Hardening, and Tempering Metallic Wire for Various Purposes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Hardening, and Tempering Metallic Wire for Various Purposes.
I WILLIAM HOLLAND the younger of No. 55 Grantham Road Sparkbrook
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manager of Works do hereby declaro the
nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of the method of and appliances for heating hardening and
tempering metallic wire for various inanufacturing purposes hereinafter described.
My invention is especially applicable to the heating of cylindrical steel and iron
wire for tho purpose of rolling it flat or for turning up flat wire into a trough shape
for the manufacture of umbrella and parasol ribs and stretchers. My said invention
is also applicable to the heating of metallic wires for various other purposes.
I will describe my invention in connection with the heating hardening and
tempering of steel wire. I effect the heating of the wire by electricity preferably
derived from a dynamo machine. When the wire is to be hardened only I causo.
an electric current to pass through that portion of the wire, between the drum on
which it is coiled and the hardening plates between which the heated wire passes.
The electric current heats to bright redness the said portion of the wire and the
heated wire being suddenly cooled as it passes between the hardening plates is thereby
hardened. The motion of the wire is effected by the rotation of the reel on which tho
hardened wire is coiled. The hardening plates are kept cool by a current of cold
water which circulates around them. Instead of the said hardening plates an oil vat
may be employed for effecting the hardening of the wire. Where the wire is to be
tempered after hardening I cause it to pass through a tempering apparatus consisting
of a tube through which the wire passes. The said tube is surrounded by another
tube and the space between the two tubes is filled with lead kept melted by burning
gas or otherwise heated.
Where cylindrical wire is to be flattened or flattened wire is to be, made into a
trough shape I interpose between the drum from off which the wire to be operated
upon is drawn and the hardening plates a pair of rolls of the required figure the

page_text: said rolls being plain cylinders where cylindrical wire is to be flattened and where a
flat wire is to be made into a trough shape one roll has a groove having the con-
-figuration of the exterior of the trough to be produced and the other a projection or
ring of the configuration of the interior of the trough to be produced. After leaving
the rolls the heated and rolled wire may pass to the hardening and tempering apparatus.
In order to soften steel wire hardened by the drawing process the wire is uncoiled
from one reel and coiled on another situated a few feet apart. The electric current is
passed through the portion of the wire stretched between the two reels which portion
is thereby heated to redness. As the heated wire is coiled on the second reel it is
cooled but with sufficient slowness to cause the wire to be soft.
Dated this 14th day of March 1888
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

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Hardening, and Tempering Metallic Wire for Various Purposes.
I WILLIAM' HOLLAND the younger of No. 55 Grantham Road, Sparkbrook
Birmingham in tho County of Warwick Manager of Works do hereby declare the
nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists of the method of and appliances for heating hardening and
tempering metallic wire for various manufacturing purposes hereinafter described.
My invention is especially applicable to the heating of cylindrical steel and iron
wire for the purpose of rolling it flat or for turning up flat wire into a trough shape
for the manufacture of umbrella aud parasol ribs and stretchers. My said invention
is also applicable to the heating of metallic wires for various other purposes.
I will describe my invention in connection with the heating hardening and
tempering of steel wire. I effect the heating of the wire by electricity preferably.
derived from a dynamo machine. When the wire is to be hardened I cause
an electric current to pass through that portion of the wire between tho.drum_on
which it is coiled and the hardening plates between which the heated wire passes. The
electric current heats to bright redness the said portion of the wire and the heated
wire being suddenly cooled as it passes between the hardening plates is thereby
hardened. The motion of the wire is effected by the rotation of the rollers through
which the wire is passed. The hardening plates are kept cool by a current of cold
water which circulates around them. Instead of the said hardening plates an oil vat
may be employed for effecting the hardening of the wire. Where the wire is to be
tempered after hardening I cause it to pass through a tempering apparatus consisting
of a tube through which the wire passes. The said tube is surrounded by another
tubo and the space between the two tubes is filled with lead kept melted by burning
gas or otherwise heated. The same process of heating the wire is resorted to when
the wire is to be annealed.
Where cylindrical wire is to be flattened or flattened wire is to be made into a
trough shape I interpose between the drum from off which the wire to be operated
upon drawn and the hardening plates, a pair of rolls of the required figure the said
rolls being plain cylinders where cylindrical wire is to be flattened and where a flat
wire is to be made into a trough shape one roll has a groove having the configuration
of the exterior of the trough to be produced and the other a projection or ring of the
configuration of the interior of the trough to be produced. After leaving the rolls
the heated and rolled wire may pass to the hardening and tempering apparatus.
In order to soften steel wire hardened by the drawing process, the wire is uncoiled
from one reel and coiled on another situated a few feet apart. The electric current is
passed through the portion of the wire stretched between the two reels which portion
is thereby heated to redness. As the heated wire is coiled on the second recl it is
cooled but with sufficient slowness to cause the wire to be soft.

