IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANING OR FINISHING METAL PLATES AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN COATED WITH TIN OR OTHER METALS OR ALLOYS."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Thomas and Herbert Llewellyn Morris,
both of Penclawdd, in the County of Glamorgan, Tin Plate Manu-
facturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANING OR FINISHING
METAL PLATES AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN COATED WITH TIN OR OTHER METALS
OR ALLOYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Thomas and
Herbert Llewellyn Morris at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 20th March 1873.
We, JOHN THOMAS and ḤERBERT LLEWELLYN MORRIS, both of
Penclawdd, in the County of Glamorgan, Tin Plate Manufacturers, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CLEANING OR FINISHING METAL PLATES AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN COATED WITH TIN
OR OTHER METALS OR ALLOYS," to be as follows :-
Our Invention relates to that stage of the manufacture of tin and
terne plates and other similar plates which consists in cleaning or

page_text: finishing such plates after they have been coated with tin or other metals
or alloys.
According to the process at present in use for this purpose the said
plates after being coated and dipped in hot palm oil or other oil or
grease to remove the superfluous metal and to give a smooth surface,
are rubbed with bran or other absorbent to remove the adhering oil or
grease, which absorbent is then dusted off. This process is troublesome
and liable to scratch the plates,
Our improvements consist in washing the plates after they have been
removed from the last bath of oil or grease in bi-sulphide of carbon or
petroleum spirit, or coal naptha, or other suitable hydrocarbon, in order
to remove the adhering oil or grease.
We place the plates to be cleaned in a suitable vessel having a lid
which we then close, and then run into the said vessel the cleansing
fluid to be used. When this fluid has removed the bulk of the grease
we drain the said fluid off, and run in fresh to finish the cleaning
process.
By cleaning the plates as herein-before described we effect a con-
siderable saving of labour and a consequent reduction in cost.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Thomas and Herbert Llewellyn Morris in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
THOMAS and HERBERT LLEWELLYN MORRIS, of Penclawdd, in the County
of Glamorgan, Tin Plate Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Thomas and Herbert
Llewellyn Morris, Her special license that we, the said John Thomas
and Herbert Llewellyn Morris, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said John Thomas and Herbert Llewellyn
Morris, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time.

page_text: 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 CLEANING OR FINISHING METAL PLATES AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN
COATED WITH TIN OR OTHER METALS OR ALLOYS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said John Thomas and Herbert Llewellyn Morris,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our
or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or
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 we, the said John Thomas and Herbert
Llewellyn Morris, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say :-
Our Invention relates to that stage of the manufacture of tin and
terne plates and other similar plates which consists in cleaning or
finishing such plates after they have been coated with tin or other
metals or alloys.
According to the process at present in use for this purpose the said
plates after they have been coated and dipped in hot palm oil or other
oil or grease to remove the superfluous metal and to give a smooth
surface are rubbed with bran or other absorbent to remove the adhering
oil or grease, which absorbent is then dusted off.
This process is
troublesome and liable to scratch the plates.
Our improvements consist in washing the plates after they have been.
O removed from the bath of oil or grease in bi-sulphide of carbon or in
petroleum spirit or in coal naptha, or in other suitable hydrocarbon
in order to remove the adhering oil or grease.
We place the plates to be cleaned in a suitable vessel having a lid,
which we then close, and then run into the said vessel the cleaning
b fluid to be used. When this fluid has removed the bulk of the grease
we drain the said fluid off and run in fresh to complete the cleaning
process.

page_text: Having now described the nature of our Invention we will proceed
to describe the manner in which the same is to be performed, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation of an arrangement of apparatus suitable for
carrying our said Invention into effect. A is a tank in which the
plates to be cleaned are placed; the said plates being supported by racks,
one of which is shown in side elevation in Figure 2 and in end elevation
in Figure 3. B, C, are tanks suspended by chains or ropes passing over
pulleys, which tanks contain the fluid used for cleaning the said plates
and may be raised and lowered when required by any suitable machinery.
The said tanks B, C, are connected with the tank A by flexible pipes b¹, c¹,
provided with stop-cocks 6³, c³.
The following is the mode of using the said apparatus:-The plates
to be cleaned are placed in the racks as shown in dotted lines at D
(Figures 2 and 3). The said racks are then placed in the tank A, and
the lid thereof is shut. The cock 6* is then opened and the bi-sulphide
of carbon or other fluid contained in the tank B flows into the tank A.
When the bulk of the grease has been removed from the plates by the
said fluid, the tank B is lowered below the level of the tank A as
indicated in dotted lines, which causes the said fluid to return to the
said tank B. The cock 62 is then closed and the fluid contained in the
tank C is allowed to flow into the tank A by opening the cock c³.
The said fluid after it has removed the remainder of the grease from
the plates is caused to return to the tank C by lowering the said tank as
described with reference to the tank B. The plates are then removed
from the tank A, the cleaning being finished.
Figures 4 and 5 represent in plan and elevation respectively another
arrangement of apparatus which we prefer when petroleum spirit is used
for cleaning the said plates; E is a trough divided by the partition e¹
into two compartments e; e³; F is a branch pipe provided with stop-
cocks f¹, ƒ³, ƒ³. Each branch of the said pipe enters the bottom of one
of the said compartments es, e³, either or both of which may be emptied
when required by turning the said stop-cocks. In using this apparatus
the compartments e³, e³, are charged with petroleum spirit. The plates
to be cleaned being placed in racks as shown in Figures 2 and 3 are
then immersed in the petroleum spirit contained in the compartment e*.
When the bulk of the grease has been removed from the said plates

page_text: they are lifted out and placed in the compartment es, the petroleum
spirit in which removes the remainder of the grease. The fluid in the
tanks B and C or that contained in the compartments e², es, may be
used for cleaning several sets of plates. If necessary other tanks in
addition to the two tanks B and C described with reference to the first
arrangement of apparatus, and other compartments in addition to
the two compartments e³, e³, described with reference to the second
arrangement of apparatus may be used, so that the plates instead of
being washed twice only may be washed three or more times. By
cleaning the plates as herein-before described we effect a considerable
saving of labour and a consequent reduction in cost.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we
make no claim to the arrangements of apparatus herein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, but we claim as our In-
vention of improvements in cleaning or finishing metal plates after they
have been coated with tin or other metals or alloys, cleaning the said
plates after they have been removed from the bath of oil or grease by
immersing them in bi-sulphide of carbon, or in petroleum spirit or in
coal naptha, or in other suitable hydrocarbon, essentially as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Thomas and Herbert
Llewellyn Morris, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three.
5
Witness,
THOMAS FRANCIS.
THOMAS FRANCIS.
J: THOMAS.
(L.S.)
HERBERT LL. MORRIS. (L.S.)