IMPROVEMENTS, IN THE MEANS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR CLOSING THE MOUTH-PIECES OF GAS RETORTS, AND IN TOOLS FOR APPLYING THE SAME
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Tassie, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS, IN THE MEANS OR
ARRANGEMENTS FOR CLOSING THE MOUTH-PIECES OF GAS RETORTS, AND IN
TOOLS FOR APPLYING THE SAME."
Sealed the 11th May 1877, and dated the 20th January 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Tassie at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th January 1877.
PETER TASSIE, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR CLOSING THE MOUTH-PIECES OF
GAS RETORTS, AND IN TOOLS FOR APPLYING THE SAME."
Hitherto the mouth-pieces of gas retorts have been closed and the joint made by
various means. The lid and the mouth-piece have been made to fit metal to metal,
and a bead on the edge of the mouth-piece has been used, but such beads are liable
to be eaten away by chemical action of the gases produced in the retort. Soft
metal rings have also been used, but none of these have been sufficiently lasting and
satisfactory.
My Invention consists in making the joint between the face of the lid and mouth-
piece of the retort by applying a steel ring of circular cross section which can be
readily renewed, this ring being pressed into a groove formed into the edge of the
mouth-piece, which groove is undercut on its outside edge, so that the ring being
slightly elastic is easily pressed in and held therein, the under cutting allowing also
for all differences of expansion between the steel ring and the cast-iron mouth-piece.
I prefer to make the lid of ordinary concave form on its inner face, having a boss in
its centre with a square hole in it to fit the square end of a screw which screws
through a cross bar hinged to one side of the mouth-piece. The cross bar is turned
on its hinge until the lid is brought against the face of the mouth-piece, and the
free end of the cross bar then latches on a hook or catch secured in the side of the
mouth-piece, then the screw is rotated, and this brings the lid close up against the
steel ring, and this makes the joint tight. The lid may be cast iron chilled on the
edges, and there may be a stud in the lid to limit the amount of back motion in
the screw and help to unlatch the cross bar when the retort is to be opened.
1

page_text: Secondly. My Invention relates to tools to be employed for cutting the groove
for the steel rings and facing the mouth-pieces of the retorts both for new rings
and when rings require replacing, and the mechanism will be useful both when the
mouth-pieces are moveable and when they are in the position in which they are
used, and consists in a combination and arrangement of mechanism, namely, a
Tedged disc or a pulley with a stem perpendicular to the disc; this disc is secured
centrally by set screws in the T flange into the mouth-piece of the retort. Upon
the stem there is a boss which can rotate round the stem, this boss having an arm
upon it that carries a compound tool slide with screws for moving them, one slide
moveable at a right angle to the other, the upper slide carrying the cutting or
turning tool. To the front of the stem an arm is secured by a bolt which also
forms an axis for a crank hand wheel, upon the boss of which there is a spur
pinion that gears with a spur wheel upon a short shaft having bearings in the arm,
upon the end of which short shaft there is a pinion that gears with a wheel secured
to the boss carrying the compound slides which is thus rotated. The fixed arm
carries a finger which will act upon the screws for self-acting the slides when
required.
The mechanism may be driven by steam or other motive power if required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Peter Tassie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th July,
1877.
PETER TASSIE, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR CLOSING THE MOUTH-PIECES OF
GAS RETORTS, AND IN TOOLS FOR APPLYING THE SAME."
Firstly. Hitherto the mouth-pieces of gas retorts have been closed and the joint
made by various means. The lid and the mouth-piece have been made to fit metal
to metal, and a bead on the edge of the lid has been used, but such beads are liable
to be eaten away by the chemical action of the gases produced in the retort. Soft
metal rings have also been used, but none of these have been hitherto sufficiently
lasting and satisfactory.
My Invention consists in making the joint between the face of the lid and
mouth-piece of the retort by applying a steel ring of circular cross section which
can be readily renewed, this ring being pressed into a groove formed in the edge of
the mouth-piece, which groove is under cut on its outside edge, so that the ring
being slightly elastic is easily pressed in and held therein, the under cutting allowing
also for all differences of expansion between the steel ring and the cast-iron mouth-
piece. The ring may be solid, but I prefer to make it of wire of exact length bent
to the form required, the two ends simply abutting against each other. I prefer to
make the lid of ordinary concave form on its inner face, having a boss in its centre
with a square hole in it to fit the square end of a screw, which screws through a
cross bar hinged to one side of the mouth-piece. The cross bar is turned on its
hinge until the lid is brought against the face of the mouth-piece, and the free end
of the cross bar then latches on a hook or catch secured in the side of the mouth-
piece; then the screw is rotated and with it the lid, and this brings the lid close
up against the steel ring, and this makes the joint tight. The lid may be cast iron
chilled on the edges, and there may be a stud in the lid to limit the amount of
back motion in the screw, and help to unlatch the cross bar when the retort is to
be opened.
