IMPROVEMENTS IN ANNEALING POTS AND SAUCERS FOR ANNEALING IRON AND STEEL WIRE, SHEET METAL AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hibell, of Nechells, near Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Wiredrawer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ANNEALING POTS AND SAUCERS FOR ANNEALING IRON AND STEEL WIRE,
SHEET METAL AND OTHER ARTICLES"
Sealed the 17th November 1865, and dated the 30th May 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hibell at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th May
1865.
I, JOHN HIBELL, of Nechells, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Wiredrawer, do, hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "]
"Iμ-
PROVEMENTS IN ANNEALING POTS AND SAUCERS FOR ANNEALING IRON AND STEEL
WIRE, SHEET METAL, AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
Annealing pots as ordinarily constructed consist of hollow cylinders of cast
iron, closed at bottom, and furnished with a lid or cover at top, which lid is
closed nearly air-tight during the annealing process. The said pots are
charged with the articles to be annealed, and placed in a heated annealing.
pot or furnace or muffle, and heated to the required degree. By annealing,
iron and steel wire and other articles in pots of this kind, the surfaces of the
said articles are more or less covered with scale produced by the presence of

page_text: air in the said pots. The object of my Invention is to anneal articles so
as to avoid the production of scale on their surfaces or to reduce it to a
minimum.
In constructing annealing pots according to my Invention I make them of
two hollow cylinders, of cast iron of different diameters, the inner or smaller
hollow cylinder being situated concentrically within the outer or larger hollow
cylinder. An annular or ring-like space is thus left between the two hollow
cylinders, which space constitutes the chamber in which the articles to be
annealed are placed. The bottom of the said chamber is closed, and the top
is also temporarily closed during the annealing process by a lid or cover,
which lid or cover is made air-tight in any convenient way. The interior of
the pot, that is, the space within the small hollow cylinder, is open, so that
all parts of the said pot are exposed to the action of the heat in the heated
annealing pot or furnace, or muffle.. In using the annealing pot for annealing
iron or steel wire, the bundles of wire are charged into the annular space in
the pot, the said bundles of wire filling up the said space. The air space thus
left in the said pot is very small, and the oxidation or scaling of the surface of
the wire during the annealing process is wholly or mainly prevented. By
exposing the inside of the pot as well as the outside to the 'action of the heat
the wire is more readily and uniformly heated than when the pot is heated
from the outside only.
.:
When sheet metal is to be annealed in pots constructed according to my
Invention it is coiled into rings or bands of a diameter equal to that of the
annular space of the pot, and the said rings charged into the said pot. When
small articles are to be annealed I reduce the annular space in which they are
placed, so as to anneal them in contact with as little air as possible.
By the use of my Invention the production of scale on the articles annealed
is wholly prevented or reduced to a minimum, and the cleaning or pickling
process, which is necessary to remove the scale produced by the ordinary
method of annealing, is thus in a great measure rendered unnecessary.
My Invention consists further in the following improvement or improve-
ments in the saucers on which annealing pots are supported in the furnace:
In addition to the ordinary cylindrical flange of the said saucers I make
another cylindrical flange external to-the ordinary one and concentric there
with, the said additional flange extending from one-third to one-half the
height of the pot. The said additional flange may either be made of cast iron
or brickwork. By the use of the said additional flange the fire is prevented
from injuriously affecting the bottom of the annealing pot, and the pot so
protected lasts longer than pots set upon saucers of the ordinary kind.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of, the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Hibell in the Great Seal Patent Office ou the 28th
November 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HIBELL, of Nechells, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Wire-
drawer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Hibell, Her special licence that I, the said John Hibell, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said; John
Hibell, my executors, administrators; and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ANNEALING POTS
AND SAUCERS FOR ANNEALING IRON AND STEEL, WIRE SHEET METAL, AND OTHER
ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Hibell,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-.
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office,
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Hibell, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-..
Annealing pots as ordinarily constructed consist of hollow cylinders of cast
iron, closed at bottom, and furnished with a lid or cover at top, which lid is
The said pots are built
closed nearly air-tight during the annealing process.
in a furnace and are charged with the articles to be annealed and heated to
the required degree. By annealing iron and steel wire and other articles in

