IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING TUBES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Marshall, of the Glasgow Tube Works,
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING TUBES."
Sealed the 9th June 1871, and dated the 14th December 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Marshall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th December 1870.
I, JOHN MARSHALL, of the Glasgow Tube Works, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING TUBES," to
be as follows:—
This Invention comprises various improvements in apparatus for
making tubes, and one improvement consists in substituting for ordinary
tongs or appliances for holding and drawing the heated metal plate a

page_text: "
holder which grips the middle of the end of the plate with a wedging
action.
The holder consists, according to one modification, of an outer piece,
or what may be termed a snake head, and an inner piece or tongue, the
latter being on the end of a rod passing through the head, and both the
tongue and the inside of the head are wedge-shaped, the tongue being
broadest at its outer end. The instrument being applied to the plate so
as to take it in between the head and the tongue, the latter is drawn
inwards, and firmly grips the plate by the wedging action. The tongue
rod is then connected to the drawing chain, and it is by its means that
the plate is drawn through the bore or die by which it is bended into the
tube form. A small eccentric may be substituted for the wedgo tongue
in the snake head, the rod being jointed to it, so as to turn it into the
gripping position when drawn inwards.
Two
By another modification the separate rod is dispensed with, and the
head is connected directly to the drawing chain, being formed with a
wedge-shaped opening, which is narrowest at its outer end.
wedge-shaped tongues are fitted into the opening, and being formed
with roughened gripping surfaces parallel to each other, on the edge
of the plate being entered between them and the head being drawn
forward, the wedging action causes them to hold the plate the more
firmly the greater that the pulling strain is.
:
A second improvement relates to the shaping bore or dic, and consists
in forming a slot in it to facilitate the introduction of the appliances for
catching hold of the plate, a filling up piece being also provided, which
follows up the holding appliance as it draws the end of the plate
through, so that the bore is practically complete as the shaping of
the plate proceeds.
By a third improvement a mandril hung by a chain is laid upon the
top of the plate as it is being entered into the bore, and is carried
forward by the plate just through the bore, being stopped by the chain
from going further forward. A grooved roller is mounted outside of the
bore, so as to bear upon the overlapped parts or the joint of the plate
that is being made into a tube and compresses these parts upon the
mandril as they proceed onwards.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Marshall in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th June 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MARSHALL, of the Glasgow Tube Works, Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Marshall, Her special licence that I, the
said John Marshall, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Marshall, 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 APPARATUS FOR
MAKING TUBES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Marshall, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, 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 I, the said John Marshall, 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say:-
My said Invention comprises various improvements in apparatus for
making tubes, and one improvement consists in substituting for ordinary
tongs for holding and drawing the heated metal plate or "strip” a
holder which grips the middle of the end of the plate with a wedging
action; whilst a second improvement consists in applying a filling up
piece in connection with a slotted or grooved bore; and a third improve-

page_text: ment relates to a self-acting mandril or plugging piece operating' in
connection with one or more rollers on the tube "skelp" just after the
latter leaves the bore.
-
And in order that my, said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet, of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing
modifications of my improved arrangements. In these Drawings the
same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts
wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 is a side view of one modification of my improved holder or 1
tongs for drawing tubes. This holder consists of an outer piece, or what.
may be termed a snake head 1, and an inner piece or tongue 2, the latter
being formed or fixed.on the end of a rod 3 passing through the head-1,
and both the tongue 2 and the inside of the head 1 are wedge-shaped,
the tongue being broadest or thickest at its outer end. The instrument]
being applied to the plate, which is shown by blue lines, so as to take it
in between the head and the tongue, the latter is drawn inwards, and
firmly grips the plate by the wedging action, whilst the holding power is
increased by the gripping surfaces being roughened. The head is formed
with a neck 4, extending back, and formed with a cross tail 5, through a
which, last the tongue rod 3 passes, and it is by the back end of the
tongue rod 3 that the entire instrument is connected to the tube maker's
drawing chain, so that the strain of the drawing action takes effect upon
and through the wedge or tongue 2, and tends to increase the grip or
hold of the instrument upon the tube strip or skelp. This instrument I
prefer to use with an entire bore (that is, not having the slot or groove
herein-after referred to,) and I enter it through the bore up to the
"strip" or plate, which requires no previous nosing or bonding, and
after it has gripped the plate it is drawn back through the bore,
bringing the strip with it and causing it to be bended into the tube
form by the action of the bore. The action of the gripping instrument
or tongs in drawing the strip through the bore causes its under side
to be indented upwards, but this is an advantage rather than otherwise,
as it facilitates the movement of the "skelp" along the bottom of the
welding furnace when being reheated, and avoids the injury to such
bottom usually caused by ordinary skelps, whilst the indentation is
easily redistended on the skelp acquiring its full heat. A small eccentric
may be substituted for the wedge tongue 2, the rod 3 being jointed to
.

