Year: 1885

page_text: The box or mould can be made of cast iron, wrought iron, steel or brass.
The box or mould to be of any depth to suit the thickness of the tiles that may
be required.
The box or mould is different to the box or mould now in use for making tiles,
inasmuch that it has side, slanting, lifting and secret drop plates, and that a portion
of the sides of the box or mould can be shifted or removed back so as to allow the
grooves and tongues and dovetail tongue, to be lifted out of the box or mould; it
has also side bottom plates let into the bed of the press, by turning the side handle
(which is at the bottom of the press and at the side also) these side bottom plates
can be lifted to the proper heights for which you require the position of the
grooves.
The thickness of the tongues can be regulated by raising the lifting plates to the
heights required for the said tongues, and by pushing the sliding plate, or finger
plate into the notch of the lifting plate it holds the lifting plate in the position
required.
By referring to the drawings you will see the box or mould plates &c fully
shown.
The top die is like those used in the ordinary tile boxes or mould, with the
exception that there are pieces on the top which strikes the lifting plates into
position & forming the thickness of the tongues.
The bottom plate (centre) is same as in ordinary tile presses or boxes or mould.
Fig. No 10 A shows a double lock tile in perspective.
The tiles to be made as follows: Unscrew the bottom plate No
(shown
on Drawing No 3) from the treadle or lifting rod, then screw on the regulating

page_text: plate No 9 (shown on Drawing No 3) the regulating plates are of different
thicknesses, to suit the thickness of the tile required, then take off the lifting
bottom plates Nos 16 & 17 (shown on Drawing No 3) and drop in the regulating
plates Nos 10 & 11 (shown on Drawing No 3) these regulating plates are of
different thicknesses as may be required, to fix the position of the lock grooves
Nos 2 & 3 (shown on Drawing No 1) also the lock grooves Nos 2 A & 3 A shown
on Drawing No 3) and groove No 1 (shown on Drawings Nos 1 & 3 then this
being done the box is ready for the tiles to be made, which is as follows, lift
plates Nos 6 & 7 (shown on Drawings Nos 1 & 3) to the height required for the
lock tongues, afterwards push in the finger plates No 12 (shown on Drawings
Nos 1, 2 & 3) to hold Nos 6 & 7 plates in position, then push the two sliding plates
Nos 13 which are at the sides of the box (shown on Drawings Nos 1 & 3) into the
grooves in the bed of the press, and which are marked R on Drawing No 1, and S
on Drawing No 3, to keep plates Nos 4 & 5 secure, shown on Drawings Nos 1 & 3,
then pull all the plates out so as to be flush with the inside of the box.
By referring to Fig. No 9 (on Drawing No 1) you will see what is meant by
being flush with the inside of the box, the dust (ground clay) is then put in the
box then push in all the side plates, lower the top die gently down in the box
until it finds its level, then draw out the finger plates No 12 (shown on Drawings
Nos 1, 2 & 3, then lower the top die down again, at the same time turn the
handle of the lifting screws and lifting bottom plates, to the left, the dust will
then have had some pressure from the plates Nos 2 & 3 (shown on Drawing No 1)
and plates Nos 2 A & 3 A (shown on Drawing No 3) then lift the top die out of
the box (as in every case by turning the fly wheel of the press, see Fig. No 20, (on
Drawing No 3) then send the top die down again with a good force, the tile is then
made, and is fast in the box, see sketch No 1 (on Drawing No 1) to release the tile,
pull all the plates back sufficient to allow the tile to be free in the box, and by
lifting the treadle or lifting rod the tile may be taken out of the box, sketch No 2
(on Drawing No 1) shows the tile ready to be lifted out of the box.
To release the bevelled plate No 2, (shown on Drawing No 1) pull back the
secret drop plate No 3, until it drop sufficient to allow the bevelled plate No 2
(shown on Drawing No 1) to be drawn back flush with the inside of the box.
There are pieces on two sides of the top die marked No 14 on sketches Nos 1 & 2
(shown on Drawing No 1) which will strike plates Nos 6 & 7 (shown on Drawings
Nos 1 & 3) as the top die is lowered down, they give the pressure on the tongues,
also there are pieces on the other sides of the top die marked No 15 on sketch No 2
(Drawing No 1) which when it finds it level on the box, it gives the thickness of
the tile required, for instance suppose you want a tile one inch thick, a piece of
iron can be screwed ou to the parts marked No 15 to make the tile one inch thick,
and so on as the case may be, the same will apply to the thickness of the tongues.
On Drawing No 3 is shown another way of releasing the bevelled plate, see
plates Nos 2A & 3 A, also finger plate No 7A (on Drawing No 3). Lift up finger
plate No 7 A. (shown on Drawing No 3) sufficient to allow slanting plate No 3 A
(shown on drawing No 3) to be drawn back flush with the inside of the box, after
doing this, fill in the box with dust (ground clay) as before described, then push
in slanting plate No 3A just as shown on Drawing No 3, so that slanting
plate No 3 A is perpendicular with the face of the tongue of plate No 2 A, then
let the finger plate No 7 A fall into the slot or groove in the bed of the press, the
tile can then be made, after this pull out all the other plates as before mentioned,
then by lifting up the finger plate No 7A, sufficient to allow the slanting plate
No 3 A to be drawn back flush with the inside of the box, then pull back
plate No 2 A far enough to allow the tile to be lifted out of the box.
Mode of Fixing the Tiles. The mode of fixing the tiles is by putting some
slop cement on the tongues and in the grooves of the tiles, with a brush or other-
wise, and then slipping the tongues down into the grooves of the tiles, see Fig. No 2
on Drawing No 1, when the cement has set, the tiles are nearly as firm as if in
one piece.
And

