IMPROVE- IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRICKS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Holborne Fyfe, of Greenock, in the County
of Renfrew, North Britain, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRICKS."-A communication from
abroad by Robert Loudon Walker, of Globe Village, South Bridge,
Massachusetts, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 21st December 1866, and dated the 27th June 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Holborne Fyfe
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, ou
the 27th Jane 1866.
I, WILLIAM HOLBORNE FYFE, of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew,
North Britain, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRICKS," a communication to
me from abread by Robert Loudon Walker, of Globe Village, South Bridge,
Massachusetts, in the United States of America, to be as follows, that is to
say:-
This Invention relates to improved apparatus designed for making bricks
in a rapid and superior manner.
The clay or other material is put into a vertical cylindrical hopper or pug
mill having a central vertical shaft driven by bevil or other convenient

page_text: gearing. The shaft has arranged spirally on it a series of knives which
work between horizontal rods or bars fixed across the pug mill in a spiral
order. At the bottom of the shaft there is fixed a massive propeller formed
'with a number of holical blades, which force the clay downwards as the shaft
rotates. The shaft rests on a steel centre or footstep fitted in a seat in a
casting forming the bottom of the machine. This bottom casting is formed
with two diametrically opposite outlets, which, for ordinary bricks, are made
rectangular in vertical section, but which may of course be made of any
convenient form. The outlets project beyond the sides of the pug mill, and
have 'mouth-picces binged to their ends, such mouth-pieces being fitted with
brass moulding rollers, one to each side, and all by preference connected by
bevil wheels or pulleys, and driven simultaneously, as herein-after described.
The outlets are tapered internally, being more contracted at their outer ends
for the purpose of having a compressing and elongating action upou the issuing
.clay. A passage or chamber of uniform vertical area extends across the
"bottom casting from one outlet to-the other; and the middle of this passage
is occupied by a slide block which has a piston or plunger attached to each
end of it. The slide block is fitted with a horizontal pin projecting on each
-sido through slots in the sides of the passage; but to prevent the access of
air by these slots both pistons are packed by means of rubber or other suit-
able material. The slide block with its pistons is made to reciprocate by
gearing herein-after described, and as either piston recedes inwards from its
respective outlet the clay is as it were thereby sucked down in front of it
through an opening in the top of the passage, whilst on the piston again
moving outwards the clay is forced into the outlet without the possibility of
its being rendered imperfect by air holes. The clay issues in a stream from
each outlet mouth, and each stream is cut into bricks by any common
arrangement of wires or knives, which are made to act at the periods when
the stream is stationary. The driving gearing for the pistons comprises a
first-motion shaft with fast and loose pulleys placed horizontally over one of
the outlets, and having fast on it two pinions in gear with spur wheels on
short crank shafts, one on each side of the outlet. The cranks are fitted
with connecting rods which are jointed on the pins of the piston slide block,
one on each side. The first-motion shaft has pulleys on it for belts to drive
the 'moulding rollers at the outlet mouths, the spindle of one roller of each
set having a pulley on it to receive the belt, and the others being driven
therefrom by bevil wheels as herein-before described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Holborne Fyfe in. the Great Seal Patent Office on,
the 26th December 1866..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HOLBORNE FYFE, of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain,
Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,.by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Holborne Fyfe, Her special licence that I, the said
William Holborne Fyfe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Holborne Fyfe, 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 APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRICKS,"
a communication to me from abroad by Robert Loudon Walker, of Globe.
Village, South Bridge, Massachusetts, United States of America, upon the.
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Holborne- Fyfe, my.
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under ny, or their,
or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain.
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 William Holborne Fyfe, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying.
Drawings, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to improved apparatus designed for making
bricks in a rapid and superior manner.
And in order that the said Invention, and the manner of performing the
saine, may be properly understood I have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and representing brick-
making apparatus as made with the improvements.

page_text: Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus; Figure 2 is a plan of the lower
part with the cylindrical hopper (1, Figure 1,) removed; and Figure 3 is a
vertical section of the lower part in the line of the outlets, of which there
are two diametrically opposite to each other. The same reference numerals
are used to mark the same parts in all the Figures.
The clay or other material in a properly moistened condition is put into a
vertical cylindrical hopper or pug mill 1, having a central vertical shaft 2,
driven by bevil wheels 3, or other convenient gearing. The shaft 2 has
arranged spirally on it a series of knives which work between horizontal
rods or bars fixed across the pug mill in a spiral order, as in some apparatus
alieady in use. At the bottom of the shaft 2 there is fixed a massive pro-
peller formed with a number of helical blades 4, which force the clay down-
wards as the shaft 2 rotates. The shaft 2 rests on a steel centre or footstep 5
fitted in a seat in the bottom of the cylinder 1. There is fitted to the bottom
of the cylinder 1 a casting or box 6, formed with two diametrically opposite
outlets 7, which for ordinary bricks are made rectangular in vertical section,
but which may of course be made of any convenient form. The outlets 7
project beyond the sides of the pug mill or cylinder 1, and have mouth-
pieces 8 hinged to their ends, such mouth-pieces being fitted with brass
moulding rollers 9, one to each side, and all by preference connected
by bevil wheels, and driven simultaneously as herein-after described. The
outlets 7 with their mouth-pieces 8 are tapered internally, being slightly
more contracted at their outer ends for the purpose of giving a smooth
The box
finish to the clay, and to insure sharp well-defined corners.
or casting 6 is formed with a passage or chamber of uniform vertical area
extending across the bottom from one outlet 7 to the other, and the middle
of this passage is occupied by a slide block 10 which has a piston or
plunger 11 attached to each end of it. The slide block 10 is fitted with a
horizontal pin 12 projecting on each side through slots in the sides of the
passage; but to prevent the access of air by these slots both pistons 11 are
The slide block 10
packed by means of rubber or other suitable material.
with its pistons 11 is made to reciprocate by gearing herein-after described,
and as either piston recedes inwards from its respective outlet 7 the clay is as
it were thereby sucked down in front of it, through an opening 18 in the
top of the passage, whilst on the piston again moving outwards the clay is
forced into the outlet 7 without the possibility of its being rendered imperfect
by air holes. The clay issues in a stream from each outlet mouth 8, and each
stream is cut into bricks by any common arrangement of wires or knives,
which are made to act at the periods when the stream is stationary. The

page_text: driving gearing for the pistons 11 comprises a first-motion shaft 14, driven in
any convenient way, and mounted in bearings so as to extend horizontally
over one of the outlets 7. This shaft 14 has fast on it two pinion's 15 in
gear with spur wheels 16. on short crank shafts 17, one on each side of the
outlet. The cranks are fitted with connecting rods 18 which are jointed on
the pin 12 of the piston slide block 10, one on each side. The shaft 14 has
pulleys 19 for belts to drive the moulding rollers 9 at the outlet mouths 8,
the spindle of one roller of each set having a pulley on it to receive the belt,
and the others being driven therefrom by bevil wheels as herein-before
described.
Having thus particularly described the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I have to state that the Inventor does-not
restrict himself to the precise details herein described or delineated; but that
what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. Generally the arranging or combining together of the parts of brick-
making apparatus, substantially in the improved manner herein-before
described; and more particularly,
2. The employing of a reciprocating piston working air-tight under and in
combination with a pug mill and tapered outlets substantially as herein-before
described.
And 3. The applying of moulding rollers to the outlets, substantially_as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Holborne Fyfe, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
W. U. FYFE. (L.B.)