IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GUN BARRELS
Year: 1854

page_text: Sealed the 26th January 1855, and dated the 21st November 1854:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Beasley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st November 1854.
1
I, WILLIAM BEASLEY, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Manufac
turer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GUN BARRELS " to be as follows, that is to say :-
My improvements consist in rolling strips or skelps of iron into a form of
rather more than a half circle in cross.section, and placing two of these strips
or skelps together. I roll them througli ordinary gun-barrel rolls until the
cross section presents the form of a true circle, the extra metal in the two
halves-being-for-the-purpose-of-securing a perfect weld. I then forge on the
lump for the nipple, and place the barrel as far up as this lump between a
series of cross rolls, of the description for which a Patent was granted to me,
bearing date the 10th of June 1852, by which means the barrel is straightened
and rendered fit for the operation of boring.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Beasley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st May 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BEASLEY, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of November,. in. the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Beasley, Her special license that I, the said William
Beasley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Beasley, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GUN BARRELS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Beasley, 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 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 William Beasley, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures-marked-thereon-(that-is-to-say)-:-
My Invention consists, firstly, of an improved form of skelp or section of
iron to be employed in making what are usually termed skelp barrels, whereby
I am enabled to obtain a uniform thickness of metal all round the barrel.
Secondly, in rolling iron-of a peculiar section to be employed in the forma-
tion of what are termed the "lumps," to be forged on to the breech of the
barrel..
And, thirdly, in straightening this description of barrel by employing a series
of rolls mounted horizontally, their axes being the angles of an equilateral
triangle, similar to those employed by me for welding twisted. gun barrels, for
which Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of

page_text: Sheet A, Figure 1, shews a transverse section of the strip or skelp of iron I
"
propose to employ.
Figure 2, a transverse section of two of these skelps bound
together ready for the furnace.
Figure 3, an elevation of Figure 2.
"
وو
Figure 4, section of another strip or skelp.
"
Figure 5, section of iron I propose employing for the lumps.
"
Figure 6, a plan of the machine by which I straighten the barrels,
shewing a barrel in its position.
Sheet B, Figure 7, side elevation of this machine.
Sheet C, Figure 8, transverse section of the same.
Figures 9 and 10, elevations of the ends.
"
I will now describe my process of manufacture. And in the first place I
would mention, that in making ordinary skelp barrels turned up from a flat
skelp or strip, considerable difficulty is experienced in obtaining an equal
thickness of metal all round the barrel, arising from the imperfection of the
joint or weld. To avoid this I roll my skelp of the form of a semi-ellipse, as
seen at Sheet A, Figure 1, or any similar suitable form, Figure 4 being one
that would answer equally well; and taking two of these skelps, I bind them
together with wire, as seen in section, Figure 2, and elevation, Figure 3. This
tube is now taken to the furnace, and when at a welding heat is rolled upon a
mandril between ordinary grooved gun-barrel rolls until the section becomes
that of a true circle instead of an ellipse, the extra metal at the joints ensuring
a very sound weld, and avoiding any thinning at those parts as in the ordinary
skelp barrel; I then forge on the lump, which is the part intended for the
nipple; this has usually been done by forging on to the breech end of a barrel
a cubically-shaped piece of iron, and hammering it down to the barrel. To
save much labour in this respect, I roll a length of iron of the section shewn in
Figure 5, the under side being already hollowed to fit the barrel, and then cut
it-up-into-suitable-pieces-to-form the lumps. One of these having been forged
on to the breech end of the barrel, I re-heat it and take it to the horizontal
rolls, shewn in Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. These rolls are precisely similar to
those employed by me in the manufacture of twisted gun barrels, for my
improvements in which Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent, bearing-date-the
Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and

page_text: fifty-two, have been already granted to me, with this exception, that, in employ-
ing these rolls for the purpose of welding twisted barrels, I insert the barrels
the large end first. For the purpose of my present improvements, namely,
straightening skelp barrels, I'insert the smaller end of the barrel first, in
order that I may not crush the lump on the breech end, as seen in Figures
6 and 10. These three rolls revolve all in the same direction, being mounted
horizontally, and having their axes in the angles of an equilateral triangle,
and may be driven by any suitable gearing; that shewn in the Drawings I
find most suitable for my purpose; and after having straightened the barrel
between these rolls, it is ready to be bored and finished in the usual manner.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be clearly understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details 'herein specified, nor to the exact sections
of skelps shewn, as these may be slightly varied and answer equally well; nor
do I herein claim the exclusive use of the series of horizontal rolls, excepting
for the purpose named, but that which I do claim is,-.
Firstly, the manufacture of gun barrels in manner described from skelps
rolled to the sections shewn in Figures 1 and-4, or any other similar and
suitable section.
Secondly, I claim manufacturing the lumps on gun-barrels -by employing
iron of the section shewn in Figure 5, or any analogous section, enabling me
in the same manner to save labour in forging.
And, thirdly, I claim the use of the horizontal rolls, described and shewn
in Drawings, for the purpose of straightening gun barrels, as herein fully set
forth and specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Beasley, 'have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord