Improvements in the Manufacture of Tumblers and other Articles of Glass, and in Apparatus or Machinery therefor.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Tumblers and other
Articles of Glass, and in Apparatus or Machinery therefor.
I, THOMAS WALTON of Newton-le-Willows in the County of Lancaster, Glass
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TUMBLERS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF GLASS AND
IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY THEREFOR " to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a method of manufacturing tumblers, wine
glasses, moons and other glass hollow ware especially those articles usually made
from flint glass doing by machinery instead of by hand as heretofore.
I gather the metal on the blow pipe or iron and place it in a shape having a
projection at the end in which shape it is marvered and the bottom pricked up at
the same time, it is then either blown ready for squaring as in ordinary hand
operation, or is placed in bearings against a blast orifice with india rubber or other
soft mouth and revolved in the notches at the same time till it is blown to the
right size. It is now either slid forward on the notches into a revolving shape or
mould where it is squared or it is held by hand in the revolving mould placed in
any convenient position and moulded to shape the bottom or technically "squared."
The iron with the glass article is then passed on to a second holder on the gantree
of the lathe or other position and the iron made fast in a concentric chuck or
spring-and-screw concentric holder on a sliding carriage or frame. This sliding
carriage slides on a shaft placed to one side of the centre line of the lathe (and
parallel with it) and the carriage or frame can oscillate about said shaft. On the
gantree is fixed a cutting stone, I at present prefer an ordinary grindstone or.
corundum wheel with sharp solid periphery. The shaft is then screwed backwards
or forwards carrying the carriage with it, till the right point of the length of the
glass is over or opposite the stone which is ascertained by a gauge or fence. The
glass revolving in the carriage is then brought against the revolving grindstone
and the glass is almost instantly cut off to the right length. By this means the
marking, calipering and shearing by skilled workinen is avoided and the glass cut
much more evenly. It will be obvious that the carriage can be suspended from
other shaft than one carried by a gantree, and if the grindstone frame be provided
with a vertical movement the carriage can be made to slide solid on the gantree.

page_text: In my experimental apparatus the bar is suspended by side bearings from the
wall and I do without a gantree altogether for the last operation; it is obvious also
that all the operations could be done in the same chuck and on the same gantree,
by giving the chuck with its carriage a longitudinal travel as in a lathe, and
arranging the shaping mould and the corundum wheel so that they can be brought
in and out of operation, the mould by band lever, the corundum wheel by treadle
screw lever or other means.
The article is now to be finished. To do this it is placed in a shape with a hole
in the bottom and slot in the side, and an iron punty with cup end filled with hot
glass is shoved up the hole and sticking to the article lifts the latter out of the
shape when the punty (with the article) is withdrawn through the slot in the side,
by this contrivance a boy can at once apply the punty to the exact centre. The
punty now is placed in notched bearings on a level and slid forward to the glory
bole or pot hole and heated, then slid back into a revolving chuck or socket, and is
held in position by one or more projections, screws or their equivalents and finished
with wood tools, or with a shape fixed above it working on a radius bar or guides.
A gauge on the stationary frame shows when it is finished to standard size and
shape.

page_text: to air compressed by an elastic tube or hose pipe of any suitable material. The
glass is now blown cool enough by compressed air coming through a pipe c³ fixed
so that it can be guided to any part of the glass or off altogether when not wanted
by lever. The glass when cool enough is pressed by hand into a continually
revolving mould E shown in detail Figures 9 and 10 and thus squared. Mould E
is held in position on face plate e by means of set screws e² e² which themselves
pass through nuts forming eye bolts adjustable in slots es in plates e and held
firmly in place by nuts e e, thereby allowing different sized moulds to be fixed on
same face plate.
Mould E is shaped to the required outside contour of the glass article to be made.
The revolving mould E is fixed on the same axial line as the notch bearings B B
and the blower C: In order to give the operator power over any article, he may
be blowing and to allow the article to be run out to any length required and blown
in while his hand is up behind, the gantree with notch bearings B B and blower C
is made to rock up and down on the axis D at pleasure. The article or tumbler is
now blown and ready for cutting off. To do this, the blow pipe with the glass
article on it is now passed on to that part of the machine specially depicted in
Figures 1 and 5. In these Fis. the driving shaft. Suspended from this shaft by
swinging frame G G is a revolving tubular shaft g.
The iron or blow pipe a² is put in the revolving tube g of swinger G and pushed
forward until it projects through a concentric chuck or holder H, at one end of
. revolving tube g and fits tight at the other or metal end of the iron. This chuck
is shown in full detail in Figures 6 and 7 (a section and end view respectively).
The iron is made fast and centred in this holder by screwing up nut which
presses down wedges h¹ against the blow pipe a², these wedges being carried on
springs i fixed to the body of the chuck which in turn is screwed into shaft g.
The position of the two shafts longitudinally is regulated by screw J and hand.
wheel j. Screw J passes through nut j₁ and is attached to the shaft F by swivel
joint f g is a pulley, driving shaft g by means of a belt and pulley g².
K is a sharp cutting revolving stone or corundum wheel driven from shaft For
other convenient point by belt.
.
The operator after tightening and centering the blow-end of iron in the manner
described, screws the swinger longitudinally till the exact point at which it is
desired to cut off the tumbler is reached by means of the screw, J and hand wheel j
opposite to the sharp cutting revolving stone K, I prefer a stone to any metal or
composition that I know of at present, to cut direct, from the iron. The operator
now pushes forward the swinger (which oscillates about its own shaft) and presses
the revolving glass gently against the revolving stone when it is almost instantly
cut off. It falls into a receptacle made of sheet iron and placed beneath for that
purpose. This is shown in Figures 16 and 17. By this means the marking,.
calipering and shearing by skilled workmen is avoided, and the glass cut much
more evenly. To take the iron from swinger, the revolving tube is stopped by
shifting the belt on to a loose pulley on the main shaft, by means of a belt guide
in the usual way.
It will be obvious that the carriage can be suspended from other shaft than, one
carried by a gantree, and if the grindstone frame be provided with a vertical or
lateral movement, the carriage can be made to slide solid on the gantree.
Figure 16 is a plan and Figure 17 an elevation of the apparatus to catch the
glass. In this P is a standard attached to the gantree by bolt p. p¹, is a saddle
bolted to standard. P by bolts 626 passing through slot p³. p is a wire gauze
guard attached to p¹ and used to keep the glass from the cold metal of p¹. The
glass being cut off, an attendant takes it with wooden pinchers, and places it in a
mould L in any convenient position, this mould has a slot b at side and is shown in.
Figures 14 and 15. A puntie with end shaped as shown in Figure 18 and filled
with, hot glass as shown, in section by small dots is now shoved up through, thes

