CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY AND PROCESS USED IN THE MANUFAC- TURE OF BRICKS, TILES, BREAD, BISCUITS, AND VARIOUS OTHER ARTICLES OF COMMERCE MADE FROM PLASTIC MATERIALS
Year: 1832

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
JAMES CLARK, of Market Rasen, in the County of Lincoln, Gentleman, JOHN
NASH, of the same place, Tile and Brick Manufacturer, and JOHN LONGBOTTOM,
of Leeds, in the County of York, Machine Maker, 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 Thirteenth day of April, in the second year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said John
James Clark, John Nash, and John Longbottom, His especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said John James Clark, John
Nash, and John Longbottom, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said John James Clark, John Nash, and John Long-
bottom, our executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time 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, and also
in all His said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, our Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY AND PROCESS USED IN THE MANUFAC-
TURE OF BRICKS, TILES, BREAD, BISCUITS, AND VARIOUS OTHER ARTICLES OF COMMERCE
MADE FROM PLASTIC MATERIALS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a

page_text: proviso, that we, the said John James Clark, John Nash, and John Longbottom,
or one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said Inven-
tion, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Nash, for myself and for the said John Nash-and John Longbottom, do
hereby declare that the nature of our said Invention consists;-
First. In improved machinery or implements to be used in the making of
pantiles, flat tiles, drain tiles, sole tiles, flooring tiles, bricks, quarries, water pipes,
and other tubes, coverings for buildings, and various other articles formed of
aluminous earth or other suitable plastic matter, which machinery or imple-
ments are applicable to the formation of loaves and biscuits, for the subsequent
operations of bread and biscuit bakers.
Second. In covering or lining the moulds used in the manufacture of the
aforesaid articles withofibious elastic substances or fabrics (such as cloth, for
instance), that are capable of being made alternately to absorb and give out
air and moisture: oil est mot
ca got * 2
.
Thirdumunthe.made lof. applying: water or other suitable liquid toothe
moulds, dinings; pistons; and others accessory working parts,dto prevent-the
adhesion of the plastic matter operated upbn.. Disc la no
02 Fourth. In the application of theaters to the moulds or machine during
the operation of cmoulding, to idrive offoasportion of the moisture from the
newly formed articles; and thus expedite the solidifying and drying of them?
Having thus stated the general nature of Tour Invention, proceed to specify
" in what manner the same is to be performed, by the following description;
together with the illustrative Drawings attached thereto.
The three Diagrams marked Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 3, afford three differ-
ent elevations or side views of a machine for the aforesaid purposes, some por-
tions of which are represented in section for the better elucidation of the
mechanical arrangements; in all these Figures the same letters of reference
indicate similar or corresponding parts differently viewed. At a, a, is a
vertical shaft which is made to revolve in the cylinder or pug-mill 6, by the
application of adequate force from any first mover, which may be effected,
through the medium of gear to the bevil wheel c, or by the employment of
any other suitable mechanical agency. To this shaft are fixed broad steel or
iron knives or blades, d, d, d, each of which has fastened to it three smaller

page_text: blades projecting from its uppermost side, circular holes are made in the
vertical shaft, through which the rounded extremities of the larger blades are
passed and secured on the opposite side by screwed nuts, e, e, e, in such manner
as to allow of the position of the blades being easily adjusted or inclined to
the angle best suited to prepare, regulate, and adapt the force and motion of
the clay or other material through the cylinder or pug-mill to the quantity
required in a given time. Although we prefer to convey the clay or other
material to the cylinder or pug-mill by means of waggons propelled on a rail-
way, it is, of course, not essential how the supply is effected. When the mill
is charged the motion of the knives or blades produced by the revolutions of the
vertical shaft gradually tempers and forces the plastic materials into a hopper f,
fixed to the lower extremity of the pug-mill. This hopper is divided into two
equal chambers by a vertical blade or knife h, which separates the clay or
other material by which equal quantities are supplied to the moulds in a com-
pact and solid state. The moulds employed are separate, that is, they may be
detached at pleasure from the cavities in which are they lodged. Recesses for
the reception of these moulds are thus formed: around the peripheries of two
pair of wheels with broad rims, i, i, one pair of which is plain and is brought
into view in Fig. 2, the other pair is teethed, seen at k, k, Fig. 3, and being in
geer with each other are made to revolve in opposite directions, by motion
being communicated to one of them (which will be hereafter described), are
fixed at equal and proper distances two distinct series of oblong wedge-formed
boxes, which we denominate "hollow sectors," marked in the Drawings 1, 1, 1.
When so arranged, the figure of these sectors causes a similar number of
rectangular spaces to be left alternately between them, as denoted in one series
by the letters A to L, and in the other by the Figures 1 to 12; into these the
separate or detached moulds are placed during the operation of the machine,
and into each of the hollow sectors is placed a red hot iron or other heater,
the effect of which heating of the machine is to expel the superfluous moisture
from the tiles, bricks, &c., and thus enables the manufacture to be conducted
in the winter as well as in the summer season. The heating of the heaters is
conveniently conducted, and without any sensible expense, at the kiln fires
whilst the latter are in operation, and when they are not, at a trifling cost when
compared to the advantages of the early drying and solidifying of the newly
formed articles. The form and dimensions of the separate or detached moulds
are varied according to the nature of the articles to be produced therefrom,
and the moulds themselves, after being filled with the plastic material, are
pushed out from their recesses by means of pistons at m, m, easily fitting
the recesses and sliding upon parallel rods fixed to the rims of each

