IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOT AND SHELL AND OTHER PROJECTILES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Mushet, of Coleford; in the County of
Gloucester, Metallurgist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF SHOT AND SHELL AND OTHER PROJECTILES."
Sealed the 13th December 1859, and dated the 14th July 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Mushet at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
July 1859.
I, ROBERT MUSHET, of Coleford, in the County of Gloucester, Metallurgist,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF SHOT AND SHELL AND OTHER PROJECTILES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in manufacturing cannon shot and shell and other.
projectiles, both for ordnance and for small arms, from a metallic compound or,
alloy of tungsten and iron, or of tungsten, manganese, and iron, or of com-
pounds consisting essentially of these metals in alloy.
In carrying my Invention into effect I proceed in the following manner :-
I employ for moulding the shot and shell or other projectiles moulds similar
to those employed by manufacturers in casting shot and shell and other bullets
or projectiles from cast iron.
I procure an alloy of tungten and iron, or of tungsten, manganese, and iron,
by smelting wolfram mixed with iron ore or other compounds of tungsten,

page_text: the said mixture being smelted with charcoal, coke, or coal fuel in a blast
furnace. This alloy I run from the blast furnace into ladles, and then pour
the said alloy into the moulds ordinarily employed for casting shot and shell;
or I take the pigs or masses of the said alloy which have been cast from the
blast furnace or otherwise made, and remelt them in an air furnace or cupola,
or in melting pots, and when melted I pour the liquid alloy into the shot or
shell or bullet moulds, in the manner usually practised in the manufacture of
shot and shell or other bullets and projectiles.
I sometimes melt a mixture of cast iron and deoxidized wolfram in melting
pots or crucibles placed in furnaces such as are employed by steel melters, and
when melted, I pour the alloy of tungsten and iron, or of tungsten, iron, and
manganese, into shot or shell moulds to form shot or shell.
I sometimes take the pig metal or alloy of tungsten and iron, or of tungsten,
manganese, and iron obtained from the blast furnace in the manner I have
herein-before described, and I granulate the said alloy either by stamping it
when strongly heated, or by running it when melted into water. I then mix.
the said granulated alloy with deoxydized wolfram, and I introduce the mixture
into a melting pot or crucible placed in an ordinary furnace for melting steel,
and I heat the mixture therein until it is melted. I then withdraw the melting,
pot, and pour the alloy into shot or shell moulds.
I do not claim any method of preparing the alloy of tungsten and iron, or
of tungsten, manganese, and iron, for casting shot and shell, for the said alloy
may be prepared in any convenient economical manner. But I wish it to be
understood that the greater the proportion of tungsten contained in the alloy,
the greater will be the density or specific gravity of the said alloy, and the
more effective will be the shot or shell or other projectile, when discharged
from a gun or mortar.
Although for convenience of description I have described my Invention with
reference principally to shot and shell, yet I wish it to be distinctly understood
that I do not limit myself thereto, but apply my Invention to the manufacture
of all such projectiles as my said Invention is or may be applicable to.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the methods by
which it may be carried into effect, I hereby declare that the essence of my.
Invention consists in manufacturing cannon shot or shell, or other projectiles
for ordnance or small arms, from an alloy of tungsten and iron, or tungsten,
manganese, and iron, by which means shot and shell and projectiles generally
of greater density can be obtained than when the said shot, shell, or other
projectiles are manufactured from cast iron alone.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Mushet in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th January 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
MUSHET, of Coleford, in the County of Gloucester, Metallurgist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Robert Mushet, Her special licence that I, the said Robert Mushet,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Robert Mushet, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOT AND SHELL AND OTHER PROJECTILES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Mushet, 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 Robert Mushet, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in manufacturing cannon shot and shell and other
projectiles, both for ordnance and for small arms, from a metallic compound or
alloy of tungsten and iron, or of tungsten, manganese, and iron, or of com-
pounds consisting essentially of these alloys. In carrying my Invention into.
effect, I proceed in the following manner :-I employ for moulding the shot
and shell or other projectiles moulds similar to those employed by manufac-
turers in casting shot and shell and other bullets or projectiles from cast iron.
I procure an alloy of tungsten and iron, or of tungsten, manganese, and iron,
by smelting wolfram or other compounds of tungsten mixed with iron ore, the

page_text: said mixture being smelted with charcoal, coke, or other carbonaceous matter.
in a blast furnace; or the said alloy may be obtained by melting deoxidized
wolfrain with cast iron or with scrap iron in a blast furnace or cupola. I run
the alloy from the blast furnace into ladles, and then pour the said alloy into
the moulds ordinarily employed for casting shot and shell or other projectiles; 5
or I run the alloy from the blast or other furnace into pigs, and I take the
said pigs or masses of the alloy otherwise made, and remelt them in an air;
furnace or cupola, or in melting pots, and when melted, I pour the liquid
alloy into the shot or shell or bullet moulds in the manner usually practised in
the manufacture of shot and shell or other bullets and projectiles. I some-
times melt a mixture of cast iron and deoxidized wolfram in melting pots or.
crucibles placed in furnaces, such as are employed by steel melters, and when
melted I pour the alloy of tungsten and iron, or of tungsten, iron, and man-
ganese, into shot or shell moulds to form shot or shell. I sometimes take the
pig metal or alloy of tungsten and iron, or of tungsten, manganese, and ironi
obtained from the blast furnace in the manner I have herein-before described,
and I granulate the said alloy, either by stamping it when strongly heated, or
by running it, when melted, into water; I then mix the said granulated alloy
with deoxidized wolfram, and I introduce the mixture into a melting pot or
crucible placed in an ordinary furnace for melting steel, and I beat the mixtures
therein until it is melted; I then withdraw the melting pot and pour the alloy.
into shot or shell moulds: By means of my Invention I obtain shot or shell.
possessing a very bigh specific gravity. I do not claim any method of
preparing the alloy of tungsten and iron, or of tungsten, manganese, and iron,:
for casting shot and shell, for the said alloy may be prepared in any convenient
economical manner. But I wish it to be understood that the greater the
proportion of 'tungsten contained in the said alloy, the greater will be the
density or specific gravity of the said alloy, and the more effective will the shot
or shell or other projectile be when discharged from a gun or mortar or.
other fire-arm. By deoxidized tungsten ore or wolfram, I mean tungsten ore.
or wolfram which has been heated to a temperature ranging from 60 to 90
degrees of Wedgewood's pyrometer in close chambers in contact with the
carbonaceous matter or other reducing agent, by which treatment the tungsten
or tungsten and iron contained in the ore have been reduced or partially
reduced to the metallic state. Although for convenience of description I have
described my Invention with reference principally to shot and shell, yet I wish
it to be distinctly understood that I do not limit myself thereto, but apply my
Invention to the manufacture of all such projectiles as my Invention is or may
be applicable to.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the methods by
which it may be carried into effect, I hereby declare that the essence of my
Invention consists in manufacturing cannon shot or shell or other projectiles
for ordnance and fire-arms generally, from an alloy of tungsten and iron, or of
tungsten, iron, and manganese, by which means shot and shell and projectiles
generally can be obtained of greater density than when the said shot or shell
or other projectiles are manufactured from cast iron alone.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Mushet, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witnesses,
EDWP MUSHET,
Coleford, Gloucestershire.
BROOKLYN MUSHET,
Coleford, Gloucestershire.
ROB. MUSHET. (L.s.)