A Method of Blowing and Moulding Glass and Apparatus and Appliances therefor.
Year: 1887

page_text: A Method of Blowing and Moulding Glass and Apparatus and
Appliances therefor.
JOHN ARMSTRONG 1 Summer Row Birmingham County of Warwick Glass
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of a framework with uprights and cross headpiece, with a
transom in centre. The middle transom carries the moulds. The crosshead piece
carries the plungers &c. as will be afterwards described.
This apparatus is constructed to make, one, two, or more articles such as decanters,
bottles &c. of any shape or form at one operation. The moulds which are duplicate,
consisting of one small one, and one large one, the large mould being the full size of
the finished article. These are arranged in rows, or in a square, or in one line or in
a circular form. These are mounted upon an eccentric shaft which moves them
backward and forward with a downward action, that is, the small mould receives the
hot glass, which is then moved by the above or similar action under the plunger
which is forced down into the hot glass. This action is then reversed and the
large mould is then placed under the hot glass clinging to the plunger and upper
mould.
The plunger is then withdrawn and a supply of air, steam, or other substance is
forced through the aperture the plunger has made, and extends the hot glass to the
shape of the large mould.
The plunger works through the upper part of the mould, (if it be a bottle or
decanter) representing the neck, which in the first operation is formed; this neck
mould is made to open, as well as the bottom large mould, and if necessary (for
peculiar shapes) the small mould first mentioned.
In making articles without necks such as tumblers &c. single moulds are only used
similar to those at present in use, two or more such articles being made by this
means at one operation. The blowing portion may or may not be used as may be
required.

page_text: The small mould is used for the purpose of squeezing the glass into one uniform
consistency and the plunger coming into centre makes an even hole which may be
modified in extent, shape, and capacity, as may be required for the different shapes of
the article may require.
The plungers may have a spring action when more than one is used, so that the
glass which is dropped into the several moulds, which may not be all alike in quantity,
shall be fully blown and pressed. The plungers are worked by a lever or by hydraulic,
or steam or compressed air, electricity or other power.
The withdrawing of the plunger after the first operation is performed by a small
lever which works automatically with the action of the moulds, if scrow stoppered
bottles are required to be made-the neck mould is shaped accordingly if outside
screw; if inside screw the plunger which is withdrawn by à screw action fitted to the
upper part of the plunger near to the cross head of the framework. The neck mould
and other parts of the mechanism may be made hollow for the action of heated air,
steam, water, or other substance or for cooling same, by means of a pipe attached
thereto.
The small moulds may have an air hole made in the bottom with an automatic
moveable stopper to allow air to enter for the expeditious removal of the hot pressed
object. The plunger may have a similar hole for the same purpose. The moulds are
filled with ladles or may be filled with gathering irons, fitted and geared together
with mechanism to make the irons rotate while they are put into the pot or tank and
take up the hot glass together.
They are then held over the several small moulds, the distance from centre to
centre of the small moulds corresponding to the central distance of the gathering
irons, the glass after sufficient is dropped into the mould, is clipped off simultaneously
with a knife or knives or scissors, constructed and fitted up to work in unison with
the moulds at the given time.
The articles when finished are taken out at one side of the machine by the opening
of the large moulds, while a fresh charge is being inserted on the other side of the
machine in the small moulds.
Dated this 20th day of December 1887.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Method of Blowing and Moulding Glass and Apparatus and
Appliances therefor.
I, JOHN ARMSTRONG, of 1, Summer Row, Birmingham, in the county of Warwick,
Glass Manufacturer, 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:-
My invention relates to the blowing and moulding of glass bottles and other
glass articles, and to apparatus and appliances therefor, and has for its object to
provide an improved machine for the manufacture of one, two or more of such
articles simultaneously and to this end it comprises the improvements hereinafter
described.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figures 1 and 2 are a rear elevation and vertical section respectively of a machine
or apparatus constructed according to my invention for blowing and moulding two
glass bottles.
Figures 3 and 4 are similar views to Figure 2 but show only a portion thereof, the
said figures illustrating some of the various stages of the manufacture of a bottle
having an internally screwed neck.
Figure 5 is a view of a part of the machine detached.
Similar reference letters indicate similar parts throughout the drawing.
G
a is the framework of the machine, b, bare uprights or guides and c¹ are cross-
heads which slide on the uprights or guides b, b.
d is a transom or table which serves to connect the two sides of the frame a and
also carries small and large moulds e and f respectively.
9, 9 are plungers which as represented are of the shape required to form internal
screws in bottle necks the screw threads on each being of the same pitch. These
plungers are attached to the lower crosshead c by means of a box g, the upper ends of
the said plungers being arranged in the said box and provided with toothed wheels g²
which gear with another toothed wheel g³ arranged between them, the said three
wheels as shown being of the same size. The toothed wheel g³ is fixed on the lower
end of a screw h which is arranged so that it can turn freely in the crosshead c but is
in engagement with a female screw formed in the upper crosshead c¹. The thread on
the screw is of the same pitch as the screw threads on the plungers g, g so that
when the screw is turned by means of a hand wheel h¹, the said plungers in addition
to being moved up or down will be caused to revolve at the same rate of speed as the
said screw h, thereby enabling them to cut a perfect screw-thread when forced into
the molten glass as bereinafter described.
The small mould e is arranged in guides i, i and is provided with a handle e¹ by
which it can be moved into or out of position under the plungers g, g as hereinafter
described.

