IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TIN AND TERNE PLATES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Palmer Budd, of Ystalyfera, near Swansea, .
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TIN AND
TERNE PLATES."
Sealed the 18th November 1859, and dated the 20th May 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Palmer Budd
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th May 1859.
JAMES PALMER BUDD, of Ystalyfera, near Swansea, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TIN
AND TERNE PLATES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of tin
and terne plates. Heretofore in the manufacture of tin and terne plates, it
has been usual to immerse the plates after they have been cleaned by pickling
in a pot or vessel containing hot grease, in order to remove all moisture from
the plates, they are then transferred to a pot or vessel containing molten tin
or terne metal (known as the tinman's pot) and are there allowed to soak for
some time; afterwards they are passed on to another pot or vessel, also con-
taining molten tin or terne metal, and known as the washman's pot, here the
surfaces of the plates are brushed over, the superfluous metal being as far as
possible removed therefrom, when this is accomplished the plate is deposited
in a rack contained in another pot or vessel, which is filled with grease heated
to a sufficient degree to keep the metal on the surface of the plate liquid, to
allow the excess to drain off. When the plates have stood for a time in the.

page_text: hot grease they are carefully removed from the rack, one at a time by tongs,
and are placed in a rack to cool; the plates are then finished, with the
exception of removing the thickened edge formed at the bottom of the plate by
the accumulation of the metal at this edge during the draining process. .The
plates are finished by dipping these edges in a shallow bath of hot metal which
melts off the accumulation of metal.
And it has been proposed in the Provisional Specification of a previous
Patent, in which I am interested, to place the plates next after they have
passed through the washman's pot into a rack in a pot of the melted metal,
and when such rack is full of plates, to raise the rack and also the plates slowly
out of the melted metal.
Now my improvements consist in the use of independent apparatus to lift
the several plates simultaneously out of the metal and out of the rack, which
is allowed to remain. For this purpose each plate is nipped or clipped, and the
several nippers or clips are combined, and they are simultaneously raised by a
steady and slow motion by any suitable lifting apparatus, the superfluous metal
running off the plates as they are gradually raised, so that when they have
been lifted out of the melted metal and have become cool, they are finished,
and it is preferred that the nippers or clips should be arranged to leave hold
simultaneously of the several plates held by them.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Palmer Budd in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
PALMER BUDD, of Ystalyfera, near Swansea, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Palmer Budd, Her special licence that I, the said James
Palmer Budd, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Palmer Budd, 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 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 "Iμ-

page_text: PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TIN AND TERNE PLATES,"
upon the condition.
(amongst others) that I, the said James Palmer Budd, my executors or ad-
ministrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 performed, 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 James Palmer Budd, 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 statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of tin
and terne plates. Heretofore, in the manufacture of tin and terne plates, it
has been usual to immerse the plates after they have been cleaned by pickling
in a pot or vessel containing hot grease in order to remove all moisture from
the plates. They are then transferred to a pot or vessel containing molten tin
or terne metal (known as the tinman's pot), and are there allowed to soak for
some time; afterwards, they are passed on to another pot or vessel, also
containing molten tin or terne metal, and known as the washman's pot. Here
the surfaces of the plates are brushed over, the superfluous metal being as far as
possible removed therefrom. When this is accomplished, the plate is deposited
in a rack contained in another pot or vessel, which is filled with grease heated
to a sufficient degree to keep the metal on the surface of the plate liquid, to
allow the excess to drain off. When the plates have stood for a time in the
hot grease, they are carefully removed from the rack, one at a time, by tongs,
and are placed on a rack to cool; the plates are then finished, with the
exception of removing the thickened edge formed at the bottom of the plate.
by the accumulation of the metal at this edge during the draining process.
The plates are finished by dipping these edges in a shallow bath of hot metal,
which melts off the accumulation of metal.
And it has been proposed in the Provisional Specification of a previous
Patent in which I am interested, to place the plates next after they have
passed through the washman's pot, into a rack in a pot of the melted metal,
and when such rack is full of plates to raise the rack, and also the plates,.
slowly out of the melted metal.
Now my improvements consist in the use of independent apparatus to lift.
the several plates simultaneously out of the metal and out of the rack, which
is allowed to remain. For this purpose each plate is nipped or clipped, and
the several nippers or clips are combined, and they are simultaneously. raised.

