CERTAIN IMPROVED COMBINATIONS OF METALS TO BE USED FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOB
CUTLER, of Lady Pool Lane, Sparkbrook, in the Parish of Aston, in the
Borough of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present inost Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Third day of October, in the third year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Job
Cutler, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I;
the said Job Cutler, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Job Cutler, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
iny Invention of ." CERTAIN IMPROVED COMBINATIONS OF METALS TO BE USED FOR
VARIOUS PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that I, the said Job Cutler, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be inrolled in Her'said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear,
i

page_text: Job Cutler, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates,-
First, to an improved combination of copper and zinc with lead.
Secondly, to an improved combination of copper, zinc, and iron with
lead; and,
Thirdly, my Invention relates to a mode of combining copper and iron by
the aid of metallic antimony.
And in order to give the best information in my power, I will proceed to
describe the nature of such combinations and the best means I am acquainted
with for combining such metals.
In the first place I would remark that the materials I use and prefer are:-
First, copper, the "best selected" or "tough cake." Secondly, iron, scrap tin
plate, which is generally considered a refuse material, it being thrown away by
tinmen and others who use tin plates; or I use sheet or scrap wrought iron; I
also employ that description of iron known as malleable cast iron. Thirdly,
lead, blue lead of commerce. Fourthly, zinc, that description known as
"foreign. zinc." At the same time I do not confine myself to these qualities of
articles, as they may be varied.
I would remark that I am aware that copper and zinc have been combined
into an alloy, and that copper and iron by the aid of nickle have before been
combined into an alloy or alloys of metals, and I obtained Letters Patent
dated the Seventeenth day of December, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-eight, for such purposes; I do not therefore now claim such combination
as new. And I am aware that a compound metal or alloy of metals called pot
metal has heretofore been made, in which copper, brass, and lead, with other
metals, have before been combined, but in such proportions as not to produce
an alloy or compound metal useful in itself, for the purpose of manufacturing
articles of commerce; but such pot metal has been necessarily combined with
other alloys or compound metals, in order to produce an alloy suitable to
make-articles of commerce, such as maslin-kettles.
The first part of my present Invention does not consist in combining copper,
zinc, and lead (with or without other metals or compounds of metal) generally,
but only in combining copper and zinc in certain proportions in respect to
each other with lead, by which I am enabled to obtain most valuable combina-
tions or alloys of such metals similar in appearance to brass, and capable of
being used in substitution of brass, and for a variety of other useful purposes;

page_text: and it will be found that owing to combining copper and zinc within the
limits herein-after mentioned in respect to each other with lead, combinations
or alloys of such metals may be obtained at must less cost than brass; 'and
the same may be, if desired, mixed with other metals, as is well understood in
alloying brass with other metals. The most advantageous and useful com-
bination of the above-mentioned metals is :-No. 1, forty parts of copper, forty
parts of zinc, twenty parts of lead. By this combination an alloy will be
produced, which is suitable for being used in like manner to brass, and is
also capable of being rolled into sheets with facility when hot.
Another combination is No. 2, forty parts of copper, twenty parts of zinc,
five parts of lead. By this combination an alloy will be produced, having
very similar properties with the preceding, but is more costly. I would
remark that the proportions of copper and zinc of No. 2 may be varied in any,
intermediate degree between itself and the combination No. 1, and the nearer
the combination approaches to No. 1 the cheaper it will be; and in fact it may,
be stated, that the combination No. 1 is so good in all particulars, and the
advantages deriveable, if any, and the change of character is so small by
approaching No. 2, that I cannot recommend any considerable departure from
the combination No. 1:
.
1.11
Another combination is composed as follows:-No. 3, fortyparts of copper,
fifty parts of zinc, and from ten to twenty parts of lead. "In this case it will
be seen that the zinc exceeds the copper, consequently, the alloy or com-
bined metal produced is hard, and is not suitable for many purposes.' I'con-
sider it, however, particularly suitable for weights, and for other heavy castings
which do not require more working than by means of a lathe. It should
be stated, however, that as the quantity of zinc is reduced, the combination or
alloy produced will approach the combination No. 1. I would remark that the
quantity of lead introduced into the combination may be varied and may be
increased, but I have found that the best quantity in relation to the quantity,
of metal or alloy produced is about one fifth of the whole, or twenty per cent.,
as is described in respect to No. 1 combination, for by such alloy and com-
bination of the said three metals I am enabled to produce a metal, as above
stated, at comparatively low cost, having the appearance of brass, and
possessed of equal if not superior properties for many if not for most purposes
to which brass has been heretofore applied; and, owing to the low cost at
which the new alloy or combination can be manufactured, it will allow of its
being brought into more general use.
!
T
Having thus stated the nature of the first part of the Invention, and the
limits within which I claim the combining of copper and zinc when the same

