IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS."
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Bawden, James Williams, and Samuel
Williams, all of Notting Hill, in the County of Middlesex, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Bawden, James
Williams, and Samuel Williams, at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 17th May 1864.
We, PETER BAWDEN, JAMES WILLIAMS, and SAMUEL WILLIAMS, all of
Notting Hill, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS," to
be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in machinery for making
bricks, whereby such machines are rendered to a great extent self-acting, and
capable of producing a greater number and better quality of bricks than
any other brick machine at present in use, less labour being required in the
management and working of the machine.
The machine is constructed as follows:-On a foundation or bed frame two
powerful standards of iron or wood are fixed, one on each side of the machine;
they are connected at top by a cross head in which the main or driving shaft

page_text: turns in bearings. Within the standards, supported by a lower cross bar, the
clay hopper or receptacle is situated, it consists of a four-sided apparatus open
at the top for the reception of the clay, and to contain the shaft and clay knives
hereafter described. The shaft descends through the clay hopper to the base
of the machine, and operates a powerful double horizontal cam wheel. These
cams serve to act alternately or successively upon a roller, on a double crank
or bell-crank lever, which lever by a vertical arm drives forward at each revo-
lution the tray of moulds underneath the grate in front of the hopper, and also
serve in a similar manner to force a roller upwards, and to actuate connecting
levers which ultimately bring down a hinged press upon the clay previously
forced over the grate by the clay knives, and consequently to press such clay
through the grate into the tray of moulds. The pressing cam having passed its
roller, a heavy counterweight on the rocking lever brings back or lowers the
whole system of levers and roller, and raises the press ready for the next recep-
tion of clay. The connecting rod uniting the lower levers from the cam to the
upper levers of the press may be adjusted by means of racks on those levers to
various distances, so as to lessen or increase the leverage and consequent pres-
sure. In case of any projecting substance, such as stone, being mixed up with
the clay and being uppermost in the tray, an obstacle would arise to the forward
motion of the tray, and the machine would be suddenly stopped, and some
part broken, if the lever, which forces out the moulds from beneath the grate,
were fixed to the horizontal forcing bar at the rear of the empty tray inserted on
the table behind the full tray of moulds ready to be pushed forward to take
the place of the full tray. Such would also be the case in the event of the
empty tray being placed behind the full tray in such manner as to be forced
against the framework of the press. Now I obviate this result by causing
the vertical portion of the lever actuated by the cams to be connected to the
horizontal travelling bar by a cord or chain fixed to the bar and then passed
forward and around a grooved roller on the side of the lever, and extending
to the rear of the machine under the hopper, and over a third grooved
pulley supported by a bracket, the extremity of the cord or chain having a weight
attached thereto. The top of the vertical lever is forked or slotted, and a pin
is inserted across such forked opening. The traversing horizontal bar which
pushes the trays forward is connected by moveable joints to descending vertical
connecting rods, and these being united by a horizontal cross bar at their lower
extremities a slotted bar is then united to such cross bar and extends under-
neath the frame supporting the moulds and press towards the front of the
machine.
Now the action of this arrangement is as follows:-Supposing that the

