IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Spencer, of Eccleston, near Prescot, in the'
County of Lancaster, Earthenware Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES OF
Sealed the 22nd August 1861, and dated the 23rd February 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Spencer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
February 1861.
I, THOMAS SPENCER, of Eccleston, near Prescot, in the County of Lancaster,
Earthenware Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES OF
EARTHENWARE AND OF OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention refers to machinery or apparatus in which the direct action
of steam, water, or air is used for forcing the plastic material into moulds, or
to. other. apparatus, which in like manner forces the said material therein
from an external supply, and consists, firstly, in. a peculiar arrangement or
construction of mould for making pipes with sockets. I have in the Speci-
fication of a Patent granted to me, bearing date 10th April 1848, No. 12,115,
described the manufacture of these pipes in compound moulds, one for the
socket, and. another for the barrel; whereas according to my present Inven-
tion both are made in one and the same mould, the whole being made in one
mould, whether with or without socket.
Another part of my Invention consists in forming. these moulds, and moulds

page_text: for earthenware generally, including bricks and slabs with a roughened
interior; this I do by casting, or by raising or indenting the surface, or by
lining the mould with cloth, leather, or other suitable material, or by covering
it with "slip" or "wash;" also I apply tale or oil, or other similar material
to the said surfaces. In making hollow earthenware with lips, the cores
necessarily cannot be turned round to loosen them for the ready removal of
the moulded article. To avoid this difficulty I place a ring of metal or other
hard substance upon the edge, which is then forced down by pressure, and this
method is also applicable where there is no lip. In the moulds I form holes
or openings for the escape of air, which may also constitute a vent for a super-
abundance of material, or for the expression of water. Also, I form a number
of articles simultaneously by adapting any desired number of moulds to a
cylindrical or other shaped. vessel from which the material is forced. In
moulding articles from which the cores could not be drawn, and also as one
method of avoiding the use of oil, I form such cores of india-rubber, or other-
wise render them elastic, so that they may be expanded or contracted as
desired. The moulds for crucibles or other articles of plumbago or tale, or
partly of those materials, I. form of zinc, copper, brass, or wood, or with
coatings of those substances, or of enamel, but this part of my Invention is
also applicable to earthenware in general. Also in forming bricks, tiles, and
other articles of solid or hollow earthenware, I use the ordinary die, and
remove the core therefrom, and I then apply a mould according to the article
to be produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Spencer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd August 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SPENCER, of Eccleston, near Prescot, in the County of Lancaster, Earthenware
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Spencer, Her especial license that I, the said Thomas Spencer, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Spencer, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no

page_text: 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 ARTICLES
OF EARTHENWARE AND OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS," upon the condition, amongst
others, that I, the said Thomas Spencer, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, (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 Thomas Spencer, 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
and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
My Invention refers to machinery or apparatus in which the direct action
of steam, water, or air is used for forcing the plastic material into moulds, or
to other apparatus, which in like manner forces the said material therein from
an external supply, and which, as applied to steam, was the subject of Letters
Patent, granted to me April Tenth One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight,.
No. 12,115.
My present Invention consists, firstly, in a peculiar arrangement or con-
struction of mould for making pipes with sockets, also the whole pipe being
made in one mould, with or without socket.
This part of my Invention is shewn at Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings,
in which a represents a portion of the cylinder in which the clay or other
plastic material is placed, and in which it is submitted to steam or other
pressure as aforesaid; beneath this cylinder is placed the shell of the mould b,
which is constructed in halves, mounted so as to slide within guides c. The
core is shewn at d, mounted at its lower end upon the shell b. The parts b
and d, therefore, afford a space representing the shape of the pipe, and into
which the clay is forced by the downward motion of the piston, and it will be
perceived that it does not, as in my former Patent referred to, simply pass
through moulds, but is forced into a confined space. Also under this part of my
Invention I form pipes without sockets, the plastic material being forced into a
confined space, whereby the ends are moulded at the same time as the side.
The pipe having been formed as above described, the two. halves of the mould
6 are slidden within the guides c, so as to be freed from the moulded. article,
which may then be removed in the usual manner. The cone d may be with-
drawn either before or after removing the article.

