IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CRUCIBLES, RETORTS, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES IN CERAMIC WARE, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CRUCIBLES, RETORTS, AND OTHER
LIKE ARTICLES IN CERAMIC WARE, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
communication from abroad by Jean Paul Simons, of Paris, France.
A
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th March 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CRUCIBLES, RETORTS, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES IN CERAMIC WARE, AND IN
APPARATUS THEREFOR." [A communication from abroad by Jean Paul Simons, of
Paris, France.]
This Invention relates. to a process and apparatus for obtaining by mechanical
means various articles of pottery or ceramic ware, such as glass-melting pots,
crucibles, gas-retorts, and the like, used in manufactures, and the moulding of these
objects or articles is effected by one stroke of the press employed.
According to the said Invention this moulding is effected by means of a mandrel
or plunger operated by a screw or hydraulic press or by any other suitable
power.
In carrying the said Invention into practice the clay or other substance to be
moulded is placed in a cast iron mould which receives the mandrel whose exterior
is identical in form and dimensions with the interior of the object or article to
be produced. It will therefore be readily understood that the mandrel must
be changed whenever it is desired to produce articles of different forms or
proportions.
In order that the said process of moulding may be fully understood, I have
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing a screw press constructed according to my
Invention, but this press is shewn only as a specimen.
The said press is shown in vertical section with the mandrel raised and the clay
placed in the mould in a position to receive the pressure. The mould m-is-formed-
of a piece of metal without a bottom and is placed on a well secured cast iron
tablet. This mould is secured to the table t by a sufficient number of iron pins a

page_text: The table t, which is movable, is placed on a cast iron bed plate c firmly secured to
the frame of the press, and so arranged as to slide on the said bed plate, thus
facilitating the working and reducing the stroke of the mandrel by allowing the
clay to be placed in position before hand. To confine the clay at the upper rim of
the mould I place on the latter a metal piece p having two small spikes. This
piece is of the same form as the said rim, but is wider and projects inwardly towards
the interior, the projecting part being of the same width as the thickness of the
sides of the moulded article, except a space of a few millimetres between the piece p
and the mandrel when the latter has reached the end of its stroke, thus allowing the
surplus clay to issue from the mould.
Two iron cross pieces g are placed on the plate p and give strength to the whole,
being secured by means of the bolts b which secure them to the lower portion of the
frame; the mandrel is shewn as a hollow metal piece which is guided in its
motion by means of the slide e working in the tie rods f.
If a hydraulic press be used the mandrel is usually stationary and the bed plate c
is movable, rising or falling by the action of the piston of the press.
Having thus described the apparatus its operation will be readily understood.
After having prepared the mould m the required quantity of clay is placed
therein, and should be of the consistency best suited for the material and the article
to be moulded.
The stroke of the mandrel is so regulated as to leave at the bottom of the mould
a sufficient thickness of clay to form the bottom of the article or object required to
be produced, and when the pressure has been applied the article will have been
moulded, nothing more being necessary than to raise the mandrel. This operation
is facilitated by the addition of a very thin plate of metal d which is placed before-
hand on the mass to be moulded, and admits the air between the mandrel and the
bottom of the article when moulded through the small orifices o in the lower part of
the hollow mandrel. This plate d is withdrawn from the bottom of the object after
each operation, and may be used any number of times.
When the object is moulded and the mandrel is consequently out of the mould,
the latter is withdrawn from the tablet by removing the pins a and loosening the
tie rod nuts. The mandrel should be slightly tapered.
When the mandrel has been withdrawn the mould and the movable plate pare
also removed, and any clay projecting over the rim is cut off and the article is then
to be taken out of the mould.
If the articles are wider at their upper portion than below, as is usually the case,
especially as 2 or 3 millimetres for each decimetre will suffice, the mould is turned
upside down and the article moulded comes out readily. Should the moulded
objects not be of a slightly conical shape, that is to say, if they are of the same
diameter top and bottom, the mould is made in two pieces hinged together,
and to remove the article moulded the mould is opened in the most convenient
manner.
This mode of operation can be performed by hand for small objects, and by the
aid of cranes and trollies for large articles.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th September 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF.
CRUCIBLES, RETORTS, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES IN CERAMIC WARE, AND IN
APPARATUS THEREFOR." A communication from abroad by Jean Paul Simons, of
Paris, France.
My Invention relates to the manufacture in a simple and economical manner by
the aid of a mould, which will allow of the production directly by pressure of any
ceramic objects, such as crucibles or melting pots and the like, whatever may be
their outward form or their. capacity.
My moulds invariably consist of three parts, namely, 1, the base, which is a
fixed table, and should be perfectly level. This table will serve for various
moulds, as the bottom of the articles to be produced is almost always straight or
level.
I have above stated that this table is fixed, but I may make it capable of hori-
zontal displacement, which will materially assist in withdrawing the moulded
articles from the press. For this purpose it will be movable in suitable guides or
upon rollers to facilitate the manipulation thereof.
2. The mould proper or casing either made in one piece or of several pieces
attached to each other by hinges and bolts. The interior surface of this mould
corresponds to the exterior form, which the article to be produced is to assume,
that is to say, if the article is to be provided with notches or with lips, lugs,
flanges, or like raised or depressed parts the interior of the mould will be provided
with suitably depressed or raised parts.
This Invention not only affords the advantage of allowing the moulded article
produced to be removed when it is moulded, as will be more fully hereinafter
explained, but also allows the said article or object to be put into the place or
position where it is to be dried, and the mould can be taken away in parts, as the
said article or object has set properly in the sand or in any place wherein it is to
be dried.
3. The upper part, which I call the lid, and which closes the mould at its upper
end, and whose shape will give to the top part or upper edge of the moulded article
or object the desired form or the particular appearance it is to assume when finished,
such, for example, as the bolt-holes in gas-retorts, which holes are produced by
pins fixed upon the said lid; or the lid will give to the upper edge a convex form,
as required in glass-melting-pots or the like.
The third part or mould-lid can, for small work, such as saggers, small crucibles,
and the like, be arranged to be lifted off by hand, but for heavy work, such as gas-
retorts, glass-pots, and the like, it should be attached to the machine, as hereinafter
fully explained.
These three parts, which form my mould, I firmly connect by bolts; I then
introduce clay into the mould and bring pressure to bear in the usual manner. I
effect this pressure either by a lever-press, a screw, or a hydraulic press, and use
for the purpose a plug or piston, which forms or shapes the interior of the article
or object to be moulded, and the said plug or piston may be fixed. or movable,
according to the pressure employed.
The upper part or lid of my mould for small work is-a-plate-scooped or hollowed
out, and attached to the mould and table by bolts, and the said lid is placed in its
position and removed by hand. For large work however, when this lid is of great
weight, it is fixed upon a platform, which at its centre is provided with a suitable
opening, the said platform being free to slide between the uprights of the machine,