page_text: hole at bottom which is made just large enough to fit it, and against the tumbler
bottom being guided so as to be in a straight line by two notches, not shown in
drawing, but similar to BB Figure 1. The puntie is thus accurately centred on the
tumbler bottom.
Above this mould a flat wooden casher is fixed on a spring brought into position
to press tumbler against puntie and to stick it harder if necessary. The casher can
be actuated by foot treadle or hand when the tumbler is struck, the operator takes
his foot off the treadle and the casher springs clear from the top of the mould, he
now lifts the tumbler clear of the mould and takes the puntie out through the slot
at the side of the mould. The piece of flat wood called the casher instead of being
attached to a spring may be loose and used by band each time.
The puntie with glass attached is now put across notched bearings M, M,
(Figures 2, 3 and 5) on another part of the machine. Opposite to the cold end of
the puntie there is a revolving chuck Q slotted at side to admit a small peg or
projection at the side and nearly at the end of the puntie. This peg enters the
slot as the puntie enters the chuck and holds it in position while the article at
opposite end is finished. I prefer puntie with a peg, to either a screw, round,
taper, square or oval ended puntie, it comes out so much easier. Near the opposite
end of the puntie when lying in notches M, M, the end where the glass is attached
the furnace or glory hole is situated in the axial line of the puntie so placed,
therefore all that has to be done after the puntie is across the notch bearings is to
slide or run it forward, into the hole, (about the position indicated by the letter N)
and when hot enough slide or run it back again into the revolving chuck and finish
it either by ordinary wood tools or with wood pegs or a shape fixed above the
article upon guides.
The revolving chuck Qis worked by fast and loose pulley. When finished the
operator guides the belt on to the loose pulley n¹ if necessary to take the puntie
out of the chuck. This done the tumbler is knocked off and sent into the lear.
To keep the working hole hot and guard the operator from the heat while
finishing the article, a stopper is used to cover the hole. This is made with a ring
or frame of iron filled with fireclay and hooked to a chain running over a pulley
weighted at opposite end so that will run down gently of itself and cover the
working hole. To uncover it the chain is pulled down. To keep it uncovered the
chain is attached to a peg.
It will be obvious the machine can be made to work either by hand or foot, and
for melters at the press I think either would be better than steam power and more
economical, for in pressed work, melters only can use it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st. The marvering shapes or blocks with pin in centre for pricking up well
bottom tumblers, also blocks made to round up and cut down thin top tumblers
and wines at same time.
2nd. The apparatus consisting of a gantree preferably rocking-carrying the
blow pipe in notches or their equivalent and being supplied with blow apparatus
substantially as described.
3rd. The combination of a rapidly rotating squaring block or shape E, and
means for holding blow-pipe in line with the axis of that block or shape while free
to be reciprocated to and fro on said axis, substantially, as described.
4th. The apparatus substantially as and for the purposes described under
letters F, G, H and K with or without the various minor parts described in
connection therewith.
5th. The puntie having a pin or its equivalent at one end, and a hollow cup end
at the other, substantially as and for the purposes described, also the combination
of the revolving chuck with said puntie.

page_text: 6th. The mould L in shape fitting the article to be made, and having a hole in
bottom and slot at side to enable the puntie to be inserted in the exact centre
of the glass bottom, and to be withdrawn through the side, substantially as
described.
7th. The finishing apparatus consisting of the rapidly revolving chuck preferably
with alternating rotation in combination with the notches for carrying the puntie
arranged in line therewith, also in combination with the above tools made to fit the
articles in the globular shape and held guided or hinged above the revolving glass
and pressed against the same until the article is finished.
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