page_text: e² is a hole in the bottom of the mould to allow air to enter the same so that the
article formed therein can be withdrawn easily.
j is a neck mould which is made in halves adapted to be opened or separated by
means of a right- and left-hand screw j provided with a handle, the halves of the
said mould being arranged to slide in a frame k supported on springs and capable
of being moved on vertical guide rods 2 by means of connecting rods 3 and a
treadle The frame is also arranged on horizontal guides d¹ on the transom or
table d, so as to enable it to be moved by hand as hereinafter described stops d², d³
being provided to arrest it in its rearward and forward positions.
The large mould fin this instance is shewn of a form to mould bottles and is made
in halves hinged together at their lower ends and provided with a spring catch f¹ for
connecting them together in the ordinary manner.
l is a trigger which is hinged to one of the connecting rods ³ for the purpose of
operating the catch fl so as to open the mould fas hereinafter described. This trigger
is shewn detached in figure 5.
m, m are pumps, which arc. attached to the lower cross-head c, and provided with
hollow pistons or plungers me having tubes m² formed with taper points covered with
ashestos or the like, through which tubes the air is forced when blowing a bottle or
other article.
⚫n is a lever which is attached to a shaft n' and by means of levers o,
rods o¹, o serves to operate the lower and upper cross-heads c and c¹.
o and connecting
The operation of the machine is as follows:-that is to say, presuming each of the
openings in the small mould e to have been filled with molten glass, it must then be
placed under the plungers, by means of its handle e¹ and the frame & moved by
hand into its rearward position against the stop d² so that the neck mould j the two
'parts of which must be closed together can be brought down by means of the treadle k*
onto the top of the small mould as shewn in figure 3. If now the plungers g, g are
moved down into the moulds, as shewn in the said figure, by means of the hand-
wheel ', a portion of the molten glass will be forced upwards into the openings in the
neck mould, as shewn, thereby completing the bottle necks.
The treadle is now released so that the springs lift the frame k and the
neck mould containing the bottle necks into the position shewn in full lines in
figure 2.
The frame is now moved by hand into its forward position against the stop d³
thereby bringing the neck mould over the large mould f, as shown by the dotted lines
in the same figure. The treadle is again depressed so as to cause the
hottle necks held by the neck mould j to enter the said large mould of which latter
is then closed. At the same time the trigger will be brought underneath the
spring catch fand the small mould e can be drawn to the rear of the machine to
be filled with molten glass, as shewn in figure 4. If now the lever n be pulled
towards the front of the machine in the direction indicated by the arrow, figure 2,
the pumps m, m will be caused to move down, the tubes m² on the pistons m¹
entering the bottle necks resting in the large mould f. The taper points of the said
tubes m² will then wedge into the mouths of the said bottle necks thereby arresting
the movement of the pistons m¹. The pumps however, continuing their movement
will then force the air contained within them through the tubes m² into the bottle
necks just mentioned thereby causing them to expand as shown in Figure 4 until they
take the shape of the lower parts of the large mould f. The lever n is then released
so as to remove the tubes m² from the bottles and the handle 2 operated to open the
neck mould j. The treadle can now be released to allow the frame k to move upwards
and at the same time the trigger I moves so as to lift up the spring catch thereby
causing the loose half of the large mould f to fall into the position shown by the dotted
lines in Figure 2 so that the bottles can be removed. The small mould e which in
the meantime has been filled with molten glass can now be brought by its handle e¹
-under-the-plungers g.-g-and-the-whole operation repeated.
Instead of the herein described arrangement of sliding frame k for removing the
bottle necks from the small mould e to the large mould ƒI sometimes construct the two

