IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING MOULDS FOR CASTING
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Young and Christopher Cairns, of Glasgow,
in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Foremen Ironfounders, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING MOULDS FOR CASTING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Young and Chris-
topher Cairns at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 10th December 1860.
3'
We, JAMES YOUNG and CHRISTOPHER CAIRNS, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Foremen Ironfounders, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING MOULDS FOR CASTING," to
be as follows, that is to say::
This Invention has for object the formation of moulds for iron castings in
such a way that a succession of castings may be taken from them, and it
consists in incorporating or inserting in the sand or mould material detached
pieces, such as: sprigs or nails of metal or other matter not injuriously affected
by the molten metal. It is well known that in the operation of casting the
molten metal has:a tendency in flowing from one part of the mould to another
to break off portions of the mould, which from their shape or connection with
other parts. are inefficiently supported; and it has been a common practice to
strengthen such tender parts by inserting sprigs so as to bind the mould mate-
rial together. In addition to this, however, which is not sufficient to prevent
the destruction of the mould; at the first casting, it is by the present Inven-
tion proposed to insert detached pieces of metal generally, and more or less
uniformly over: the entire surface of the mould, and to place them so as to be

page_text: in contact with the pattern or casting, or so nearly in contact therewith as to
prevent the breaking of the surface of the mould material. Further, such
detached pieces may be inserted at the "partings" in such a way as to faci-
litate the clean separation of these after each casting is taken. By these
means the mould material will be rendered so firm at the surfaces, which give
shape to the casting, and at-the-partings, that instead of the removal of the
casting, causing, as at present, such destruction of the surfaces as to render the
mould useless for further castings, the mould will remain entire and will
require little, if any, repairing treatment to fit it for taking further castings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Young and Christopher Cairns in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 10th June 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
YOUNG and CHRISTOPHER CAIRNS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Foremen Ironfounders, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent. Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
James Young and Christopher Cairns, Her special licence that we, the said
James Young and Christopher Cairns, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said James Young and Christopher Cairns,
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
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAXING MOULDS FOR CASTING,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we; the said James Young and
Christopher Cairns,' our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their,' or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James. Young and Christopher Cairns,
do hereby declare the "nature' of our said Invention; and in: what manner

page_text: the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained. in
and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is.
to say:--
Our said Invention has for object the formation of moulds for iron castings.
in such a way that a succession of castings may be taken from them, and it.
consists in incorporating or inserting in the sand or mould material detached.
pieces, such as sprigs or nails of metal or other matter not injuriously affected.
by the molten metal. It is well known that in the operation of casting, the
molten metal has a tendency in flowing from one part of the mould to another
to break off. portions of the mould, which from their shape or manner of con-
nection with other parts are inefficiently supported; and it has been a common
practice to strengthen such tender parts by inserting sprigs so as to bind the
mould material together. In addition to this, however, which as hitherto prac-
tised, is not sufficient.to prevent the destruction of the mould at, the first.
casting, there are, according to the present Invention, detached pieces of
metal inserted generally, and more or less uniformly over the entire surface of
the mould, such pieces or sprigs being placed so that their outer ends are in
contact with the pattern or casting, or so nearly in contact therewith as to.
prevent the breaking of. the surface of the mould material. Further, such.
detached pieces may be inserted at the "partings" in such a way as to facilitate
the clean separation of these after each casting is taken.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood and
carried into effect, we have,hereunto appended a Sheet of explanatory Draw-
ings, representing moulds made according to our improved method, and we
shall proceed to describe these, examples, premising, that the same reference
letters mark the same or like parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1, on the Sheet of Drawings, is a longitudinal vertical section, and
Figure 2 is a transverse horizontal section of a pipe mould; the section,.
Figure 1, being taken as along the line 1, 2, in Figure 2.
•
The pipe or-casting A is represented as in its place in the mould.. The
mould is contained in or comprises two half boxes B, which rest upon a
bottom plate C.. The mould boxes B are by preference formed with ribs D,
having their edges. almost. or quite reaching the inner mould surface, as
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to David Yoolow.
Stewart, and dated. the 5th September 1860 (No. 2138.), or reaching not
nearer than one-half or three-eighths of an inch from the,mould surface, as
shown in the Drawings hereunto appended. In forming the mould the sand.
is rammed into each box from the outside upon a pattern (or half pattern),