page_text: by a steady and slow motion by any suitable lifting apparatus; the superfluous
metal running off the plates as they are gradually raised, so that when they
have been lifted out of the melted metal, and have become cool, they are:
finished. And it is preferred that the nippers or clips should be arranged to
leave hold simultaneously of the several plates held by them. It will, there-
fore, be understood that this process does not depart from the usual process of
making tin and terne plates, until the plates have left the wash pot. At that:
point instead of placing them in a grease pot or bath of melted tallow or palm
oil, I place them in a pot or vessel filled with melted tin or terne metal, but
this second pot is of greater dimensions than usual for the wash pot. In
working the plates in this second and larger wash pot, instead of withdrawing,
as in the ordinary way, each plate simply from the melted metal by means of
a pair of tongs or pincers used by the workman, I withdraw several at a
time. The Drawings shew an arrangement for withdrawing twenty-four at a
time, or arrangements may be made for withdrawing a lesser or greater.
number, by means of apparatus such as is shewn in Drawing No. 1; this I
call a clip.
The mode of working is as follows:-Each plate is taken from the wash
pot and brushed in the usual way by the washman, who instead of placing it
in the grease pot, places it in a rack in the second or larger wash pot. When
the rack is full of plates, the washman places each plate between the jaws of
one of the clips or pincers; when each clip has its plate, he turns the screw,
as shewn in Drawing No. 2, which fastens firmly each plate between the jaws
of each pair of pincers or clips. He then lowers the whole below the surface
of the metal to ensure a clean surface on the plates, and if there is any scruff
ke skims it off. The clip with the plates therein is then drawn slowly out of
the metal by means of a worm, which works by a handle, as shewn in
Drawing No. 3. If he wants to leave a larger quantity of metal on the
plates, he turns the handle faster; if on the contrary he wants to leave a lesser
quantity of metal, he turns the handle slower; as the coating of tin or terne
metal remaining on the plate is more the faster it is withdrawn, and less the
slower it is withdrawn from the melted metal. But as it is one object of this
Invention, to dispense with the use of the grease pot (wherein by the ordinary
process of manufacture, the excess of metal on the plates is melted off), the
plates should in all cases be withdrawn slowly enough to leave only the
quantity of metal on the plates that is desired. When the clip, with the
plates hanging therefrom is partly withdrawn from the metal, the washinan
introduces a rake made of wood, as shown in Drawing No. 4, the teeth of
which correspond with the divisions of the clip, so that the plates may be kept

page_text: separate the one from the other, by the teeth of the rake, as if allowed to
touch before the metal has set, a mark is left. When the clip, with the plates
hanging therefrom and the rake inserted between, is withdrawn from the
metal, a receiver, as shewn in Drawing No. 5 is placed under the plates, the
handle of the worm is reversed, and the plates are lowered into the receiver;
the screw which closes the pincers or clips is then loosened, by which means
the plates fall into the receiver, which is lifted over to the bran troughs,
where the plates are cleaned in the usual way. The form of the clipping
apparatus may be varied, and a pulley or other means of withdrawing the clip
from the metal may be used instead of the worm, but care must be taken
that the withdrawing motion shall be steady and continuous, otherwise there
will be a mark or streak across the plates when the movement was unsteady
or suspended.
If it be desired to do away entirely with the use of oil as a covering to the
metal in the second or larger wash pot, which I use instead of a grease pot,
then a clip of the form shewn in Drawing No. 6 is used, which admitting of
being immersed entirely in the metal allows of the pot being entirely skimmed
of the scruff or oxide immediately before the clip is raised with the plates
from the metal; or a bonnet, as shewn in Drawing No. 7, may be placed over
the clip and under the surface of the metal, which would carry off any scruff
and prevent its adhering to the surface of the plates, and thus obviate the
necessity of skimming.
My Invention is, the use of a series of pincers or clips, made to open and
close by suitable means, in combination with a worm or other suitable means,
and thereby acting as a substitute for the washman's hands and pair of tongs
lifting each plate separately, and by my Invention I am able to do away with
the use of the grease pot, as by regulating the motion of the worm or other
means of lifting I only leave on the plates the covering of tin or terne metal
which I desire.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Palmer Budd, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
J. PALMER BUDD. (L.S.)