CERTAIN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING FILINGS OF IRON OR STEEL FROM OTHER METALLIC FILINGS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Cook, of Green Street, Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Metallic Bedstead and Tube Manufacturer, for
the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING FILINGS
OF IRON OR STEEL FROM OTHER METALLIC FILINGS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Cook at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th
January 1855.
I, BENJAMIN COOK, of Green Street, Birmingham, in the County of War-
wick, Metallic Bedstead and Tube Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING
FILINGS OF IRON OR STEEL FROM OTHER METALLIC FILINGS" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in so constructing a cylinder of any convenient size
as to be strongly magnetic on its surface, and which is effected by placing a
sufficient number of magnets (their poles being at right angles, to the axis of
the cylinder) on its surface. Being so constructed, it is mounted on a suitable
stand, together with a cylindrical brush of the length of the magnetic cylinder,
and so disposed that by suitable gearing it revolves at the same time and with
any desired velocity, but always greater than that of the magnetic cylinder.
Above these is placed a hopper with a long narrow mouth, (capable of

page_text: regulation,) through which the filings previously placed in the hopper pass,
and as they fall upon the magnetic cylinder, the particles of iron or steel
are attracted to its surface, while the other metals fall into a proper receiver.
The particles of iron or steel being carried by the revolution of the cylinder
to the brush, are thereby swept off into another receiver. This apparatus may
be worked by steam or other-power, as most convenient.to.the.user.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin Cook in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE-PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
Cook, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Metallic Bedstead Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of January, 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 Benjamin Cook, Her special licence that I, the said Benjamin Cook, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Benjamin
Cook, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR SEPARATING FILINGS OF IRON OR STEEL FROM OTHER METALLIC FILINGS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin Cook,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Benjamin Cook, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
(that is to say):
The value of copper or copper alloys makes it desirable for brass founders

page_text: or workers in such kind of metals to save the small particles produced by
the operation of filing and fitting consequent on the nature of their trade, and
such operations can rarely be carried on without some portion of iron filings or
chippings being also mixed with the brass or copper filings before referred to.
And the subsequent indispensable operation of separating such particles of iron
from such dust has heretofore been a very tedious process, usually done by
putting the dust in a suitable pan or tray, and continuing to stir it about with
a common horse-shoe magnet, withdrawing the magnet as often as necessary
for the purpose of removing the particles of iron that may have been attracted
to it, and repeating such operation until all the particles of iron are removed
from the mass or bulk, and which operation from its extreme tediousness greatly
deteriorates the value of such dust, which is made in considerable quantities in
large manufactories.
To facilitate this operation is the object of my Invention, and which I effect
in the following way:-I construct a cylinder in such a way that it may be
strongly magnetic on its surface, and which I effect by placing a sufficient
number of magnets together, and so arranged that their poles shall be at right
angles to the axis of the cylinder, and in such numbers, that according to the
length and circumference of my cylinder, the whole or a large portion of the
surface may be magnetised. This cylinder (with projecting centres or axis) I
place on a suitable stand, together with a circular brush of the same length
as the magnetic cylinder, and so disposed that by suitable gearing it revolves
at the same time and with any desired velocity, but always greater than that
of the cylinder. Above these I place a hopper with a long narrow mouth
(capable of regulation), through which the filings previously placed in the
hopper pass, and as they fall upon the magnetic cylinder the particles of
iron or steel are attracted to its surface, while the other metals fall into a
proper receiver. The particles of iron or steel being carried by the revolution
of the cylinder to the brush, are thereby swept off into another receiver, suitably
placed for that purpose. The machine thus arranged may be worked by hand,
or by any convenient or suitable power. And I may observe that I prefer
placing one or more false bottoms in the hopper, such bottoms being made" of
wire gauze, of different gauges and quality as to the openness of the wires, the
coarser or more open one being placed at the top. The use of these bottoms
are for the purpose of riddling or separating the larger or grosser parts from
the fine dust before passing thro' the mouth of the hopper, to be again sepa-
rated by the magnetic influence of the cylinder.
'
But in order that I may be thoroughly understood as to the nature of my
Invention, I have annexed a Drawing, exhibiting a machine so arranged that

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 represent a front and end view of my machine, which may
be supposed to be drawn to a scale of about three inches to a foot. A, A, are
the ends or standards, united by the stretchers and screws B, B, and further
secured by the plate or sheet of iron forming the bottom of the spout C, which
is secured to the standards by suitable screws or bolts, as exhibited at D, D,
Figure 2. E is the magnetic cylinder; and F, the brush, which derives its
motion from the cog wheel G, which is placed on the end of the cylinder, the
teeth of which takes into the teeth of a pinion fixed on the axis of the brush at
H; and the arrows, exhibited at Figure 2, shew the direction the cylinder and
brush move in when at work, and of course the velocity of the rotary motion
of the brush depends and may be regulated by the size of the pinion and cog
wheel G; but I believe the proportion here exhibited will be found to answer
well. In terminating my magnetic cylinder I prefer using a disc of copper,
brass, or other suitable material not effected by the magnets, such disc slightly
projecting around the cylinder, forming flanges, as exhibited at I, I. These
flanges tend to neutralize the effect of the surrounding metal work from
influencing the magnets forming the cylinder. J, J, are two cast-iron bosses,
concaved on the sides presented to the discs or washers I, I. The edge of these
bosses form a ratchet for the projecting arm or arms K, K, to work on, which
being fixed to the hopper L, it is evident that as the magnetic cylinder is
turned around in the direction of the arrows, a jiggling motion will be imparted
to the hopper, the use of which will be hereafter described. Figure 3 repre-
sents a detached end view of the cylinder, drawn to a larger scale, shewing the
form of the magnets N, N, N, &c., the wood cylinder O, and the axis P.
The manner I prefer making my magnetic cylinder will be understood by
the following description :-I take the axis P, on which the cylinder is to work,
and which axis may be forged with a projecting flange near the end, or it may
be tapped, in order that the same result may be produced by a collar tapped
and screwed on, and which would be represented by the nut or collar M. I
next place on the boss or ratchet J, and next the washer I, and now over the
axis I slide the wood cylinder O, as represented in the detached end view,
Figure 3. In this form it is ready to receive the magnets, which may be
applied in various ways; as, for instance, we may apply a ring of magnets, their
form and shape being so arranged that each maguet shall radiate from the

