IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BLOCKS, PULLEYS, AND WEIGHTS FOR WINDOW SASHES AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN THE MODE OF APPLYING THE SAME
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William M°Adam, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Pottery and Glass Manufacturer, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BLOCKS, PULLEYS, AND
WEIGHTS FOR WINDOW SASHES AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN THE MODE OF
APPLYING THE SAME."
Sealed the 5th September 1862, and dated the 15th March 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William M°Adam at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
March 1862.
I, WILLIAM MADAM, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Pottery and Glass Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BLOCKS, PULLEYS,
AND WEIGHTS FOR WINDOW SASHES AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN THE MODE OF
APPLYING THE SAME," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the application of clay or other suitable mineral
substance, either in the form of earthenware or glass, to the manufacture of
blocks, pulleys, and weights, and which have hitherto been manufactured of
metal.
Under one modification of these improvements as applied to the hanging of.
window sashes the block or frame in which the pulley or pulleys: run is
formed of clay moulded to the required form, and afterwards glazed and fired.
in the usual way. The sheaves or pulleys are also formed of similar materials
and various kinds of clay, such as used in the manufacture of porcelain and all

page_text: kinds of earthenware may be employed. Instead of. using iron or other metal
for weights, it is preferred to make them of the heavier kinds of earthenware.
These weights are either moulded solid or with an internal cavity to be filled
with "mine dust" or other suitable mineral material, or which may be mixed
with the clay for the purpose of increasing the specific gravity of the weights.
Other mineral substances, such as stone of various kinds, the cheaper varieties
of marble may also in some cases be employed with advantage in the manu-
facture of these weights, or they may be made of glass, if preferred. In
applying them to window sashes or other generally similar sliding or moving
details, it is preferred to operate both sashes with a single weight and line in
lieu of the ordinary system of a weight and line to each sash. According to
this arrangement the weight has fitted to the upper part a pulley; one end of
the sash line is secured to the lower sash, and is. carried up over. a pulley fitted
in the side frame. The line passes from this pulley downwards below the
pulley on the weight, and thence up over a second pulley in the side frame,
its other extremity being attached to the upper sash. One weight thus serves
to counterpoise both sashes, the sliding motion of which is quite as easy as
when hung on the ordinary system. These weights may be manufactured of
various forms, and are capable of application to many useful purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William McAdam in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
M Adam; of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Pottery and
Glass Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William M°Adam, Her special license that I, the said "William'
M'Adam, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William McAdam, my executors, administrators, or 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' 3
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BLOCKS, PULLEYS, AND WEIGHTS FOR
WINDOW SASHES AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN THE MODE OF APPLYING THE SAME,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William M'Adam, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, 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 M°Adam, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to the application of clay or other suitable
mineral substance; either in the form of earthenware or glass, to the
manufacture of. blocks, pulleys, and weights, and which have hitherto been
manufactured of metal.
ware.
Under one modification of these improvements as applied to the hanging
of window sashes, the block or frame in which the pulley or pulleys run is
formed of clay moulded to the required form, and afterwards glazed and fired
in the usual way. The sheaves or pulleys are also formed of similar materials,
and various kinds of clay such as is used in the manufacture of porcelain, and
all kinds of earthenware, may be employed. Instead of using iron or other
metal for weights, it is preferred to make them of the heavier kinds of earthen-
These weights are either moulded solid, or with an internal cavity to
be filled with "mine dust" or other suitable mineral substance, or which
may be mixed with the clay for the purpose of increasing the specific gravity
of the weights. Other mineral substances such as stone of various kinds,
the cheaper varieties of marble may also in some cases be employed with
advantage in the manufacture of these weights, or they may be made of glass
if preferred. In applying them to window sashes, or other generally similar
sliding or moving details, it is preferred to operate both sashes with a single
weight and line in lieu of the ordinary system of a weight and line to each
sash. According to this arrangement, the weight has fitted to the upper part of
a pulley, one end of the sash line is secured to the lower, sash, and is carried
up over a pulley fitted in the side frame. The line passes from this pulley
downwards below the pulley in the weight, and thence up over a second pulley
in side frame, its other extremity being attached to the upper sash. One

