IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPLIANCES FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES OF EARTHENWARE AND CHINAWARE.
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Goodwin Green, of Church Gresley
Pottery, in the County of Derby, Earthenware Manufacturer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPLIANCES FOR USE IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES OF EARTHENWARE AND CHINAWARE.
Sealed the 27th May 1870, and dated the 1st December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Goodwin Green
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his. Petition,
on the 1st December 1869.
I, THOMAS GOODWIN GREEN, of Church Gresley Pottery, in the
County of Derby, Earthenware Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPLIANCES FOR
USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES OF EARTHENWARE AND CHINAWARE," to be
as follows:-
This Invention has reference to the herein described machinery or
appliances for use in the manufacture of earthenware of the character.

page_text: and description referred to in the Specification of the Letters Patent
granted to me 23rd day of May 1867, No. 1538, for "Improvements in
the Manufacture of Articles of Earthenware;" that is to articles of such
ware composed of an inferior or inexpensive body or material as the
foundation or bases for a complete fixing or covering of superior body or
material and now known as Derby Patent ware; such my present
Invention being also useful in processes for the manufacture of ordinary
earthenware and chinaware where the clay is used in a slip state.
The following is a description of the machinery and appliances, the
details whereof may be varied as circumstances may require. I con-
struct a box or case, which I call a slip case, with a space of, say, 1 to 2
inches as may be required between the sides, and of such length and
height as may be desired; the top of this case is to be open, and the
bottom is to open into a spout or trough having valves for the admission
and discharge of the slip. On the face or faces of the slip case I cut
holes corresponding to the size of the moulds to be used, interposing a
layer of some elastic material between the slip case and the mould to
make a slip-tight joint, the moulds to be secured to the face of the slip
case by fastenings, and the slip case to be suspended upon an axis in
order to allow of its alteration from a vertical position when required,
and to have spouts or troughs communicating therewith for the passage
of the slip from tanks placed at suitable levels. The action is this:-
Upon the valve for admission of the slip being opened the slip will rise
up the inside of the slip case, filling the moulds in so doing, and after
rising the height required the valve should be closed and the slip
allowed to remain in the case sufficient time to deposit the required
thickness of clay upon the mould; then the discharge valve may be
opened and the slip allowed to discharge itself, leaving the mould ready
to be placed in the drying stove, after which the ware may be fettled
whilst in proper order.
Where more than one slip or body is used duplicate or corresponding
slip cases will be required, which may be made of any size that may be
desired, and capable of filling at the same time a number of moulds in
proportion thereto without any employment of skilled labour.
Another appliance for the washing or facing of flat ware is thus
constructed: I make a mould rack on the principle of one side of the
slip case before described, having holes in it corresponding to the moulds,

page_text: which rack is to work upon an axis or pivot in order to fix it at any
angle that may be required, and in connection therewith I construct a
slip spout or trough with one side opening on a hinge, which is to be
used thus: I place the moulds in the rack and then fix it at the angle
required, and after filling the trough with slip (such trough being fixed
in a position to allow of the hinged side of the trough falling upon the
.top edge of the mould rack) I open the hinged side and allow it to drop
upon the top edge of the mould rack, which will allow the amount of
slip the trough contained to flow over the faces of the moulds in the
rack, leaving a smooth and perfect covering, and completing the
covering of as many moulds as the rack may contain.
In drying the ware I prefer to arrange the drying stove pipes in
ranges, so that two opposite sets of mould racks may be drawn out into
the same space between the two ranges without interfering with the
space in the workshop.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Goodwin Green in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
GOODWIN GREEN, of Church Gresley Pottery, in the County of Derby,
Earthenware Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Goodwin Green, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Goodwin Green, my executors, administrators,.
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Goodwin Green, 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
"IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPLIANCES FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE. OF

