IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING, PLUMBERS' TRAPS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co, Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING, PLUMBERS'
TRAPS." A communication from abroad by Frederick Nelson
Du Bois, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America, Manufacturer.
Sealed the 18th January 1876, and dated the 19th November 1875.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 19th November 1875, pursuant to the 9th:
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING PLUMBERS' TRAPS," and have petitioned Her

page_text: Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration
that it has been communicated to me from abroad by Frederick Nelson
Du Bois, of the City and State of New York, United States of America,
Manufacturer.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, in, and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming
a part of this Specification :-
This Invention is designed for the manufacture of plumbers' traps of
lead or other soft metal, or of clay or like plastic material, the said
traps being made seamless and compressed, and hence of better character
and quality than those. hither manufactured and by means of my present
Invention at a very moderate expense.
In the practice of the said Invention the soft metal or material is
caused to pass in two or more streams to and through an annular orifice
or die, the streams uniting by pressure at the said die, in such manner
that the tubular product issuing from the die will be straight when
the velocity of the two streams is equal and curved in one direction, or the
other according as the velocity of one stream preponderates over that of
the other, the degree of curvature being proportioned to such pre-
ponderance.
The said Invention consists in the combination of two or more
plungers operated by hydraulic or other appropriate power, with a
corresponding number of receivers for holding the material of which the
traps are to be made, connected by suitable passages with the annular
die through which the material is forced in the production of the trap,
the aforesaid plungers being furnished or used in connection with any
suitable adjuncts for varying the relative speed of the streams in the
fabrication of the traps.
The said Invention further comprises two hydraulic presses arranged in
the same axial line having between them the receivers constructed with
the annular die or annular orifice, and the whole connected by straining
bars in such manner that in the operation of the machine one hydraulic

page_text: press will react against the other, thereby securing a stiffness and
rigidity to the apparatus unobtainable with any ordinary system of
framing.
The said Invention further comprises a peculiar means for varying the
relative power of the two presses' aforesaid, as exerted in forcing the
streams of lead or other material to the die or orifice, whereby the
outflow of the material to form the trap may be made either straight or
curved to any degree in one direction or the other, as required in giving
the proper shape to the trap.

page_text: forms the annular orifice or die c, c', through which the soft metal or
other material is forced in the formation or production of the trap. J is.
a partition dividing the chamber H at each side of the core I up to
within a short space of the die or orifice c, c¹, as indicated in dotted
outline in Figure 3. At the outermost end of each receiver G is an
opening m through which molten lead or other soft metal suitable for
the manufacture of the traps may be poured, or through which on
occasion the receiver may be filled with clay or other suitable plastic
material when the traps are to be made of such.
•
It will be understood that the outermost extremity of the bore of
each receiver is closed by the inserted end of the adjoining plunger F.
K, K, indicate the ordinary apparatus whereby the water from the
pumps of a hydraulic press is admitted to the press to operate the piston
of the latter in either direction as occasion may require. Each press
(comprising a press cylinder A, piston E, plunger F, and the like) is
furnished with a set of this apparatus, which with the exception herein-
after presently fully explained has the ordinary construction and modus
operandi, and therefore requires no special description here. The inlet
of each press cylinder to work the piston of said cylinder inward toward
the adjoining receiver is through the pipe L connected with the
adjacent apparatus K. In each of these latter in the passage u leading
to the pipe L thereof is a valve N. The stems w of these two valves
connect at their inner ends by a clamp sleeve P upon which is a hand
wheel R. Each valve N works with a screw movement to and from its
seat to close or open to any required degree the passage u, the thread a¹
on the valve stem working through a nut b¹, the threads of both valve
stems running in the same direction, so that when the hand wheel is
turned in one direction it will bring the valve N of the left-hand
apparatus K towards its seat, and at the same time bring the corre-
sponding valve of the right-hand 'apparatus away from its seat, and vice
versa. By this means the relative pressure of the two hydraulic presses
may be readily and conveniently varied or changed at will, according as
one or the other of the plungers F, F, is required to move faster than
its fellow in the formation of the trap. Inasmuch as this change and
regulation of the water pressure to the two presses is controlled by the
movement of the hand wheel R it follows that a known position of said
wheel will bring about a previously calculated operation of the presses
so far as concerns their relative pressure aforesaid. To facilitate there-
募