page_text: Another part of my Invention consists in forming these moulds, and moulds
for earthenware generally, including bricks and slabs, with a roughened
interior. This I do by casting, or by raising or indenting the surface, or by
lining the mould with cloth, leather, or other suitable materials of the like
character; and in connexion with this part of my Invention I apply tale, oil,
'or other similar substance which will act as a lubricant for enabling the article
to part easily from the mould. A method of roughing the moulds which I
have found to answer is to make them of cast metal, and to use them rough
from the sand, or when made more true by boring or turning, then to roughen
them as a file; this provides a surface covered with minute cavities, which
receive and retain the lubricating material; when, however, the moulds are
covered with cloth or other such material, the lubricant is not necessary, for
the said covering may be removed with the article, and then stripped off..
,
Another part of my Invention relates to a method of facilitating the
removal of the moulded article from the core, and is applicable especially
when the core cannot be drawn direct at the machine. I place a ring of
metal or other hard material upon the edge, which is then forced downward
by pressure. This part of my Invention is shewn at Figs. 2 and 3 of the
accompanying Drawings. A mould a is, as in Fig. 1, mounted in guides
beneath the cylinder b, the core is at c, and the moulded article at d, formed
with a lip e; previously to the moulding having been effected a ring of metal f
is placed at the bottom of the mould, and the plastic material is, therefore,
forced thereon. The moulds having been parted, the article is cut off in the
usual manner, and is, together with the core, placed bottom downward upon a
box g, Fig. 3. The top of this box g is capable of being pressed downward;
but is forced upward by means of a spring h. The bottom plate or cross bar i
of the core is furnished with a projecting part k, which is then made fast to
an arm extending from the wall or other stationary part; at m is a ring of
metal having rods n, which are passed through holes formed in the bottom of
the core, so as to arrive in contact with the ring f, and these rods being forced
downward will thrust the moulded article from the core, it being received by
the spring table g*, so as to prevent its being injured.
Another
the moulds for the escape of air, which may also constitute vents for a super-
abundance of material, or for the expression of water. This is shewn in
Fig. 1 'above referred to, in which the air or. other such holes are at o.
part of my Invention consists in forming air holes or openings in
Another part of my Invention consists in forming a number of articles
simultaneously, by adapting any desired number of moulds to a cylindrical or
other shaped vessel from which the material is forced. This is shewn' at Fig. 4,
;

page_text: in which a series of moulds for forming crucibles is shewn at a, and a' corre
sponding number of cores at b. The moulds are formed as above described,
so as to part, and thus expose the moulded articles by sliding in 'guides c, and
the said articles may then be withdrawn from the cores. The parts d of the
moulds are merely to guide the material into the spaces intended to receive it.
Another part of my Invention consists in the use of moulds, the cores of
which are capable of expansion or contraction, so as to admit of their being
withdrawn from articles of a shape which would otherwise retain them. Figs.
5 and 6 shew a method of carrying out this part of my Invention, the former
being a horizontal section of the core and mould. The core consists of a
central part a, and four separate parts b, b, b, b*, the whole fitting together,
by dovetail joints; supposing the periphery of the core, as seen in the
borizontal section at c, to be that of each end of the article to be moulded, and
that another portion of the said article is of greater diameter, it is obvious that
the core could not be withdrawn in its present form, but by withdrawing the
central part a, then the two portions b, b, may be moved towards the centre
and lifted out, after which the other parts 6*, 6*, may in like manner follow.
In using these cores. I. cover them with cloth or other such material, which
will when the core is removed adhere to the moulded article, and this is sub-
sequently stripped off.
Another part of my Invention relates to the manufacture of plumbago
crucibles. The moulds for these I form of zinc, copper, brass, or wood, or I
form them of iron, with coatings of any of those substances, or with coatings
of enamel.
Another part of my Invention consists in removing the ordinary core or
"dod," and in adapting a mould according to the article to be produced, either
in solid or hollow earthenware. This will be illustrated by reference to Fig. 1
above referred to, in which the dod is removed, but the position it would
occupy is shewn by dotted lines. Fig. 7 also illustrates this part of my
Invention. A mould for making a cistern used in the manufacture of glass
being shewn at a adapted to the cylinder 6 without a "dod." This mould
is made in halves, which slide in guides, as before mentioned; Fig. 8
represents a mould for "insulators" applied to the cylinder as above described;
at Fig. 9 is an illustration of this part of my Invention as applied to solid
earthenware, a brick mould a being adapted to the cylinder b. This mould is
made in halves, as before, so as to slide in guides, and the direction of the
parting is shewn in the detached plan view, Fig. 10.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be under-

page_text: stood that I claim as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters
Patent, and in connection with the description of machinery or apparatus
above set forth,-
Firstly, making pipes with or without sockets in one mould, by pressing the
material into a confined space.
Secondly, the use of moulds with roughened surfaces, and in connexion
therewith the use of oil, talc, or other lubricating material.
Thirdly, the use of cloth or other such material for covering the moulds.
Fourthly, the method described for forcing off the moulded articles.
Fifthly, forming holes in the moulds for the escape of air, moisture, or
superfluous material.
Sixthly, forming several articles simultaneously, as illustrated at Fig. 4.
Seventhly, the use of moulds with cores capable of expansion and con-
traction.
Eighthly, forming the moulds for plumbago crucibles of zinc, copper, brass,
or wood, or of iron coated with one of those materials, or with enamel.
Ninthly, applying moulds without the usual "dod."
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Spencer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
THOMAS SPENCER. (L.s.)