IMPROVEMENTS IN BLOW PIPES USED IN SOLDERING AND BRAZING METALS, AND FOR PURPOSES.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Kennelly, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Gasfitter, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BLOW PIPES USED IN SOLDERING AND BRAZING METALS, AND FOR
PURPOSES.
"
OTHER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Kennelly at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th December 1872.
I, THOMAS KENNELLY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Gasfitter, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BLOW PIPES USED IN SOLDERING AND BRAZING METALS, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to blow pipes used in soldering and
brazing metals, and for other purposes, in which said blow pipes a
mixture of atmospheric air and coal gas or other inflammable gas under
pressure is burned at the point or jet of the blow pipe. The atmospheric
air is conducted in the said blow pipe to the jet by means of a central

page_text: tube, while the inflammable gas is conducted by a tube surrounding the
air tube. The relative proportions of air and gas are determined by
means of stop cocks.
In constructing the said blow pipes according to my Invention I
introduce a spring valve into the pipe conveying the gas, which valve in
its normal position shuts off the gas. Connected to the said valve is a
lever turning upon a joint, and lying very nearly parallel with the body
of the blow pipe, the position of the said lever being such that when the
workman grasps the blow pipe in the ordinary way the pressure of the
hand on the said lever opens the valve described, and permits of the
passage of the gas. When the workman releases his hold upon the
blow pipe, or hangs it on a hook near the work bench, as is ordinarily
done when it is temporarily out of use, the spring valve described closes,
and the gas is shut off.
In addition to the valve described I add to the blow pipe a tube of
very small diameter in connection with the gas tube, by means of which
small tube a small supply of gas is conveyed to the nose or jet of the
blow pipe independent of the principal supply which passes through the
valve. By means of this small supply of gas a minute flame is always
maintained at the nose or jet of the blow pipe, the said minute flame
serving immediately to ignite the principle current of gas of the blow
pipe when the workman being about to use it grasps the said blow pipe.
The said small flame being produced by gas unmixed with air is very
luminous, and enables the workman to examine his work by its light.
Blow pipes constructed according to my Invention are very economical:
in use, inasmuch as the gas is shut off immediately the workman puts the
blow pipe aside, or relaxes pressure on the lever, and the great waste of
gas which attends the use of blow pipes of the ordinary construction is
avoided.
The minute flame or igniter described consumes only one cubic foot
of gas per hour.
Blow pipes constructed according to my Invention possess also the
advantage that when the gas is shut off the current of air issuing from
the central orifice of the blow pipe may be used to cool any required
portion of the work.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Kennelly in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
KENNELLY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gasfitter,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Thomas Kennelly, Her special license that I, the
said Thomas Kennelly, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Thomas Kennelly, 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 BLOW PIPES USED IN SOL-
DERING AND BRAZING METALS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Kennelly, 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 Scal 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 Kennelly, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
My Invention has reference to blow pipes used in soldering and
brazing metals and for other purposes, in which said blow pipes a
mixture of atmospheric air and coal gas or other inflammable gas under
pressure is burned at the point or jet of the blow pipe. The atmospheric
air is conducted in the said blow pipe to the jet by means of a central
tube, while the inflammable gas is conducted by a tube surrounding the

page_text: air tube, the relative proportions of air and gas are determined by means
of stop-cocks.
In constructing the said blow pipes according to my Invention I
introduce a spring valve into the pipe conveying the gas, which valve in
its normal position shuts off the gas. Connected to the said valve is a
lever turning upon a joint, and lying very nearly parallel with the body
of the blow pipe, the position of the said lever being such that when the
workman grasps the blow pipe in the ordinary way the pressure of the
hand on the said lever opens the valve described and permits of the
passage of gas. When the workman releases his hold upon the blow
pipe or hangs it on a hook near the work bench, as is ordinarily done
when it is temporarily out of use, the spring valve described closes, and
the gas is shut off.
In addition to the valve described I add to the blow pipe a tube of
very small diameter in connection with the gas tube, by means of which
small tube a small supply of gas is conveyed to the nose or jet of the
blow pipe independent of the principal supply which passes through the
valve. By means of this small supply of gas a minute flame is always
maintained at the nose or jet of the blow pipe, the said minute flame
serving to ignite the principal current of gas of the blow pipe when the
workman being about to use it grasps the said blow pipe. The said
small flame being produced by gas unmixed with air is very luminous,
and enables the workman to examine his work by its light.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, and Figure 2 in longitudinal
section a blow pipe constructed according to my Invention, the spring
valve of the said blow pipe being closed; Figure 3 represents the same,
partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section, with the spring
valve opened; Figure 4 represents a plan of the under side of a portion
of the same, and Figure 5 is a cross section of the nose end of the blow
pipe. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the
several Figures of the Drawing.
a, a², and b are the two concentric tubes of the blow pipe, the inner
tube 6 being the air tube, and the outer tube a, a³, the gas tube. The
air and gas conveyed by the said tubes a, a³, and 6, mix at the jet or

