IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF HOT FORGINGS AND STEEL DIES, AND MEANS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Storer, of Radfield Lodge, Clapham Park, in
the County, of Surrey, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF HOT FORGINGS AND STEEL DIES, AND MEANS AND APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREFOR,'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Storer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th September 1881.
ALEXANDER STORER, of Radfield Lodge, Clapham Park, in the County of
Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOT FORGINGS AND STEEL
DIES, AND MEANS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
According to my Invention in making steel dies, I place the steel block on which
the impression is to be made in an iron case lined with fire clay, or in plumbago
crucibles bound with iron bands. On the said iron case or crucible there is an iron
door or lid. The case or crucible containing the steel block I place in a fire clay or
plumbago retort, similar in shape and size to those used in the manufacture of coal
gas, and heated so as to allow the flame to encircle it on all sides save the front.
In this retort I beat the steel blocks to the required heat; and to prevent a scale or
oxidation from forming on the face of the steel block while in the retort, I provide
a pipe or pipes fixed into and entering through the retort door or other part of the
retort or furnace, which pipes are connected with a gasometer containing carbonic
acid gas, or any other suitable gas that will prevent oxidation, supplied in such
quantities into the retort or furnace as to neutralise any free oxygen or air that
may be in the furnace or retorts, and thus while the steel is being brought up to the
proper heat, its surface is being kept free from scale.
For treating the dies under the hammer, I place pipes of proper shape and size
at the corners of the steam hammer face, from which pipes gas is made to flow in
sufficient quantities to surround the steel block with an atmosphere of neutral gas,
while it is in position to receive the impression or blow of the hammer with
matrix attached.

page_text: For manipulating the dies I employ tongs with hollow or tube handles and the
face perforated, so that flexible tubes being attached thereto and in connection
with the gasometer, I am able to keep a constant flow of gas around the steel block
during its transit from the retort, until it receives an impression upon its surface
by the hammer.
I also provide a box or receiver wherein to deposit the dies after they are struck,
and where under the influence or action of the aforesaid gas admitted to the box
they are allowed to remain until they become quite cold.
In producing hot forgings, such as gun parts and the like, as it would be
impracticable to use fire clay or plumbago crucibles for each piece to be struck, I
use larger crucibles to contain a number of articles at once, the said crucibles having
a loose cover or door, into which is inserted the gas pipe, so soon as the crucible is
removed from the furnace, and thus carried alongside the hammer. Then by
means of tongs or holding instruments, such as above described, constructed to suit
the shape and size of the articles, I take from the crucible the article still under the
action of the gas, and place it between the dies of the hammer.
As such articles require two dies, and with the object of preventing these from
becoming softened too soon through contact with the hot metal, I withdraw the
article struck as quickly as possible, and place it in a similar chest to that already
described, where it is allowed to remain to cool, thus entirely removing any chance
of scale forming, as is at present the case by the old process. The gas passing from
the pipes fixed on the hammer serve the double purpose if required of not only
-keeping the dies cool when not in action, but also keeping them clean and free
from scale.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Storer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th March
1882.
ALEXANDER STORER, of Radfield Lodge, Clapham Park, in the County of
Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOT FORGINGS AND STEEL
DIES, AND MEANS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
According to my Invention in making steel dies, I place the steel block on which
the impression is to be made in an iron case lined with fire clay, or in plumbago
crucibles bound with iron bands. On the said iron case or crucible there is an iron
door or lid. The case or crucible containing the steel block I place in a fire clay or
plumbago retort, similar in shape and size to those used in the manufacture of coal
gas, and heated so as to allow the flame to encircle it on all sides save the front.
In this retort I heat the steel blocks to the required heat, and to prevent a scale or
oxidation from forming on the face of the steel block while in the retort, I provide
a pipe or pipes fixed into and entering through the retort door or other part of the
retort or furnace, which pipes are connected with a gasometer containing carbonic
acid gas, or any other suitable gas that will prevent oxidation, supplied in such
quantities into the retort or furnace as to neutralise any free oxygen or air that
may be in the furnace or retorts; and thus while the steel is being brought up to
the proper heat, its surface is being kept free from scale.
For treating the dies under the hammer, I place pipes of proper shape and size at
the corners of the steam hammer face, from which pipes gas is made to flow in
sufficient quantities to surround the steel block, with an atmosphere of neutral gas
while it is in position to receive the impression or blow of the hammer with
matrix attached.
'
For manipulating the dies I employ tongs with hollow or tube handles, and the
face perforated, so that flexible tubes being attached thereto, and in connection.
with the gasometer, I am enabled to keep a constant flow of gas around the steel
block during its transit from the retort, until it receives an impression upon its
surface by the hammer.