page_text: pots of this kind, the surfaces of the said articles are more or less covered with
scale produced by the presence of air in the said pots.
The object
of my Invention is to anneal articles so as to avoid the production
of scale on their surfaces, or to reduce it to a minimum, as well as to heat the
annealing pot rapidly and uniformly.
י
In constructing annealing pots according to my Invention I make them of
two hollow cylinders of cast iron of different diameters, the inner or smaller
hollow cylinder being situated concentrically within the outer or larger hollow
cylinder. An annular or ring-like space is thus left between the two hollow
cylinders, which space constitutes the chamber in which the articles to be
annealed are placed. The bottom of the said chamber is closed, and the top
is also temporarily closed during the annealing process by a lid or cover, which
lid or cover is made air-tight in any convenient way. The interior of the pot,
that is, the space within the small hollow cylinder, is open, so that all parts of
the said pot are exposed to the action of the heat in the heated annealing
pot, or furnace, or muffle.
In using the annealing pot for annealing iron or steel wire, the bundles of
wire are charged into the annular space in the pot. The said bundles of wire
filling up the said space. The air space thus left in the said pot is very small,
and the oxidation or scaling of the surface of the wire during the annealing
process is wholly or mainly prevented. By exposing the inside of the pot as
well as the outside to the action of the heat, the wire is more readily and
uniformly heated than when the pot is heated from the outside only.
When sheet metal is to be annealed in pots constructed according to my
Invention it is coiled into rings or bands of a diameter equal to that of the
annular space of the pot, and the said rings charged into the said pot. When
small articles are to be annealed, I reduce the annular space in which they
are placed so as to anneal them in contact with as little air as possible.
By the use of my Invention the production of scale on the articles annealed
is wholly prevented or reduced to a minimum, and the cleaning or pickling
process, which is necessary to remove the scale produced by the ordinary
method of annealing is thus in a great measure rendered unnecessary..
:
My Invention consists further in the following improvement or improvements
in the saucers on which annealing pots are supported in the furnace. In
addition to the ordinary low cylindrical flange of the said saucers I make
another cylindrical flange external to the ordinary one and concentric therewith,"
the said additional flange extending from one-third to one-half the height of
the pot. The said additional flange may either be made of cast iron or brick-
work: By the use of the said additional flange, the fire. is prevented from:

page_text: injuriously affecting the bottom of the annealing pot, and the pot so protected
lasts longer than pots set upon saucers of the ordinary kind.
.
This part of my Invention may be applied to pots of the ordinary kind as
well as to pots constructed according to my Invention; in the latter case: I
prefer to use a flange both within and without the pot for protecting the bottom
from the action of the fire..
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation an annealing pot constructed according to
my Invention; Figure 2 is.a.vertical section of the same, and Figure 3 is, a
plan of the same. The same letters of reference are employed to indicate the
same parts in the several Figures of the Drawing.
:
:
a, b, are the two hollow cylinders of cast iron constituting the annealing
pot. The said hollow cylinders are of different diameters; the inner :or
smaller one b being situated concentrically within the outer or larger one 'a, as:
represented. Each of the said cylinders a, b, is expanded at top for the:
purpose of forming a support or bed for the lid. or cover of the pot. Between
the two hollow cylinders a and, b an annular or ring-like space marked c'is:
left, which space constitutes the chamber in which the articles.to be annealed:
are placed. The bottom of the chamber c is closed. at. d, and the top of the
said chamber is open, but the said open top is temporarily closed during the
annealing process by a lid or cover of a ring-like form; this lid or cover is:
shown separately in section in Figure 6, and is marked e. The said lid or
cover e has upon its bottom V-shaped annular projections e,, which fit in
V-shaped. annular grooves or depressions e³, in the enlarged top of the annealing:
pot. The lid or cover e fitted on the top of an annealing pot is represented>
in Figure 5. By means of the said V-shaped projections and depressions the:
lid or cover e is made air-tight; or the said lid or cover may be made air-
tight by a sand joint, or in any other convenient way. I prefer to make the
inner hollow cylinder 6 of the annealing pot slightly conical, as represented in
the Drawing, but the sides of the hollow cylinder may be parallel. The?
central hollow space f within the small or inner hollow cylinder.bis open both:
at top and bottom for the circulation of heated air through the said space, so
that all parts of the pot are exposed to the action of the fire and bent in the
heated annealing pot or furnace, or muffle, and the articles' to be annealeil,
are thus more rapidly and uniformly heated than when the pot is heated:
from the outside only.
:
In anuealing iron, or steel wire the circular bundles of wire are charged