page_text: wheel. To the bottom of each piston, and connected with the parallel
rods, is attached a flat shaft (o, o, Fig. 1), each end of which carries a small
anti-friction wheel p, seen best at Fig. 2, which, by the motion given to
the machinery, on approaching the place of delivery, comes in contact with a
larger wheel q, (Fig. 2), placed eccentrically from the wheels of the mould
receivers, and raises the moulds r, r, containing the tile or brick, &c., within
them, which are then to be taken up and removed by hand, and emptied in a
similar manner to that usually employed when bricks are moulded by hand.
During the latter process, the emptied mould receiver will have passed over the
centre of the eccentrically placed wheel, and the piston has descended or is
descending, when the attendant person replaces the emptied mould in its former
situation to be filled again from the hopper as it passes under it. The rims
of the wheels for the mould receivers are made polygonal or flat sided at the
edges, between the hollow sectors and the axes s, s. These wheels revolve in
plummer boxes mounted on pedestals or blocks, which slide horizontally
between guiding grooves made in a strong metallic framing or rails underneath.
To one end of each pedestal is attached a helical spring t, t, the other end of
each spring abutting against a regulating screw, which passes thro' the
extremity of the fixed rail, the result of which is, that the pedestals and the
wheels which they carry are kept constantly in contact, notwithstanding
the unequal polygonal figure of their rims. In the middle of and underneath
the horizontal rail is fixed a knife u, supported in its place by the elastic pres-
sure of a spiral spring, which separates the whole or a portion of the super-
fluous materials from each mould as the latter passes over the edge of the
former. As some redundancy of material may still be left after the second
operation of the knife u, the exposed surface of the matter in the moulds
undergoes a similar treatment from two other knives v, v, fixed to the founda-
tion plate w, of the machine. For the purpose of moistening the moulds and
their adjuncts, to prevent the sticking of the plastic matter thereto, a trough
or cistern a, a, containing water or other suitable fluid, is placed underneath
each of the wheels, the lowest sides of which come in contact with a cylinder y,
which is covered with strong coarse cloth or other absorbent substance, which,
as it revolves, takes up the fluid from underneath and delivers it to the
moulds, &c., as before mentioned. These cylinders are mounted on elastic
bearings on the outside of the cylinders, and derive their motion from pinions
on their axes, actuated by the toothed wheels of the mould receivers. In the
centre of the foundation plate there is a cavity or pit for the reception of the
superfluous clay or other materials, from whence it is removed at pleasure.
In the cylinder or pug-mill is a door 13, for the convenience of cleaning it out

