AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON CHAINS, APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS PURPOSES
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSHUA
HORTON, of Taylor's Dock, Birmingham, Boiler Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date"
at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of March, in the third year of His
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Joshua Horton, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Joshua Horton, my exors, admors, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said Joshua Horton, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any 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, my Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF WROUGHT-IRON CHAINS, APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS PURPOSES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if the said Joshua
Horton 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 His 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joshua Horton, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof
(reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures
and letters marked thereon), that is to say:-
'
My improvement refers to and is applicable only to what are commonly
called flat chains, the same being made of wrought iron, and consists in a
different mode of manufacture from what has hitherto been adopted in the
formation of this description of chain, by which I am enabled to produce
a chain having less weight of material, more strength, and greater durability
than any similar chain now in use.
Figure No. 1 represents a single link of my improved chain. The two per-
forated ends or eyes are flat on each side, and of equal thickness, the middle
part or bar between them is cylindrical. Any length of chain may be formed
by a series of 1 and 2, or of 2 and 3, or of any greater number of such links
being connected to each other by a iron pin or rivett passing through the eyes
of each link, as shewn in Figure No. 2. And I hereby describe the manner
in which I manufacture the said chain (that is to say)-Having formed,
by forging or otherwise, a link in the rough, I take it whilst hot, or, if
necessary, reheat it, and strike the ends in a pair of dies the form I wish the
eyes of the link to be when finished, which may be either round or of an oval
form to strengthen the ends. The two ends may be struck in the dies at once
or each end separate. This process raises the superfluous iron, if any, in the
form of a fin round each end or eye, as shewn, Figure No. 3. This fin I take
off with a chipping punch and bed, which may be done either hot or cold.
The link being then put straight and level is ready for holing and facing.
The rivett hole in centre of each eye is drilled in by means of a common lathe
or drilling machine, or on any revolving spindle; and on the same or a similar
machine the eyes are faced on each side and level with each other, so as to be
perfectly true and of equal thickness. I find the drilling and facing to be
effected best by causing the link to revolve on a face plate or spindle,
having the drill or facing tool fixed in preference to the drill or facing tool
revolving, and rivets or pins of the link may be case hardened or not, are
then sorted in lengths, and are put together by a iron pin or rivett, as beforc
shewn.
Figure No. 2. I have there shewn part of a chain having three and four
links in breadth, but a chain may be made of any number of links in breadth,
according to the strength required.

page_text: Now, whereas the tools and machinery used in the manufacture of this
chain are not new, they form no part of my Invention, neither do I claim as
new the separate application of any of the means I have described to produce
its own individual effect; and whereas I have in my Drawings given certain
dimensions to shew the proportions of the different parts of the chain,
nevertheless I do not confine myself to any particular strength of metal in
the link or in the rivett; but I hereby declare my improvement to consist
in producing such flat wrought-iron chains as above described by the
combination and use of the various means herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joshua Horton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three.