IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
VICKERS, of Sheffield, Steel Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of
June, One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the tenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Vickers, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Vickers,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Vickers,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso, that I, the said William Vickers, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
William Vickers, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to the manufacture of wrought iron, and consists of
melting pig iron with wrought iron, and running the melted mixture (when
divided into small streams) into water, and then by the ordinary process of
manufacture to convert the product into malleable or wrought iron.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
I cause pig iron and iron turnings, or scrap of wrought iron, to be melted
together in any suitable furnace, and I have used a cupola furnace for that
purpose. The proportions of wrought iron employed with pig iron may greatly
vary, but I have found that a very small addition of wrought iron with pig iron,
and subjected to water, materially improves the quality of wrought iron pro-
duced. I have ordinarily employed about thirty parts of wrought-iron turnings
or scrap to seventy parts of pig iron by weight, which with most if not all
classes of pig iron will be found to produce a great improvement in the manu-
facture, and a high quality of wrought iron for ordinary purposes; but if the
iron be intended for making steel, I have found it advantageous to encrease
the proportion of wrought-iron turnings or scrap in the mixture, and I have
with advantage used as high as forty per cent. of such turnings or scrap; and
I have also with great advantage applied a less proportion than thirty per
cent. of turnings or scrap of wrought iron in the mixture when making
wrought iron for general purposes. The mixture being melted is to be divided
into as fine streams as possible, and then to drop into water. This may be
'done in any convenient manner. I have used for this purpose a strong cast-
'iron tray, perforated at bottom with holes about half an inch diameter, and I
line such tray with a sand composition, such as is used for stopping cupola
furnaces, and I puncture such lining, which I make about half an inch thick,
with holes of about a quarter of an inch thick at those places where there are
holes in the tray, and I have placed this tray about fifteen feet above the level
of water in wood tanks about four feet deep. The mixture of iron will be
found to be in a divided state. This product is then to be treated in the same
manner for making wrought iron therefrom as when using pig or refined iron.
And I would state that I have sometimes used from three to five per cent. of
black oxide of manganese in melting the pig and wrought iron, and I have
introduced it from time to time by placing small quantities into the twyer holes,

page_text: the blast driving it into the furnace, and I believe that such mode of working
is advantageous.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark that I am aware that pig
iron and wrought iron have been before melted together for various purposes;
I do not, therefore, claim the same when separately considered, nor do I claim
the running of melted pig iron into water. And I would state, that although
I have been particular in describing the exact manner in which I perform my
Invention, I do not confine myself thereto so long as the peculiar character of
my Invention be retained; but what I claim is, the melting pig iron with
wrought iron scrap or turnings, and running the same into water, and using
the product in the manufacture of wrought or malleable iron.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Vickers, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
Enrolled the Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.