I also provide a box or receiver wherein to deposit the dies after they are struck,
and where under the influence or action of the aforesaid gas admitted to the box
they are allowed to remain until they become quite cold.
In producing hot forgings, such as gun parts and the like, as it would be imprac-
ticable to use fire clay or plumbago crucibles for each piece to be struck, I use larger
crucibles to contain a number of articles at once, the said crucibles having a loose
cover or door, into which is inserted the gas pipe so soon as the crucible is removed
from the furnace, and thus carried alongside the hammer. Then by means of tongs
or holding instruments, such as above described, constructed to suit the shape and
size of the articles, I take from the crucible the article still under the action of the
gas, and place it between the dies of the hammer. As such articles require two
dies, and with the object of preventing these from becoming softened too soon
through contact with the hot metal, I withdraw the article struck as quickly as
possible, and place it in a similar chest to that already described, where it is
allowed to remain to cool, thus entirely removing any chance of scale forming, as is
at present the case by the old process. The gas passing from the pipes fixed on
the hammer serves the double purpose if required of not only keeping the dies
cool when not in action, but also keeping them clean and free from scale.
The tools and furnaces employed to carry out this Invention necessarily vary in
form and construction to suit the size and shape of the articles to be stamped.
The accompanying Drawings shew as an example arrangements for stamping a
small article, such as the trigger of a pistol. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, and
Fig. 2 a transverse section of the furnace for heating the articles to a white heat,
a very high temperature being desirable for saving the dies and producing exact
work.

page_text: A is a retort or muffle made of fireclay or other suitable refractory material built
into a furnace, so that its middle part is surrounded by an intense fire or flame.
It is preferred to make the muffle accessible at both ends, so that the articles may
be introduced at the one end and taken out heated at the other. Both ends
are provided with doors B, B, which may be hinged above, as shewn in Fig. 1.
D, D, D, are gas pipes opening into the muffle for admitting to it any gas that will
not act on the heated iron. Common illuminating gas may be employed, as it will
be ignited by the heat, and thus consume the oxygen. When the articles are
heated, they are taken out of the retort and conveyed to the hammer by a pair of
tongs, shewn in side view at Fig. 3, and in transverse section at Z, Z, in Fig. 4.
The tongs have about the same thickness as the article F held by them in a recess
of corresponding shape. In order to prevent the article F from being too much
cooled, the inner edges of the recess are made thin, as is shewn in Fig. 4. A spring G
holds the tongs firmly closed. Over one leg of this tongs is fitted, as shewn in side
view at Fig. 5, and in transverse section at Fig. 6, a sliding piece H having
projecting flanges on each side which cover the article held in the tongs. When
this slide is drawn back and the tongs opened, the article is left free. On the side
of the slide H is fixed a small gas pipe I communicating by a flexible tube J with
a gasometer, so that gas can pass by channels i to the article F held in the tongs
while it is conveyed from the muffle to the hammer. Fig. 7 is a section of the
striker S and die K for stamping the article. The die K is enclosed within a
casing L, having a cover P which is turned aside when the striker is to descend.
This may be done by hand, or it may be made self acting by connecting the cover
to the moving parts of the hammer. The casing L is supplied with gas by a
pipe M, and has through its side an opening through which the tongs can be
introduced, the slide H of the tongs being at the same moment retracted. N is a
rest and abutment for the tongs, determining their proper position, so that the
article held by them will exactly enter the dies. When the striker descends the
tongs are opened so as to release the article. This may be effected by a wedge
shaped stud O projecting from the striker, and entering notches R (Fig. 3) at the
end of the tongs, so as to separate them. The hammer should be so arranged that
when the striker rebounds it is prevented from descending a second time, so that
the article can be thrown out of the lower die as quickly as possible, in order that
the dies may not become injured by its heat. The die may in some cases be
provided with springs which push the article out when the striker rebounds. The
article when stamped is again seized by the same or other suitable tongs, and
placed in a cooling box supplied with gas, or it may be buried in fine ash or other
powder to prevent oxidation while it cools. If the article is stamped at an intense
white heat, it comes out quite true and smooth, requiring no further finishing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim in respect of the manufacture of hot forgings,―
First. Keeping the heated article to be forged in an atmosphere of gas that
prevents oxidation, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
Second. The construction of tongs with slide and gas supply, substantially_as
described with reference to Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Third. The construction and arrangement of die casing, substantially as described
with reference to Fig. 7.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Storer, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two
ALEXANDER STORER. (L.S.)