AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING A POLISHED OR ENAMELLED SURFACE UPON SHEET IRON
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "Internationa!
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting
Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND MACHINERY
FOR PRODUCING A POLISHED OR ENAMELLED SURFACE UPON SHEET IRON."-A
communication from abroad by George Weeden Francis, Edwin
Garfield, Jeremy Wells Bliss, and George Wells Williams, all of
Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America.
Sealed the 14th December 1869, and dated the 15th June 1869.
5
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 15th June 1869, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
MODE OF AND MACHINERY FOR PRODUCING 4 POLISHED OR EXAMELLED SURFACE

page_text: UPON SHEET IRON," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent
for the same, and have made-solemn Declaration that it has been com-
municated to me from abroad by George Weeden Francis, Edwin Garfield,
Jeremy Wells Bliss, and George Wells Williams, all of Hartford,
Connecticut, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing
forming a part of this Specification :-
The object of my Invention is the production of a quality or kind of
sheet iron resembling as near as may be and having the peculiar
characteristics of surface, finish, and flexibility of the well-known Russia
sheet iron.
As my Invention does not relate to the rolling of the iron into the
form of sheets, nor to any of the processes anterior thereto, but merely
to the treatment of the metal when in the sheet form, none of such
processes need be here described.
The iron being then first formed into sheets of the required length,
width, and thickness, and being of such quality as may be desired for
the degree of finish and excellence to be given it, my Invention .consists
in immersing the sheets in any appropriate acid for a sufficient length of
time to loosen or remove foreign matter from the surface, then heating
them to a degree varying from about 650° to about 850° Fahrenheit,
more or less according to circumstances. I either heat the sheets
separately, that is, separated from each other, but simultaneously with
the heating of the box, or I place one upon the other flatwise in the as
yet uncovered box, and then heat the box and contents together. In
case the sheets are heated separately as above they are to be placed
within the box before either are withdrawn from the furnace, and then
submitted further to the action of the furnace until the proper tem-
perature has been given them. When the box and contents. (whether
the latter have been separately heated or heated only whilst in the box)
have received the proper degree of heat, the box (preferably before being
taken from the furnace) is to be covered by a suitable metallic cover to
prevent as much as possible exposure of the contents to the action of

page_text: the atmosphere, and then withdrawn from the furnace and the sheets
immediately subjected to the direct blows of a rapidly automatically-
operated hammer or hammers, the cover and parts being so arranged
and actuated that the hammer or hammers may act through the cover
and directly upon the entire upper surface of the top of the pack of
sheets, and that the heat and gases shall be confined as far as practicable
within the box during the hammering process.
The better to convey a more accurate idea of my process I will now
proceed to describe a simple form of machine which will serve to illus-
trate one way in which it may be practised, although it will be evident
that the apparatus may be varied in many ways and yet still be adapted
for practising my process.
In the Drawings, Figure 1 represents a side view, and Figure 2 &
longitudinal vertical section of such an apparatus; Figures 3 and 4
represent respectively the box and one of its removable covers or
bottoms designed for holding a number of sheets to be treated, and
which lie flat therein each upon the other.
A represents an oven or furnace of any appropriate form of construc-
tion suitable for imparting to the separated sheets and to the box, or to
the box and its contained sheets, as the case may be, the required degree
of heat. B are guide rails or flanges serving to keep the box O in proper
position when the sheets are under the action of the hammer or hammers,
and also to guide the same when shoved into or withdrawn from the
furnace. The portion marked D, D, should immediately under the box
and beneath where the blows of the hammers fall be made solid and
firm of iron or other appropriate material to serve the purpose of an
anvil; and the space marked E between the box and the furnace should
be much greater than shown in the Drawings, in order to allow sufficient
room to swivel and handle the box, as herein-after stated. This portion
of the bed D need not be continuous, as shewn in the Drawing, but may
between the anvil portion and the furnace be open (except the guides or
rails) to allow of easy access for any purpose. The box O is made of
strong metal adapted for withstanding the heat and the shocks to which
it may be subjected, and is formed open both at top and bottom, and
with removable pieces F serving to close up either side (or both for a
purpose herein after stated), the pieces F being formed preferably with
rebates, as shown, to secure a close fit, and with pins f to receive a clamp
or hook c on either side of the box, and which thus hold the parts