page_text: fore the manipulation of the machine the hand wheel R is provided
with an index fingers which moves in appropriate proximity to a fixed
scale T so that the position of the index finger with regard to the
graduations of the scale will indicate the position of the valves N
to secure as the case may be an equal pressure of the two presses to
insure the projection of the material from the die or orifice c, c¹³, or a
preponderance of pressure from one or the other of the presses to secure
a greater or less curvature in one direction or the other in the product
as the material issues from the die as aforesaid.
It will be understood that the receivers, the press cylinders, and other
parts in which great strength is required should be made of steel, cast
iron being practically unsuitable for the purpose, and wrought iron
being inferior to steel.
In order to operate the machine in the manufacture of metallic traps
it is preferred to first heat the receivers by any suitable means, as for
example, by a portable furnace underneath to a temperature of, say,
four hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The lead or other soft metal is then
poured into the receivers and allowed to solidify, the metal however
retaining a temperature somewhat approaching though below the
melting point. The hydraulic presses are then put in operation, and
both plungers having at first'an equal velocity in their inward move-
ment the lead is forced out in straight tubular form to any desired
length.
The two streams of metal (or other material) being brought under
extreme pressure into the most intimate contact while issuing through
the die or annular orifice are firmly and homogeneously welded or united,
so that the product issuing from the die is of true tubular form,
compressed, and strong. When this straight portion of the trap
is formed one of the plungers is made to move faster than the other,
and thereby causes one of the streams of material to move faster than
the other, so that as the tubular product issues from the die it will be
curved in the direction of the slowest stream, as indicated by the dotted
outline x, Figure 3, the arc of the curvature being proportioned to the
preponderence in speed of the one stream over the other. When it is
desired that the trap shall have a second curve in a direction opposite that
of the first the hand wheel R is turned to reverse the relative speeds of
the two plungers, that which previously moved with the greatest velocity

page_text: the opposite side of the trap as it issues in process of formation from
the die, and the desired curvature in a direction opposite the first is
effected.
If the trap is to have a straight portion at each end the two streams
are run at uniform velocities in finishing the trap. When the trap has
reached the requisite length it is sawn from the material issuing from
the die by means of an ordinary hand saw. The pressure exerted upon
the metal by the plungers should be from twenty thousand to thirty
thousand pounds to the square inch.
It will be observed that the bars B hold the two press cylinders each.
against the reactionary strain of the other, and thereby secure a firmness.
and rigidity to the machine otherwise not easily attainable.
]
When desired the machine may be used for the manufacture of traps
from clay or other like plastic material. In such cases the pressure 1
may be very much less than that above stated, and the traps formed
from such plastic material will need to be baked after the manner of
earthenware or otherwise hardened to be fitted for use. Furthermore
when desired the said machine may comprise more than two hydraulic
press cylinders fitted with pistons, plungers, and other devices, and 2
arranged to force to the die a corresponding number of streams of
material from a like number of receivers.
Having thus fully described the nature of the said Invention as com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,―
First. The combination of two or more plungers operated by
hydraulic or other suitable power with a corresponding number of
receivers connected by suitable passages with an annular die, the
plungers being provided with suitable adjuncts for varying their relative
speed, as above set forth.
Second. The combination of two hydraulic presses arranged in the
same axial line, the receivers G, G, arranged between the press
cylinders and constructed with the annular die c, c', and the straining
bars B, B, the whole combined and arranged as above described and
for the purpose set forth.
2
8
3

page_text: Third. The valves N actuated by mechanism common to both and
combined in relation with the hydraulic presses, as above set forth,
whereby the relative velocities of the plungers F, F, actuated by said
presses may be varied as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here--
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
Witness,
+
JA. EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London,
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)