IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- LETTERS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Henry Ash of Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Manufacturer for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Henry Ash of Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Manufacturer for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF METALLIC FOOT WARMERS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Henry Ash at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th March 1883.
.
THOMAS HENRY ASH of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturer
'IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC FOOT WARMERS
رو
My said improvements consist in manufacturing metallic foot warmers in the
manner hereinafter described.
I make the body of the foot warmer of uncoated sheet iron rolled of a width
equal to the length of the foot warmer. In rolling the said iron I form an
elevated portion along each edge of the sheet so that when portions of the said
sheet of suitable length are bent into the figure of a nearly elliptical or flattened
tube the said elevated edge portions make the ends of the tube or body of the
foot warmer somewhat larger in diameter than the other portion The ends of the
cut off lengths are folded or riveted upon one another in the ordinary way but are
not soldered.
I make the end or closing plates of the foot warmer of the figure of the ends of
the body to be closed the said closing plates having a turned up edge all round.
These closing plates may either be made from sheet iron by stamping or they inay
be made of cast malleable iron or other hard metal or alloy. Each of the closing
end plates has a hole in it for the purpose hereinafter explained.
In order to support the foot warmer internally so as to preserve its figure I
employ a rectangular tube of sheet iron of a size and shape suitable to fit in the
body at its middle and extending from end to end. This supporting tube has at
each end a projecting lug or ear. The supporting tube having been put in its
place in the body the end closing plates are inserted in the ends of the body and
forced home until they bear against the shoulders formed by the junction of the
enlarged ends of the body with the intermediate part. The lugs or ears of the
Din ALI

page_text: supporting tube are turned over the edges of the closing end pieces and the ends
of the body are turned down and closed upon the edges of the end closing pieces.
The parts are thus connected together mechanically. I next galvanize the whole
in a bath of melted zinc which enters into and passes out of the interior of the
foot warmer by the holes in the end or closing plates herein before referred to and
renders the foot warmer water tight. One of the said holes is permanently closed
the other serves for filling and emptying the foot warmer. Instead of coating the
partially made foot warmers with zinc they may be coated with tin or terne
metal or with copper deposited by electricity. Or they may be coated with any
other desired metal or alloy which can be applied either by the agency of electriciy
or by means of a bath of the melted metal or alloy. In order to strengthen the
ends of the foot warmers and to fit them to bear with less risk of injury the rough
treatment they are exposed to a thick support of solder is applied all round the
ends at the angle formed by the end or closing plates and the extreme ends of
the body.
Although I ordinarily employ sheet iron for the manufacture of foot warmers
according to my invention yet tin plate copper brass or other hard and ductile
metal or alloy may be employed instead of sheet iron.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Henry Ash in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th September 1883.
THOMAS HENRY ASH of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturer
'IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC FOOT WARMERS
27
My said improvements consist in manufacturing metallic foot warmers in the
manner hereinafter described.
I make the body of the foot warmer of uncoated sheet iron rolled of a width
equal to the length of the foot warmer. In rolling the said iron I form an elevated
portion along each edge of the sheet so that when portions of the said sheet of
suitable length are bent into the figure of a nearly elliptical or flattened tube the
said elevated edge portions make the ends of the tube or body of the foot warmer
somewhat larger in diameter than the other portion. The ends of the cut off'
lengths are folded or riveted upon one another in the ordinary way.
I make the end or closing plates of the foot warmer of the figure of the ends of
the body to be closed, the said closing plates having a turned up edge all round..
These closing plates may either be made from sheet iron by stamping or they may
be made of cast malleable iron or other hard metal or alloy. Each of the closing
end plates has a hole in it for the purpose hereinafter explained.
In order to support the foot warmer internally so as to preserve its figure, I
employ a rectangular tube of sheet iron of a size and shape suitable to fit in the
body at its middle and extending from end to end. This supporting tube has at
each end a projecting lug or ear. The supporting tube having been put in its
place in the body the end closing plates are inserted in the ends of the body and
forced home until they bear against the shoulders formed by the junction of the
enlarged ends of the body with the intermediate part. The lugs or ears of the
supporting tube are turned over the edges of the closing end pieces and the ends of
the body are turned down and closed upon the edges of the end closing pieces.
The parts are thus connected together mechanically. I next galvanize the whole
in a bath of melted zinc which enters into and passes out of the interior of the foot
warmer by the holes in the end or closing plates herein before referred to and
renders the foot warmer water tight. One of the said holes is permanently closed
the other serves for filling and emptying the foot warmer. Instead of coating the
partially made foot warmers with zinc they may be coated with tin or terne
metal or with copper deposited by electricity. Or they may be coated with any
other desired metal or alloy which can be applied either by the agency of electricity
or by means of a bath of melted metal or alloy. In order to strengthen the ends
of the foot warmers and to fit them to bear with less risk of injury the rough
treatment they are exposed to a thick support of solder is applied all round the
ends at the angle formed by the end or closing plates and the extreme ends of
the body.
Although I ordinarily employ sheet iron for the manufacture of foot warmers
according to my invention, yet tin plate, copper, brass or other hard and ductile,
metal or alloy may be employed instead of sheet iron.
:
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the.
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan and edge view a piece or length of uncoated rolled'
sheet iron (or other sheet metal) from which the body of the foot warmer is.
to be made, the elevated edge portions of the said rolled piece or length being
marked a², a³.
Figure 2 represents in side elevation and Figures 3 and 4 elevations of the

