Improvements in Converting Iron into Steel or the Steelifying of Wrought Iron Objects in a Manufactured or Partly Manufactured State.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Feb., 1891-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Converting Iron into Steel or the Steelifying of
Wrought Iron Objects in a Manufactured or Partly Manufactured
State.
1, WILLIAM HODGE, of Yatton, near Bristol, County of Somerset, Retired
Mining Purser and Assayer of Mineral Ores, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to steelify wrought iron or objects of wrought
iron in manufactured or partly manufactured state.
The steelification may be merely on the surface or it may penetrate to a greater
depth or it may be an entire steelification, all as desired or required for the purpose
in view. In many cases it is needful to steelify only the surface while the interior
should retain all the qualities of the toughness and softness of the wrought iron.
and in other cases again it is desirable or necessary that the steelification should
extend to a greater depth, and even to the conversion of the entire body of the
wrought iron into perfect steel.
Heretofore in the conversion of wrought iron bars into steel bars by the so-called
cementation process or treatment with wood charcoal in a closed vessel or box in a
furnace the result is what is called blister steel, because it comes out of the
furnace with a blistered and rough surface and the grain internally throughout has
been deleteriously affected.
The bars so steclified have therefore to be reheated and tilted or hammered
together to produce shear steel or to be broken up and melted in crucibles, cast
into ingots and then hammered or rolled out while hot to be rendered fit for spring
steel or cast steel for inanufacturing purposes.
But by reason of my invention 1 am enabled to dispense with the processes
subsequent to the cementation and to form the objects into the required finished or
nearly finished form while in the comparatively soft condition of wrought iron
(which requires less labour, less time, less wear and tear of tools and less fuel,
wrought iron being also more readily worked and welded than steel) and I there-
upon wholly or partly steelify the objects so made.
My mode of steelifying is similar to that now used in the cementation process but
differs therefrom especially in this important respect that I employ a material
which I have ascertained to be entirely suitable for the carbonizing or steelifying
of wrought iron and which while effecting the object in one single process does not
blister the surface nor in any way deleteriously affect the grain or internal structure
of the iron as the wood charcoal does in the ordinary cementation process. My
carbonaceous substance is spent tan. This substance (having been partially or
wholly charred in any convenient charring stove or retort) is put into the retorting
or steelifying box, pot or vessel with the pieces of iron or the goods manufactureil
in wrought iron and packed in the carbonaceous substance in the usual manner.
After the retort or pots well luted have been exposed to a moderate furnace heat
for the necessary length of time for steelifying the iron according to the depth of
steelifying desired or throughout, say from about an hour after the proper heat of
the furnace has been reached, to from 5 hours to five or six days and nights or as
much as is necessary, according to the amount of steelifying desired upon the objects
so treated. The fire of the furnace is then put out or the furnace is allowed to
cool down until the retorts or crucibles or pots with their contents be withdrawn}
and the steel or steelified goods can be taken out when the steel may be
seasoned as hard as may be necessary in the ordinary way of hardening steel.
The following are a very few examples of the application of this invention screws,

page_text: screw nuts, pivot pins, keys and wedges for shafting, cutting tools and other tools of
great variety and for wood, metals and other materials swords, bayonets, rifle barrels,
pistol barrels, parts of gun locks, mechanism of breechloading rifles, quickfiring
guns, small pieces of machinery generally, tooth wheels, chain links, dies, moulds,
engraved stamps and plates, taps and stocks, and dies for cutting nuts and screws, 5
spindles for cotton spinning and piston rods.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Converting Iron into Steel or the Steelifying of
Wrought Iron Objects in a Manufactured or Partly Manufactured
State.
I, WILLIAM HODGE, of Yatton, near Bristol, County of Somerset, Retiredl
Mining Purser and Assayer of Mineral Ores, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to steelify wrought iron or objects of wrought
iron in a manufactured or partly manufactured state. The steelification may be
merely on the surface or it may penetrate to a greater depth or it may be an entire
steelification, all as desired or required for the purpose in view. In many cases it
is needful to steelify only the surface while the interior should retain all the qualities
of the toughness and softness of the wrought iron and in other cases again it is desirable
or necessary that the steelification should extend to a greater depth and even to the
conversion of the entire body of the wrought iron into perfect steel.
1eretofore in the conversion of wrought iron bars into steel bars by the so-called
cementation process or treatment with wood charcoal in a closed vessel or box in a
furnace the result is what is called blister steel because it comes out of the furnace
with a blistered and rough surface and the grain internally throughout has been
deleteriously affected. The bars so steelified have therefore to be reheated and
tilted or hammered together to produce shear steel or to be broken up and melted
in crucibles, cast into ingots and then hammered or rolled out while hot to be
rendered fit for spring steel or cast steel for manufacturing purposes. But by
reason of my invention I am enabled to dispense with the processes subsequent to
the cementation. And I am also able to form the objects into the required finished
or nearly finished form while in the comparatively soft condition of wrought iron
(which requires less labour, less time, less wear and tear of tools and less fuel.
wrought iron being also more readily worked and welded than steel) and I thereupon
wholly or partly steelify the objects so made.
My mode of steelifying is similar to that now used in the cementation process
but differs therefrom especially in this important respert that I employ a material
which I have ascertained to be entirely suitable for the carbonizing or steelifying
of wrought iron and which while effecting the object in one single process does not
blister the surface nor in any way deleteriously affect the grain or internal structure
of the iron, as the wood charcoal does in the ordinary cementation process. My
carbonaceous substance is spent tan. This substance (having been partially or
wholly charred in any convenient charring stove or retort is put into the retorting
or steelifying box, pot or vessel with the pieces of iron or the goods manufactured
in wrought iron and packed in the carbonaceous substance in the usual manner.
After the retorts or pots well lnted have been exposed to a moderate furnace heat
for the necessary length of time for steelifying the iron according to the depth
of steelifying desired or throughout, say from about an hour after the proper
heat of the furnace has been reached to from 5 hours to five or six days and
nights or as much as is necessary according to the amount of steelifying desired

page_text: upon the objects so treated. The fire of the furnace is then put out or the
furnace is allowed to cool down until the retorts or crucibles or pots with
their contents, be withdrawn and the steel or steelified goods can be taken out
when the steel may be seasoned as hard as may be necessary in the ordinary way
of hardening stcel.
The following are a very few examples of the application of this invention
Screw nuts pivot pins, keys and wedges for shafting, cutting tools and other tools
of great variety and for wood metals and other materials, swords, bayonets, rifle
barrels, pistol barrels parts of gun locks, mechanism of breechloading rifles, quick-
firing guns, small pieces of machinery generally tooth wheels, chain links, dies,
moulds, engraved stamps and plates, taps and stocks and dies for cutting nuts and
screws, spindles for cotton spinning and piston rods.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The steelification or partial steelification of wrought iron in a manufactured
or partly manufactured state by the application of carbonized spent tan in the
manner described.
Second. The application of carbonized spent tan in the steelification or partial
steelification of wrought iron in a manufactured or partly manufactured state in
the manner described.
in nuz su na
1071.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.