page_text: weight thus serves to counterpoise both sashes, the sliding motion of which is
quite as easy as when hung on the ordinary system. These weights may be
manufactured of various forms, and are capable of application to many useful
purposes..
And in order that my said Invention of improvements in blocks, pulleys,
and weights for window sashes, and other purposes, and in the mode of applying
the same "may be properly understood, I shall now proceed to describe the
several Figures on the explanatory Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto
appended, for the purpose of showing certain modifications under which my
improvements may be judiciously carried out in practice, that is to say,
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is an elevation of a
window showing one arrangement or mode of fitting pulleys and weights to
the window; and Figure 2 is a transverse sectional plan of the same;
Figure 3 is an elevation, showing another mode of applying the pulleys and
weight to two pairs of sashes of unequal size, the windows having a central
mullion; Figure 4 is a corresponding plan; Figure 5 is an elevation showing
a-mode of suspending a single pair of unequal sized sashes; and Figure 6 is
a similar view, illustrating another system; Figures 7 and 8, are an eleva-
tion and plan of one of my improved weights for balancing window sashes;
Figures 9 and 10 are an elevation and plan of one of the improved double
sheaved pulleys; Figures 11 and 12 are an elevation and plan of a single
sheaved pulley made for being inserted from the front part of the window.
casing; Figures 13 and 14 are similar views of a double sheaved pulley made
on the same principle; and Figures 15 and 16 are an elevation and plan of
another form of weight for window sashes.
;
Referring to my improved pulleys for window sashes, and other generally
similar purposes, the form shown in Figures 9 and 10 is adapted for that class
of windows in which the pulleys are entered or placed in their proper position
from the back part of the frame or casing which surrounds the sashes. The
pulley consists of a box or frame A, formed by preference of earthenware,
which is moulded, glazed, or not, and fired in the usual manner. This box is
made with a check or enlarged rim at B, extending round three of the sides
the front of the box at C extends out beyond the enlarged part, and carries
the spindle D of the pulleys E, which run in deep slots extending to the back
of the box A. The pulleys E are formed like the box A of carthenware, and
they may be glazed or not, according to the style in which it is desired to
produce the article. The pulleys E may be carried either on metal spindles,
or these spindles may be formed of earthenware, moulded and arranged in the
box before firing, so that the parts of the spindles which enter the sides of th

page_text: box are burnt together, and form one solid body. For particular purposes
these pulleys may be wholly or in part formed of China clay, or other sheaves
may be made of glass; preference is however given to earthenware as being
cheaper, more durable, and the material best adapted for the purpose.
In the modification shown in Figures 11 and 12, the box A is arranged for
a single pulley E; this pulley is made to be fitted in its place from the front
or outer part of the frame or casing, which is the mode generally preferred by
architects and builders. A flange is formed at the top and bottom of the
box A, in which the screw holes F are formed for fixing the pulley to the
casing. The arrangement shown in Figures 13 and 14 is a two sheaved
pulley intended to be entered from the front of the casing, and secured by two
long screws passing through the holes F in a lateral direction. Single
sheaved pulleys are also made on the same principle.
In making weights for window sashes I prefer the heaviest kinds of vitrified
earthenware for the purpose; two suitable forms are shown in Figures 7, 8,
15, and 16.
The modification shown in Figures 7 and 8 is adapted for stone buildings
where there is generally a sufficient space left to receive a weight of the
triangular figure there shown. The form delineated in Figures 15 and 16 is,
however, adapted for other buildings where the space is more limited; the
weights may, however, be made of any shape to suit the particular purpose
required. The weights G are made with a vertical slot at the upper part to
receive the pulley H, which is carried on a metal or vitrified earthenware
spindle I.
In Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is shown one system or mode
of applying these improved weights and pulleys to the hanging of window
sashes, in such manner as to dispense with two of the weights as ordinarily
employed. The frame or casing J of the window is fitted with a two-sheaved
pulley A on each side. These pulleys are similar to the modification shown
in Figures 9 and 10. The cord K is attached to the lower sash L at or about
the part marked l, and is carried up over one of the sheaves of the pulley A,
then downwards, and under the pulley H in the weight G, up over the second
sheave of the pulley A, and finally is fastened to the upper sash M at m, or
other suitable point. With this arrangement the sashes work very easily
with a single weight on each side; and from the peculiar mode of hanging the
weights they only travel through -hálf the vertical distance as compared with
the usual mode of hanging. The new arrangement affords great facility for
hanging plate glass and other heavy windows where the space is small in pro-
portion to the height of the windows, and as the weights are. formed of an

