IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGARS AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1885

page_text: $6
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"
I THOMAS BEAR of 21 Denmark Street St Georges in the East in the County of
Middlesex Cigar Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGARS AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
At the present time in the manufacture of cigars the bunches after being rolled
are placed in wooden moulds and pressed each mould contains say 20 bunches and
is made in two parts, the lower part being provided with grooves or dies to form
one half of the cigar and the upper part or cover being provided with projections
or plungers which enter the grooves and form the other half of the cigar. When
the workman has rolled the 20 bunches and filled the mould the cover is put on
and the mould is carried to the press; after being in the press for some hours the
mould is taken back to the workman who turns each bunch in the mould which is
then again sent to the press.
A very large number of moulds are required and great difficulty is experienced
in keeping the moulds in good order because owing to the moisture of the tobacco
they are apt to swell so that the two parts bind together and often require
considerable force to get them apart and the edges of the plungers and the other
parts of the moulds are thus very apt to become damaged. Much time also is lost
by carrying the moulds backwards and forwards to the press.
The object of my invention is to overcome these objections.
On the bench in front of the workman I provide a hot closet in which the moulds
are warmed and dried before being used.-Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section
and Figure 2 a transverse section of the closet which I prefer to employ.
A is an atmospheric gas burner having above it a funnel B which leads the hot
products of combustion into the lower half of the closet.
Just above the entrance there is a screen C which tends to equalize the
temperature by preventing the products of combustion from striking directly
against the partition between the two halves of the closet.-D. D. are two slits or
holes through which the products of combustion pass from the lower to the upper
compartment of the closet.
The front of the upper compartment is provided with a door as shewn in the
cross section Figure 2. I prefer this closet to run the whole length of the bench in

page_text: front of the workmen but there may be a separate closet for each workman. The
empty moulds are placed in the upper compartment of the closet so that they are
thoroughly dried and warmed before being filled with the bunches. Heating the
moulds greatly reduces the time during which the pressure need be kept on and
therefore reduces the number of moulds required and the bunch wrapper is less
liable to stick and tear than heretofore.
In order to have the pressure applied as soon as possible whilst the mould is
still warm and to avoid the necessity of carrying the moulds to and from the
press I provide them with screws so that when the workman has filled the mould
he can himself apply the necessary pressure without leaving his seat.
Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section of a mould constructed according to my
invention. A and B are the upper and lower halves respectively; they are made
of wood in the usual manner the one being provided with plungers and the other
with dies. C. C. are screws by which the two halves can be forced together. These
screws instead of passing through the halves of the moulds may pass through
brackets or clamps on them.
The workman having filled the warmed and dried mould with bunches puts on
the cover and by means of the screw's C. C. applies the necessary pressure, he then
places the mould in a receptacle which may conveniently be situated beneath his
seat. When the bunches have remained a sufficient time in the mould the workman
undoes the screws C, takes off the top of the mould, turns the bunches in the usual
way, replaces the lid, and again puts in the screws and applies the pressure.
The moulds may be made to hold any number of bunches. I find 10 a more
convenient number than 20 (the usual number) because the sooner the wrapper is
put on the bunch after the lid is off the better and in order still further to diminish
this time I sometimes make the cover in two halves each pressed down by a
separate screw so that half only of the cover need be removed at a time. This
arrangement is shown at Figure 4 which is a side view of the mould with one half
of the cover removed.
I am aware that metal moulds heated with gas have been used in the manufacture
of cigars but the heat being applied directly to the mould whilst the bunch is in it
great care has to be taken to prevent overheating and spoiling the tobacco and I
have found that metal moulds do not produce such good work as wooden moulds.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The use of warmed wooden moulds in the manufacture of cigars substantially
as described.
2. The heating stove divided by a partition into two with a deflecting plate in
the lower half substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
3. The moulds provided with screws for applying pressure substantially as
described.
4. The mould with its lid divided into two parts which can be removed
separately substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of May 1885