IMPROVEMENTS IN CHARCOAL BOX IRONS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Bache Salter, of the Firm of George Salter, and
Company, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturers,
and George Asher, of Balsall Heath, in the County of Worcester, Pattern
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Bache Salter
and George Asher at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
27th November 1880.
THOMAS BACHE SALTER, of the Firm of George Salter, and Company, of West
Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturers, and GEORGE ASHER, of
Balsall Heath, in the County of Worcester, Pattern Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CHARCOAL BOX IRONS."
Our Invention consists of the improvements herein after described in charcoal
box irons, whereby the ordinary chimney or funnel is rendered unnecessary and
efficiency in the action and facility in the use of the said iron's are attained and
their manufacture economized.
In the ordinary body of the box iron we place a false or inner body. This false body
is nearly of the same width as the outer body at top but tapers downwards leaving
a space between the two bodies all round, through which the heated air circulates
and gives great uniformity in the heating of the different parts of the iron. The
false body is open at bottom, and is supported upon ribs on the bottom of the true
body. Air to support combustion enters at holes in the body of the box iron and
through a slot in the lid. The slot in the lid has a valve working on a pivot or
axis for regulating the draught of air. In place of the false body a grating
supported a short distance above the bottom may be employed. In this case air is
admitted through holes in the back of the body, the air being directed underneath
the grating either by means of a vertical plate at its rear end forming with the
back of the body a passage down which the air passes, or by the ordinary shaped
grating.
The heated air and products of combustion escape through openings in the edge
of the sides of the lid. The ordinary chimney is thereby rendered unnecessary.
We form the guard, the uprights for the handle, the guide for the locking bolt
at front, and the pivot or axis of the valve at back, all in one piece by casting, the
said casting having made in it by the casting process the holes for the screws by
which the wooden handle is secured in its place. The guard and the parts cast in
one piece with it are secured in their places by a screw pin cast in the bottom of
the guard passing through a hole in the lid and being fixed by a screw nut.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Bache Salter and George Asher in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 18th May 1881.
THOMAS BACHE SALTER, of the Firm of George Salter and Company, of West
Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturers, and GEORGE ASHER, of!
Balsall Heath, in the County of Worcester, Pattern Maker. " IMPROVEMENTS IN
CHARCOAL BOX IRONS."
Our Invention consists of the improvements herein after described in charcoal
box irons, whereby the ordinary chimney or funnel is rendered unnecessary, and
efficiency in the action and facility in the use of the said irons are attained and
their manufacture economized.
In the ordinary body of the box iron we place a false or inner body. This false
body is nearly of the same width as the outer body at top, but is of less width
below the top, leaving a space between the two bodies all round, through which
the heated air circulates, and gives great uniformity in the heating of the different 1
parts of the iron. The false body is open at bottom and is supported upon ribs on
the bottom of the true body. Air to support combustion enters at holes in the
body of the box iron and through a slot in the lid. The slot in the lid has a
valve working on a pivot or axis for regulating the draught of air. In place of the
false body a grating supported a short distance above the bottom may be
employed.
In this case air is admitted through holes in the back of the body, the air being
directed underneath the grating, either by means of a vertical plate at its rear end
forming with the back of the body a passage down which the air passes, or by the
ordinary shaped grating.
The heated air and products of combustion escape through openings in the edge
of the sides of the lid. The ordinary chimney is thereby rendered unnecessary.