page_text: into the annular annealing chamber c of the pot, the said bundles of wire
filling up the said chamber. The air space thus left in the pot is very small,
and the oxidation or scaling of the surface of the wire during the annealing
process is wholly or mainly prevented. The bundles of wire charged into the
chamber care exposed on their inner and outer sides to the action of the
heated inner and outer sides of the annealing pot,.and the said bundles are
thereby rapidly and uniformly annealed.
In annealing sheet metal it is coiled into rings or bands of a diameter equal
to that of the annular chamber c of the pot, and the said, rings are charged
into the pot in a manner similar to that of the wire bundles. Any kind of
wire or metallic rods or other large articles capable of being coiled into a
ring-like figure and requiring to be annealed may be charged into the
annealing pot in the same manner.
When small articles are to be annealed they may be placed in the annealing
pot without being bent. In annealing small articles I prefer to employ a
small annealing pot; but I do not limit myself to any particular size of the
annealing chamber in which the articles are annealed.
:
When it is desired to prevent to the utmost the oxidation of the wire or
articles being annealed, I separate the pot into several chambers by means of
the movable intermediate lids p, p, Figure 5.
་
Instead of making the smaller hollow cylinder b' of the pot open at top and
bottom, as in the annealing pot represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the said:
small cylinder may be closed at bottom and open at top, as represented in the
vertical section of the annealing pot, 'Figure 4, or the said small cylinder may
be closed at top and open at bottom, as represented in the vertical section of the
annealing pot, Figure 5. In both these cases the inner side of the annealing
chamber c of the pots is exposed to the beated air of the annealing furnace or
muffle, but the said heated air does not circulate through the. cylindrical
opening in the middle of the pot, as in the arrangement represented in
Figures 1, 2, and 3.
In using annealing pots made according to my Invention I remove them
from the muffle or furnace in which they are heated as soon as the contents of
the said pots are sufficiently hot, and allow the said pots and their contents to
cool in the air. I charge other pots filled with wire or articles to be annealed
into the heated muffle or furnace, and so on, so as to avoid the loss of heat:
which is incurred when the pot is built, in the furnace and the furnace allowed
to cool with the pot. Two or more of my improved pots may be placed one:
upon the other in the furnace or muffle.
"
My improved annealing pots may be built in the faruace where preferred.

page_text: Annealing pots made according to my. Invention may be cast in one piece,
or they may be made in two or more pieces bolted or otherwise connected
together.
:
Figure 7 represents in elevation, and Figure 8 in vertical section, a saucer
for supporting annealing pots, made according to my Invention, in the furnace
or.muffle in which they are heated. . :.
. Figuré. 9 represents the said saucer in connection with an annealing pot of
the construction represented in Figure 2. The said saucer consists of two
cylindrical flanges g, h, concentric with one another, the said flanges being
connected to or made in one piece with the base i. When the pot is placed
in the saucer the flanges g, h, are situated on the inner and outer sides of the
said pot. The said flanges g, h, may extend from one-third to one-half the
height of the pot, and they may either be made of cast iron or of brickwork.
By the use of the said flanges g, h, the fire is prevented from injuring the
bottom of the annealing pot, both on its outer and inner sides, and the pot so
protected lasts longer than if set upon a saucer of the ordinary kind.
Figure 10 represents a saucer for supporting ordinary annealing pots made
according to my Invention. k is the ordinary flange of the saucer 1, and m is
the additional cylindrical flange, concentric with and external to the said
ordinary flange k; n is the annealing pot set upon the saucer l. The said
additional flange m may extend from one-third to one-half the height of the
pot, the said additional flange protecting the bottom of the pot from the action
of the fire.
Although annealing pots made according to my Invention are especially
applicable to the annealing of iron and steel wire yet the said pots may also be
used advantageously for annealing all such metallic sheets and wires and other
metallic things as require to be annealed.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and represented in the
Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, the improvements in annealing pots for annealing iron and steel
wire, sheet metal, and other articles, herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, making the said annealing pots
of two concentric hollow cylinders of different diameters, the space between
the said hollow cylinders constituting an annular chamber, in which the
articles to be annealed are placed, the said annular chamber being exposed to

page_text: the fire and heat, both on its outer and inner sides, substantially as described
and illustrated.
Secondly, the improvement or improvements in the saucers used for
supporting annealing pots in the furnaces or muffles in which they are heated,
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is
to say, making the said saucers with a double flange, by means of which the
bottom of the annealing pot is protected from the injurious action of the fire,
substantially as described and represented.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hibell, have hereunto set my hand
.
and seal, this Twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
`JOHN HIBELL. (L.S.)