page_text: ARTICLES OF EARTHENWARE AND CHINAWARE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Goodwin Green, 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 Thomas Goodwin Green, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
This Invention has reference to improved machinery or appliances for
use in the manufacture of earthenware, more particularly ware of that
class and description which is referred to in the Specification of the
Letters Patent granted to me Twenty-third day of May One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven, No. 1538, for improvements in the
manufacture of articles of earthenware, and is now known as Derby
Patent ware.
My present Invention may also be usefully employed in the processes
for the manufacture of ordinary earthenware and chinaware by the
process of casting when the clay is used in a slip state or a semi-fluid
state so that it may be poured into moulds.
The object of the Invention is to facilitate the manufacture of cast
ware by operating upon or filling several moulds. at a time, to which end
any convenient number of moulds are placed in a frame or case, and the
"slip" or semi-fluid clay is poured or allowed to run into the moulds,
and when it has remained there long enough to allow of a deposit of clay
of sufficient thickness on the surface of mould the remainder of the slip
is poured out or allowed to run out, leaving a layer of clay of the desired
thickness in the mould. This deposit when obtained is treated and
finished in the ordinary manner.
For the convenience of manipulation I have devised certain arrange-
ments of machinery and appliances for carrying out my Invention, and
this machinery and appliances (modified to suit the varying forms or

page_text: kinds of ware to which they may be applied) form the subject of my
Invention.
In adapting the Invention to the manufacture, say, of basins or
tea cups I make a box or case, which I call a slip case, with a narrow
internal space, say, for example, one to two inches between the front
and the back thereof, and of such length and height as may be requisite
to accommodate the slip case to the sizes and the number of the moulds
to be used. The top of this case is to be open, and the bottom is to
communicate with a duct or ducts, hereafter referred to, having valve
arrangements for the admission and discharge of the slip. On the face or
faces of the slip case I cut holes corresponding to the size of the moulds
to be used, and I interpose a layer of some elastic material between the
slip case and the mould, so as to make a water-tight joint. Any con-
venient number of moulds are adapted to the face of the slip case, and
are secured by a fastening or fastenings, and the slip case is suspended
upon pivots to allow of its being tilted to any angle that may be required
when the moulds are to be placed in or withdrawn from the case, or for
the effective drainage of the slip from the moulds. This slip case is
provided with one of the ducts herein-before referred to, so that the slip
may be conducted thereto from tanks placed at a suitable level. A part
of the entrance duct is made flexible in order to yield when the position
of the case is altered by being tilted on one side.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a front elevation of
my improved apparatus consisting of the slip case and its appliances;
Fig. 2, Sheet II., is a transverse vertical section of the same taken in
the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, Sheet I., is an end elevation.
The sides, bottom, and ends of the slip case are marked A, the upper
part which is marked A' (Fig. 2) being funnel shaped, and serving as
what I term a "spare," having sufficient capacity to allow enough slip
to rise therein for the purpose of keeping up the supply as the level of
the slip is reduced by the absorption of the moulds. The lower part of
the slip case marked A³ in Fig. 2 is enlarged, as shewn in said Fig. 2.
B denotes openings in one side of the slip case, against which the faces
of the moulds N to be filled are placed; C denotes the duct from the
slip tank D. This duct C consists of three parts, namely, the lower
which forms a part of the slip case (as shown), the middle portion C❤
formed by an india-rubber or elastic tube fitted on to the lower part and