page_text: at pleasure. The whole of the upper part of the machine is supported by
three columns g, g, g, fixed to the foundation plate. The mould receivers are
driven by means of a pulley or strap wheel 14, Fig. 3, fixed to one of the
columns, to which pulley wheel is attached a pinion 15, that drives a larger
wheel 16, running loose on the shaft of one of the mould receivers; this last
propels another larger wheel 17, fixed on the shaft of the other mould receiver,
and by the toothed wheels on both the mould receivers geering into each other
they are driven round together, but in opposite directions.
Fig. 4 exhibits another arrangement which we have adopted for making
flat tiles, flooring tiles, or coverings for buildings, made of the breadth and thick-
ness required. To the bottom of the cylinder or pug-mill I fix a funnel-shaped
hopper 18, the materials in which, after being forced through a mouth 19, formed
to the required shape, are received upon boards propelled on an endless band or
platform, and, when cut to the proper length, are removed to sheds for drying.
In order to equalize the surface of the material after it has come out from the
hopper, a roller 20, turning upon a curved arm which is fixed to a hinge joint,
gives the material any pressure that may be required by weighting it accord-
ingly. The dotted lines 21, 21, in the same Figure 4, exhibits another funnel-
shaped hopper for the purpose of making tubing or piping by means of a centre
core 22, between which and the cylindrical continuation of the hopper the mate-
rial is forced by the action of the pug-mill, and produces a tube which, after
having made a certain length, is cut off, the tubing being turned round to render
the inside smooth previously to its being removed.
Fig 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 shew some of the various shapes which the machine
is capable of making. In Fig. 5 is represented the manner of taking the
arched drain tiles off the horse 23, on which they are formed, the square hole
being for the insertion of a handle at each end to facilitate the removal.
Figure 9 shews another kind of horse 24, which may be made use of.
Figure 10 shews the longitudinal section, and Figure 11 the end elevations,
of a mould for making bricks of the same kind as is partly represented at r,r,
in Fig. 2. In Fig. 1 are represented two moveable blocks 25, 25, contained
in the hopper, which are to be taken out when the tiles, &c., are required to
be made of a greater length than a brick.
A railway of a convenient length may be prepared, to work on a centre, for
the removal of tiles, &c., from the machine. Two dozen or more tiles, &c.,
may be placed on a waggon on a platform, the railroad being balanced by a
weight, so that a person pulling the weight will raise one end of the railroad
and convert it into an inclined plane, thereby causing the waggons to proceed
to the places where the tiles, &c., are to be taken off and laid out for drying.

page_text: The other end is then raised by similar means, and the empty waggon is again
returned to receive the next load of tiles, &c., which are placed thereon by the
person attending the machine. In manufacturing on the small scale, the
tiles, &c., may be advantageously removed by boys on pallets placed on wheel-
barrows. The above described process will also answer for the making of flour,
paste, or dough into various shapes, the form of the moulds being adapted, of
course, to the figure required. In case of negligence on the part of the boys
or other attendants to the machine, in not removing the tiles, &c., after the
moulds containing the several articles have passed the centre of the eccen-
trically placed wheel, they fall into their former position and pass round to
the place of delivery as before, without any damage whatever being done to
the machine. Should a stone or other hard substance by accident or otherwise
fall into the cylinder, by throwing off the strap communicating motion to the
mould receivers they are put out of action while the mill continues to work
without the liability to injure any part of the machinery. In case the clay or
any part of the materials become too stiff, which may occasionally happen,
there is a cistern for the reception of water or other liquids placed on the top
of the cylinder or pug-mill, provided with a cock, terminating in a rose to
convey the liquids to that part where it is wanted, so as to equalize the
tempering of the clay or other materials.
Having now described certain means by which our "improvements" may be
carried into effect, we desire it to be understood that we do not lay a claim to
the whole of the parts described or exhibited, as some of them, distinctly
considered, are not of our Invention. I therefore proceed to describe those parts
to which we do lay an exclusive claim; these are,
First, the application of separate or detached moulds (of the particular
construction described or delineated) in cavities or receptacles for the before-
mentioned purposes to any system of mechanism (that is to say), whether those
moulds be arranged in a circular, a polygonal, a curved, a rectilineal, or other
surface or surfaces, line or lines, as the same or nearly the same advantages
will result therefrom. The circular or polygonal form exhibited in the
Drawings is therefore by no means necessary to our Invention, but shews only
one convenient mode of applying it.
Secondly, we claim the application of heaters in contact or contiguous to the
mould receivers.
Thirdly, we claim the application of springs to keep the mould receivers in
contact with each other.
'
Fourthly, we claim the application of cloth or other fibrous, elastic, or
absorbent substances, and the application of liquids to. those substances, in the

page_text: preparation of the articles before named from plastic materials, by machinery
or otherwise.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Nash, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of October, One thousand eight hun-
dred and thirty-two.
Inrolled the Thirteenth day of October, in the year above written.