IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEET IRON
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHEET IRON."―A
communication from abroad by Daniel Pratt, of Bridgeport, in the State
of Ohio, United States of America.
Sealed the 23rd June 1865, and dated the 13th February 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th February 1865.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
SHEET IRON," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to produce a perfectly pure article of iron
similar in its characteristics and appearance to the Russian sheet iron, and
which shall be homogeneous, so far as integral quality is concerned, irrespective
of an increased density of the surface.
By means of this Invention is produced a pure article which holds enclosed
in its pores a material calculated to preserve the iron from the effect of
oxygen. To this end I take sheet iron, and after removing the scale by the
application of an acid solution consisting of an organic and mineral acid, su h

page_text: as acetic and sulphuric acid, and cleaning it with rotating brushes and water,
I saturate the iron with oil while in a heated state; after that the sheet of
iron is rolled in order to close the pores of the iron and lock up the oil therein;
the sheet is then to be polished by means of rotating rollers covered with
leather, and provided with fine chalk or brickdust. The sheets are then
colored by the application of a heat which does not expel the oil.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th August 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 SHEET IRON," a com-
munication to him from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Edward Newton, 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 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 Edward Newton, 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 :-
The object of this Invention is to produce a perfectly pure article of iron

page_text: similar in its characteristics and appearance to the Russian sheet iron, and
which shall be homogeneous, so far as integral quality is concerned, irrespective
of an increased density of the surface.
The Inventor does not seek to effect this by giving a chemically different
character to the surface, as has been sought to be accomplished by the
addition of carbon in its various forms, such as changing the scale from a
ferrate to a protocarbide, and incorporating it with the iron, or other analogous
plans which might be cited, nor does he make any application of an enamel,
or add anything which chemically combined with the iron arrests oxidization.
A pure article which holds enclosed in its pores a material calculated to
preserve the iron from the effect of oxygen is the effect desired to be obtained,
and to this end I take ordinary sheet iron, and after removing the scale by
the application of an acid solution consisting of an organic and a mineral acid,
and then cleaning it by means of rotating brushes and water; I saturate the
iron with oil while in a heated state. The sheet iron is then rolled in order
to close the pores and lock up the oil in the iron; the sheet may then, if
desired, be polished by means of rotating rollers covered with leather, and
provided with fine chalk or brickdust; the sheets may then be colored by the
application of a heat which does not expel the oil.
In describing the process in detail, I will speak of the sheets in the singular
number for convenience, as some of the operations require consecutive
handling.
Common sheet iron is immersed in an acidulated bath composed of a
solution of organic acid and a mineral acid; I prefer oil of vitriol as the
mineral acid. By organic acid I mean such as results from the acetous
fermentation of grain or fruit, or such as pyroligneous acid; I have used
vinegar or still slop which has reached this stage of fermentation. To twenty
gallons of the described organic acid solution of the strength of ordinary
household vinegar I add one gallon of the oil of vitriol of commerce; the
solution is beated to, say, one hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit, and the
sheet metal may remain in the bath from three to twelve hours. The warming
of the solution is done in any suitable manner, such as by a furnace below the
copper floor. of the tank, or by a coil of steam pipe; these are mechanical
appliances well understood, and not requiring explicit description. The strength
and heat of the solution, and the time during which the plates shall remain
exposed to it, are not particularly defined, nor would an intelligent workman
require it. Should the solution be a little weaker than usual more time
would be required, and an increase of heat will expedite the process; the
object to be attained by this-acidulous bath is to loosen or remove the scale.

page_text: When the sheet is taken from the vat it is to be washed and scrubbed; it
is then immersed in an alkaline solution consisting of water and carbonate of
potash or other equivalent alkali. This bath is also at a temperature of one
hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit; its object is to follow the acid into the
pores. of the iron, and neutralize it; one hour may suffice for this. The sheet
is then passed between two wheel brushes, one running above and the other
below the plate, and revolving at a high speed, say five hundred revolutions per
minute. Jets of water are thrown upon each brush during the process of
scrubbing, and the sheets are passed through between the brushes in any
suitable manner; the object of this portion of the process is to thoroughly cleanse
the surface. The sheet is then placed edgewise in an oven and heated to, say, one
hundred and fifty degrees to two hundred degrees Fahrenheit, so as to become
perfectly dry; it is then placed in a bath of oil at a temperature of one hundred
degrees to one hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit; this oil I prefer should be
meatsfoot, fish, or other animal oil, and free from salt or acid. The sheet is placed
in this bath edgewise and out of contact with any other sheet, and may remain,
say ten or fifteen minutes, until the pores of the iron are filled with oil;
it is then taken out, and all the superfluous oil allowed to run off therefrom.
The sheet is then passed between a pair of well polished chilled iron or steel
rolls until the grain of the sheet is thoroughly rolled down; this will have the
effect of condensing the surface and closing up the oil in the pores in the
interior of the sheet. Care must be taken not to roll the sheet at a heat that
would evaporate the oil, as that would be fatal to this part of the process.
The sheet may, if required, be passed between the rolls several times to com-
plete the operation, and, if desired, the sheet may then be passed between two
rollers made of wood or other suitable material, and covered with leather; I
use sole leather. These rollers should have a very high velocity, say from a
thousand to fifteen hundred revolutions per minute, and the sheet being dusted
with a fine powder of chalk or brickdust properly pulverized and bolted
through a superfine cloth, the rollers will produce a fine polish on the surface;
the plate may be passed between the rollers by any suitable mechanical con-
trivances. The object of this part of the process is to polish the sheet, but
for many uses the surface of the sheet will be sufficiently polished and
smoothened by the condensing rolls alone; in such cases, therefore, the
polishing operation may be dispensed with. The sheet may then be colored
as required by being placed over a bed of burning charcoal until it acquires
the requisite tinge. Many attempts have been made to produce the mottled
appearance which is supposed to be nothing more than an irregular color in
the sheet, and arises from the fact that the parts were unequally heated.

page_text: The sheet, after being colored, is cleaned with a hand brush, and oiled so as
to preserve it against corroding agents during transportation or the accidents
of storage.
Having thus described this Invention of "Improvements in the Manu-
facture of Sheet Iron, and having explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, the following is what I claim as new, and desire to secure by
Letters Patent, namely, subjecting the sheet of iron, after it has been cleansed
of its scale, to a bath or coating of oil which is rolled in at a temperature that
will not dissipate the oil.
I also claim subjecting the sheet after it has been removed from the bath of
alkaline solution to the action of revolving brushes, upon each of which a jet
or stream of water is thrown.
I further claim the combination of an organic and mineral acid in the
acidulous bath for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.s.)