page_text: also to the upper part, such upper part of the duct being fixed to or
forming a part of the tank D. E, valve shown by dots in Fig. 1 for the
admission of slip from the lower part of the duct C into the body of the
slip case; E¹ is the valve rod, and E a lever jointed to the valve
rod, which is carried up beyond the top of the slip case, and works on
the lever centre placed across the interior of the slip case, and is
supported by the sides thereof; Es is a supporting or guide block for the
valve rod E' to work on, and E' is an india-rubber spring for keeping the
valve closed. The lever E' is actuated by means of a wire or rod secured
to the top thereof, and passing to a horizontal lever situate near the
discharge end of the slip case, and working in a horizontal line on the
top of the same. F is a valve to the duct G for the discharge of the slip;
F is the upright valve rod of the discharge valve F which may be
worked by chain and pulleys or lever connected to the rod, as shewn in
the Drawing; H, H, pivots on which the slip case can be moved or
tilted for more conveniently placing and removing the moulds, and so
forth; I, I, are supporting posts for the slip tank, and in which the
bearings for the pivots of the slip case or mould rack are situate;
K, K, (Fig. 2) are brackets secured to and projecting from the front side
of the slip case, and carrying a piece of iron tubing K', in which the
catches L are fixed. This tube with its catches is capable of being
rotated on its axis for the purpose of locking the frame or gate M which
holds the moulds N in place, and is hinged to the bar M² fixed to the
front of the slip case. To the gate or framing M is attached a horizontal
rail M³, the front of which is provided with thick blocks of india-rubber
which bear against the backs of the moulds, and act as an adjustable
packing between the moulds and the framing M. The joints between
the face of the moulds N and the face of the slip case round the
openings B are made water-tight by means of rings of rubber a, so that
the slip from the case is prevented from running out at the joints which
are moreover kept tight by the frame or gate M, with its rail and rubber
blocks M pressing the moulds forward against the slip case. The
framing M is pressed forward for this purpose by means of a lever
inserted into a socket K at one or both ends of the locking tube K',
and this latter with its catches L are held in position by pawls taking
into the ratchet racks K. The slip case with a single row of moulds
shewn at the upper part of Figures 1, 2, and 3 is for putting on the fine
external coating of slip, but the slip case immediately below it with the

page_text: three rows of moulds is for putting on the thick body of the article, and
which body is formed of a commoner material. As a considerable
thickness of this material is required the slip must remain on the
moulds a longer time than for the external coat, I therefore employ two
or more rows of moulds, which are filled and emptied in precisely the
same manner as the upper slip case. The frame M for the lower slip
case is not hinged to the bar M³, as is the case with the upper frame, but
is simply suspended therefrom by hooks, as shewn at Fig. 2, to admit of
removal with facility.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Upon the valve E for the
admission of the slip being opened the slip will rise up the inside of the
slip case and fill the moulds. When the slip case has been filled to the
height required the admission valve E should be closed, and the slip
allowed to remain in the case sufficient time to deposit the required
thickness of clay upon the surface of the moulds, then the discharge
valve F may be opened and the slip allowed to discharge itself, leaving
the moulds with a thin lining of slip on their surfaces. The moulds are
then to be removed and placed in the lower slip case, in which they
receive the commoner material to make the body of the article. When
this has been done the moulds are removed from the lower slip case, and
after being allowed to stand a short time to solidify the clay they are
placed in the upper case to receive the inner coating of fine slip. If the
articles are to be made solid, that is, of the same material throughout,
the moulds are allowed to remain in the slip case until a sufficient
thickness has been deposited. The superfluous slip is then drawn off in
the manner already explained, and the moulds may then be removed
and placed in the drying stove, after which the ware may be fettled and
finished in the ordinary way.
From the above description of my improved machinery and appliances
it will be evident that the Invention is equally applicable to the manu-
facture of ordinary cast ware as to the improved ware described in the
Specification of my former Patent of May One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-seven, and already referred to.
A machine or appliance which may be used for the internal or external
facing of flat ware, such as plates or dishes, is shewn in Sheet II. of the
Drawings, in which Fig. 4 is a front elevation, and Fig. 5 a vertical
section of the machine. It consists of a mould rack A constructed on