page_text: are combined with lead, I will proceed to describe the process pursued by.me
for, combining the said metals..
The lead which is to be combined with the other metals is first to be killed
as is understood and practised. I perform this operation in the following
manner I take fifty-six pounds of lead and put it into a furnace that
has a fire under it, the furnace having a cover to it and a. small pipe
in the cover to carry off the fumes that arise during the process. When
the lead is melted I put in from four to six ounces of arsenic; I then put
in a quantity of sawdust made from any description of wood, amongst
which I. have previously mixed a quantity of resin in the proportion of
one pound.or resin to one and a half pecks of sawdust. I allow the sawdust
to lie and smolder on the surface of the metal for about half an hour, when
the sawdust will be reduced to a kind of charcoal dust: I then well stir up
the metal and work the sawdust and arsenic into it. If I find when I have
done this that the lead is not sufficiently killed, which I ascertam by running
a small quantity, and when set, if it be snappish and brittly, it is suitable for
the purpose, but if it retains its original ductility it is not so, and in that case
I put in about one pound of common table salt, and let it remain for about a
quarter of an hour, when I well stir the metal up, and then pour it into small
sows. When the lead is thus killed I proceed to combine it with copper and
zinc as follows:-I put into a casting pot (when at a red heat) the quantity
of copper designed to be used in the combination, and melt it in the ordinary
way. I then put in the lead, and when melted I add from four to six pounds
of pounded calamine in a raw state to one hundred pounds of the combination,
and when all is well fused together I add the zinc and stir the mixture well
up; I then stop the pot down with coke dust, and after it has remained in
this state about ten minutes, I put in about two ounces of sal enixum of
borax as a flux to each thirty pounds of the combination, and afterwards let it
remain in the furnace at a good bright red heat about five minutes, and then
pour the metal into the article intended. If it is wished to combine equal
proportions of copper, zinc, and lead, it is necessary to get the lead and zinc
together first. In this case I melt the lead first, then add the zinc in the
same way that it is ordinarily added to copper, and, then pour it into ingots
or thin sheets, then break it up, and when the copper is melted and well fused
with the calamine, add the alloy of zinc and lead, and when fused together pour
it immediately into the article desired; it should be well stirred before and
whilst being poured; if this be not done the lead is liable to fall to the bottom
of the pot and the combination imperfect; when to be poured into ingots or
large bodies, care should be taken to pour it as cold as may be, so that when

page_text: -it gets to the bottom of the ingot or mould it will soon set. When
the combination is formed of copper, zinc, and lead in equal proportions, the
quantity of calamine to be used should bear a proportion of the whole of the
combination of from six to ten per cent. When the metal or alloy is
required to be in sheets, I heat an ingot or block thereof to a bright red heat,
and pass it between the rollers, and it is so passed two or three times, and
again heated and passed through the rollers two or three times, and so on
till reduced to the thickness desired; and this description also applies to
obtaining sheets of the alloys or combinations hereafter described where iron
is combined with the preceding alloy or alloys.
.
No. 4. Copper, forty parts; zinc, forty parts; lead, fourteen parts; iron,
six parts by preference tin plate scrap; and next in preference if the combina-
tion is intended to be rolled, scrap sheet iron, and in that case one ounce of
tin should be added to each one pound of iron, but if the combination is
intended to be cut into articles, then I prefer malleable cast iron.
I would remark that the quantities of the copper and zinc may be varied
within the limits above mentioned when for rolling purposes, that is, from
forty parts of copper to twenty parts of zinc, or the zinc may slightly exceed
the copper, but in such case the metal produced will become hard, and less
suitable for rolling as the quantity of zinc increases, and the hardness of the
alloy produced increases in proportionto the increased proportion ofiron used;
and it should be stated that even the small proportion of iron added as above
given greatly improves the alloy or combination of metals. And I have
found that although the quantity of iron may be varied, I have not found it
advantageous to apply more than from eight to ten per cent. of the combina-
tion produced when for the purposes of rolling. In combining iron with
copper, zinc, and lead, I take thirty-six pounds of copper and twelve pounds
of scrap tin, which I put into an ordinary casting pot, which is placed in an
ordinary smelting furnace; and melt them; I then take from about eight to
twelve ounces of metallic antimony, and put it into the pot with the fluid
metal. After the metallic antimony has been put in, I put in some of the
ordinary fluxes, such as pounded glass, sal enixum, or borax. The object in
putting in the fluxes is to purify the metal and to assist in imparting great
heat to it, therefore the quantity to be used must depend upon the strength of
the fire, more being required when the fire is not strong, and less when it is
so; but under ordinary circumstances the quantity of flux to be used for the
above quantity of metal would be four or five ounces. After the above fluxes
have been put in I then add about a quarter of an ounce of turpeth mineral.
When the copper and scrap tin and metallic antimony are in a fluid state, I