page_text: nose c. The nose end of the tube a is perforated as seen in Figure 5,
and through the perforations the gas passes to the jet c and mixes with
the air supplied by the central tube b. The parts a and a" of the gas
tube are divided by the divisions at a³, communication between the said
parts being made by the opening d, the edge of which constitutes a valve
seat e.
Gas is supplied to the part a by the branch pipe a*; fis a
spring valve seating itself on the seat e. The said valve consists of a
diaphragm of india-rubber, its edge being fixed between the edges of the
two parts of the valve box or case g. The said valve ƒ is pressed to its
seat when at liberty to move by the coiled spring ½ surrounding the
stem i. Geared to the forked end of the stem of the valve is a lever k, k³,
turning on the centre ³. The said lever k, k³, lies nearly parallel with
the body of the blow pipe as represented. The workman in grasping the
body of the blow pipe takes hold of it near the part where the handle
5 end k³ of the lever is situated, and the said handle end is grasped by the
hand while holding the blow pipe. The said lever is thereby brought
into the position represented in Figure 3, and the valve ƒ thus removed
from its seat e, and gas is permitted to pass from the part a³ to the part a
of the gas tube. On relaxing the pressure of the hand on the end ³ of
O the lever the valve fis closed by the action of the spring h as illustrated
in Figure 2, and the gas is shut off. When the gas is so shut off the
current of air passing along the central pipe b may be used to cool the
work.
I do not limit myself to any particular construction of spring valve
5 for shutting off the gas when the pressure on the lever k, k², is relaxed,
but I have found the particular construction of valve represented in the
Drawing to answer very well.
In connection with the part a³ of the gas tube a, a³, is a tube 7 of
small diameter for conveying a minute stream of gas to the nose or jet
O of the blow pipe independent of the principal supply which passes
through the valve f, and is controlled by the said valve. The said
small tube opens into the tube a² beyond the division a³,
and passes to
the outside of the tube for a short distance. It then enters the tube a
and passes within the said tube to nearly the end thereof, when it again
5 passes to the outside and terminates in a jet & external to the main jet
or nose c of the blow pipe. The exterior of the blow pipe, where it is
grasped by the workman in use, is by this construction free from pro-
jecting parts.

page_text: It will be seen by referring to the section, Figure 2, that the small gas
tube is always in communication with the main gas pipe a², and hence a
small flame is always maintained at the nose or jet of the blow pipe. By
means of this minute flame the principal current of gas passing through
the tube a is ignited, when the workman being about to use the blow pipe
grasps it and the lever k³, and opening the valve ƒ permits gas to pass
from the part a³ to the part a of the gas tube. The minute flame or
igniter being unmixed with air is very luminous, and enables the work-
man to examine the work by its light. The minute flame or igniter
consumes only about one cubic foot of gas per hour.
Blow pipes constructed according to myInvention are very economical
in use, inasmuch as the gas is shut off immediately the workman puts the
blow pipe aside or relaxes pressure on the lever, and the great waste of
gas which attends the use of blow pipes of the ordinary construction is
avoided.
Blow pipes constructed according to my Invention possess also the
advantage that when the gas is shut off the current of air issuing from
the central orifice of the blow pipe may be used to cool any required
portion of the work.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner a
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illus-
trated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
my Invention; but I claim as my Invention of improvements in blow
pipes used in soldering and brazing metals and for other purposes, the 2
said blow pipes burning a mixture of air and inflammable
gas,—
Firstly. The combination with the blow pipe of a spring valve for
shutting off the supply of gas when the blow pipe is out of use, sub-
stantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
Secondly. The combination with the spring valve of the blow pipe of
a lever so arranged that when the blow pipe is grasped for use the said
lever opens the valve and permits the passage of gas, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
3
Thirdly. The combination with the blow pipe of a small tube inde- 3
pendent of the principal gas tube for always maintaining a small flame
or igniter at the nose or jet of the blow pipe for immediately igniting

page_text: the principal current of gas when the workman grasps the blow pipe for
use, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Kennelly, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in the year
⚫ of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three..
panying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Kennelly, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
THOMAS KENNELLY. (L.S.)