September 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Felix Estivant at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th September 1856.
I, FELIX ESTIVANT, in the name of the Society Estivant Brothers, of Paris,
in the Empire of France, and of 45, Essex Street, Strand, London, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CASTING METAL
TUBES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a new process for casting copper or other metal
tubes into an iron, cast-iron, fire-clay, or other yielding substance mould,
with the application of a metal shell, whatever may be the form and size of
the mould. This mould is of raw pig iron with an interior conical form, so
as to allow the article to be easily removed after the casting operation is over.
The shell is of rolled sheet iron, inverting the form of a cone, whose edges,
being cut through the generatrix, are then closely jointed. This shell is filled

page_text: with sand, in order to prevent any intrusion of the metal into it, as it would
.afterwards be difficult to remove the shell from the tube:
I have marked that, on pouring the metal into the mould, the stream of air
carried along with the liquid metal causes a conglomeration of blebs or bubbles
at the very place the metal was dropping, to obviate which I have contrived a
raw pig-iron mould with two channels, through which the liquid copper or
other metal is poured, which operation is effected by means of iron spoons, so
that the poured metal may gently flow through the said channels without
collision, and thereby I obtain tubes perfectly neat, homogeneous, and without
any bubbles in them.
The sheet-iron shell above described, although productive of very good
results, is, however, liable to meet with some difficulties in its being removed
from the tube, and I preferably employ a cast-iron shell. This is hollow as
the former, and sufficiently thin as to be compressed, when heated, by the
contact of melted metal, yet allowing the said metal time to harden, so
as to force the shell to be compressed. Moreover, the lower part of the
shell is bevelled to a certain degree, so that the metal, which of course cools
more quickly at the bottom of the mould, will, on cooling, cause the shell
to slide up a little into the tube, thereby leaving a loose space between the
shell and the tube. This, as well as the former shell, is to be filled up with
sand, that no melted metal may unduly get into it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Felix Estivant in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th March 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FELIX
ESTIVANT, in the name of the Society Estivant Brothers, of Paris, in the
Empire of France, and of 45, Essex Street, Strand, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Felix Estivant, Her special licence that I, the said Felix Estivant, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Felix Estivant, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein

page_text: expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CASTING METAL TUBES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Felix Estivant, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Felix Estivant, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment:-
This Invention consists in a new system of casting moulds for the casting
of metallic tubes, principally those of copper, so as to obtain drawn tubes, as
well as printing cylinders, used for the printing of stuffs.
The annexed Drawing shews an example of my improvements applied to a
casting mould composed of 2 parts, which may be opened or closed at will.
Fig. 1 is a view of the casting mould closed, with the core placed ready for
casting; Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, section through A, B, Fig. 2;
Fig. 4, side view of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, section through C, D, Fig. 1; Fig. 6,
section through E, F, Fig. 1; Fig. 7, core of sheet iron, filled with sand for
forming the inside of the tubes; Fig. 8, section through A', B', Fig. 7; Fig. 9,
core of sheet iron, with groove for cylinders for printing stuffs; Fig. 10, section
through C, D', Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a tube from the mould, the core being
removed; Fig. 12, plan of Fig. 11. Similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the several Figures.
G is the front of the casting mould; II, back of the same; I, core for the
tubes, Fig. 7; J, core for the cylinders, Fig. 9; K, opening in the bottom of
the casting mould, for placing the core in the centre at its lower part; L,
reglet of thin iron to centre the core at its upper part; M, sprays, through
which the metal is poured in the mould; N, part of the mould in which the
tube is cast; 0, orifices, through which the metal passes from the sprays M in
the part N of the casting mould; P pieces for the cross bars closing the mould;
Q, pins fixing the pieces P to the front G of the mould; R, cross bars for
closing the mould; S, adjusting screw, serving to tighten the two parts G & H
of the mould, so as to prevent metal passing through the joint; T, pins fixed
to the part G of the mould, causing the moveable part II to be perfectly con-

page_text: nected with the part G, so as the tube may be cast without joints; U, ears, cast
with the part G of the mould for fixing it to a piece of timber, so as to keep
it steady and erect when the tube or cylinders are being cast; V, sprays of
the cast tube, Figs. 11 & 12; ✗, ears, cast with the mould for receiving the
reglet L; Y, tops or points of the cores I & J; Z, groove of the core for
the cylinders.
This system consists of a casting mould in two parts G, H, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
& 6, united by ironwork P, Q, R, S, T. In this mould I place a core of sheet
iron, Fig. 7, which is centred in the opening K of the mould, and by the
reglet L. This core is filled with sand, so that the metal in fusion does
not enter in it through the joints of the sheet iron. The mould so pre-
pared, and after having been properly heated, is ready to receive the metal,
which I pour in the sprays M of the casting mould, Fig. 3, passing through
the orifices O, and ascends alongside the core I. By that means the air
ascends naturally above the copper in the part N of the mould. The air,
carried by the fall of the metal, and which produces bubbles, remains in
the sprays M, and so I obtain tubes perfectly sound, which are afterwards
brought by mechanical means to the desired length and thickness. When
the casting is finished, I take away the core I to the drawing bench, placing
the point Y of the core in a rundle retained at the head of the drawing bench.
This second operation being accomplished, I have obtained the tube, Figs. 11
& 12, and by breaking or removing the sprays V, I have a tube ready to work.
Although this new casting mould, composed of two parts, is preferable to
that of one piece described in the Provisional Specification, I shall use the
last-named in certain cases.
For casting the cylinders for the machines to print stuffs, I make use of a
mould similar to the one represented, except in dimensions, but then I have
another core, Figs. 9 & 10, also of sheet iron, and in which is made a groove Z,
destined to make a projection inside the cylinder, so as to fix it on its shaft.
The property of my cores of sheet iron is to allow the metal being easily
removed, and of the sheet iron yielding under pressure. I do not solder the
cores, but put the edges of the sheet iron close to each other.
I do not claim as my property the idea of casting by causing the metal to
ascend, but what I claim is, the application of this system in a casting mould
of metal of varied dimensions, with a core of sheet iron or other metal filled
with sand, for the purpose herein mentioned, for casting tubes and printing
cylinders, whatever may be their dimensions, or the metal of which they are
made of, and which allows me to make tubes of pure copper, without soldering,

page_text: of any length or thickness, perfectly sound, and also to make printing cylinders
of pure or allied copper by a process entirely new.
In witness whereof, I, the said Felix Estivant, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
FELIX ESTIVANT. (L.S.)