We form the guard, the uprights for the handle, the guide for the locking bolt
at front, and the pivot or axis of the valve at back, all in one piece by casting, the
said guard having made in it by the casting process the holes for the screws by
which the wooden handle is secured in its place. The guard and the parts, cast in
one piece with it are secured in their places by a screw pin cast in the bottom of
the guard passing through a hole in the lid and being fixed by a screw nut.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings
the manner in which our Invention is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent elevations of a charcoal box iron made according to
our Invention, the lid being represented closed and bolted down in Figure 1, and
unbolted and open in Figure 2. Figure 3 represents a longitudinal vertical section
of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a horizontal section, and Figure 5 a transverse vertical
section of the same; Figure 6 is a plan of the same; and Figure 7 is the same
view as Figure 6 with the handle removed and the valve closed; Figure 8 is a
longitudinal section of the false body of the box iron detached; Figure 9 represents
the guard and parts connected with it separately; Figure 10 represents the lid
separately; Figure 11 represents the sliding bolt separately; and Figure 12 the
valve separately.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawings.
a is the ordinary taper body of the charcoal box iron, and 6 is the false or inner
body having uninclined sides fitted in the true body a. The said false body b is
nearly of the same width at top as the top of the taper body a, but is of less width
from the top downwards, and is also of less length than the outer body a. Between

page_text: the taper sides of the true body a and the uninclined sides of the false or inner
body b spaces are left, as best seen in the horizontal section, Figure 4, and the
transverse section, Figure 5, where the side spaces or passages are marked c.
Between the rear end of the false body b and the true body a a vertical flue or
passage d is left. Over the top of the said end flue or passage d slots or openings e, e,
are made in the jointed lid f, through which slots or openings air is supplied to the
box iron for supporting the combustion of the fuel in the false body b, as herein
after explained. The quantity of air entering the box iron through the slots c, e,
may be regulated by the valve g situated on the lid f and turning on the pivot or
axis h. The false body b is open at top and bottom, and is supported upon cross
ribs i, i, on the bottom of the true body a (see Figure 3). In the edge of the sides
of the jointed lid f angular (or other shaped) openings k, k, are made through
which the heated air and products of combustion from the box iron escape.
The air is supplied to and made to circulate through the box iron in the
following way:The valve g being opened to the required extent (see Figure 6)
air enters the flue or passage d by the openings or slots e, e, and passes down the
said flue d into the spaces c, c, between the sides of the true and false bodies a, b.
Passing along and descending the side flues or spaces c, c, the air, heated by contact
with the heated surfaces of the flues or spaces c, c, enters the interior of the box
iron by the spaces between the ribs i, i, and the bottom edge of the false body b,
as indicated by the arrows in Figures 3, 4, and 5, and thereby supports the
combustion of the charcoal in the said box iron. The heated air and products
of combustion rising in the box iron escape into the atmosphere through the
openings k, k, in the edge of the lid f, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 3.
As the air for supporting combustion circulates from end to end of the sides of
the box iron, and is uniformly delivered into the box iron, great uniformity in the
heating of the different parts of the box iron results, and by causing the heated
air and products of combustion to escape through the openings k, k, in the edge of
the sides of the lid the ordinary chimney is rendered unnecessary.
The hinged lid f when shut down is fastened in its place by the sliding bolt 1,
the hooked lower end 12 of which takes into a hole in the point or front end of the
body a of the box iron (see Figure 3). The guard m for carrying the wooden
grip n of the handle, the guide at the front of the said guard for the locking
bolt to work in, and the arm p carrying the pivot or axis h for the valve g to turn
upon, and the screw q for fixing the guard and parts carried by it to the lid fare
all made in one piece by the casting process (see the separate view, Figure 9). The
ends of the guard m have made in them by the casting process the holes for the
screws or pin by which the wooden grip n is secured in its place. The guide 13 has
a recess in its underside, and the upper edge of the sliding bolt has a shape
to slide in the said recess. The guard m and parts carried by it are fixed
proper
in their places on the lid f by passing the screw pin q through a hole in the said
In order to determine
lid and fixing it by the screw nut r, as seen in Figure 3.
the exact position of the guard m and parts carried by it on the lid f, the raised
parts on the said lid is formed with a cross depression 82 (see Figure 7) into which
a projection on the underside of the guard m seats itself when the screw pin q is
passed through the hole in the lid.