page_text: opposite ends, of a complete foot warmer made according to my invention;
Figure 5 represents a horizontal section of the foot warmer taken through the
longest direction of the foot warmer; Figure 6 represents an end elevation of
the foot warmer before the end closing plate is fixed in the body and Figure 7
represents a cross section of the body and its internal supporting tube; Figure 8
represents a longitudinal section taken through the shorter direction of the body
of a partly made foot warmer; Figure 9 represents a front elevation and Figure 10
a section of one of the end closing plates detached.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures
of the Drawings
a is the nearly elliptical or flattened tubular body of the foot warmer made from
the piece or length of rolled sheet iron or other sheet metal represented in Figure 1,
the said piece or length being bent into an elliptical figure and its ends b, b folded
or riveted upon one another. A body is thus formed having elevated edge
portions a², a which make the ends of the body somewhat larger in diameter than
the other portion (see the section Figure 5); c, c are the end closing plates of the
foot warmer, one of which plates is shown separately in Figure 9. These end
closing plates have the form of the ends of the body a with a turned up edge & all
round. The end closing plates are either made from sheet iron by stamping or
from cast malleable. iron or other hard metal or alloy. In each end closing plate
is a hole f g is the rectangular tube of sheet iron for internally supporting the
body a and preserving its figure. The said supporting internal tube extends
nearly from end to end of the body a and is made to fit closely the middle of the
said body (see the sections Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8), the tapering or contracted ends
of the body a preventing any lateral or side motion in the closely fitting tube g.
The supporting tube g may however be fixed more securely in its place at the
middle of the body a by means of projecting lugs or ears at its ends, which lugs
or ears are turned over the edges of the end closing plates c as herein before
described but ordinarily the said projecting lugs or ears on the supporting tube are
unnecessary. Having fixed the supporting tube g in its place in the body a the
end closing plates c, c are inserted in the enlarged open ends a², a² of the said
body a and forced home until they bear against the shoulders formed by the
junctions of the enlarged ends a², a² with the intermediate part a of the body.
Portions of the enlarged ends a², a² of the body are next turned down and
closed upon the edges d, d of the end closing plates c, c as represented in the
sections Figures 5 and 8. "The parts of which the foot warmer is made are thus
connected together mechanically. In Figure 8 the partly made foot warmer is
shown with one end only closed, the other end being open and without an end
closing plate. In order that there may be free communication between the end
and middle parts of the foot warmer, when the end closing plates are fixed in their
places, the sides of the internal supporting tube g at each end are cut away as
shown at h, h
The partly made foot warmer is next galvanized in a bath of melted zinc or
coated in a bath of the other metals or alloys hereinbefore enumerated, which zinc
or metal or alloy entering into and passing out of the interior of the foot warmer
by the holes f, in the end closing plates c, c, renders the foot warmer water tight
and permanently connects the parts together.
One of the holes f, f is permanently closed and the other hole serves for filling
and emptying the foot warmer. One end of the foot warmer is furnished with a
handle (see Figure 4) for carrying it about.
The ends of the foot warmer are strengthened by a thick support of solder
applied all round the ends of the angle formed by the end closing plates c, 'c and
the extreme ends of the body. These thick supports of solder are marked k, k in
Figures 3, 4 and 5.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I claim as ny invention of
Improvements in the manufacture of metallic foot warmers;
""
"

page_text: First Making metallic foot warmers from rolled sheet iron either coated or
uncoated or from other hard sheet metal or alloy either coated or uncoated, the said
sheet metal having elevated portions at each edge which said elevated portions give
a somewhat increased diameter to the ends of the foot warmers made by bending
the said sheet metal into a nearly elliptical or flattened tube substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly Making the ends of metallic foot warmers of end plates having turned
up edges all round substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly Strengthening the bodies of metallic foot warmers by the use of
internal tubes of a rectangular or nearly rectangular figure in cross section, the said
strengthening or supporting tubes being constructed and fixed in the bodies of the
foot warmers substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
Fourthly Connecting permanently together the body, end plates and internal
strengthening tubes of metallic foot warmers by the galvanizing process or by
otherwise coating the parts with a metallic coating substantially as herein before
described.
In witness whereof I the said Thomas Henry Ash have hereunto set my hand
and seal this-Eleventh-day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.