page_text: jamming of the tray mould against the press frame, or that any foreign body or
stone projecting fram the tray moulds, brings them to a stop, while being
forced under the grate and press, the vertical lever which brings the horizontal
bar forwards, instead of creating fracture of the machinery, is allowed to
continue its forward motion by drawing the cord or chain over its pulley or
roller, elevating the weight thereto attached, and leaving the horizontal forcing
bar in a state of rest. It is therefore evident that the weight must be simply
sufficient to act as a counterweight, but not heavy enough to supersede the
weight or power required to bring forward the tray of moulds. The press into
which the clay is forced is situated in front of the lower part of the hopper,
and the table extends forward beyond the press for the reception of the clay
formed ready for drying and set in the tray last passed under the press. In
front of and below this table is a stand for the workman to receive the moulds.
I now proceed to describe the shaft and clay knives, which are caused to rotate
by horse-power in the ordinary manner (or by steam power), the horse pole
is connected to the extremity of the shaft by means of a channelled cross head
keyed to the shaft, or a cast-iron shaft with the cross head cast on to the shaft,
the pole being let in the channel and secured by screw bolts. The shaft may
be cast of a square or hexagonal form to receive the knives. The shaft drives
six horizontal clay knives fixed thereon by feathers or keys; five of these knives
are formed with blades, something after the principle of the screw propeller,
presenting slanting blades or surfaces from their cutting edges in such manner
as by their revolution to cut through and press or force down the clay to the
bottom of the hopper; the sixth or lowest knife presents vertical blades or faces,
so as to force the clay horizontally outwards and forwards into the press; this
knife with the shaft takes a bearing in a cup or socket at the bottom of the
hopper, the socket extending upwards and enclosing the lower boss of the
knife in order to prevent the clogging action of the clay. The foundation of
the machine is to be set below the level of the ground in a recess dug out
for the purpose, so as to bring the stand board and delivering table to a
convenient height for the workman, who when he receives a tray of moulds
places it in an inverted position on pallets previously arranged on a barrow and
stand of novel construction as follows:-The barrow is formed of an oblong
square form or framing of three parallel bars having handles cut at one end
and cross bars at intervals to join and strengthen the sides, a bracket is fixed
underneath each side frame within which the wheel is set on an axle in the
centre and the other end of the barrow has two legs. Within the frame, and
resting on the transverse bars, is a tray or skeleton consisting of four parallee
bars connected at each end by cross pieces, midway on their surface are stops

page_text: screwed on the bars; the pallets rest on the frame to receive the inverted
moulds. The barrow is supported on a frame and standards (the internal width
of the frame being equal to the width of the barrow) by means of friction
rollers on bearings within the frame on which the lower surface of the
barrow frame bears. Outside the frame a sand box is attached running
the entire length of the frame. When the barrow is charged with the
moulded clay a second barrow is driven in which forces the loaded one
forwards and the workman slides it off the rollers and wheels it off to the
field. In order to get his fingers under the edges of the pallets, the
inner skeleton tray supporting them is raised from the barrow by means of a
crank hand lever near the handles of the barrow. Two similar cranks but
without handles are arranged midway, and at the further end of the skeleton,
whereby the upward and backward motion given by the crank handle is
communicated by the skeleton to the other cranks, and consequently the whole
surface of the tray rises up an inch or two, and the workman can get his
fingers under the edges of the pallets and between them and the frame of the
barrow. It now only remains to describe the grate and moulds for the purpose
of forming the clay into the requisite shape by the action of the press. The
grate is formed of a rectangular frame of iron, with divisions across of the
size of the bricks. The sides of the recesses through which the clay is to be
pressed are made to project or bulge to form the hollow of the brick, and the
width of the recesses is greater towards that side of the grate next the hinges
of the press where the pressure upon the clay is the least, in order that an
equal density of clay may be sent into the tray below, the divisions of which are
made larger than those of the grate so that the clay shall not take off the sand
from the sides of the tray moulds.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Bawden, James Williams, and Samuel Williams, in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th November 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, PETER
BAWDEN, JAMES WILLIAMS, and SAMUEL WILLIAMS, all of Notting Hill, in
the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the

page_text: said Peter Bawden, James Williains, and Samuel Williams, Her special licence,.
that we, the said Peter Bawden, James Williams, and Samuel Williams, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Peter Bawden, James Williams, and Samuel Williams, our 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 ex-
pressed, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING
BRICKS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Peter
Bawden, James Williams, and Samuel Williams, our executors or adminis
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said James Williams and Samuel
Williams, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what.
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:
This Invention relates to certain improvements in machinery for making
bricks, whereby such machines are rendered to a great extent self-acting, and
capable of producing a greater number and better quality of bricks than any
other brick machine at present in use, less labour being required in the
management and working of the machine.
We proceed to describe the Invention as follows:-Fig. 1 is a front
elevation; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation; Fig. 4 is a
section shewing the shaft and clay knives; Fig. 5 is a sectional plan on line
A, B. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts on the
several Drawings.
A is a frame supporting the machinery; B is a clay tub; C is a mill
shaft with clay knives; D is a cam wheel; E, E, are cams; F, F1, F2, is a
treble crank cast in one piece, one of which, F, has a long hole to receive a
connecting rod; F¹ supports a weight G, and F a friction pulley F³, running
on D; G is a weight on F¹ for balancing or raising the press; H, H¹, is a
double crank, of which I supports a friction pulley H³, working on D; and H¹.
is a crank attached to M, with a bolt for drawing out the brick mould; this
crank is also bolted to a chain I, which passes round the M pulley K, and
then back around another pulley K' on the same crank; J is a bracket cast

