IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF ARTICLES OF EARTHENWARE, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Spencer, of Prescot, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ARTICLES OF EARTHENWARE, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 21st August 1866, and dated the 24th February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Spencer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
February 1866.
I, THOMAS SPENCER, of Prescot, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES OF EARTHENWARE, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates, firstly, to the manufacture of crucibles, melting pots,
potter's seggars, and other vessels or receptacles used either for sustaining
high temperatures or for the protection of goods from fire, and consists in
the use of ganister stone or the substance commonly called ganister in
combination with clay in either a plastic or other condition. The proportion
of ganister or ganister stone will be regulated by the quality of the clay used
and the degree of heat to which it is desired to subject the article.

page_text: Secondly, my Invention relates to an improvement upon macbinery for
which Letters Patent were granted to me bearing date 10th April 1848,
No. 12,115, and 23rd Feby. 1861, No. 470. According to the arrangements
therein specified it was necessary to change the die plates for each different
size of pipe, seggar, or other article to be manufactured, I now propose to
avoid this by providing a fixed die plate with guides or slides to receive
different sizes of shells or external moulds, the said guide plates being
sufficiently wide apart to hold the largest shell, the latter being also provided
with flanges or side plates to correspond. The opening in the die plates
through which the clay descends I also construct when necessary with loose
rings fitted to the said plate which rings being concentric to each other may
be varied in number according to the aperture required, and in like manner
the core may be regulated.
- Thirdly, my Invention relates to the manufacture of crucibles, melting pots,
seggars, and other articles in hollow earthenware, and also to tiles, plates, and
dishes, from dry pulverized or disintegrated clay combined when necessary
with ganister, charcoal, or plumbago, and consists in pressing the material
into suitable moulds or dies by the direct action of steam either by applying
the force immediately to the material or by using a portion of the die or
mould as a plunger. In order to illustrate this part of my Invention I will
suppose it is desired to manufacture a crucible. For this purpose I employ
a mould of metal or other suitable material corresponding to the external
form of the said crucible. This mould is provided with a core answering to
the hollow portion of the vessel, and which forms a portion of the rod of a
steam piston. The elastic force of the steam therefore compresses the clay
in the mould to form the crucible.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Spencer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th August 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SPENCER, of Prescot, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Spencer, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Spencer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the

page_text: "said Thomas Spencer, 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 ARTICLES OF EARTHENWARE, AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," upon the condition, amongst
others, that I, the said Thomas Spencer, 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 Thomas Spencer, 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
:
According to the Provisional Specification filed by me the first part of my
Invention consisted in the use of the substance called gauister or ganister
stone in combination with clay, for the purpose of manufacturing cruciblės
and other articles intended to be submitted to bigh temperatures, but since'
filing the said Specification my experiments have shewn that there would not
be any useful effect by the employment thereof, and I therefore make no
claim to the said combination of materials.
My Invention therefore relates, firstly, to an improvement upon machinery:
for which Letters Patent were granted to me bearing date Teuth April,'
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, No. 12,115, and Twenty-third
February, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, No. 470. According to
the arrangements therein specified it was necessary to change the die plates for.
each different size of pipe, sagger, or other article to be manufactured. I now
propose to avoid this by providing a fixed die plate with guides or slides to receive
different sizes of shells or external moulds, the said guide plates being suffi-
ciently wide apart to hold the largest shell, the latter being also provided with
flanges or side plates to correspond in size. The opening in the die plates
through which the clay descends I also construct when necessary with a loose.
ring or rings fitted to the said plate, which may be varied in number according
to the size and form of aperture required, and in a similar manner the size.
and form of core may be regulated and varied with external ring or rings.
Secondly, my Invention relates to the manufacture of plates and dishes

page_text: and other such articles which are made from dry pulverized or disintegrate
clay, and consists in pressing the material into suitable moulds or dies by the
direct action of steam. In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 shews the
die plate at a, which, instead of having to be removed and replaced whenever
a different size of mould is required, as in the case of my former Patents
aforesaid, is fixed to the cylinder which contains the clay. This die plate is
provided as before with slides or guides 6 for the reception of the outside.
shell or mould c, and the said guides or slides are sufficiently wide apart
between the points d, e, to receive the largest of a series of shells or moulds
intended to be used. For this purpose, therefore, I make the flanges fof
the said shells or moulds of one size from d to e whatever may be the
dimensions of the article to be moulded.
Fig. 1 represents a sagger mould of certain dimensions; Fig. 2 represents
a sagger mould of smaller dimensions, but having its slides or shells f adapted
to fit the guides b; Fig. 3 represents a sagger mould of still smaller dimen-
sions, but having its slides or shell f adapted to fit the guides b, as in the
former case, and thus a larger or smaller sagger may be moulded from the
same die plate without removing or changing the said plate; Fig. 4 represents
& pipe mould which may in like manner form one of a series to be adapted
to the same die plate; 9 is the core for forming the socket; k is the dod for
regulating the internal diameter of the pipe. Fig. 4 also shews another part of
my Invention-To the bottom of the die plate a I adapt a ring h, the internal
diameter of which corresponds to the intended outside of pipe to be moulded.
Fig. 5 shews a mould for pipes of smaller diameter having the slides or shells
adapted to fit the die plate a, and having also another ring h, adapted to fit
the die plate a to suit the smaller pipe, and I thus provide a series of rings of
different internal diameters, but all capable of being fitted to the same die plate.
These rings serve as a guage for the pipe, and at the same time enable the
mould to withstand the pressure when the clay is forced downward. I have
shewn them as adapted to pipe moulds only, but they may be applied to sagger,
crucible, or other moulds for making hollow earthenware, to which class of
articles this part of my Invention refers.
The next part of my Invention is shewn at Fig. 6, in which represents
an ordinary bottom mould for making a plate or dish from dry or pulverized
clay, and m is the top mould. This top mould I attach to the piston rod of
a steam hammer of any ordinary construction capable of forcing the top
mould m downward, and then raising it by the direct action of steam. The
dry or pulverized clay is placed in the bottom mould as shewn, and the top
mould is then forced down by the direct action of the steam on or more

page_text: times, so as to press the clay into the required form, as shown in Fig. 7; the
top mould being then raised the pressed plate or dish is raised out of the
bottom mould by the rod o, the said mould being formed in two parts, and
the rod acting thereon as usual. I have above shewn a single mould, but I
can use two or more at the same time.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be under-
stood that I claim as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters
Patent,
Firstly, the use of a series of shells or moulds capable of being adapted to
the same die plate used in the manufacture of pipes, saggers, and other articles
of hollow earthenware.
Secondly, the use of the series of rings illustrated at h, Figs. 4 and 5.
Thirdly, the use of the direct action of steam for pressing dry or pulverized
clay into moulds for making plates, dishes, and other such articles as
aforesaid.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Spencer, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
THOMAS SPENCER. (L.S.)