IMPROVEMENTS IN BLOWING APPARATUS FOR SMITHS' FORGES AND PORTABLE HEARTHS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robertson, Engineer, and John Shanks,
Plumber both of Barrhead, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLOWING APPARATUS FOR
SMITHS' FORGES AND PORTABLE HEARTHS."
Sealed the 31st August 1869, and dated the 3rd March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Robertson
and John Shanks at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 3rd March 1869.
We, JOHN ROBERTSON, Engineer, and JOHN SHANKS, Plumber, both of
Barrhead, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLOWING APPARATUS FOR
SMITHS' FORGES AND PORTABLE HEARTHS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object to provide for smiths' forges and
portable hearths simple and convenient blowing apparatus, capable of
being worked by hand, but with less labor than required for hand
bellows, whilst giving a stronger blast and being less costly.

page_text: In carrying out the Invention, an ordinary rotatory blowing fan is
employed and is driven by a belt from a fly wheel on a cranked shaft
which is worked by a hand lever and connecting rod. The fly wheel is
made with an excess of weight at one point so as on coming to rest
to leave the hand lever in the most convenient position for starting
again.
In applying the improved apparatus to fixed forges it is in one
modification arranged under the hearth, and the air is led by branch
pipes to the tuyeres of two separate fires, the pipes being provided with
stop valves, so that either fire may be blown, or both at once, the
apparatus admitting of the two being blown together by one man
quite easily. Branch pipes with valves may be arranged for leading the
air to. more than two fires. If preferred the apparatus may be arranged
in a light framing at the side or back of the hearth, and the hand lever
may be prolonged in both directions so as to be actuated from either
end.
In applying the apparatus to a portable hearth the framing which
supports the hearth is made to serve for carrying it, the fly wheel and
other parts being placed below the hearth, but with the hand lever
projecting out laterally or in any direction convenient for working it.
In all the modifications a treadle to be worked by the foot may be
substituted for the hand lever, and in some cases the lever or treadle, or
a bell-crank arm on it may be slotted and applied directly to the crank
without the intervention of a connecting rod.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Robertson and John Shanks in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 1st September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN.
ROBERTSON, Engineer, and JOHN SHANKS, Plumber, both of Barrhead,
in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and

page_text: grant unto us, the said John Robertson and John Shanks, Her special
licence that we, the said John Robertson and John Shanks, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Robert-
son and John Shanks, our exccutors, 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 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 APPARATUS FOR BLOWING SMITHS' FORGES AND
PORTABLE HEARTHS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said John Robertson and John Shanks, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, 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 we, the said John Robertson and John Shanks,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in wliat
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
Our said Invention has for its object to provide for smiths' forges and
portable hearths simple and convenient blowing, apparatus capable of
being worked by hand but with less labor than is required for hand
bellows, whilst giving a stronger blast and being less costly.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood we have hereunto appended a
sheet of explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and repre-
senting examples of our improved arrangements.
In carrying out our Invention an ordinary rotatory blowing fan is
employed, and is driven directly and without intermediate gearing by a
belt from a fly wheel on a cranked shaft, which is worked by a hand
lever and connecting rod.
In applying our improved apparatus to fixed forges it is in one
modification arranged under the hearth, and the air is led by branch pipes
to the tuyeres of two separate fires, the pipes being provided with stop
valves, so that either fire may be blown singly, or both at once, the

page_text: apparatus admitting of the two being blown together by one man quite
easily. Branch pipes with valves may be arranged for leading the air
to more than two fires or tuyeres. If preferred the apparatus may be
arranged in a light framing at the side or back of the hearth.
An example of the last-mentioned modification is shown in Figures 1
and 2 of the Drawings, these Figures being elevations as at right angles
to each other.
The blowing fan is set in a case 1 which is cast in two halves, and
which is bolted down on a foundation log 2. The fly wheel 3 is carried
by a pair of light cast-iron frames 4 bolted down to the log 2, and
extended high enough to receive the working hand lever 5. This
lever 5 is centred on a stay 6 which connects the top of the frames 4,
and it has jointed to it a connecting rod 7, the lower end of which is
jointed on the crank 8 of the fly wheel shaft. The fly wheel 3 is cast with
a weight 9 at one part, and the crank is so set in relation thereto that by
the action thereof it always comes to rest in a position convenient for
starting again. The rim of the fly wheel is grooved to receive a belt or
cord 10 which passes directly from the fly wheel to the pulley of the fan
spindle. The apparatus is represented as fitted in connection with a
double hearth 12 with two tuyeres 13, 14, one of which, 13, receives its
air from the fan by a vertical pipe 15, extending directly up from the
outlet of the fan case 1, whilst a second pipe 16 proceeds thence under
the hearth to supply the other tuyere 14. The pipes 15, 16, are fitted
with valves 17 to stop off the air from either when desired.
Another modification of our improved apparatus forms an extremely
convenient and efficient portable or self-contained hearth, and is shown
in Figures 3 and 4, which are clevations as at right angles to each
other, one half of the fan case 1 being supposed to be removed in
Figure 4. The framing which supports the hearth 18 consists of two
pairs of crossed legs 19, and serves also to carry the shaft of the fly
wheel 3, and a spindle 20, on which the working hand lever 5 is fixed.
The fan case 1 is bolted to the side and bottom of the hearth. The fan
blades 21 are made with their inner edges tangential to a circle, and
with their outer parts radial or nearly so, whilst a slight twist is given
to their outer edges, which has the effect of making the noise very much
less than that caused by fan blades which are square across. The fly
wheel 3 is actuated by a connecting rod 7 jointed at its upper end to a
lever 22, fast on the same spindle as the hand lever, whilst its lower end

page_text: is jointed to a crank 8 on the fly wheel shaft; the fly wheel is weighted
at 9 to make the parts come to rest in the most convenient position for
being re-started, and the rim of the wheel is grooved for a belt or cord 10,
which is the only connection between it and the pulley of the fan. The
fan outlet is made to communicate with the tuyere 13, with a siphon
bend 23, which prevents ashes from the hearth from getting into the
fan case.
In all the modifications a treadle to be worked by the foot may be
substituted for the hand lever, and in some cases the lever or treadle, or
a bell-crank arm on it, may be slotted and applied directly to the crank
without the intervention of a connecting rod.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we have to state that we
do not restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or,
delineated, and that we do not claim to have invented every separate
detail to which we have had occasion to refer, but that what we believe
to be novel and original and claim as the Invention secured to us by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,—
1. The arranging and combining together of the parts of blowing appa-
ratus for smiths' forges in the improved manner herein-before described.
And, 2. The arranging and combining together of the parts of portable
hearths with blowing apparatus in the improved manner herein-before
described, or substantially so.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Robertson on behalf of myself
and the said John Shanks, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Thirtieth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
JOHN ROBERTSON. (L.S.)