IMPROVE- MANNO IN MED MANUFACTURE OR IDAN
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Buckland, of Barge Yard, Bucklers-
bury, in the City of London, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MANNO IN MED MANUFACTURE OR IDAN"
Sealed the 30th April 1861, and dated the 9th March 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Buckland,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th March 1861.
I, WILLIAM HENRY BUCKLAND, of Barge Yard, Bucklersbury, in the City
of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON," to be as follows:-
My Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture of Iron," relates to
a novel mode of smelting iron from the ore and is more particulary applicable to
rich ores such as the red hematite or iron sand and carboniferous ironstone (such
as black band) and other iron ores containing a comparatively small proportion
of earthy matter. Instead of carrying on the smelting operation as usual in a high
blast furnace, I use for this purpose a furnace of the form and about the dimen-
sions of an ordinary cupola furnace. A quantity of ordinary pig or cast iron with

page_text: coke or other suitable fuel is first put into the cupola and melted down; the
ore mixed with a proper quantity of limestone or other substance to form a
flux if required is then added, or if preferred the ore may be charged in at
the same time as the cast or pig iron and the whole charge operated upon
together. The cast iron being easily fusible will be quickly melted down
and will form a liquid bath at the bottom of the cupola. The heated ore in
a semi-molten state will from time as the fuel burns away fall into the
liquid cast iron and being surrounded thereby will abstract heat therefrom
and quickly become melted, so that the fluid cast iron and the iron from the
ore will become a homogeneous mass of liquid cast iron The cupola may
be tapped from time to time as the liquid cast iron accumulates by the
reduction and melting of the ore, and a portion of the fluid cast iron may be
run out into moulds, or in the form of pig iron, care being taken, however,
that a portion of liquid cast iron be always allowed to remain at the
bottom of the cupola to receive the semi-molten ore as it descends. As the
charge of ore and fuel becomes reduced in the cupola fresh charges are added
from time to time and the process of reducing iron from the ore may in this
manner be made continuous, until such time as it may be found convenient
to stop the process in order to repair the furnace 'or for other purposes. On
resuming work pig or cast iron may be again employed so as to form a bath
for the semi-molten ore to fall into or instead of a cupola furnace I make use
of an air furnace or reverberatory furnace and adopt a similar, plan to that
before described with a cupola furnace so far as relates to a quantity of melted
iron being retained at the bottom of the air furnace or reverberatory furnace,
and forming a liquid bath of molten iron in which the complete fusion of the
ore.is effected; or I let melted pig or cast iron run into a ladle or other
convenient receptacle and throw into it the iron ore with a sufficient quantity
of coal, coke, peat, or charcoal to replenish the carbon which the iron ore abstracts
from the melted iron. "Then I pour or draw off the fluid iron as required
leaving a portion of it in the ladle or other receptacle to constitute a bath
of fluid iron in which to melt a further charge of iron ore, and thus proceed
continuously as before described in reference to the cupola or other furnace.
If requisite I put a suitable quantity of limestone, or other flux into the
ladle or other receptable which contains the fluid iron.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Buckland in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th September 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY BUCKLAND,. of Barge Yard, Bucklersbury, in the City of London,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date, the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for. Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Henry Buckland, Her special license that I, the said
William Henry Buckland, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Henry Buckland, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Henry Buckland, 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 William Henry Buckland, 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) :-
My Invention of "Improvements in the Manufacture of Iron," relates to
a novel mode of smelting iron from the ore, and is more particulary applicable
to the treatment of rich ores such as the red hermatite or iron sand and
carboniferous ironstone (such as black band) and iron ores containing a
comparatively small proportion of earthy matter. Instead of carrying on
the smelting operation as usual in a high blast furnace I use for this purpose
a furnace of the form and about the dimensions of an ordinary cupola furnace.
A quantity of ordinary pig or cast iron with coke or other suitable fuel is
first put into the cupola and melted down. The ore mixed with a proper quantity

page_text: of limestone or other substance to form a flux (if required) is then added, or
if preferred the ore may be charged in at the same time as the cast or pig
iron, and the whole charge operated upon together. The cast iron being
easily fusible will be quickly melted down and will form a liquid bath at the
bottom of the cupola. The heated ore in a semi-molten state will from time
to time as the fuel burns away fall into the liquid cast iron.. The semi-molten
particles of ore being surrounded by the fluid cast iron will abstract heat
therefrom and will quickly become melted so that the fluid cast iron and
the iron from the ore will become a homogeneous mass of liquid cast iron.
The cupola may be tapped from time to time as the liquid cast iron
accumulates by the reduction and melting of the ore, and portions of the fluid
cast iron may be run out in the form of pig iron, or it may be run direct into
moulds. for casting articles in iron. Care must however be taken that a
portion of liquid cast iron be always allowed to remain at the bottom of the
cupola so as to form a bath to receive the semi-molten ore as it descends. As
the charge of ore and fuel becomes reduced in the copula fresh charges are
to be added from time to time and the process of reducing iron from the ore
may in this manner be made continuous until such time as it may. be found
convenient to stop the process in order to do any necessary repairs. to the
furnace or for other purposes. On resuming work pig or cast, iron may be
again employed so as to form a bath for the semi-molten ore to fall into as
before.
Instead of a cupola furnace I sometimes propose to make use of an air
furnace or reverberatory furnace and adopt a similar plan to that before described
with a cupola furnace, so far as relates to a quantity of melted iron being
retained at the bottom of the air furnace or reverberatory furnace and forming
a liquid bath of molten iron in which the complete fusion of the ore will be
effected, or I let melted pig or cast iron run into a ladle or other convenient
receptacle, and throw into it the iron ore with a, sufficient quantity of coal,
coke, peat, or charcoal, to replenish the carbon, which the iron ore. abstracts
from, the melted: iron; then I pour or draw off the fluid iron as required
leaving a portion of it in the ladle or other receptacle to constitute a bath
of fluid iron in which, to melt a further charge of iron ore, and thus proceed
continuously as before described in reference to the cupola or other furnace.
If requisite I put a suitable quantity of limestone or other flux into the ladle
or other receptacle which contains the fluid iron.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Manu-
facture of Iron," and having explained the manner of carrying the same; into

page_text: effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid
the manufacture, reduction, or smelting of iron from the ore by the use in
the smelting furnace, pot, or other receptacle of a bath of liquid cast iron
into which the heated or semi-molten particles of ore may fall, and by being
surrounded on all sides by the liquid cast iron will become quickly melted
and mixed with the mass as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Buckland have hereunto
set, my hand and seal, the Seventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFat,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. H. BUCKLAND. (L.S.)