Improved Means to be Used in Supporting Pottery-ware while being Baked or otherwise Fired.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1889-Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1889
COM DIE
DEEPTUATION.
Improved Means to be Used in Supporting Pottery-ware while being
Baked or otherwise Fired.
We, ELIAS LEAK & HARRY AYNSLEY, Manufacturers, both of Fenton, Staffordshire,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the same is to
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention relates to improved apparatus to be used in supporting pottery ware
in saggers and the like while being baked, glazed or otherwise fired in kilns
or ovens.
The Invention has especial reference to certain improvements in the formation of
thimble-pins, such improvements having for their main object the rendering of such
devices, in addition to their ordinary purpose of supporting the ware by means of
their fixed or removable arms in the ordinary manner, further available as stilt-
thimbles, so that they may he also applied to tripod or other "stilts" for the
purpose of increasing the supporting height thereof so as to obtain any required
elevation for supporting deep or comparatively shallow ware; such improvements
being of especial advantage in rendering thimble pins which are no longer available
for their primary purpose of utility in supporting the ware by reason of their arms
or arm-supporting parts becoming broken or otherwise unsuitable for supporting the
ware, still available for the aforesaid further purpose of utility, and being in such
application also of especial advantage, so long as their pointed ends (hereinafter
referred to) remain intact, in rendering stilts which are no longer available for their
purpose of utility by reason of their points being broken or otherwise unsuitable for
supporting the ware, still available for such use.
The Invention also comprises the application to thimble-pins as hitherto made of
the improved additional means hereinafter described for rendering such thimble-pins
when entire or when their supporting arms are broken or otherwise useless as afore-
said, further available for the said additional purpose of utility; and the application of
like means directly to the stilts as stilt-thimbles for the aforesaid purpose of altering
the supporting height thereof at will and of rendering damaged stilts still useful for
their intended purpose.
Several modifications of the Invention are illustrated on the accompanying drawings,
and will be hereinafter particularly referred to.
Hitherto thimble-pins have been made with conical or wedge shaped flat-sided
socket ends and with correspondingly shaped but flat-ended spigot ends which were
quite unsuitable for supporting ware and were consequently unsuitable to the said
further purpose of utility herein before referred to.
In accordance with the present improvements, the thimble-pins 13. are made of a
conical or other shaped external formation continued to a point 14. vide Figures 1. to 6.
and of a corresponding internal formation, being also made with correspondingly situated
external and internal flattened parts, as at 15. so that the thimble pins will fit in
and occupy certain positions in relation to each other, and will support the ware 16.
by their arms 17. in an ordinary manner, vide Figure 1; and so that by the improved
formation thereof they will be further adapted to be inverted either while they remain
entire vide Figure 2, or when their arms are broken vide Figure 6. and placed over the
pointed ends 18. of the stilts 19. either while the same remain entire, for the purpose
of attaining any required supporting elevation, or, when the points of the stilt are
broken or damaged, for the aforesaid purpose or for the purpose of rendering a
lamaged stilt still useful for its intended purpose, vide Figure 2. In manufacturing
tilts, we prefer to form them with flattened parts corresponding to those in the
himble-pins so that the latter will properly fit thereon.

page_text: Figures 3. to 6. illustrate the like improvements applied to thimble-pins fitted
with loose arms.
pointed
In the modification illustrated in Figures 7. and 8. the thimble-pins are represented
as constructed more of an ordinary formation with the addition of a
extremity, 14.
In the modification represented in Figures 9. and 10. the thimble-pins are repre-
sented as made with an end recess 20. adapted to receive a single or reversible
point" 14 This modification will be of considerable advantage where the thimble
pins will be more frequently required for their ordinary purpose of utility, and will
be infrequently required for the further purpose of ultility herein before referred to, as
their points will not be liable to be broken off when in ordinary use, but when required
to be used as stilt-thimbles they can be readily adapted with the said reversible
'points 14.
Figure 11. represents the application of the aforesaid improved means for rendering
ordinary thimble pins available for such further purpose of utility, such means con-
sisting of thimbles 22. formed of an internal formation corresponding or approximately
so with that of the pin 13. and of an external formation ending in a pointed extremity
adapted to support ware.
Figure 12. represents the application of similar means as thimbles to stilts for the
aforesaid purpose of utility.
The Invention also comprises the formation of the thimble-pins and stilt-thimbles with
a surrounding recess 21. at the mouth thereof for the purpose of preventing the glaze
from causing the thimble-pins or stilt-thimbles to stick together.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. The hereinbefore described improvements in the formation of thimble-pins for
the purpose of rendering them available for supplemental use with stilts substantially
in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
2. The use in combination with ordinary thimble-pins, of pointed thimbles or of
equivalent means adapted for rendering such thimble-pins available for supplemental
uso with stilts, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before
described.
3. The use in combination with stilts, of pointed thimbles or of equivalent means
adapted for varying the supporting height of such stilts and for rendering broken
pointed stilts still useful for their intended purpose, substantially in the manner
herein before described.
4. The formation of thimble-pins and of stilt-thimbles with a surrounding recess at
the mouth thereof, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
Dated this 21st day of October 1889.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.<