page_text: then add about one ounce of sal ammoniac, and then stop the pot down either
with pounded coke or charcoal, and then let the pot remain in the furnace,
keeping it nearly at a white heat for about ten minutes, when I well stir it up
and pour it into sows, and when cold I break it up and mix it with the other
metals to form an alloy for any article required. The zinc may be added in
the first melting in the way in which zinc is added to copper; but it is better
to remelt this mixture and add the zinc, as hereafter described. In proceeding
to combine the above mixture with zine to form brass, I melt in the ordinary
way the quantity of the above mixture intended to be used, and then add the
zinc in the ordinary way in which zinc is now added to copper. The quantity
of the above mixture to be used to make brass is fifty pounds to fifty pounds
of zinc. These quantities may be varied according to circumstances in any
proportions, but the proportions which I prefer to produce a metal similar to
ordinary brass are those cast above stated.
It should here be stated that this part of the process, by which iron is com-
bined with copper by the aid of metallic antimony, constitutes the third part of
my Invention; and the mode of alloying this combination with lead will be
hereafter explained.
Another combination is made of copper and Cumberland or malleable cast
iron in the proportions herein-after mentioned. In combining these metals I
put the iron and copper into the pot, together with the quantity of metallic
antimony hereafter stated; and with a view to get them to a great heat I
add fluxes of the same description and in the same manner and proportions,
and stop down the pot in the way above described in respect to combining
copper and tin strap; and zinc and tin are added in the same way, and the
metal is then poured into the article desired. This combination is particularly
applicable to the making cast nails and bolts for ships and other purposes,
and engine and mill brasses, and for heavy purposes where large masses of
metal are required.
And it should be stated that when using malleable cast iron in the combi-
nation of the articles produced therefrom are to be annealed, I perform this
process of annealing in like manner to that now pursued in annealing malleable
cast iron, and which is well understood. Although the proportions may be
varied, those I prefer are for the above description of nails and engine and
mill brasses is, fourteen pounds copper, two pounds eight ounces of Cumber-
land or malleable cast iron, two pounds eight ounces zinc, and an ounce and a
half of tin, and three ounces of metallic antimony. The average quantity of
metallic antimony used should bear in proportion of from half an ounce to one
ounce to one pound of iron in the combination.

page_text: UCK WORTH.
I will now describe the Invention when lead is 'used in an alloy or alloys of
copper, zinc, and iron.-I put a quantity of the mixture of copper and scrap
tin combined as above explained by the aid of metallic antimony, and add the
lead and zinc in the same way as before stated for producing an alloy of
copper, zinc, and lead. The quantity of the mixture will vary according to
the circumstances for which the combination is wanted.
1 would remark that in producing an alloy or combination of copper, zinc,
iron, and lead, in place of using metallic antimony for combining copper and
iron, nickle may be used as described in the Specification of my former
Patent.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,―
First, the combining of copper and zinc within the proportions above
mentioned when alloyed with lead.
Secondly, I claim the combining of copper, iron, and zinc with lead, as
above described.
1
And, lastly, I claim the mode of combining copper with iron by the aid of
metallic antimony, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Job Cutler, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.
JOB (L.S) CUTLER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Third day of April, in the year
of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid Job Cutler came before our said Lady the
Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Third day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand