IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CYLINDERS AND TUBULAR OR HOLLOW BODIES OF COPPER AND ALLOYS OF COPPER OR OTHER DUCTILE METALS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Parkes, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CYLINDERS AND TUBULAR OR HOLLOW BODIES OF COPPER AND ALLOYS OF COPPER
OR OTHER DUCTILE METALS."
Sealed the 7th February 1860, and dated the 22nd August 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Parkes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd August 1859.
I, HENRY PARKES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF CYLINDERS AND TUBULAR OR HOLLOW BODIES OF COPPER AND ALLOYS OF COPPER
OR OTHER DUCTILE METALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
cylinders and tubular or hollow bodies of copper and alloys of copper or other
ductile metals; for these purposes when the cylinders of copper or alloys of
copper are intended for printing rollers, they may be made either from
printers rollers which have already been used, or they may be made from
cylinders of a like kind which have not been used, or such and other cylinders
and tubular or hollow bodies may be made from cast or otherwise formed
ingots or blocks, or other forms which have suitable slits or openings made or
produced therein. And this part of my Invention is accomplished by drawing
such articles flat through dics, or partly by rolling flat and partly by drawing

page_text: flat without any internal mandril or support. In all cases where a cylindrical
hollow body is to be treated according to this part of my Invention it is
preferred to first flatten it by passing it between rollers, though it may be
done by drawing through holes or dies, and when flattened and rolled out to
the extent desired the process of drawing flat is resorted to, and the dies are
so formed as to retain the metal, and the edges of the same substance or
thickness as the other parts; when the process of drawing flat alone is to be
resorted to, then the process is commenced with a flat block or ingot rounded
at the edges, and with a slit through it corresponding with the internal
circumference of the tube or cylinder. In order to open out tubes and
cylinders which have been made flat, and also to expand or extend the same
and other tubes or cylinders, the following means are used :-The flat tube or
cylinder is somewhat opened through the whole of its length (and this may be
done by pressing its edges towards each other or otherwise) in order to admit
of a stem or rod being passed through it, and the mandril is fixed to the outer
end of the stem or rod. The end of the tube or cylinder which first comes
on to the mandril is opened out to such an extent as to admit of its passing
over the short mandril so as to enable that end to be passed through a
suitable die or draw plate, or without a draw plate, and to be securely fixed
beyond by pliers or otherwise to the chain or screw of a draw bench, or to
other drawing apparatus, and by it the whole length of the tube or cylinder is
drawn through the die or draw plate if used, and over the mandril which
is held back by its stem or rod, or in place of using the outer dies or draw
plates rollers may be employed. When making printing rollers where what
are called shells are employed I cast or otherwise form a body of any suitable
metal, and draw it on a conical mandril to fit it exactly, with or without an
internal web or rib which I solder in or otherwise form suitable for fixing it
on a mandril such as is used by calico printers, and having placed such body
on a mandril with a key way, I draw it and then place it within a suitable
outer shell; I now draw or roll down the shell on to the body which is
supported by a suitable mandril, coned, or with a groove or key way in it
corresponding with the web or rib of the body, and so fix the shell on the
body. The shell and body with the internal web or rib therein may then be
used by a calico printer as a printing roller, it being mounted on an ordinary
mandril or axis. When making cylinders or tubes with bevil joints of sheet
copper or alloys of copper the requisite bevil is given to the edges by drawing
the plates through dies so as to produce the bevils required by pressure or the
bevil may be made by rolling down the edges.
.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Parkes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd February 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
PARKES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, send greeting.
A
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of August, 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 Henry Parkes, Her special licence that I, the said Henry
Parkes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or, such others as I, the
said Henry Parkes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CYLINDERS AND TUBULAR OR HOLLOW BODIES
OF COPPER AND ALLOYS OF COPPER OR OTHER DUCTILE METALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Parkes, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Henry Parkes, 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 follow-
ing statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object in part the re-manufacture of worn out
calico rollers, or cylinders of a like kind which have not been used for such
purpose, so that the same may be used for printing from. I first anneal
the old or new roller, whichever it may be; I then close it flat, by preference,
at a red heat, and if I wish to make a small roller into one of a larger
diameter, I cross roll the old or new roller, by preference, at a red heat to the
required width and anneal it; the edges will be spread out to a greater width
than the flat part, and must be cut away to the thickness of the flat surface,
or nearly so; if not long enough I either roll it longitudinally though guide

page_text: rolls, or I draw it through holes of a flat shape to elongate it; having obtained
the required width and length, I open it by pressing its sides, or otherwise, as
by drawing it through holes to press its edges together. I prefer to do this
whilst the metal is red hot, if it will bear such heat, having opened the metal
throughout its length it is again annealed, and a mandril of an oval form is
inserted and drawn through the metal; or the metal is drawn off the mandril,
the mandril being held back by a stop, and this I repeat until I have opened
out the metal into a cylindrical shape, and I finally finish the cylinder thus
made by drawing it on a mandril at a draw bench through holes, or the opening
and finishing may be done with rolls in the ordinary way practised by tube or
roller makers; the cylinder or shell may be fixed on an iron or other body by
any of the methods now in use for fitting up thin shells for printing purposes.
The advantage of using old rollers is the generally sound condition of the
metal; they having been proved of good quality of metal there is not so
much labour or risk in re-working them as above described.
Or I produce cylinders or tubes or other hollow forms by casting or other-
wise forming flat blocks or ingots rounded at the edges, and with a slit through
them corresponding to the required circumference or shape, and by drawing them
flat through holes or rolls decreasing in size every time the metal is drawn;
I prefer to anneal before each time of drawing to soften the metal; no mandril
or internal support is used. When I have reduced the thickness of metal as
much as I require, and elongated to the proper length, I proceed to open the
flat metal to a cylindrical or other form; this I do by opening the flat metal
in a similar way to that above described, and I finish by drawing through
holes whether round or of other sections; the mandril I prefer to be of a
similar section to the holes through which the metal is drawn.
I will now describe my third improvement. In making cylinders or tubes,
or other hollow forms, it has been the practice of the trade in making cylinders
and tubes to use steel mandrils to draw them on of great length, and when of
large size and of great weight these are very costly. I make cylinders and
tubes by drawing them over a mandril formed with a short end of steel, over
which the cylinder or tube is to be drawn; this short end is thicker than the
stem, which may be of iron screwed or otherwise fixed to the steel, and the
stem is made so as to be held firmly at the back to prevent the larger or steel
part passing too far through the hole of the draw bench, or between the rolls
when in use; the end of the cylinder or tube which first comes on the steel
part of the mandril is opened out to such an extent as to admit of its passing
over the steel part of the mandril, so as the end of the cylinder or tube may
be passed through a die or draw plate or without a draw plate, and to be

page_text: securely fixed or held beyond by plyers, or otherwise, to the chain or screw of
a draw bench or other drawing or forcing apparatus, and by it the whole
length of the tube or cylinder (whether seamless or soldered) is drawn through
the die or draw plate, if one is used, and over and off the mandril at the same
time, which is held back by its stem or rod. In place of using the dies or
draw plates in connection with a draw bench or other apparatus, rolls may be
used to draw off the cylinder or tube, or other form. By the use of this form
of mandril I am enabled to draw long lengths of large or small tubing of any
section more economically than by the methods hitherto in practice.
The metals I have found of most use in making tubes by the before-
mentioned methods are copper and its alloys, silver, gold, aluminium, and
their alloys, for hard metals; and for soft metals I use tin, zinc, or alloys of
tin or zinc; these do not require annealing in the process of manufacture;
these may be used to cover iron rods or tubing.
When making printing rollers where what are called shells are employed, 1
first cast or form a body or liner of any suitable metal, and then draw it on a
conical mandril, so as to cause the body to fit exactly to the mandril. If I cast
the body I prefer to use brass, zinc, or other ductile metal, and I cast it with
a proper coned interior with or without a nib or key in it; I then place the
body on a mandril, coned, or with a slot cut in it; the metal to form the body
is now drawn through holes or drawn tightly on to the mandril to cause the
conical form of the body to fit correctly to the mandril, which is to correspond
with those used by calico printers; or, I make the body of steel or wrought
iron, welded or not, or of rolled or cast brass, zinc, or other ductile metal;
this I turn up in the usual way into a cylindrical form, and whether soldered
or not, make the edges true if a key or nib is to be put in with them, it may
be of a different metal, and whether I solder the key in or not, or if the body is
without a key it is put on a mandril coned, and either with or without a slot
in it corresponding with the required key or nib, if one be used, and the body
is drawn or rolled on the mandril as above described; to fit it the body is then
inserted into a suitable outer shell, and I then draw or roll down the shell on
to the body, which is supported by the mandril. The outer shell of copper or
other metal inay remain firmly fixed on to the body, or the body may be coned
on the outside, so that the copper outer shell having been fixed truly
thereon, may be removed when the roller is not in use; or the body may be
Inade with a double conical interior, the smallest part of the cones meeting in
the middle and the mandril is made of corresponding shape, parting in the
middle, and the body is drawn or forced on, as before described, to fit it to

page_text: the coned shape; the outside of the body may be parallel, and without soldering
it will easily be removed from the outer shell of copper when not in use.
When making cylinders or tubes with bevil joints of sheet copper or alloys
of copper, the requisite bevil is given to the edges by drawing the plates of
metal through dies, so as to produce the bevil required by pressure; or the
bevil may be made by rolling the edges down.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Parkes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Henry Parkes, in
the presence of
JOHN SNOW,
Clerk to W. Palmer, Sol*.,
Birmingham.
HENRY PARKES. (L.S.)