The
Figure 13 represents in longitudinal section, Figure 14 in plan with the lid
removed, and Figure 16 in end elevation, a charcoal box iron, in which a grating
on the bottom of the body is used in place of the false body herein before described.
t is the grating supported a short distance above the bottom of the body a.
said grating has at its back end a vertical plate t2, which forms with the back of
the body a a passage u, down which air, supplied by openings v, v, in the back of
the body, passes as indicated by the arrows in Figure 13. Instead of the grating.
represented an ordinary grating may be employed, that is, a grating having an
inverted trough shaped back. The air for the support of combustion enters the
interior of the box iron from the rear end of the said box iron in the manner

page_text: indicated by the arrows, and the heated air and products of combustion escape from
the box iron through the openings k, k, at the edge of the lid f, as before described.
The draught of air through the box iron may be regulated by the valve g
constructed as before described.
In place of a sliding bolt the lids of box irons containing our improvements may
be fastened down by bolts of other constructions. In Figure 16 a self acting lever
bolt x is used, the spring causing the hooked lower end of the said lever bolt to
engage with a projection at the point end of the body of the iron. Or a lever
bolt of the kind represented in Figure 17 and the fastening lugs of the same in
Figure 18 may be used. This bolt consists of a horizontal arm y on the underside
of the lid turning on the centre or axis y³, and a handle y outside the lid for
working the said horizontal arm. The ends of the horizontal arm engage under
snugs y, y, on opposite sides of the box iron.
Or a lever fastening of the kind represented in longitudinal section in Figure 19
and plan in Figure 20 may be used. 1 is the lever turning on the pin or centre 2,
which serves to secure the guard m to the lid of the box iron. The free end of the
lever takes into a recess at the top of the rod 3 fixed to the body of the iron, and
thereby fastens the lid in its place.
Instead of using a valve of the kind herein before described for controlling the
draught of air through the box iron, a sliding valve or damper 4 may be placed at
the back of the iron, as illustrated in Figures 19 and 20, for opening and closing
the holes or openings v, v, in the back of the iron; and instead of making the
openings k, k, in the edge of the lid for the escape of the heated air and products of
combustion from the box iron, similar openings may be made near the top edge of
the body a, the edge of the lid being plain or unperforated, as illustrated in Figure 19,
where the openings in the body are marked 5. Or openings may be made in the
edges of the lid and body for the escape of the heated air and products of com-
bustion. When a lever fastening of the kind represented in Figures 19 and 20
is used, openings 6, 6, may be made in the lid f for the escape of the products
of combustion, in addition to the openings in the edge of the lid or edges of the
body and lid.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our Invention
of "Improvements in Charcoal Box Irons,"-
First. The combination with the ordinary body of the charcoal box iron of a false
or inner body for forming air spaces or flues between the sides and the rear ends of
the outer and inner bodies, for the purpose and substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
9
Secondly. Regulating the draft of air through the box iron by means of the
pivotted valve marked a turning on the lid of the box iron for opening or closing
or partially closing a slot or slots in the said lid, substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. Forming the guard m for carrying the wooden grip n, the guide ³ for
the locking bolt at front, and the arm p and pivot or axis h for the valve at back,
and the screw pin q for fixing the guard and parts carried by it to the lid, sub-
stantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings;
also connecting the guard and parts carried by it to the lid by a single screw pin,
as described and illustrated.
.
Fourthly. Making openings in the edge of the sides of the lid or in the top edge
of the body of the charcoal box iron, or openings in the edges of both lid and body 5
for the escape of the heated air and products of combustion from the box iron,
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings, whereby the ordinary chimney is rendered unnecessary.
Lastly. The combination with charcoal box irons, in which the escape of the
heated air and products of combustion is effected at openings in the edge of the lid 5
or body or both lid and body, of a grating supported on projections on the bottom

page_text: of the body for directing the air to the interior of the box iron, substantially
as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bache Salter, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
HENRY WILLIAM GETTINGS,
West Bromwich.
THOMAS BACHE SALTER. (L.S.)