page_text: together. Handles G on opposite ends of the box, by means of openings g
therein, allow of the boxes when heated being shoved or pulled into
or from the furnace, and knobs or centres g' on these handles allow the
box to be lifted and turned over whenever it may be thought advisable
to reverse the pack and hammer the opposite side thereof. Any ordinary
mode of lifting by pulleys or otherwise may be used for this purpose.
Whenever such reversing of the box and its contents is desired a top
like Fis put ou; the box is then turned over; its former bottom is taken
off, and the long top H shown in Figures 1 and 2 substituted therefor,
and the hammering resumed. This top or cover H is made of flat metal
with its sides turned down, as shown, so as to cover the joint between it
and the box, and it is made of sufficient length to permit its being
slidden whilst on the box, so that the hammers may with it traverse the
length of the sheets to operate upon the entire surface, and is also pro-
vided with a transverse opening barely sufficient to afford space for the
hammers to work through to reach the top sheet, the cover, except at
this opening, closely confining the heat and gases within the box.
I represents one of the beama of the mill or factory or of any other
appropriate framework which serve as supports for sustaining the
hammers, the frame for guiding them, and devices for actuating and
feeding them forward. Upon each of two of such beams. I place a
toothed rack K, from which is suspended the frame or hanger L, in
which play the hammer or hammers M, M, of any number desired,
Upon this hanger is a shaft N driven from its pulley O, cams or
wipers P, P, on the same shaft serving during its revolutions to lift or
trip the hammers rapidly and successively. To the hanger are attached
hooks, which are intended to connect, as shewn, with hooks R, R,
on the sliding cover H, so that the progressive movement of the hammer
or hammers shall positively move the cover coincidently, that the
hammers may always play freely through the slot therein. Attached to
the travelling hanger L are feeding pawls S, $, for feeding the hammera
forward or back, as the case may be, these pawls being operated by
cranks T, T, on rock shafts U, U, which receive motion from the rising
of the hammers through the medium of arms V, V, secured to the said
shaft. When feeding in one direction the pawl S¹ not needed is simply
thrown up qut of contact with the rack, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.
This may be done by a cord and pulley or any other simple means. The
hammer driving pulley Q I connect with the main shaft or source of
power by means of a knuckle joint, so as to permit the shaft N with the

page_text: hangers on which it is supported to move to and from the main shaft
without impairing its proper revolving action.
The operation is as follows:-The furnace being heated the sheets of
iron and the box are placed within it, the sheets either lying flat within
the uncovered box, as heretofore stated, or if not so disposed, then each
supported by any convenient means in nearly a vertical position, the.
box being also heated at the same time. After both the sheets and box
are properly heated about to the degree heretofore mentioned they are
not pulled out of the furnace until the sheets, if separately heated, have
been placed within the box and the long sliding cover first placed over
the same. When the box has been drawn out far enough (the cover
having been first hooked to the hanger) to bring the slot in the cover H
and also the hammers directly over one end of the top lying sheet in
the box, the hammering machinery is put in operation by means of
pulleys O, the appropriate pawls for feeding in the right direction being
first put into connection with the rack. The action of the pawls causes
a regular intermittent progressive motion to be given to the hanging
frame and the hammer or hammers, whilst the revolution of shaft N
causes the latter to be rapidly tripped. When the hammers have thus
travelled from end to end of the sheets by merely lifting pawl 8 and
dropping pawl S₁ (or vice versa, as the case may be) the hammer frame
travels in the reverse direction, and this may be continued for any
length of time desired. Whenever from the greater number of sheets
placed at one time in the box, or for any other reason, it may be desired
to turn the box and its contained sheets upside down, so as to impart the
blows to the opposite side of the pack of sheets, the knobs or centres g¹
upon the handles, as heretofore stated, admit of doing this with facility
by any simple provision which will lift the box by these handles high.
enough to allow it to be turned half over or upside down, and then
deposited upon the anvil to undergo a similar operation of hammering,
The time required for the hammering of the sheets may be- fifteen
minutes, more or less, varying with the quality or quantity of the iron
under treatment, the size or thickness of the sheets, or the size, power,
and rapidity of the blows of the hammer or hammers.
It is apparent that numerous variations and modifications of the
herein-described machine may be made without departing from the
spirit of this Invention. For example, instead of causing the frame
and hammers to travel forward and back the box and contents may be

page_text: caused so to travel by any well-known means. The hammers may also
be given a reciprocating sidewise travel as well as a forward and back-
ward one; or the box may have a sidewise reciprocation either with or
without an endwise one. Each hammer also need not extend across
the breadth of the sheet, but a series of hammers all acting together or
in quick succession may be used instead, and any desired number of
hammers may be employed.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, and shewn how the same may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim,―
The process for producing a polished or enameled surface upon sheet
iron, substantially as herein described.
Also, a series of automatically operated hammers acting directly upon
the pack of enclosed sheets, substantially as described.
Also, a series of automatically operated hammers having in addition a
travelling motion over the face of the material to be treated, substantially
as set forth.
Also, a travelling frame for supporting the hammers arranged to be
automatically moved forward or backward at will, substantially as.set
forth.
Also, as a container for the sheets to, be treated, a metal box with
removable bottom, or bottom and top arranged to be fastened or clamped
thereto, substantially as set forth.
Also, in combination with the hammers and the sheet containing box,
the slotted cover arranged to permit the traversing movements during
the hammering, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAКЕ. (1.8.)