page_text: incorrodible material no inconvenience can possibly arise from rusting,
which so rapidly takes place in manufacturing towns and in places by the
sea coast.
In Figures 3 and 4 is shown the mode of arranging the weights for sashes,
of unequal sizes, and where there is only space at the sides for a single weight.
The pulleys A arranged at the upper part of the casing J are similar to
those delineated in Figures 13 and 14, and the arrangement of the cords K
and their connection to the weights G, and the sashes Ļ and M are the same
as before described in reference to Figure 1. The two weights G are,
however, not sufficient to overcome the gravity of the sashes, and the additional
weights are therefore arranged behind the central mullion N. One end of the
cord O is attached at 1, to the lower sash L on the one side, carried up over
one sheave of the pulley A, downwards under the pulley in the central weight
P, then upwards over the pulley of the other window, and down to its lower
sash, to which it is fastened. The weight P is sufficiently large to compensate.
for the deficiency of the weights G, and the two lower sashes can thus be
operated with great ease. The top sashes M have, the cord Q connected to
them at m, and passed under the pulley in the weight R, which hangs in a
plane behind the weight P, as shown in the plan Figure 4, and in this way
both sashes work with equal ease and freedom.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 5, two unequal sashes are operated by
means of a single weight on each side; the cord K is attached to the lower
sash L, carried up over the single sheave pulley, and fastened by a pin to the
weight G. To counteract the tilting of the sash by the hanging of the weight
on one side, small antifriction rollers S are fitted at the lower and upper corners
of the sash, so that with this addition it runs quite easily. The upper sash M
is fitted in like manner, the cord K' being connected to the weight G', and
the friction of the sash overcome by the rollers S¹, the weights being duly
proportioned to their respective sashes.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 6, two unequalled sized sashes are
hung by a single weight on each side. The cord K is fastened to one side of
the lower sash L, carried up over a sheave in the pulley A, across the top of
the window over the pulley on the opposite side, down below the pulley in the
weight G, up over the second sheave of the pulley above, and down to the
other corner of the sash, where it is fastened. The other cord K², is carried
in the opposite direction, so as to connect the upper sash in the same manner
with the weight G. In this way both sashes are having in an even manner.
with a single weight each, and yet slide easily up and down.
Although I prefer to manufacture my improved weights of vitrified earthen-
.

page_text: ware, when used for the purpose of hanging sashes, yet I do not by any means
confine myself solely to that material, as in some cases I may prefer to use
glass, porcelain, earthenware, various kinds of clay, or clay mixed with waste
materials, or materials not available for profitable use. So also in some cases
slag, iron pyrites, asphalte, pitch, and other similar materials, used in combina-
tion with forge, furnace, and other slags, broken earthenware or glass, granite,
quartz, ironstone, and other suitable mineral substances. These weights may
also be made with an outer shell or casing, formed of earthenware, metal, wood,
or other suitable material, and with the interior filled with any of the materials
before enumerated best adapted for the object in view. These weights
may also be ornamented in various ways, externally where such is desirable,
and they may be applied to a variety of useful purposes, as for example,
weights for shutters, doors, machinery, gasaliers, clocks, timekeepers, and other
uses.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that what I consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is-
First, the system or mode of forming blocks and pulleys for window
sashes of earthenware, porcelain, or glass, either wholly or partially of these
materials as herein-before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the system or mode of forming weights for sashes, shutters,
machinery, and other generally similar purposes, of earthenware, porcelain,
or glass, or a combination of either of these materials, with adhesive, or with
waste materials, as herein-before described and partly shown in the accompany-
ing Drawings.
Third, the system or mode of hanging window sashes according to the
several modes, and with the aid of the improved pulleys and weights as herein-
before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William McAdam, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-two.
WILLIAM MCADAM. (L.S.)