AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DETONATING CAPS FOR FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Eley, of 38, Broad Street, Golden Square,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF DETONATING CAPS FOR FIRE-ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Eley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
June 1855.
I WILLIAM ELEY, of 38, Broad Street, Golden Square, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "AN IMPROVE-
MENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DETONATING CAPS FOR FIRE-ARMS" to be as
follows:
The object of this Invention is so to construct the interior surface of a
detonating cap, that when pressed on to a nipple it shall offer to the passage
through the nipple a flexible waterproof surface, which; shall close the orifice
sufficiently to prevent the passage of, air, water, or moisture through the
nipple..to the charge in the fire-arm. For this purpose a disc or surface of
flexible waterproof. substance, by preference vulcanized india-rubber, though
other flexible waterproof substance may be used, is introduced, so as to cover
the detonating priming in the copper cap; by this means, when the cap is
pressed on a nipple, the flexible waterproof substance will close the orifice of
the nipple, and prevent the passage of moisture through the nipple, and the
waterproof.substance-so-introduced-into-the-cap-will-prevent-moisture-getting-
to the detonating-priming in the cap:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Eley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th December 1855."
دران منم
TO ALL TO WHOM-THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ELEY, of 38, Broad Street, Golden Square, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs.and successors, give. and grant unto me, the said
William Eley, Her special licence that I, the said William Eley, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I;, the said William
Eley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time, agreo
with, and no others, fromt 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:"AN IMPROVEMENT IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF DETONATING CAPS FOR FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Eley, by an instrument in writing
under ny liand and scal; '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 William Eley, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof (that is to say):
The object of this Invention is so to construct the interior surface of a deto-
nating cap, that when pressed on to nipple it shall offer to the passage through
the nipple a flexible waterproof surface, which shall close the orifice sufficiently
to prevent the passage of air, water, or moisture through the nipple to the charge
in the fire-arm For this purpose a disc or. surface of flexible waterproof sub-
stance, by preference vulcanized india-rublier, though other flexible waterproof
substance may be used, is introduced, so as to cover the detonating priming in
the copper cap by this means; when the cap is pressed on a nipple, the
flexible waterproof substance will close the orifice of the nipple, and prevent
the passage of moisture through the nipple, and the waterproof substance so

page_text: introduced into the cap will prevent moisture getting to the detonating priming
in the cap.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
In carrying out my Invention, it is necessary to employ a soft or elastic
waterproof substance over the detonating powder in the cap, so that when a
cap is placed on a nipple, the end of the nipple may indent the soft and elastic
waterproof substance, and thus cause the orifice of the nipple to be closed. I
would state, that I do not claim the use of a waterproof covering to the
priming of caps generally, as a hard substance, such as metal or varnish, has
before been employed to protect the priming from moisture; but in such cases
the substance used has not been such as to admit of a nipple being pressed
into it in a manner to close the passage in the nipple air and moisture tight.
The best material I am acquainted with for the purpose of my Invention is thin
discs (say, about forty or fifty to the inch,) of vulcanized india-rubber, though
india-rubber in other conditions, or gutta percha, or compounds thereof, may
be used. Into each cap is placed one of such discs of vulcanized india-rubber,
which is pressed closely in contact with the priming in the cap; and I apply
india-rubber or waterproof cement at the edges of the disc, so that where the
disc comes against the sides of the cap there shall be .no passage for moisture.
The thin coatings of soft waterproof material thus used will not prevent the
fire of the priming passing through the nipple, yet it will prevent moisture
getting to the charge in the fire-arm through the nipple, and the priming will
be preserved from the action of moisture.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Eley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
CHARLES WHITEHEAD,
14, Trinidad Place, Liverpool Road,
London.
WILLIAM ELEY. (L.S.)