page_text: it, so as to turn it into the gripping or wedging position when drawn
inwards.
Figure 2 is a side view of a modification of tongs or gripping instru-
ment which differs from that shown in Figure 1, and herein-before
described, merely in having a movable jaw 6, which is acted on by the
wedge 2, and bears on the "strip" or plate instead of the wedge..
10
Figuro 3 is a side view of a third modification of my improved tongs
in which the separate rod (3) is dispensed with, and the head 1 is con-
nected by its tail end 5 directly to the drawing chain. The head is '
formed with a wedge-shaped opening or mouth, which is narrowest at its
outer end, and two wedge-shaped tongues 7, 8, formed with roughened
gripping surfaces parallel to each other are fitted to the upper and under
sides of the opening, so that on the edge of the strip or plato being
entered between them, and the head being drawn forward, they tend to
slip into the narrower part of the mouth, and the consequent wedging
action causes them to hold the strip with a grip which increases with
the pulling strain applied.
.:
⚫ Figure 4 is a sectional side view, and Figure 5 is an inverted plan
showing how my second improvement is to be practically carried out.
The bore piece 9, the under side of which is shown in Figure 5, has a
'slot or groove 10 formed along the middle of its bottom, which groove
allows of ordinary tongs or some modifications of my improved tongs
being entered through to get hold of the strip. I may here observe that
the forming of the bore with such a groove is quite old, but has not
hitherto proved of practicable advantage, because provision has not-beon
made, as is done by me for having the bore made entire and perfect by a
filling up piece.11 so soon as the tongs have drawn the nose of the skelp
just through the bore. This filling up piece 11 is fitted to slide in the
groove, and when the tongs are pushed through to take hold of a fresh
strip it is by them pushed inwards (towards the right hand in the
Figure), and at the same time a catch 12 jointed to the tongs engages
with a projection 13 on the under side of the filling up piece 11. Then
when the tongs have taken hold of the strip and are drawn through tlie
bore they bring back the filling up piece with them into the position in
; which it is shown in the Figures, but there let go of it, in
.
consequence
of a cross pin fixed in the catch encountering inclines 14 formed or
fixed on the under side of the bore piece 9, and causing the catch to be
disengaged from the projection 13.

page_text: My third improvement is shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8, which are
respectively a front view, a side view, and a back view. A mandril or
plug piece 15 hung by a chain is laid upon the top of the strip or plate
as it is being entered into the bore 9, and is carried forward by the strip
just through the bore and into the position in which it is shown in 6
Figure 7, being stopped by a cross bar 16 encountering the upper part
of the bore 9. The cross bar 16 is fixed to the back end of a tail rod 17
attached to the mandril 15, and this tail rod 17 is jointed to a square
rod 18 passing through a guide 19, and having its other end connected
to the suspending chain. The square rod 18 and guide 19 keep the
parts in the proper positions for being entered into the bore. A grooved
roller 20 is mounted outside of the borc, so as to bear upon the over-
lapped parts or the joint of the skelp or partly formed tube, and
'compresses these parts on the mandril 15 as they proceed onwards. The
spindle of the roller 20 runs in bearings 21, which are adjustable as to 1
height upon standards 22, and a bottom roller 23 similarly mounted may
also in some cases be provided for supporting the bottom of the skelp.
To make the action of the whole apparatus still more perfect, I apply a
roller 24 at the back of the bore 9, as best seen in Figure 8, the middle
of this roller being cut away to allow my improved tongs (Fig. 1) being 2
pushed sufficiently far back to take hold of the strip, and a slight-
hollow 25 is formed in the bottom of the bore at the back to allow for
the bottom jaw of the tongs, and permit of the edge of tho strip being
entered fairly between the bottom of the bore and the roller 24. . This
groove 25 however extends only a short distance inwards along the 2

page_text: 2. The applying of a filling up piece in connection with a slotted or
grooved bore, as herein-before described.
3. The applying of the self-acting mandril or plugging pieco, 17 in
connection with the roller 20, substantially as herein-before described.
And, 4. Generally the combining and conjoint using of the parts
herein-before more particularly described with reference to Figures
1, 6, 7, and 8.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Marshall, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN MARSHALL. (L.S.)