page_text: or sand may be rammed from the inside, and be afterwards shaped by
scraping or otherwise. The sprigs E, or detached metal pieces, are introduced
into the sand forming the mould surface from the inside or from the outside,
but in either case so as to be in contact, or almost in contact, with the pattern
or casting; and such sprigs combine, along with the ribs D, to render the
surface so firm that the mould can be used several times with little or no
repairing treatment between the castings. In this example there are substi-
tuted for sand "partings," metal párting flanges F, which are fixed to the
mould boxes, and the inner edges of which reach the pattern or casting A,
being chamfered off so as to present a very narrow edge thereto. In adopting
our improved system for castings of large size it is desirable that the mould
boxes be capable of being relieved from the castings with facility and rapidity,
in order to prevent the contraction of the casting from injuring the mould.
Figure 3 is a vertical section, and Figure 4 is a horizontal section of a mould,
in which the boxes are formed in three parts B', B2, B³, to facilitate the sepa-
ration of the casting from the mould. The part boxes B', B2, are hinged to the
third B³, as shown, and in turning about their hinges G open freely away from
the casting A. In this example the "partings" H, between the part boxes B
are formed in the sand, but from the form of the boxes are very narrow; they
are sprigged in the manner shown to render the surfaces firm, and to insure
their easy and clean separation. The section, Figure 3, is taken as along the
.line 3-4, in Figure 4. Figure 5 is a sectional elevation, and Figure 6 is a hori-
zontal section, the former being as along the line 5-6-7-8, in the latter, repre-
senting a mould comprising four part boxes B', B3, B4, B, which are hinged
together in pairs upon pillars or rods I fixed to the base plate C of the mould.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 3 and 4, the hinge rods I are placed
slightly to one side of the plane of the parting, whereby the part boxes B', B³,
come away from the casting more freely; and the same end can be obtained
in the arrangement shown in Figures 5 and 6, by fixing or forming eccentric
bosses on the rods I for the hinges to turn upon. The arrangements of the
ribs D, and the application of the sprigs E, as shown in the Drawing, are the
same in Figures 3 to 6 as in Figures 1 and 2, and the same description applies
to all. Figures 7 and 8 are vertical and horizontal sections of a mould for a
flat plate, Figure 7 being taken as along the line 9-10-11-12, in Figure 8;
and Figure 8 being one half in plan and one half with the top mould box and
pattern or casting A removed. This mould only differs from those herein-
before described, in so far that the pattern or casting A is of a different form,
the mould boxes B³, B³, and ribs D being shaped to correspond.
Our improvements are more advantageously applicable where a great

page_text: number of castings of one pattern are required, and in such cases it will gene-
rally be desirable to construct the mould boxes specially for each size, with
the ribs D reaching to the pattern, or to within a very short distance of it,
and thus serving to give support to the main body of the sand; at the same
time it will be obvious that in some cases the back ribs of mould boxes as
ordinarily formed may be sufficient for this purpose. The sprigging of the
sand or mould material, according to our Invention as described, will render it
so firm at the surfaces which give shape to the casting, and at the partings,
that instead of the removal of the casting causing, as at present, such destruc-
tion of the surfaces as to render the mould useless for further castings, the
mould will remain entire, and will require little, if any, repairing treatment to
fit it for taking further castings.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention and the manner
in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, we have to state
that we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details herein-before described
or delineated, and that we do not claim to have invented every separate
detail herein-before described and delineated; but that what we consider to be
novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the system of making moulds for
casting, wherein sprigs, nails, or detached pieces of metal are inserted gene-
rally, and more or less uniformly over the entire surface of the mould, and so
as to render the mould capable of being used for a number of castings,
substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Young and Christopher Cairns,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
JAND
(L.3.)
CHRISTOPHER CAIRNS. (L.S.)
EDMUND HUNT, Patent Agent,
28, St. Enoch Square,
Glasgow.