IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE OR FIXED MACHINES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND TILES, WHETHER PLAIN OR FOR ORNAMENTAL PURPOSES
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles William Spark, Thomas
Sprawson Cross, and William Adkins at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 18th March 1865:
We, CHARLES WILLIAM SPARK and THOMAS SPRAWSON CROSS, of the City
of London, in the County of Middlesex, Brick Machine Manufacturers, and
WILLIAM ADKINS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PORTABLE OR FIXED MACHINES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND TILES,
WHETHER PLAIN OR FOR ORNAMENTAL PURPOSES," to be as follow's (that is to
say):
Our improved machine will be understood from the following description":
It consists of a wood' or metal bed plate or stand on which the chairs are
secured for carrying the driving shaft, held by glands in the ordinary way,
fitted with fast and loose pulleys' or clutch box as may bé'preferred. Between
the chairs a vertical bevilled wheel is fixed, which gears into a horizontal' one,'
the axis of which works in a collar formed in a cross head; and extends up
into a hopper having radial curved arms for beating and distributing the clay,
the lower angles' of the cross bar, as well as the' angles of the arms, receding
from the line of motion, thus imparting to their action a tendency to press the
clay downwards, falling through' the openings in' the bevilled wheel before
referred to, and through a cross bar fifed in a' receiver next described, the

page_text: angles of which are also the same as the angles of the top cross bar, receding
from the line of action into a cast iron or other suitable receiver below, down
into which the axis before referred to as projecting vertically above the
bevilled wheel extends, carrying one, two, or more angular blades that gather
and press downwards the clay to a contracted outlet, against which a circular
face plate works on a fixed stud or centre by means of cogs on its periphery
gearing into a pinion secured to a shaft fixed at the back or any other con-
venient part of the machine, and sufficiently long to receive a piuion to
partially gear into a wheel fixed on the main driving shaft in the front of the
vertical bevilled wheel before referred to; this wheel has only cogs around
sufficient of its periphery to be equal to the circumference of the pinion into
which it gears, and by which an intermittent motion is obtained, that while
the horizontal bevill wheel is continuously at work forcing the clay down, the
mould or circular face plate for receiving it is at rest. The relative pro-
portion of the circular face plate and the pinion by which it is actuated is one
to three, or more or less, according to the rapidity with which we intend
manufacturing our bricks. But we will confine this description to the
forming, impressing, and liberating of three bricks, which is effected in the one
revolution of the face plate, which plate we purpose being the exact thickness
we require for forming our rectangular bricks in a flat or edge direction, in
which is formed three cavities at equal distances, and so arranged that they
shall come respectively in their order opposite the outlet of the iron hopper
before referred to. We will suppose that one of the openings or moulds
formed in the face plate is immediately opposite the outlet, when the clay
will be pressed into the mould and held there by a back plate until the face
or mould plate has revolved one-third of its revolution, when the next mould
or, cavity will be brought around in like position for receiving the clay for
another brick, while the one removed is carried around and brought under
the action of an impresser by a projection on the vertical bevilled wheel
first described, which presses or imprints any design or character on the face
side of the brick so moulded, and while this is being done the clay is simulta-
neously forced into the mould presented to the escape wy, and now the
circular face plate or mould is ready to complete its revolution by being
moved around another third portion, for the purpose of forcing out and
removing the brick last pressed, the pressing of the one next in succession,
and the moulding of another brick, so that at each revolution a brick is
moulded, the preceding one impressed, and the one preceding. that removed,
so that as the machine continues in work, simultaneous with the moulding or
founation of a brick one also will be removed.

page_text: With this general description we will observe that all the working parts of
the machine are kept free from any contact with the clay or grit, thereby
preventing any undue wear, and that by simply altering the circular wheel,
which we have called the face plate or mould, or inserting in the divisions of the
same moulds of any desired shape, regular, irregular, or ornamental bricks or
tiles, or other articles or productions requiring to be moulded from clay may
be formed, the mouthpiece or orifice at the escape way of the receiver being
altered accordingly.