Improvements relating to "Gas Fires."
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 31st Jan., 1891-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to "Gas Fires."
We, ROBERT WALLACE MACKINLAY and HARRY DARWIN, trading together
under the style or firm of Mackinlay, Darwin & Company, Glasgow, North
Britain, Gas Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to heating appliances which are commonly known and
described by the term gas fires and has for its object to increase their general
utility
1st. By making the visible surface of the heat arresting and refracting body
thereof of loose and detachable sections.
2nd. By making the said sections interchangeable.
3rd. By making each of the said sections capable of arresting, detaining and
refracting a larger amount of heat from the lighted jets of gas therein than can
usually be obtained from "gas fire" sections.
In carrying out our invention we construct the heat arresting and refracting body
of our improved gas fire of perforated frets, made of metal or baked clay (or of both
materials combined) and suspend them in horizontal, serrated rows across the face
of a (canopied) fire brick, after the manner of louver plates or Venetian shades:
each of the said frets being separate from its neighbour, complete in itself
removeable and replaceable at pleasure; reposing on side racks or ledges and
heated from beneath into a state of incandescent fire by means of lighted
gas jets.
Each of the said frets has contact with the one immediately above or beneath it
so that when our improved "gas fire" is put together as above described, and
lighted, the whole visible surface of the (adjacent) frets has the appearance of one
glowing mass of fire.
Should the lower frets, which receive the fiercest heat from the gas flames, show
signs of undue oxidisation they may be removed and change places with some of
the higher ones, thus maintaining an even degree of wear and tear throughout the
said sections by such transposition of parts.
Dated this 18th day of June 1890.
JOSEPH
LOCKWOOD,
263, Argyle Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Inventors.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to "Gas Fires."
We, ROBERT WALLACE MACKINLAY and HARRY DARWIN, lately trading
together under the style or firm of Mackinlay, Darwin & Company, at 112, Great
Wellington Street, Glasgow, North Britain, Gas Engineers, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to heating appliances which are commonly known and
described by the term " gas fires" and has for its object to increase their general
utility:
1st. By making the visible surface of the heat arresting and refracting body
thereof of loose and detachable sections;
2nd. By making the said sections interchangeable:
3rd. By making each of the said sections capable of arresting, detaining, and

page_text: refracting a larger amount of heat from the lighted jets of gas with which they are
heated than can usually be done with gas fire" sections.
::
In carrying out our invention we construct the heat arresting and refracting
body of our improved "gas fire" of perforated frets, made of metal, baked clay (or
other suitable materials separately or combined) and suspend them in horizontal
rows across the face of an embossed or canopied fire brick each fret being pivotted,
right and left to a frame after the manner of swivelling loover plates or Venetian
shades: each of the said frets being adjustable on its pivots at any required angle,
by its own weight, capable of separation from its neighbour, removeable at pleasure,
replaceable, and complete in itself; reposing upon side racks, brackets or ledges
and heated from beneath into a state of incandescent fire by means of lighted jets
of gas.
Each of the said freis has capability of contact with the one immediately above
or beneath it and when our improved gas fire" is put together as above described,
and lighted, the whole visible surface of the adjoining and overlapping frets has the
appearance of one mass of incandescent fire.
Should the lower frets, which receive the fiercest heat from the gas flames, shew
signs of undne oxydation they may be removed and inter-changed with the higher
ones, thus maintaining an even degree of wear and tear throughout the said sections
by such transposition of parts.
In order that, our invention may be more clearly understood and more readily
carried out we have prepared the accompanying drawings, in which;
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are representations of our pivotted, perforated Venetians or
loover frets:
Fig. 4 is a rack or bracket for supporting purposes in connection with our
improved gas fire;"
CG
Fig. 5 represents a set of perforated pivotted Venetians or loover frets for our
gas fire" reposing upon side racks or brackets;
Fig. 6 represents an embossed or canopied fire brick for the back of our "gas
fire;
"
Fig. 7 represents a metal fire guard;
Fig. 8 is a view of our improved "gas fire" complete, but removed from its
metal case:
Fig. 9 is a section of our improved gas fire" taken through A, A, Fig. 8.
Upon side racks or brackets (such as that marked B, Figs. 45 and 8) we
support a series of perforated frets (marked C, Figs. 1. 2 and 3) by means of
pivots so that the frets may be adjusted at any angle close or open, similarly to
pivotted Venetians or loover plates and overlap each other, tier above tier, as shewn
in Figs. 5 and 8; the side brackets, B, are kept any required distance apart, either
by attachment to an ornamental fire guard or breast, E, Fig. 7; a bar, F, Fig. 5,
or other convenient means.
We make a fire brick back with an irregular modelled surface similar in form to
that shewn in Fig. 6, for our pivotted frets so that when the "gas fire" structure,
shewn in Fig. 5, is placed in its position against the said fire brick back as shewn
in Fig. 8 there is an open flame and air way formed between the frets and the fire
brick back, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 9, the gas being supplied from a
burner, G, placed beneath and behind the frets.
The delicate metal frets are not intended to rest permanently against the fire
brick back as some "gas fire" frets do and the ascending flames are thereby
enabled to envelope and light up the frets into a red glow more easily and rapidly
without liability to their heat being absorbed into the brick back, although the
latter receives and refracts a large amount of useful heat from its proximity to,
rather than contact with, the heated frets. The perforated veil, thus formed of
these overlapping, pivotted, frets or frills, stands slightly forward from the shaped
or modelled face of the back brick which roughly corresponds thereto in its outline,
and receives upon itself the full force of the gas flames which are thereby arrested
and made to creep up the whole of the fretted trellis until it becomes a glowing