page_text: centre and form the segment of a circle on the face, in proportion to the size of
the cylinder we wish to make, as represented at N, N, N, &c., Figure 3, that
letter also denominating the particular polarity of the magnet; but between
each magnet it will be necessary to place some thin material of a negative kind
to cut off and destroy as much as possible one magnet interfering with the other
in that direction; for this purpose I have found a thin strip of gutta percha to
answer well, and which strip is represented by the bright red radial lines in
Figure 3, where it will be seen that in some instances I simply use a strip
to divide the magnets, as represented from Q to Q, while in others I extend
the gutta percha around the magnet, as from R to R, &c. And for the
sake of economising the number of magnets required, I may next place
on a washer, of brass or other suitable material, and of a convenient thick-
ness, such washer being perforated, in order that the wires S, S, &c. may
pass thro' them, and the magnets or such washer may be provided with
projecting tits fitting in the circular openings at the base of the magnets,
through which the wires S, S, &c. would otherwise pass, and thus the cylin-
der may be formed by alternate rows of magnets and washers, according
to the length such cylinder may be required; but in the cylinder, as exhi-
bited at E, Figure 1, the whole of the surface is formed with magnets, which
are retained in their circular position by the wires S, S, &c.
Such wire,
if of iron, should be covered with copper, as exhibited by the pale red circle
surrounding the wires S, S, &c., and carried out to the periphery of the
cylinder; or such form of tube and flange as represented by the pale red may
be used without the wire being inserted, as in that position it possesses great
strength; or the form of the magnet and copper or other support may be the
shape as represented at Figure 4, which is a flat view of a magnet, and sectional
view of the flange or support, and Figure 5 represents an edge view of the
same, T being the copper support, and U, U, &c. the magnets; the letter N
denoting, as heretofore, the polarity of the magnets. The superficies of the
magnetic cylinder may be increased by giving an angular form to the poles or
faces of the magnets forming the cylinder, as represented at V, which is the
section of a magnet, as taken through W, W, of Figure 4, with the addition of
the V-shaped edge; or the bevel may be continued, and the V shape obtained by
two magnets with their bevel ends reversed, as shewn at X, Y; such magnets
are then placed on the support T, T, which must be long enough to pass thro'
the outer washers of the cylinder I, I, observing that their north pole rests
upon north, and south upon south, from end to end, thus forming a powerful
compound magnet, and with such compound magnets I form the circle of my
cylinder, observing to apply the thin gutta percha, as before described, or any

page_text: other suitable material, placing such, compound magnet in such order that the
gutta percha shall separate the north and south poles of each series forming
the cylinder. The whole of the magnets being thus arranged, the washer. I' is
applied, and the ratchet J, and the cog wheel G, the whole to-be screwed
together by the nut or bur M'...The boss J, in Figure 2, is represented broken,
for the purpose of shewing that the wires S, S, &c., after passing, through
a series of magnets, also pass thro' the washer I, which is likewise shewn
broken, for the purpose of exhibiting the magnets, and the inner or wood
cylinder O. The hopper L is fitted with a regulating mouth to suit the different
descriptions of dust that may be passed through it; and I also prefer supplying
the hopper with one or two false bottoms formed of wire work,- in order that
the dust may be riddled or sifted, keeping back the larger or grosser portions.
My machine thus constructed, and arranged is now ready for work. We
may suppose that the dust or filings to be operated on to be placed in the hopper,
and the cylinder put in motion by the handle in the direction of the arrows, the
ratchett giving a sufficient shaking, motion to the hopper, that the dust will fall
down on the cylinder, the brass gliding off and falling into the trough below,
while the particles of iron or steel, are carried round by the attraction.of.the
magnets, which are then swept off by the brush, and are delivered through
the spout C into the trough below.
VIT
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the. manner in
which the same may be carried into effect, as also the mode of working, I wish
it understood that I do not confine myself to the exact details herein, shewn
and described, as the mode of compiling the magnetic cylinder may be greatly
varied, as also all the other details; but what I do claim as my Invention is, the
separating of the particles of iron or steel from brass, copper, or other filings
by means of a revolving magnetic cylinder, without any regard. to the size or
length of such cylinder, or to the manner in which the same may be worked
or put in motion.
1
+
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Cook, have hereunto.set my
hand and seal, this Fourth, day of July, in, the year of, our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.