IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF GUN BARRELS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Tolhausen, of 17, Faubourg Montmartre,
Paris, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF GUN BARRELS."-A communication from Maurice Mondon,
residing at St. Etienne, Loire, France.
Sealed the 19th January 1864, and dated the 25th July 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Tolhausen at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th July 1863.
I, FREDERICK TOLHAUSEN, of 17, Faubourg Montmartre, Paris, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GUN BARRELS," a communication from Maurice
Mondon, a person resident at St. Etienne, Loire, France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an auxiliary apparatus to be used in combination
with the rolling mills now in use for making Enfield or other rifles and guns.
The object of this apparatus is to impart to the barrel whilst it is being rolled
out a rotary motion by which a spiral weld is produced, in such manner as
to join the fibres of the iron transversely, ensuring greater strength than in the
usual way. By varying the speed of the twisting motion various kinds of
barrels, such as half twist, full twist, and so forth, may be produced. The
blank tube having been prepared by rolling or hammering, it is placed on the

page_text: apparatus which stands in front of a rolling mill, the rollers of which have
conical grooves of different sizes. It will be found advantageous to provide
these grooves with a great number of striae or scratchings, so as to gripe the
iron and effect a better weld. The apparatus through which the barrel then
passes imparts to it two distinct motions, that is to say, the traverse or end-
long motion, and the rotary or twisting motion for producing the spiral weld.
The former motion is obtained by a rack placed horizontally at right angles
to the axis of the rollers; this rack carries a pair of pincers for holding the
barrel, and is driven baskward and forward by means of a pinion and suitable
reversing gear.
The second or rotary motion is independent of the feed motion described,
and is obtained by means of two bevel wheels, one of the latter being keyed
on a square hollow hub about the pincers, allows the barrel being twisted
without interfering with the rack motion before described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Tolhausen in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th January 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
TOLHAUSEN, of 17, Faubourg Montmartre, Paris, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS IIer most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Frederick Tolhausen, Her special licence that I, the said
Frederick Tolhausen, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Frederick Tolhausen, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GUN BARRELS," a communication from
Maurice Mondon, a person resident at St. Etienne, Loire, France, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick Tolhausen, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain

page_text: 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 Frederick Tolhausen, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of twisted guns by machinery,
thus obtaining superior articles at the cost of common ones. To effect this
I make use of an apparatus acting in combination with the rolling mills now
in use for making Enfield or other rifles and guns. The object of this appa-
ratus is to impart to the barrel whilst it is being rolled a rotary motion, by
which a spiral welding is produced in such manner as to join the fibres or
stripes of the iron transversely, thus ensuring a greater strength than by the
usual way. By varying the speed of the twisting motion various kinds of
barrels, such as half twist, full twist, and so forth, may be produced. The
blank tube having been prepared by rolling or hammering, is placed in the
apparatus which stands in front of a rolling mill, the grooved rollers of which
will be provided with a great number of striae or scratchings, so as to triturate.
the iron and counteract the disaggregating property of the rolling mill. The
effect of this trituration is to improve the metal and to ensure the best welding,
which is the more perfect as the molecules of the metal have a greater affinity;
this process, besides, allows of the use of iron of inferior quality. The appa-
ratus through which the barrel then passes imparts to it two distinct motions,
that is to say, a traverse or reciprocating motion, and a rotary or twisting
motion for producing the spiral welding. The former motion is obtained by
a rack placed horizontally at right angles with the axis of the rollers, the rack
carries a pair of pincers for holding the barrel, and is driven forward and
backward by means of a pinion, and a suitable reversing gear.
The second or rotary motion is independent of the traverse motion above
described, and is obtained by means of two bevel wheels, one of the latter
being keyed on a square hollow hub about the pinion, thereby allowing the
barrel to be twisted without interfering with the rack motion before described.
To make the Invention better understood, I will proceed to describe it with
reference to the accompanying Drawing.
Figures 1 and 1bs are side views of a rolling mill in communication with the
new apparatus; Figures 2 and 2 are plans of the same; Figure 3 shows
another mode of changing the reciprocating motion; Figures 4 and 5 are two

page_text: different descriptions of mandrils to be introduced and kept in the barrel whilst
it is rolled. The work is performed in the following manner :-The gun barrel
is seized at A by a pincer B affixed at the end of a sliding elbowed rod C; E is
a rack moved forward or backward by a toothed wheel F, by its forward
motion it drives the elbowed rod C under the cylinders of the rolling mill. Two
pullies G and H, turning in opposite directions, are made to act alternately,
the pulley & pushing the rod forward and the pulley H bringing it backward,
the change being offected by means of the rod N. It will be understood that
by this motion the gun barrel will be caused to pass to and fro through the
rolling mill. Now two bevil wheels O, O', actuated by the pulley P, impart
to the elbowed rod C a rotary motion, the wheel O¹ being mounted on
a cylinder M, 'through which passes the sliding rod C, and which gives to the
rod a rotary motion at the same time that the rack imparts a to-and-fro
motion; care should be taken to regulate the rotary strougth in proportion to
the compressing strength. A mandril S, S, S, of either description shown in
Figures 4 and 5, has been previously introduced into the sliding rod and
passes through the gun barrel, it is held firmly by a lever 1, the spring U of
which serves to withdraw the said mandril when required. The grooves V, V,
of the rolling cylinders are contrary to the others W, W, W, so disposed as to
allow the muzzle of the gun to pass first. By this means the chamber, which
is larger, and preserves its heat a longer time, and besides requires great
strength, will be submitted a longer time to the twisting action, the said
chamber being the last to pass through the rolling machine.
It must be borne in mind that although I have herein-before explained
a certain mechanism for the carrying out of the Invention, I do not confine
myself to that preciso modo of proceeding, and as the Invention consists of
twisting the gun barrels in order to have a spiral welding, I can obtain the
result by any other suitable mechanical means. For instance, the gun barrel
might be twisted before passing through the rolling mill. The twisting
might be obtained, 1st, either by a machine similar to those used by rope
makers with or without gearings either to increase or to reduce the power;
or 2nd, by a double-threaded screw put in motion by pullies; or 3rd, by hand
Jabour acting upon the gun barrels previously made by the rolling mill; or
4th and lastly, by any other mechanical contrivance used either on rolled up
barrels or on barrels forged or hammered.
I wish it to be understood that the welding and twisting process may be
applied to any other barrel or cylinder.
Having now described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as the

page_text: Invention the idea of giving to the guns a spiral welding by a twisting pro-
cess carried on by the machinery above described, or any other suitable means
or mechanism.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Tolhausen, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
F. TOLHAUSEN. (L.S.)