page_text: These tiles are invaluable to cure and prevent damp walls, (if the tiles are made
one inch thick and the size of a brick 9″ × 41″ × 3″, or any ordinary size, they can
be carried to any reasonable height, as they lock together) by keeping the tiles
of an inch from the damp wall, thereby taking up as little room as possible.
These tiles do not require to be bedded in cement, if required to be bedded,
mortar will do, and they are easily fixed by anyone.
Fig. No 3 (on Drawing No 1) shows cross joint of tiles when fixed.
Any form of tongue may be made, see Fig. Nos 5 & 6 on Drawing No 1.
Partition Tile. Tiles for partitions may be either plain or embossed, or with
a pattern on them both sides, see Fig. No 7 (on Drawing No 1) they are made same
as the plain tiles, with the exception that there is a pattern plate slipped into a
groove of the top die, and also a pattern plate slipped into a groove of the
bottom plate.
For Cheeks of Fireplaces. These tiles can be made up into slabs of different
sizes, in the process of glazing, viz: dip the face of the tile on the glaze, in the
usual manner, put it on a slab, then dip another tile on the face, then with a brush
thinly glaze the locks and grooves of the tiles, and slip the tongues into the
grooves, and so on until you get sufficient to make the size of the slab required,
then fire them in the glaze kiln, and they will be as firm as if made in one piece.
See Fig. No 10, on Drawing No 1.
Ceiling Tiles. These tiles can be used for ceilings, they are the same as the
other lock tiles, the only difference being in one of the tongues see section E also
sections on Fig. No 4, shown on Drawing No 1. These tiles can be slabbed in
squares say 3 feet square, or they can be fired in squares by putting glaze at the
tongues & grooves.
Fig. No 1 on Drawing No 1, shows straight joint of tiles.
The tiles may be laid on a "boarded" floor, as they do not require to be bedded
in cement, the cement being required only in the grooves and on the tongues,
unlike the present geometric & encaustic tiles, thus saving a great deal of labor,
time, and expense, for instance, supposing a tile pavement is required to be laid on
a "boarded "floor, it cannot be done without taking off the boards, and preparing
a proper foundation as shown by Fig. No 8 on Drawing No 1, the ordinary tiles
are often required to be laid on "boarded floors and if cement is put on a
"boarded" floor and the tiles laid, after some little time the boards swell, which
causes the tiles to get loose. The lock tiles may be laid on a boarded floor, as they
lock together, by the use of a little sand, to bed them in, should the floor be out
of level.
"
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 as follows
The double lock tile, for ceilings, walls partitions &c, also the partition tile, with
a pattern on both sides, also the box with the lifting plates, side plates, secret drop
plate and slanting plate as shown on the several Drawings.
I believe that a box has not been made with openings in the sides, so as to put a
tongue or a groove (by the aid of the plates) in a tile &c, and I have had some
twenty years experience in the manufacture of encaustic & mosaic tiles.