A NEW AND IMPROVED PROCESS OF COATING WIRE PREPARATORY TO DRAWING
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip Middleton Justice, of 14, Southampton Buildings,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "A NEW
AND IMPROVED PROCESS OF COATING WIRE PREPARATORY TO DRAWING." A.
communication from abroad by Charles Hill Morgan, Charles Henry Morgan,
and Virgil D. Kennerson, all of the City of Worcester, State of Massachusetts,
United States of America.
Sealed the 8th November 1878, and dated the 31st May 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip Middleton Justice at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st May 1878.
PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE, of 14, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent. "A NEW AND IMPROVED PROCESS OF COATING WIRE
PREPARATORY TO DRAWING." [A communication from abroad by Charles Hill
Morgan, Charles Henry Morgan, and Virgil D. Kennerson, all of the City of
Worcester, State of Massachusetts, United States of America.]
This Invention consists in employing common salt or other saline substances,
either alone or in solution with lime, paste, or similar materials, as a means of
coating wire preparatory to drawing.
It is a well-known fact among wire drawers that cold wire cannot be properly
"drawn down" through the dies or draw plates without being previously coated or
lubricated to prevent as far as possible the metal of the wire from coming into too
severe a contact with the metal die or draw plate, for should the two metallic faces
come into absolute contact, not only would much friction result from such contact,
but the interior surfaces of the dies or draw plates would become hot, and con-
sequently soft, and be rapidly worn away when the die, being no longer true,
would become useless.
To remedy this difficulty many devices and lubricants have at various times been
employed with more or less success. I find, however, that by dipping a coil of

page_text: wire in a bath of a saline character, preferably at or near a boiling heat, either
with or without an admixture of lime therein, that in the space of from two to
five minutes the hot salinous solution acts sufficiently upon the surface of the metal
to attach itself as a coating thereto. If the wire at this time be withdrawn from
the bath and placed in the drying room, this coating will become almost imme-
diately sufficiently hard to prevent the wire from coming into contact with the
die or draw plate when being "drawn down," and will, when used with tallow, oil,
or grease, act as a sufficient lubricant to permit of the wire passing easily through
the said die or draw plate, and thus prevent to a large extent the great wear and
tear now so general upon all dies or draw plates.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Philip Middleton Justice in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
November 1878.
PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE, of 14, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent. "A NEW AND IMPROVED PROCESS OF COATING WIRE
PREPARATORY TO DRAWING." A communication from abroad by Charles Hill
Morgan, Charles Henry Morgan, and Virgil D. Kennerson, all of the City of
Worcester, State of Massachusets, United States of America.
This Invention consists in employing common salt or other saline substances,
either alone, or in solution with lime, paste, or similar materials, as a means of
coating wire preparatory to drawing.
It is a well-known fact among wire drawers that cold wire cannot be properly
"drawn down" through the dies or draw plates without being previously coated or
lubricated to prevent as far as possible the metal of the wire from coming into
too severe a contact with the metal die or draw plate, for should the two metallic
faces come into absolute contact, not only would much friction result therefrom, but
the interior surface of the die or draw plate would become hot and consequently
soft, and be rapidly worn away, when the die or draw plate, being no longer true,
would become useless..
To obviate this difficulty various substances have heretofore been used, such as
wheaten or rye flour paste, lime paste, and similar materials for the purpose of
covering or coating the wire, such coating being dried upon the wire preparatory to.
drawing, while during the operation of drawing, oil, tallow, or other fatty matter
has been applied in any convenient manner for the purpose of acting as a lubricant.
In practice, however, serious objection has been encountered by manufacturers of
wire in the use of these old coatings, which require considerable time to dry, and
which are almost impossible to apply evenly or in an uniform manner to any
considerable length of wire owing to the fact that such coatings would naturally
Fun down upon the under side of the wire when the coils were hung up to dry
after being immersed in or covered with the before-named liquid paste. The
practical result being that great trouble has been experienced in drawing the wire

page_text: evenly, while in many cases the pasty substance would be found hardened upon the
wire in little lumps or semi-globules, which, during the operation of drawing,
would cause dents or indentations to be formed upon the wire. Again, the coating
of paste increased the size in an uneven and irregular manner, thus necessitating
great power to draw the wire through the die or draw plate.
I have found, however, that by dipping a coil of wire in a bath of a saline
character, preferably at or near a boiling heat, either with or without an admixture
of lime therein, that in the space of from two to five minutes the hot salinous
solution acts sufficiently upon the surface of the metal to attach itself thereto in
the form of a thin and uniform coat or covering. If the wire be then withdrawn
from the bath and placed in the drying room the coating will become almost
immediately sufficiently hard to prevent the wire from coming into absolute contact
with the die or draw plate when being drawn down, and will, when used with
tallow, oil, or other grease, act as a sufficient lubricant to permit of the wire
passing readily through the said die or draw plate, thus preventing much of the
wear and tear now so general.
Having thus described the Invention as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondents, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is, the process
herein-before described, consisting of coating wire preparatory to drawing with a
salinous solution, either with or without an admixture of lime, as and for the
purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Philip Middleton Justice, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this 29th day of November, in the year of our Lord
1878.
PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE. (L&)