page_text: monids in one piece which I mount upon an eccentric shaft so that by operating the
said shaft I can move either of the said moulds as required under and up to the neck
mould which in this case would be fixed beneath the plungers g, g. By this arrange-
ment the small mould having been filled with molten glass would be moved
underneath and up to the neck mould and the plungers g, g would be brought down
and operated to form the necks. This having been done the small mould would move
down and away leaving the bottle necks formed in the neck mould, when the large
mould could then be moved up and underneath the neck mould to receive the said
bottle necks. The plungers then could be moved away and a supply of air or the
like forced into the bottle necks to complete the bottles.
It will be obvious than when forming bottles with outside screws, that a screw
thread would be formed inside the neck mould for that purpose. When forming
bottles without screwed necks the plungers are of course made plain and the upper
crosshead c¹ and screw dispensed with, the connecting rods of being attached directly
to the lower crosshead c.
The neck mould and other parts of the mechanism may be made hollow to admit
steam, heated or cooled air, water for heating or cooling the mould as required.
When forming articles such as tumblers or the like the upper crosshead c¹, screw /
and pumps m are dispensed with and two series of moulds may be used one on each
side of the machine, working alternately.
It will be obvious that the plungers g, g must be varied in shape to suit the article
being moulded. I also sometimes provide the plungers with a spring action when
more than one is used so that the portions of glass which are dropped into the
several moulds, and which may not be all alike in quantity shall be fully blown and
pressed.
Although I have only shewn the small moulde with the hole e² for the purpose
described it will be obvious that I can provide the plunger with a similar hole for
the same purpose and that in addition to making the large mould ƒ and neck
mould to open I can also make the small mould similarly.
Instead of the lever or hand wheel I can use water, steam, compressed air,
electricity or other power for the same purpose.
The openings in the mould e are advantageously filled by means of ladles or by
means of the mechanism for which Letters Patent were granted to me dated
December 11 A.D. 1886, No. 16,268.
Although I have only shown and described a machine adapted for making two
articles at once it will be obvious that it can be constructed so as to make more
than two.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, i declare that what
I claim is:
(1.) Forming glass bottles with screw necks by first shaping the neck in a suitable
mould by means of a screw plunger such as herein described the glass with the screw
neck formed thereon being then removed to a larger mould where it is finally blown
or moulded, substantially as described.
(2.) A machine or apparatus for forming glass bottles provided with a suitable
mould and screw plungers for first forming the screw neck of the said bottles and
with another mould in which the glass adjacent to the screw neck is finally blown or
moulded, substantially as described.
(3.) In a machine for blowing and moulding glass bottles or the like, the mechanism
for forming the screws either in the interior or the exterior of bottle necks, sub-
stantially as described.
(4.) In a machine for blowing and moulding glass bottles and other glass articles,
the employment of pumps or air compressors constructed and operating substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
(5.) In a machine for use in the manufacture of glass bottles and the like, the
combination of a mould in which the neck is formed with a second mould in which

page_text: the body of the bottle is formed, the said moulds being adapted to move relatively to
each other, substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
(6.) The adaptation of my improved apparatus for the manufacture of two or more
tumblers or other glass articles, substantially as hereinbefore described.
(7.) The manufacture and use of the improved machine or apparatus constructed
and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
1000
JOHN
ARMSTRONG.
G. F. Redfern & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.