page_text: on each of the press sides to hold a key against the ends of the grate U, to
keep the joint of the press V and the grate U tight; L is a weight on the
end of I; M is a piece with a long hole, and is bolted to the slide k, which
pushes out the moulds. It has two brackets cast on it, with a bolt passing
through them to regulate the distance of the brick moulds operation; N,
connecting rod between F and O the upper crank with a long hole; P, P,
are two handles with teeth to hold the bolts and keep them from sliding to
and fro, the bolts passing through the connecting rod and through the long
holes of the upper and lower cranks O and F; R is a small crank on the
upper part of the side of the press, through which a rod S passes from side to
side, as there is one of these cranks on each side of the press. The rod S
also passes through 0; T is a T crank bolted to the lower end of R on each
side of the press by a connecting rod S, and to the ends of the press itself;
U is the press grate; V is the press; W is a bracket pulley at the back of
the mill tub; X is a block of wood going across under the machine, and
bolted down to the bottom frame timbers. To this are bolted the bearings
which hold the cranks F, F, F, and H, H¹; Y are upright posts at the back
of the tub, with a cross piece morticed into each at the top, and with another
cross piece lower down, to which the pulley and tub bottom is secured; Z are
two iron plates at the back of the clay tub bolted to the tub frame.
MODE OF OPERATION.
Having constructed the several parts of the machine, adjust them as
described and shewn in the Drawing, and attach one end of the chain I to
the crank H³, pass it around the M pulley K, then pass it back around the
crank pulley K', then under the mill tub and over the bracket pulley W, and
then attach to the weight L. As the shaft C revolves it turns the cam wheel,
which revolves under the two frction pulleys H³ and Fs, and these through Mh
and F, N, O, respectively, causing the press to work as follows:-As the
friction wheel F3 is raised by the cam E, the weight G is also raised, while F
is lowered, and with it the rod N and the crank O, thereby pressing the claim
in the moulds. As the cams moves on the weight G descends through
F, N, O, raises the press. As the cam meets the friction wheel H³ it causes
H¹ to work in M, and raises the weight L, and through h presses out the
brick mould. As the cam moves on the weight L draws back the sliding
piece to its place, and thus the operation continues. Should any foreign
hard substance have entered the mould but not passed through it, the pressure
causes the weight L to rise higher, so that breakage is prevented. The
handles P, P, and the cranks F and O regulate the pressure of the clay into

