IMPROVEMENTS IN CHARCOAL BOX IRONS
Year: 1886

page_text: We JABEZ WHITEHOUSE and JOHN WHITEHOUSE both of Phoenix Foundry
Tipton in the County of Stafford Iron Founders do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN CHARCOAL BOX IRONS to be as
follows:-
ss
"
This invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in hinging
the lid or cover to the body of the box iron in fastening down the lid or cover and
in admitting air beneath the grating in the body of the box iron for the combustion
of the charcoal.
Instead of hinging the lid or cover by means of a pair of knuckles cast on and
projecting from the rear of the body between which knuckles a middle knuckle on
the rear of the lid is fitted and fastening the said knuckles together by a joint pin
passed through them the hinging is effected in the following manner.
On the
ends of the sides of the body of the box iron and where they join the rear part of
the body two projecting snugs are cast and on the ends of the rear part of the lid
pivots or axes are cast which are introduced into the said snugs the latter acting
as bearings for the said pivots or axes.
In order to introduce the pivots or axes on the lid into the snugs on the body
one of the said snugs is made with an open top which after the pivots or axes have
been placed in the two snugs is closed so as to retain the pivots in their snugs.
The closing of the open top snug is effected by turning down a short wrought iron
piece which is fixed on one side of the open snug by the casting process.
For fastening down the lid or cover we cast on the middle of the rear of the lid
and at a lower level than the said lid a projecting hooklike catch which when the
lid is shut down passes through a slot made in the middle of the rear of the body
of the box iron. The inner face of the hook like catch is inclined. On the outside
of the rear of the body a flat lever is jointed having motion in a vertical plane.
This lever takes into the hook like catch described on the lid and by a wedging or
binding action against the inclined face of the said catch the said lever holds the
lid firmly in its place.
Instead of forming an opening in the middle of the rear of the body of the box
iron for admitting air for supporting the combustion of the fuel we use a long
narrow horizontal slot or opening near the bottom of the rear of the body for that
purpose the said slot or opening extending nearly from side to side of the rear end.
This opening is temporarily closed by a narrow cover jointed to the rear of the

page_text: box iron at one end of the opening the other and free end of the cover being
provided with a knob or projection for raising and lowering it. The motion of
the cover is limited both upwards and downwards by a pin or stud near its joint
end taking into vertical or cross slots made in the top and bottom edges of the
principal or air slot or opening in the rear of the box iron.
By the use of a slot or opening of the kind described the air is more uniformly
distributed under the grating than when a middle hole is used and a flat grating
or an arch shaped or "tunnel" grating may be used in the box iron.
Improvements in Charcoal Box Irons.
We JABEZ WHITEHOUSE and JOHN WHITEHOUSE both of Phoenix Foundry
Tipton in the County of Stafford, Iron Founders do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention consists of the improvements bereinafter described in hinging
the lid or cover to the body of the box iron; in fastening down the lid or cover
and in admitting air beneath the grating in the body of the box iron for the
combustion of the charcoal.
· Instead of hinging the lid or cover by means of a pair of knuckles cast on and
projecting from the rear of the body, between which knuckles a middle knuckle
on the rear of the lid is fitted, and fastening the said knuckles together by a joint
pin passed through them, the hinging is effected in the following manner.
On the ends of the sides of the body of the box iron and where they join the
rear part of the body, two projecting snugs are cast and on the ends of the rear
part of the lid, pivots or axes are cast, which are introduced into the said snugs,
the latter acting as bearings for the said pivots or axes. In order to introduce the
pivots or axes on the lid into the snugs on the body one of the said snugs is made
with an open top, which after the pivots or axes have been placed in the two
snugs is closed so as to retain the pivots in their snugs. The closing of the open
top snug is effected by turning down a short wrought iron piece which is fixed on
one side of the open snug by the casting process.
For fastening down the lid or cover we cast on the middle of the rear of the lid
and at a lower level than the said lid, a projecting hook like catch which when the
lid is shut down passes through a slot made in the middle of the rear of the body