page_text: mass of incandescent fire having a very close resemblance to a coal or coke fire.
By means of this forward projection of the frets beyond the face of the brick back
the semi-vertical attitude of each pivotted fret and the complete arrestment of the
gas flames which they thereby effect when placed over the burner as above
described and shewn, the full force of each flame is expended upon the visible
fret work and is not so largely carried away by, and conducted into, the mass of
fire brick behind.
The capability for adjusting the said frets at various angles is designed to
remedy a fault which is found to exist in many domestic flues, namely, the tendency
of the upward air current therein to draw the flames of the "gas fire" at irregular
and varying angles; in some flues at a greater backward inclination than in others,
and the swivelling of our improved "gas fire "frets enables them to be interposed
across the flames, irrespective of the angle at which the latter may be drawn by the
said air currents.
The separation of the said frets from the brick back, as thus shewn and described,
enables the former to be lighted up into a cheerful glow more quickly, more
uniformly (and more easily sustained so) than when the frets and brick back are in
closer contact with each other.
We sometimes make our perforated frets (supported at the sides for swivelling,
or otherwise) of baked clay as before named, and at other times we make them of
nickel instead of cast iron as we find in practice that the delicate metal frets herein
described and shewn, arrest and refract a greater amount of heat, and do not oxidise
so quickly under the action of gas flames when they are made of nickel, and for
those reasons and purposes we frequently make the said frets of nickel in preference
to either cast iron or baked clay.
Under some circumstances we find it advantageous to combine such fire clay,
nickel, or cast iron frets with added or duplicate (sandwiched) parts of thin
metal, porcelain or other substance, which parts are also capable of being
rendered luminous by gas flames and increase the heating powers of the said
gas fire."
6
We are aware that, previous to our invention, non-adjustable, perforated metal
shelves and trellis work covers have been combined with "gas fires" and rendered
luminous by burning jets of gas placed suitably beneath or behind them, it will
therefore be understood that we do not claim such perforated metal parts broadly
as our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1st. A "gas fire" constructed and operated all substantially as herein described
and shewn or any mere modification thereof, and for the purposes specified.
2nd. In a gas fire" the combination therewith of perforated frets, constructed
and pivotted to the apparatus, all substantially as herein described and shewn or
any mere modification thereof, and for the purposes specified.
3rd. In a ::
gas fire the combination therewith of perforated frets made of baked
clay, substantially as herein described.
4th. In a 26
gas fire" the combination therewith of perforated frets made of
nickel, substantially as herein described and for the purposes specified.
::
5th. In a gas fire the combination therewith of a back of fire brick or other
suitable material with irregular modelled face, which face has a general corre-
spondence in its form to the metal mask associated with it, all substantially as
herein described and shewn, and for the purposes specified.
6th. A gas fire" having a visible fire body, consisting of a mask composed of
two or more overlapping, pivotted and swivelling frets, supported at the sides
(right and left) constructed and closed in behind with a back of baked clay
or other suitable material corresponding in facial form to the said mask, all

page_text: substantially as herein described and shewn, or any mere modification thereof, and
for the purposes specified.
Dated this Fifth day of November 1890.
JOSEPH
LOCKWOOD,
263, Argyle Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Inventors.