Secondly. My Invention relates to tools to be employed for cutting the groove for
the steel rings and facing the mouth-pieces of of the retorts, both for new rings and
when rings require replacing, and for other facing purposes, and the mechanism will
be useful, both when the mouth-pieces are moveable and when they are in the
position in which they are used, and consists in a combination and arrangement of

page_text: mechanism, namely, of a T edged disc or a pulley, or a disc, or its equivalent and
adjustable brackets, with a stem perpendicular to the disc; this disc is secured, or
its adjustable brackets are secured centrally by set screws in the T flange or
adjustable brackets into the mouth-piece of the retort. Upon the stem there is a
boss which can rotate round the stem, this boss having an arm upon it that carries
a compound tool slide with screws for moving them, one slide moveable at a right
angle to the other, the upper slide carrying the cutting or turning tool. To the
front of the stem an arm is secured by a bolt, which also forms an axis for a crank
hand wheel, upon a boss of which there is a spur pinion that gears with a spur
wheel upon a short shaft having bearings in the arm, upon the end of which short
shaft there is a pinion that gears with a wheel secured to the boss carrying the
compound slides, which is thus rotated. The fixed arm carries an adjustable finger
or fingers which will act upon the screws for self acting the slides when required.
The mechanism may be driven by steam or other motive power if required.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section; Fig. 2 is a front elevation; Fig. 3, a plan section;
Fig. 4, a front elevation of the mouth-piece with lid removed; Fig. 5 is a side
elevation, and Fig. 6 is a full-size elevation, showing part of mouth-piece, lid, and
ring, these views illustrating the first part of my Invention.
a is an ordinary mouth-piece for a gas retort, and a¹ is the branch for the
ascension pipe. These mouth-pieces are generally made with a flange a³ to bolt on
to the retort, and this end of the mouth-piece, in some cases, is made to the shape of
the retort, while the lid end is made circular. The lid end of the mouth-piece is
turned, as shown in Fig. 1, with an under cut groove turned in its face for a ring of
steel c, or other suitable hard metal, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 6. In Fig. 6 the
ring of circular cross section, about five-sixteenths of an inch diameter, is shown
inserted in the mouth-piece, to project about one-sixteenth from the flat edge of the
mouth-piece which is chamfered on the edges, as shown. The lid b is turned true on
the edge or face which comes in contact with the ring, and it is secured on the
square end of the screw d¹ coming against the bottom of the square hole in the boss
on the lid b, the lid being kept upon the end of the screw by a set screw d² which
passes through the boss to the end of the screw, entering a hole in it, so as leave
the lid free to accomodate itself to the ring c, but so as to prevent the lid from
becoming detached from the end of the screw d'. The screw d¹ is in a cross bar e
jointed to a pivot el secured by a cottar in a lug cast upon the side of the mouth-
piece, as shown, the joint of the cross bar e being sufficiently free to allow the ends
of the bar to latch and unlatch or lift over the hook e² secured in another lug on
the opposite side of the mouth-piece, as shown in Fig. 5. In the lid b there are four
or more holes b¹, tapped so that a stud 63 may be screwed in one of them, to come
against the under side of the hook end of the cross bar e, or against a spring (ex)
secured to the bar, and acting as a buffer when the lid 6 is sufficiently unscrewed, so
as to lift and unlatch the cross bar from the hook e2, so that the cross bar, and the
screw and lid carried by it, may be turned to one side when the retort is to be
turned. When the cross bar (e) is latched the end of the pin or stud 62 will pass
clear of the cross bar near its joint, as a sufficient space is left, when the lid b is
being screwed tight against the ring c, and the lid is screwed sufficiently tight before
the pin or stud b² comes against the upper side of the cross bar e near the hook.
This rotary motion of the lid b is important, as it acts to rub away the tar upon
the lid b and ring c, until the two metal surfaces bed close against each other, and
the tar left on each side of the line of junction tends to help to seal the joint. This
rotary motion of the lid may be used with advantage when a solid bead is turned
upon the mouth-piece or lid, as it will act to remove the tar from the surfaces, to
come in contact and leave it on each side of the line of contact between the metal
surfaces to act as a seal. I prefer to make the rings c of steel or hard metal wire
or rod bent to a circle, with the two ends abutting together, to form a joint. Such
rings are easily inserted in the undercut groove, as described, and when sprung in
keep their places, yet can be readily removed, when defective, and replaced by new.
rings. Rings (c) of circular section may be inserted in undercut grooves formed in

page_text: the lid, to come against a narrow flat face on the front edge of the mouth-piece, but
they are to be preferred inserted in the mouth-piece, as described, which is most
likely to be damaged and to corrode away, and therefore require to be most frequently
renewed.
Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section; Fig. 8, a cross section on the line A, A, Fig. 7;
and Fig. 9 is an end view, in which the wheelwork is represented by peculiar
dotted line, these views illustrating the second part of my Invention.
a is a hollow stem having a disc or feet at a right angle to it, to which T shaped
brackets b are secured by set screws a¹, which pass through slots in the feet, as
shown, to allow the T brackets b to be adjusted inwards or outwards as required.
By means of the set screws b¹ in these brackets the stem a is adjusted centrally
in the mouth-piece or other part to be turned or faced. Upon the stem a there is
a boss c, to which a wheel c¹ is secured by screws c; or the wheel may be cast with
the boss c if desired. In the centre of the stem a there is a bolt a fixed, by which
the boss part of an arm d can be firmly secured to the stem a by a nut a³. The
projecting end of the bolt a forms a stud for the boss of a fly or hand wheel (e), as
shown, for giving motion to the machine. Upon the boss of the fly wheel (e) there
is a spur pinion e¹ that gears with a spur wheel d¹ on the end of a short shaft d²
having bearings in the arm d, the other end of this short shaft having a spur
pinion d upon it that gears with the wheel c¹ on the boss upon the stem (a), and
thus rotates it. This last named boss (c) has an arm c3 on it which carries a
slide which can move parallel with the axis of the stem a, and upon this slide c¹
there is another slide c³ to move at a right angle to the first named slide c4, both of
which are arranged and actuated by screws e and c7, same as ordinary compound
slides for turning; f is the cutting tool secured by the plates 8 and set screws c³.
When the screws c and c7 are to be moved self-acting star wheel or wheels with,
say, six arms (shown in peculiar dotted line in Fig. 7), are secured upon the
squares" at the end of each screw, and a pin d in a bracket d³ adjustable on the
arm d for one slide (c³) and a stud de adjustable in a slot in the arm (d) for the
other slide (c) is used to move each star wheel one tooth or arm each time the star
wheels pass their respective studs; x represents a mouth-piece in peculiar dotted
line, into which the machine is supposed to be fixed, and upon which it is supposed
to be operating. By removing the pin from the bolt a and the nut a³ the fly
wheel e, arm d, and its connected parts, and the boss c, can all be separated in a few
minutes, and the stem part a can be fixed in position, and the other parts applied
when the stem is in position for work. There is a pin d* in the boss of the arm d,
which prevents it from moving round when screwed to the end of the stem a by
the nut a³.
"
The tool above described may be modified in various ways. The arms (c³) may
be made to slide in "ways" formed on the boss (c) and carry one cross slide only
at its end. The boss (c) may be rotated by a worm wheel secured to it in gear
with a worm on a short shaft on the arm d. Or a worm may be formed upon or
secured to the stem (a) and made to gear with a worm carried on a shaft on the
boss (c), and arranged to gear by a short shaft also in bearings on the boss with a
driving wheel on a stud a² in the centre of the stem. Or a spur wheel may be
fixed or secured to the stem a and geared with a pinion on a short shaft having
bearings on the boss (c), the short shaft being geared with a hand wheel on the
stud a².
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the mode of
carrying the same into effect, and claim as my Invention,---
Firstly. The closing of the joint between the mouth-piece of gas retorts and their
lids by a ring of steel or other suitable hard metal inserted in an under-cut
groove in the mouth-piece, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
by the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The closing of the joint between the mouth-piece of gas retorts and
their lids by a ring of steel or hard metal of circular cross section inserted in an
under-cut groove in the lid of the retort, as herein-before described.

page_text: Thirdly. The making of the rings for closing the joints between the lids of
mouth-pieces of gas retorts out of steel or other hard metal wire or rods bent or
blocked to the ring from the two ends abutting against each other but not welded
or soldered together, substantially as herein-before described.
Fourthly. The arrangement of the lids of mouth-pieces of gas retorts so that they
will have a rotary or partial rotary movement when closing the lid against the
ring or bead against which the joint is made, substantially as herein-before described
and illustrated by the Drawings.
Fifthly. Chamfering off of the edges of the mouth-piece, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by Fig. 6 of the Drawings.
Sixthly. The combination and arrangement of mechanism for closing the mouth-
pieces of gas retorts, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by the
accompanying Drawings.
Seventhily. The portable tool formed by a combination of slides for turning with
a stem or its equivalent, round which the slides are to be rotated, and means for
fixing and securing the stem or its equivalent in or upon the article to be turned,
together with gearing for driving, substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Tassie, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
PETER TASSIE. (L.S.)