IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR PRODUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Templeman, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Artificial Fuel Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR PRODUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL
FUEL."
Sealed the 22nd August 1859, and dated the 1st March 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Templeman at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st March 1859.
I, JAMES TEMPLEMAN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Artificial Fuel Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR PRODUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL
FUEL," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to a certain extent to an Invention of "Improvements
in the Manufacture or Production of Artificial Fuel," for which Mr. Temple-
man obtained a grant of British Letters Patent on or about the Twenty-fifth
day of February, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, and it consists
in the combination with artificial resinous fuel of dried wood or other similar
combustible material:
In making this improved fuel, it is preferred to deposit slips or blocks of wood
in regular order in suitable holders or moulds, and the mixture of powdered
rosin and sawdust, as described in Mr. Templeman's former Specification, is
then deposited upon or over the wood. When the necessary heat is applied
for caking the composition, the wood adheres strongly to it as a solid mass.
In this way, when broken up into suitable portions for use, each piece of fuel
consists of a block of rosin and sawdust composition and a piece of wood..

page_text: Various compositions may be employed in this manufacture, and the wood
or other material may be incorporated with the composition in various ways,
the main object of the Invention being the obtainment of a good, cheap, and
lasting or effective fuel for use in lighting fires.
SPECIFICATION-in-pursuance-of-the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Templeman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
TEMPLEMAN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Artificial
Fuel Manufacturer, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Templeman, Her special license that I, the said James Templeman,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Templeman, my executors, administrators, or 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 THE MANUFACTURE OR PRODUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Templeman, 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 bo
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 James Templeman, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
•
My said Invention relates to a certain extent to an Invention of "Improve-
ments in the Manufacture or Production of Artificial Fuel," for which I have,
already, obtained a grant of British Letters Patent on or about the Twenty-

page_text: fifth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, and it
consists in the combination with artificial resinous fuel of dried wood or other
similar combustible material.
In making this improved fuel, it is preferred to deposit slips or blocks of
wood in regular order in suitable holders or moulds, and the mixture of
powdered rosin and sawdust as described in my former Specification, is then
deposited upon or over the wood. When the necessary heat is applied for
caking the composition, the wood adheres strongly to it as a solid mass. In
this way, when broken up into suitable portions for use, each piece of fuel
consists of a block. of rosin and sawdust composition and a piece of wood.
Various compositions may be employed in this manufacture, and the wood
or other material may be incorporated with the composition in various ways;
the main object of the Invention being the obtainment of a good, cheap, and
lasting or effective fuel for use in lighting fires.
And in order that my said Invention of improvements in the manufacture
or production of artificial fuel may be properly understood;. I shall now proceed
to describe the several illustrative Figures on the explanatory Sheet of
Drawings, which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of showing
certain modifications under which my improvements may be judiciously carried
out in practice.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Drawing is a longitudinal vertical section of a
mould for combining wood with a certain proportion of my improved artificial
fuel; Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section of the mould, taken at right
angles to Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan corresponding to Figures 1 and 2;
Figures 4 to 9 represent the fuel in different stages of manufacture.
In manufacturing fuel according to my present Invention, wood is combined
with a modification of the resinous artificial fuel, the preparation of which is
fully described in the Specification of British Letters Patent which were
granted to me, and bearing date on or about the Twenty-fifth day of February;
Que thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, and numbered 376. The wood'
to be used for the fuel is, if necessary, dried and deprived of the bark; it is
then sawn into pieces about three and a half or four inches long, and these
pieces are split into slices of about half an inch in thickness. The sawing of
the wood is effected by means of circular saws actuated by steam power;: ffom-
the saw bench the blocks of wood are transferred to the splitting apparatus,,
arranged contiguous thereto. The slicing of the wood is performed by one or
more chisels or splitting wedges, arranged so as to be lifted by means of cams
or tappets, and depressed or struck by other cams or tappets which act
alternately with the lifting mcchanisın. In splitting a large quantity of wood