page_text: the brick moulds should the clay become harder or softer. The upright
posts the top cross piece are to support planks upon which to wheel the clay
to the mill. The iron plates, z, are used to allow of the removal of one of
clean the mills. This plank
With one horse, and a less
the planks from the back of the tub frame to
should be wider at one end than the other.
number of men than hitherto required, it is estimated that 10,000 bricks per
day of 10 hours can be turned out. At Fig. 4 is a section shewing the clay
knives; C is the shaft, and d the knives, which are caused to rotate by horse
power in the ordinary manner, or by steam power; the horse pole is
connected to the extremity of the shaft by means of a channelled cross head
keyed to the shaft; or a cast-iron shaft with the cross head cast on to the
shaft, the pole being let in the channel, and secured by screw bolts. The
shaft may be cast of a square or hexagonal form to receive the knives. The
shaft drives 6 horizontal clay knives fixed thereon by feathers or keys, five
of these knives are formed with blades something after the principle of the
screw propeller, presenting slanting blades or surfaces from their cutting
edges, in such manner as by their revolution to cut through and press or force
down the clay to the bottom of the hopper; the sixth or the lowest knife
presents vertical blades or faces, so as to force the clay horizontally outwards
and forwards into the press; this knife with the shaft takes a bearing in a
cup or socket at the bottom of the hopper, the socket extending upwards, and
enclosing the lower boss of the knife, in order to prevent the clogging action
of the clay. The foundation of the machine is to be set below the level of
the ground in a recess dug out for the purpose, so as to bring the stand
board and delivering table to a convenient height for the workman, who, when
he receives a tray of moulds, places it in an inverted position on pallets
previously arranged on a barrow and stand of novel construction.
We proceed to describe the same as follows, drawings not being necessary.
The barrow is formed of an oblong square form or framing of three parallel
bars, having handles cut at one end, and cross bars at intervals to join and
strengthen the sides. A bracket is fixed underneath each side frame within
which the wheel is set on an axle in the centre, and the other end of the
barrow has two legs. Within the frame and resting on the transverse bars is
a tray or skeleton, consisting of 4 parallel bars, connected at each end by
cross pieces. Midway on their surface are stops screwed on the bars, the
pallets rest on the frame to receive the inverted moulds. The barrow is
supported on a frame and standards, the internal width of the frame being
equal to the width of the barrow by means of friction rollers on bearings
within the frame on which the lower surface of the barrow frame bears:

page_text: Outside the frame a sand box is attached, running the entire length of
the frame. When the barrow is charged with the moulded clay, a second
barrow is driven in, which forces the loaded one forwards, and the workman
slides it of the rollers and wheels it, off to the field. In order to get his
fingers under the edges of the pallets, the inner skeleton tray supporting
them is raised from the barrow by means of a crank band lever near the
handles of the barrow. Two similar cranks, but without handles, are arranged
midway and at the further end of the skeleton, whereby the upward and
backward motion given by the crank handle is communicated by the skeleton
to the other cranks, and consequently the whole surface of the tray rises up
an inch or two, and the workman can get his fingers under the edges of the
pallets, and between them and the frame of the barrow.
In order to adapt our improved machine to be worked by hand labor only,
without a horse, we dispense with some of the mechanism described, and the
laborer works with a hand lever to actuate the machine. This will be readily
understood by those conversant with the practice of brick making by
machinery.
It now only remains to describe the grate and moulds for the purpose of
forming the clay into the requisite shape by the action of the press. The
grate is formed of a rectangular frame of iron, with divisions across to the size
of the bricks. The sides of the recesses through which the clay is to be
pressed are made to project or bulge to form the hollow of the brick, and
the width of the recesses is greater towards that side of the grate next the
hinges of the press, where the pressure upon the clay is the least, in order
that an equal density of clay be sent into the tray below, the divisions of
which are made larger than those of the grate, so that the clay shall not
take off the sand from the sides of the tray moulds.
We claim the arrangement and combination of the mill shaft C with the
cam wheel D.
The construction and arrangement of the crank F, F', F, and their com-
bination with G, F³, and D. The arrangement of the weight G. The
arrangement of the crank H, H', and its combination with H³, D, and I.
The arrangement and combination of the chain I with H, K, K', W, and
L. The construction and arrangement of the piece M, and its combination
with Hand h. The arrangement of the connecting rod N, and its combination
with F and O.
The arrangement of the handles P, P, and their combination with the
cranks F and O. The arrangement of the crank R, and its combination
with the rod and the crank O. The arrangement of the block X, and its

page_text: combination with the cranks F, F, F, and H, H'. The arrangement of
the bracket J, and its combination with the ends of the grate U. The
arrangement of the upright posts Y, and their combination with cross pieces.
The arrangement of the plates z, and their combination with the clay tub.
The arrangement of the grate and moulds; and the construction of the barrow
and stand, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Williams and Samuel Williams
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixteenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE,
Office for Patents,
JAMES WILLIAMS.
(L.B.)
SAMUEL WILLIAMS. (L.s.)
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.