page_text: the principle of one side of the slip case already described. The rack or
frame A in which the moulds N are secured has holes or openings B
made in it (corresponding to the moulds), as in the former instance.
This mould rack or frame A is mounted upon an axis or pivot on which
it may be turned, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5, and it may
be fixed at any angle that may be required. In connection therewith I
construct a slip duct C of the capacity required according to the size and
number of the articles to be made. One side of this duct is made to
open on a hinge as at C*, so that it may fall down and rest on the rack,
but when the duct is full of slip the moveable side must be secured by
suitable fastenings to prevent the liquid from leaking out. In operating
with this apparatus I place the moulds N in the rack A, and then fix
the rack at the angle required, and after filling the trough C with slip
(such trough being fixed in a position to allow of the hinged side C* of
the trough falling upon the top edge of the mould rack A) I open the
hinged side C✶ and allow it to drop upon the top edge of the mould rack
which will allow the amount of slip (the trough or duct C contained) to
flow over the faces of the moulds in the rack, leaving a smooth and
perfect covering and completing the covering of as many moulds as the
rack may contain. The bar M³ with its rubber block and other
accessories is used in the same manner and for the same purpose as that
explained in reference to the Figures in Sheet I. If the main body of
the ware is to be made of the inferior material this may be done by the
aid of the slip case herein-before described, after which the surface of the
main body should be properly smoothed down by the workman, who can
put the foot on the ware if required. The last coat may then be applied
by means of the mould rack in the manner just described for the first
thin coat.
The machinery and appliances I have described are those which I
have used with advantage and prefer to use for the manufacture of a
great variety of articles, but for some articles a modification of the
apparatus shown may be used. For instance, the moulds may be placed
in a rack frame or case a, a, as shewn in Figures 6 and 7, and mounted
on centres or pivots, so that it may be turned thereon or tilted when
required, as shewn by dots in Fig. 6. This rack frame may if desired be
edented to a coriace h and mounted on wheels so that it may be

page_text: moulds e according to the size of the articles to be produced are placed
in the rack or case a, and on the face of the moulds is placed a tray f
provided with a flange or projecting edges all round, and in which are
made openings corresponding to the openings of the moulds e precisely
as shewn at Figures 2 and 5. This tray is pressed down on the faces of
the mould, and water-tight joints (formed by rings of rubber in the
manner already explained) are produced. When the moulds have been
properly secured in the rack or case a the latter may be run up (on its
wheels) to the slip trough g, and the requisite quantity of slip allowed to
run on to the tray f, and from thence into the moulds. When the
moulds and tray are filled the rack may be run back and allowed to
remain until a sufficient thickness of solid matter has been deposited on
the surface of the moulds, the rack may then be tilted on one side, as
indicated by dots, in order to discharge the superfluous slip into the
funnel h, and from thence into a channel i leading to a tank. The
articles cast in the moulds may then be treated and finished in the
ordinary manner. The discharged slip in all these cases is allowed to.
run into a tank from which it is pumped up into the reservoirs connected
with the slip cases or troughs.
Having now described my Invention of "Improved Machinery or
Appliances for Use in the Manufacture of Articles of Earthenware and
Chinaware," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid, the mechanical appliances herein shewn and described or set
forth whereby I am enabled to operate upon several moulds at once, and
thus effect a very considerable economy of labor in the manufacture of
cast ware.
I claim particularly adapting to the faces or edges of the moulds a
frame case plate, tray, or board, or other equivalent device in which are
made holes or openings corresponding to the openings in the moulds, so
that the "slip" or semi-fluid clay may run into and be discharged from
the moulds with facility, as herein set forth.
I claim this device whether adapted to a case or box in which the slip
is made to ascend into and be discharged from the moulds when arranged
or placed as shewn at Figures 1, 2, and 3, or when the moulds are
adapted to a rack frame, as shewn at Figures 4 and 5, or placed hori-
zontally in a travelling carriage, so that they may be filled from a slip

page_text: trough, as above described, or in whatever way several moulds may be
arranged to receive the slip at one operation when such tray or device is
employed to give access to the interior of the moulds, and yet produce a
water-tight joint
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Goodwin Green, have here-
unto set my hand and seal the Twenty-seventh day of May in
employed to give access to the interior of the moulds, and yet produce a
water-tight joint
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Goodwin Green, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of May in
the year of our. Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
in
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Goodwin Green, have here-
unto set my hand and seal the Twenty-seventh day of May i
the year of our. Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
WILLIAM GOUGH.
THOS. G. GREEN. (L.s.)