page_text: of the box iron. The inner face of the hook like catch is inclined. On the outside
of the rear of the body a flat lever is jointed having motion in a vertical plane.
This lever takes into the hook like catch described on the lid and by a wedging
or binding action against the inclined face of the said catch, the said lever holds
the lid firmly in its place.
Instead of forming an opening in the middle of the rear of the body of the box
iron for admitting air for supporting the combustion of the fuel we use a long
narrow horizontal slot or opening near the bottom of the rear of the body for
that purpose, the said slot or opening extending nearly from side to side of the
rear end,
This opening is temporarily closed by a narrow cover jointed to the rear of the
box iron at one end of the opening the other and free end of the cover being
provided with a knob or projection for raising and lowering it. The motion of the
cover is limited both upwards and downwards by a pin or stud near its joint end
taking into vertical or cross slots made in the top and bottom edges of the principal
or air slot or opening in the rear of the box iron.
By the use of a slot or opening of the kind described the air is more uniformly
distributed under the grating than when a middle hole is used and a flat grating
or an arch shaped or "tunnel" grating may be used in the box iron.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in side elevation; Figure 2
in side elevation partly.in longitudinal section; Figure 3 in plan and Figure 4
in end elevation a charcoal box iron containing these improvements; Figure 5
represents an end elevation of the body of the box iron without the hinged lid or
cover and ventilating cover; Figure 6 represents a plan of the rear end of the
hinged lid or cover and Figure 7 represents an edge view of the ventilating cover.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
a is the body of the charcoal box iron and b is the lid or cover hinged at its
rear end in the manner hereinafter described to the rear end of the body a the said
hinged lid or cover carrying as usual the chinney c, handle d and guard e.
The lid or cover b is hinged to the rear end of the body a in the following
manner.
On the rear end of the body a are two projecting snugs f, g the snug f being
tubular and the other snug g being made with an open top, which is closed by the
wrought iron piece h, the said piece being fixed by the casting process on one side
of the open snug g.
On the ends of the rear part of the lid b are pivots or axes i, k
which are introduced into and work in the snugs f and g.
In hinging the lid b to the body a the pivot i on the lid is first introduced by a
side motion into the tubular snug f and the other pivot k is then depressed into
the open snug g the wrought iron closing piece being in the raised position
indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. By now turning down the short wrought
iron piece h over the open top of the snug g, the pivot k is prevented from rising
out of the snug g and the hinging of the lid to the body of the box iron is complete,
the two snugs f, g acting as bearings for the pivots or axes i, kas represented.
The lid or cover b is fastened down by means of the projecting hook like catch
at the middle of the rear end of the said lid taking into a slot m at the middle of
the rear end of the body a. The inner face of the hook like catch is slightly
inclined; n is a flat lever jointed at n³ to the rear of the body a the said lever n
having motion in a vertical plane. This lever takes into the hook like catch
by a slight wedging action, the said lever holds the lid firmly in its place. By
lifting the fastening lever n from the hook like catch and turning it down into
the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 4, the lid is unfastened and may be
raised on its pivots i, k to open the box iron.
and
We will now describe the ventilating arrangement; p is the narrow horizontal
air slot or opening at the rear end and near the bottom of the body a for admitting
air for supporting the combustion of the fuel in the box of the iron. The shape
of the air slot or opening p is best seen in Figure 5; q is the narrow cover jointed

page_text: .
at q² to the rear end of the body a and at one end of the said air opening p. The
jointed cover q is shown separately in Figure 7. The unjointed end of the cover
is furnished with a knob q³ for raising and lowering it and on the inner side of
the said cover and near the joint end is a pin or stud r for taking into one or other
of the vertical or cross slots 8, t (see Figure 5) made in the top and bottom edges
of the air slot or opening p. By means of the said pin r and slots 8, t the motion
of the cover q is limited. When the cover q is shut down its stop pin r enters
the bottom slot t and when raised into the position indicated in dotted lines to
open the air slot or opening p, the said stop pin r enters the top slot 8.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that
we claim as the said invention of "Improvements in charcoal box irons"
First. Hinging the lid or cover by its rear end to the rear end of the body of
the charcoal box iron by means of the pivots or axis i, k on the said lid working in
snugs or bearings f, g at the rear end of the body substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly Fastening down the lid or cover by means of the hook like catch at
the rear end and middle of the said lid or cover into which catch a flat lever n
jointed to the rear end of the body takes substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly Admitting air to the body of the charcoal box iron for supporting the
combustion of the fuel by means of the long narrow slot or opening p near the
bottom of the rear end of the body and the use in conjunction with the said air
slot or opening of the narrow jointed cover q, q², q³, r and the limiting slots 8, t for
temporarily closing the said air slot or opening substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Din Wightonuth day of Santambar 1986