IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR HARDENING AND TEM- PERING CRINOLINE OR SHEET STEEL, AND MEASURING THE SAME
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Madin, of Fitzwilliam Street, Sheffield, in the
County of York, Contractor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FURNACES AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR HARDENING AND TEM-
PERING CRINOLINE OR SHEET STEEL, AND MEASURING THE SAME."
Sealed the 11th May 1860, and dated the 14th November 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Madin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
November 1859.
I, JOHN MADIN, of Fitzwilliam Street, Sheffield, in the County of York,
Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FURNACES AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR HARDENING AND
TEMPERING CRINOLINE OR SHEET STEEL, AND MEASURING THE SAME,'
follows:-
"
The practice has been heretofore in hardening and tempering strips of steel
to draw them through the fire or ignited fuel in a furnace into water or oil,
and then over a jet or series of jets of gas or a slow fire, the rate of speed or
movement of the steel being regulated by hand labor. I propose to construct
a furnace with internal chambers or tubes running longitudinally through it,
in such manner that the heat from the firing places traverses beneath and over
the chamber or tube, the bottom of the chamber forming the top of the lower

page_text: At
flue, and the cover of the chamber forming the bottom of the upper flue.
one end of each chamber or flue are two or more inlet metallic tubes through
which the strips of steel from the supply reels enter the furnace, and at the
other end are outlet holes through which, when properly heated, they are
drawn by rolls at such rate of speed as may be required. They are then
drawn between chilled metallic dies formed of two water-tight vessels placed
face to face; each of these I furnish with a constant supply of cold water, and
provide at the top of each an outlet through which a continuous flow is main-
tained to carry off the heat absorbed. I then pass the steel over a continuous
flame of gas, obtained by attaching to a gas pipe a fan-shaped head covered
with wire gauze of such mesh as may be required to regulate the quality or
color of the flame for tempering or blueing.
Another arrangement whereby I temper the steel is by passing it over a
metallic plate which is heated by the furnace, the flue of which is continued
beneath it and heats it, subject to regulation by means of a damper. To the
end of each set of rolls I attach an indicator of the ordinary construction for
measuring the length of steel; from the rolls the steel is taken up by reels
which can be removed at pleasure when the quantity indicated is rolled upon
them; these reels, as well as the large supply reels from which the steel is
drawn through the furnace, are formed with one face or side detachable from
the axle by a screw or other similar contrivance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Madin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th May 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MADIN, of Fitzwilliam Street, Sheffield, in the County of York, Contractor,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Johu Madin, Her special license that I, the
said John Madin, my executors, adininistrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Madin, 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

page_text: might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNACES AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR
HARDENING AND TEMPERING CRINOLINE. OR SHEET STEEL, AND MEASURING THE
SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Madin,
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 John Madin, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is and may be
carried into effect, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Draw-
ings and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
At
The practise has been heretofore in hardening and tempering strips of steel
to draw them through the fire or ignited fuel in a furnace into water or oil,
and then over a jet or series of jets of gas, or a slow fire, the rate of speed or
movement of the steel being regulated by hand labor. I propose to construct
a furnace with internal chambers or tubes running longitudinally through it
in such manner that the heat from the firing places traverses beneath and over
the chamber or tube, the bottom of the chamber forming the top of the lower
flue, and the cover of the chamber forming the bottom of the upper flue.
one end of each chamber or flue are two or more inlet metallic tubes, through
which the strips of steel from the supply reels enter the furnace, and at the
other end are outlet tubes, through which, when properly heated, they are
drawn by rolls, at such rate of speed as may be required. They are then
drawn between chilled metallic dies formed of two water-tight vessels placed
face to face; each of these I furnish with a constant supply of cold water, and
provide at the top of each an outlet, through which a continuous flow is main-
tained, to carry off the heat absorbed. I then pass the steel over a continuous
flame of gas, obtained by attaching to a gas pipe a fan-shaped head covered
with wire gauze, of such mesh. as may be required to regulate the quality or
color of the flame for tempering or blueing.
.. Another arrangement whereby I temper the steel is, by passing it over a
metallic plate which is heated by the furnace, the flue of which is continued
beneath it, and heats it, subject to regulation by means of a damper. To the
end of each set of rolls I attach an indicator of the ordinary construction for
measuring the length of steel from the rolls; the steel is taken up by reels,

page_text: which can be removed at pleasure when the quantity indicated is rolled upon
them; these reels, as well as the large supply reels from which the steel is
drawn through the furnace, are formed with one face or side detachable from
the axle by a screw or other similar contrivance.
Figure 1 is a plan of the said furnace; Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal
section, shewing the reels, rolls, and general combination of the machinery em-
ployed; Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section of the furnace; Figure 4 a
side elevation; and Figure 5 a detail section of the chilling dies.
The heat from the firing places A, A, pursues the course indicated by the
arrows passing when it reaches the end of the flues a, a, through the side
flues b, b, into the top flues c, c, and thence into the chimney. The steel strips
are first coiled upon the reels B, B, and attached to the machinery employed,
in the manner shown by Figure 2. The rolls C, C, which are driven by the
ordinary well-known means, determine the rate of speed at which the steel is
drawn through the holes or passages d, d, which can be heated to any required
degree; the inlets and also the outlets of these heated passages are bushed
with metallic tubes, having valves or falls which open in the direction in which
the steel travels, and exclude the atmospheric air by closing upon the steel
without impeding its movement. The metallic dies or water-tight vessels D, D,
(see Figures 2 and 5,) between which the steel passes after being drawn through
the furnace, are furnished with a continuous supply of cold water; the quantity
of water which passes through the dies is regulated by taps attached to the
inlet tubes e, e, and to the outlet tubes f, f; these tubes are flexible, and admit
of the dies being removed at pleasure. To the top die is affixed a lever and
weight to regulate the pressure on the steel. On leaving the dies the steel
is drawn through guides g, g, between which is placed a fan-shaped vessel or
T-pipe. E, perforated for jets of gas, and covered with wire gauze, if necessary,
to subdue the flame. I can produce the same effect by substituting for gas a
heated metallic plate, over which the steel is, drawn; this plate is heated by
continuing beneath it the flues a, a, at one end of the furnace; return flues are
also formed communicating with the flues c, c, and thence with the chimney,
in the manner herein-before described. By attaching an indicator to each set
of rolls the quantity of steel passing between them can be readily ascertained.
The movement of the rolls and relative motion of the reels F, which take up
the steel when tempered, is regulated in the usual manner by cone pullies and
bands...:
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner
the same is and may be carried into effect, I desire it to be understood that
what I claim as my Invention, and desire to have secured to me by the above

page_text: in part recited Letters Patent is, the construction of furnace delineated in the
accompanying Drawings, chilling dies arranged for water to pass through
them, and generally the peculiar combination of machinery which I employ,
substantially and in the manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Madin, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
T. F. CASHIN.
JOHN MADIN. (L.S.)