page_text: in this manner, a proportion of it will be very knotty and irregular in form; these
pieces are selected from the bulk and put aside to be made up in the manner.
herein-after described. The straighter pieces are now partially coated with
resinous matter to insure their lighting quickly; this is only done upon one side
of the pieces-of-wood, the coating being upon the outer sides of the finished
block of fuel. The pieces of wood are arranged in trays or holders arid placed
in parallel rows, so as to cover the bottom of the tray. The resinous com-
position is measured out in uniform quantities for each row of blocks by means
of a small trough or measure made to correspond in length with the tray; the
operator fills the trough with the resinous mixture, which. is then emptied
out on to a piece of sheet iron.placed in a sloping position, with its lower edge
resting on the row of pieces of wood. The powdered mixture is swept on to
the wood by means of a strip of sheet iron. or wood. The several rows of
pieces are treated in like manner, the operation being performed by one or
more assistants with great rapidity. The trays or holders are arranged upon
wheels which run upon rails extending to the inner or backward end of the
As soon as a series of trays equal to the depth of the oven are ready,
they are wheeled into the oven, the door is closed, and they are allowed to
remain therein for about thirty minutes, or until the resinous matter is
thoroughly melted. The trays are then withdrawn, and while the resinous
matter is in a soft state, it is stamped with a grooved or corrugated stamp or die.
oven.
The object of this part of the process is to form ridges or grooves in the
resinous composition, so that when a flame is applied thereto it spreads over
the whole surface of the compound by reason of the flame igniting the pro-
jecting ridges of the resinous material. The prepared pieces of wood are now
ready for being cemented in pairs to a transverse, block' of the resinous
material; this combination of wood and inflammable matter forming.my
improved artificial fuel. The resinous material that I prefer to use for this
purpose is composed of two and a half parts of resin to one part of fine sawdust;
preference is given to the fine dust produced in the manufacture of mahogany
and rosewood veneers..
.
The apparatus for forming a number of complete blocks of artificial fuel at
one operation is shown in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings. In this
modification it consists of the sheet iron tray or holder A, which is supported
on the wheels B; these run on the rails C, that extend from the work benches
to the ovens. Transverse vertical strips of iron D are arranged in pairs across;
the holder A; these strips are cut with three or other number of upwardly
projecting parts, as shown in the end view, Figure 2. The vertical strips of
iron D are arranged in pairs; as shown in Figure 1, the space between,

page_text: the two series being regulated to receive the blocks or pieces of wood.to be
cemented together. The ends of each series of the strips D are severally
attached to a longitudinal rib or strip of iron extending along the sides of the
holder A, one of the series of strips D being attached to the longitudinal rib
E, and the other to the corresponding rib F. Each of the longitudinal ribs
has a stud or short handle G, which projects out through a slot made in the
sides of the holder A. These projecting handles are arranged one below the
other when the strips D are in contact with each other as shown in Figure I
on the accompanying Drawings; in this position the spaces between the
contiguous strips or holders D'are calculated to receive the thickest pieces of
the prepared wood. Prior to filling a number of the holders A, the wood is
divided into parcels or lots, in which the several pieces are of a generally
uniform thickness and depth, so that the operator is enabled to adjust the
distance between the holders D to the thickness of the parcel of wood to be
made up.
The holders D are moved asunder by shifting the handles G
in opposite directions along the slots, and they are held in this position
by means of the screws or pins H; the shifting arrangement. of the holders D
enables the operator to adjust the spaces for the average thickness of the
pieces of wood. The holders D having been arranged, the spaces are filled
with pieces of wood I, any irregularity in the height of the several pieces being
made up by small pieces of iron J, Figure 2, being placed beneath the block
or blocks of wood, so as to bring them to a tolerably uniform level. An open
barred frame K is next laid upon the upwardly projecting. parts of the holders
D; this frame is made of bent strips' connected to each other by wire, or the
bent strips may be formed of one piece of metal. The ends of the frame K
rest upon an inwardly projecting flange on the inner sides of the holder A; or
the ends of the several strips may be attached to a.rectangular frame, which
may be supported in this or any other convenient way. The object of this
frame is to cover the upper extremities of the holders D, and so prevent the
resinous material from falling between them. To mould the resinous
compound into blocks or ridges .extending across the pieces of wood, the
cellular frame L is used; this frame rests upon the higher parts of the frame
K, which thus form a base or floor to each of the longitudinal cells. A
portion of resinous compound is melted or softened by heat, put into the
longitudinal cells, and pressed down; the object of this is to fill up with the
thick soft resinous material any irregularities in the surface of the pieces of
wood, as well as the interstices of the frames, to prevent the powdered material
from escaping. A measure of the resinous compound, mixed in the pro-
pórtions herein-before given, is put into cach of the cells. The. resinous