page_text: I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the essential parts of the apparatus which I use
for carrying my invention into effect when steel wire is to be softened or annealed or
soft or annealed cylindrical wire is to be flattened or the flattened soft wire bent or
turned up into a trough shape for the manufacture of umbrella wire and for other
purposes.
a is the reel on which the wire to be treated is coiled; bbis a pair of rollers and c, c
is a second pair of rollers between which the wire d passes, the wire after treatment
being coiled on the reel e. Between the said pairs of rollers b, b and c, c is a tube f
of glass or other imperfect conductor of heat so as to prevent radiation of the heated
wire passing through it. To the rollers b, bone of the poles of a dynamo machine
or battery is connected and the, current of electricity after passing through the wired,
stretched between the two pairs of rollers and c c, passes through the pair of
rollers c, c to the other pole of the dynamo-machine or battery. By the passing of
the electric current through the wire situated between the two pairs of rollers, the
said wire is heated to a low red heat and thereby softened or annealed. The wire is
drawn through the apparatus and off the reel a by giving a slow motion to the
rollers cc so that as the heated wire is coiled on the reel e it is cooled with sufficient
slowness to cause it to remain soft.
When cylindrical wire heated to redness in the manner described is required to be
flattened the rollers c, c are replaced by flattening rolls for flattening the heated
cylindrical wire as it passes between them; and when the flattened wire is to have a
trough or other, shape given to it the rollers are replaced by rolls the acting peripheries
of which are fitted to give the proper shape to the wire rolled between them; or the
flattened wire after it has passed the flattening rolls may be passed through troughing
rolls.
When the flattened or shaped wire issuing from the flattening or shaping rolls is to
be hardened and tempered I combine with the heating appliances already described
the hardening and tempering appliances illustrated in the diagram Figure 2. The
wire d heated in this case to a bright redness in the manner described having been
flattened or shaped by the rolls at c, c Figure 2, passes through the oil vessel or tank
by which the flattened or shaped wire is hardened. After leaving the oil vessel or
tank the hardened wire passes through the tempering apparatus shown at the said
tempering apparatus consisting of an annular or tubular chamber or vessel containing
mel ed lead which is kept melted by burning gas jets or otherwise. By the passage
of the wire through the axial hole in the apparatus it is tempered. After leaving
the tempering apparatus the wire is cut off into lengths or coiled on a drum as may
be required. In placo of the bath or vessel of oil for hardening the wire,
hardening plates kept cool by a current of cold water circulating around them may be
used.
Instead of heating the wire directly by the current of electricity passed through it
as described and illustrated, the wire may be heated indirectly by electricity in the
following manner. I enclose in a tube lined with asbestos or other imperfect conductor
of heat a strong wire coil or helix of German silver or other suitable material
through which coil or helix I pass the current of electricity so as to heat it to redness.
The straight wire to be heated is passed through and supported as it passes through
the said heated coil or helix of German silver the said straight wire being kept as
nearly as may be in the axis of the helix, whereby the said straight wire is heated to
the required degree for the purposes hereinbefore explained.
By the use of my invention the wire may be heated to any required degree with a
uniformity unattainable by the ordinary method.
I do not limit myself to any particular proportions of the apparatus I employ but I
have found in practice that it is convenient to heat a length of wire between the
rollers b and c c (or through the heated helix of German silver) of about six feet,
the proportions of the appliances being approximately given in the diagrams.
I do not consider it necessary to describe the dynamo-machine or other source of

page_text: electricity which may be employed in carrying my invention into effect, neither do I
consider it necessary to explain the appliances and details necessary for the regulation
and general management of the current of electricity employed as these matters are
well known to electrical engineers and constitute no part of my Invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I
claim as my invention of "Improvements in the method of and appliances for heating
hardening and tempering metallic wire for various purposes":—
Heating metallic wire for flattening or shaping it or for softening or hardening it
by means of electricity in the manner and by the appliances substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing; also conducting the
hardening and tempering of metallic wire heated by electricity by the appliances
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Dated the 24th day of November 1888.