page_text: and the aforesaid lid, together with the platform, remains suspended at a pre-
determined height, and requires no manipulation beyond the fixing of it to the
table by bolts, and the removal of such bolts after pressure. If a hydraulic press is
used the mould proper or casing after pressure descends alone with the table or
base, upon which it rests, and is then removed, the table and lid remaining in their
respective places.
The simple action of my complete mould is due to the particular arrangement of
parts, and it is this arrangement which more particularly forms the object of my
Invention.
By way of example I have shewn in the accompanying Drawing three different
applications of my Invention.
Figure 1 shews in vertical section and plan the said mould as applied to saggers,
small crucibles, and the like.
The mould is formed by a sheet or casing of metal a, and has no bottom. It
may be made in a single piece, or, as above stated, in several parts or segments
attached to each other by bolts or hinges.
b
This casing is, by means of pins or bolts c, fixed upon a table or platen 6 pre-
ferably of cast-iron, which table is accurately planed, and the said casing can be
easily removed after the moulding is completed.
If necessary the table b may be free to slide horizontally on its bed d, so as to
facilitate the manipulation.
A piece of metal e, which forms the lid, is placed upon the mould. The lower
surface of this piece e has a shape corresponding to the desired form or shape of
the upper edge or rim of the article or object to be moulded, and is so cut out at
the centre as to leave a slight clearance between it and the plug or piston when
the latter is at the end of its course; this arrangement provides for the escape
of the superfluous clay.
These three parts, namely, the casing a, the table b, and the lid e, are firmly
connected during the process of moulding by means of tie bars and bolts, or in
any other convenient manner.
After the moulding has been effected the casing with the moulded article or
object is removed, and taken to the place where the drying is to be effected, as
hereinbefore mentioned.
Figure 2 shews my Invention as applied to pots for melting glass, the
dimensions of which pots necessitate a modification of the above described
arrangements.
In this case the piece e which forms the lid remains suspended from and is
supported by a sliding platform f, which rests upon movable stops g, movably
attached to the uprights of the press.
The lower face of the said lid which corresponds in shape with the upper edge
of the melting pot or crucible to be formed is made concave, so as to impart to the
said upper edge a convex form, as shewn.
The mould which is placed upon the hydraulic press bears against the lid e
before the plug or piston touches the clay placed in the mould.
When the mould comes into contact with the aforesaid lid these parts are firmly
connected by means of bolts or tie-bars h passing through the bed i and platform f.
The movable stops g, the height of which can be regulated at will, are fixed upon
the uprights of the press by the set-screws and serve to stop or arrest the
platform f, and consequently the lid.
In Figure 3 the application of my Invention to the moulding of gas-retorts is
shewn, Figure 4 being a plan of the particular mould used for this purpose, and
Figure 5 shewing on an enlarged scale details of the upper rim of such a retort,
with the bolt-holes and notches produced therein by means of my Invention.
In this application the three parts constituting the said mould are arranged in
the same manner as in the last described application, with the exception however
that the projecting pins or studs m are attached to or fixed in the piece e which
forms the lid. These pins or studs are intended to produce the holes for the fixing

page_text: bolts of these gas-retorts, whilst similar pieces n are fixed in corresponding position
in the mould proper or casing a to form the seats for the aforesaid bolts in the
retort.
These pieces n are fixed by keys or wedges, or in any other convenient manner
in projections cast upon the mould proper
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The placing of the mould upon a plate or table which serves as its bottom,
and from which table it can be removed together with the moulded article for
drying the latter, substantially as set forth.
Second. The use of the said plate or table as a carriage by making the same
movable in guides or otherwise, so that it will facilitate the removal of the mould
from the press for carrying the said mould to the place where the moulded article
is to be dried, substantially as set forth.
Third. The construction of the mould proper or casing in one piece or in several.
pieces, and with its interior corresponding in shape with the exterior form of the
article to be produced, for the purposes specified.
Fourth. The arrangement of the annular lid f, the pieces or stops g, and the
bolts and traversing or tie-bars which fasten this lid to the mould and the table
when a hydraulic press is employed, substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The combination of the casing a, the table b, and the piece e, the latter
forming the lid, and the whole connected by tie bars and bolts, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
Sixth. The use in the moulding of gas-retorts of the pins or studs m, so fixed
upon the annular lid as to form in the process of moulding the bolt holes in the
moulded article or object, and the use of similar studs or pins n fixed to the upper
part of the mould and corresponding to the pins m to form in the side of the
retort seats for the bolts, all substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
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