page_text: :
material is pressed down, and caused to assume a ridge of uniform thickness
by means of a secondary cellular frame M, which is placed in the cells of the
frame L, the lower faces of the cells N resting upon the resinous material.
The several trays of the fuel prepared thus far are now wheeled into the oven,
and are allowed to remain therein until the resinous material is melted and
firmly cemented to the wood. To insure this cementing more completely, the
several pieces of wood rise a short distance above the upper edges of the
holders D, so that a portion of the resinous compound falls between the
blocks, as shown in the end view of the finished block, Figure 4. When the
trays are withdrawn from the oven, additional pressure may be applied to the
resinous material, if required; the longitudinal ridges of. the resinous matter
are then cut transversely by means of a compound cutter, the blades of which
are arranged to enter the slots O in the frame M. The cutters descend on
to the ridges of the frame K, and cut completely through the resinous material
P, leaving each block of fuel formed of two pieces of wood cemented together
by a transverse bar or block of highly inflammable composition, as shown in
Figures 4 and 5. The side strips or cellular pieces are removed whilst the
composition is hot; but the latter is allowed to cool, so as not to break
away
in detaching the moulded blocks from the frame. In manufacturing my
improved fuel, I give the preference to hard wood, on account of its giving out
greater heat, burning longer then soft wood, and not throwing out any sparkes
during combustion.
.
Another mode of preparing this improved fuel consists in forming cakes of
the resinous composition, which are divided into small blocks, as shown in the
elevation and plan, Figures 6 and 7. For these blocks I find the resinous
material, if prepared in the proportions herein-before given, to be the best
adapted for the purpose. The powdered composition is placed in a holder
or moulding apparatus, similar to that described in the Specification of
British Letters Patent granted to. me on or about the Twenty-fifth day of
February, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, and numbered 376, and
shown in the Drawings thereunto annexed. This holder consists of a tray, in
which the powdered material is placed, the tray having grooves formed therein
to produce the ridge Q on each block. The cake of fuel, after being prepared
and baked as therein described, is divided into the small blocks, as shown in
Figures 6 and 7. A quantity of these blocks and pieces of split wood, prepared
with the resinous material on the outside as herein-before described, is placed
before the operator, who has also one or more heated irons, the shape of which
corresponds to the space on either side of the central ridge Q of the resinous
block. The operator, taking one of the heated irons, places it on one of the

page_text: blocks, so as to melt the resinous composition; on the surface of the block
and the side of the ridge a piece of wood R is then placed in a vertical
position on and against the melted surfaces. The other side of the block is
treated in like manner, the resinous composition serving to bind or cement
the wood firmly thereto. But if still greater strength is required, the ridge Q
may be made higher, or a small piece of wood coated with the resinous
material may be cemented between the pieces R. Artificial fuel prepared in
this way lights with great rapidity, gives out an intense heat, and docs
not throw out sparks, nor is there any dropping from the resinous material,
which is prevented by the blending therewith the veneer dust.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general arrangement and construction of the apparatus for the
manufacture or production of artificial fuel, as herein-before described and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the system or mode of manufacturing or producing artificial fuel,
wherein a resinous composition or material is combined with wood or other
suitable solid combustible material.
Third, the system or mode of manufacturing or producing artificial fuel,
wherein a resinous composition or matter is combined with blocks of wood by
the agency of holders or moulds, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the application and use of a resinous compound or inflammable
material, combined with wood or other similar combustible material, in the
manufacture or formation of blocks or bundles of artificial fuel, as herein-before
described.
Fifth, the system or mode of manufacturing or producing artificial fuel in
which wood is cemented or combined with a resinous composition, in the
manner herein-before described, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Templeman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-nine.
JAMES TEMPLEMAN. (L.S.)