IMPROVEMENTS IN BUNGS OR STOPPERS FOR CASKS, BARRELS, OR OTHER VESSELS.
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th October 1879. A communication
from abroad by William H. Stewart, of Brooklyn, New York, United States
of America.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUNGS OR STOPPERS
FOR CASKS, BARRELS, OR OTHER VESSELS. [A communication from abroad by
William H. Stewart, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America.]
In carrying the said Invention into practice I prefer to use india-rubber
composition of the kind commonly used in making brewers' hose, and the composition
should contain no alkalies or other substances that will be affected by acids. Of
this material I make an elastic bung having tapering longitudinal surfaces and
lateral plane surfaces similar in shape to the wooden bungs commonly used, and of
sufficient depth and diameter to fit closely within the bung hole of the cask or
barrel. Through the said bung I provide a vertical aperture to admit a plug (three-
quarters of an inch I find to be sufficient for all venting purposes.) This plug may
be made of the same material as the bung, and may be attached thereto by a link
or other suitable device.
In extracting bungs heretofore made of this composition from casks or barrels,
the hook employed for the purpose when in contact with the bung chafes and tears
the composition to such an extent that it soon destroys the usefulness of the bung.
To avoid this evil I construct a metallic plate or disc below the outer face and
within or attached to the bung, with one of its inner or lower surfaces exposed to
receive the bearing of the hook and to form a guard for protecting the bung from
injury, This metallic plate may be made of any of the well known metals, and
may be moulded in the composition when the bung is in process of manufacture, or
may be attached by any suitable device; the object being to protect the composition
from injury by contact with the extracting hook. In practical use I insert the
aforesaid plug within the aperture of the elastic bung, and then insert the bung
within the aperture of the cask. When the liquids are to be drawn off from the
cask, the said plug is driven down and out of the bung into the cask to give vent
or admit air. When the cask is to be refilled a hook is inserted down through the
aperture of the bung, and reaches under and rests against the metallic plate or disc
when the bung is withdrawn from the cask.
The advantages of this part of my Invention are cleanliness, economy, and
convenience in using an elastic composition, and greater durability by reason of
using the said metallic plate or disc in connection therewith; and this Invention is
conspicuously useful for casks and barrels that are used repeatedly for the trans-
portation of ale, beer, and the like. The said improved elastic bung with the

page_text: metallic plate is practically indestructible and may be used repeatedly for years,
thus saving the cost of wooden bungs which last only for a single use.
Although I prefer to use india-rubber composition in making these improved
bungs, I do not limit myself to that material. I may use any substance that is
elastic, and make the bung of any desired shape or size.
One feature of the said Invention consists in the exterior form of the bung or
stopper whereby it is adapted to be more easily driven into the cask, or withdrawn
therefrom when desired, than bungs as heretofore made. The stoppers heretofore
made of wood or cork are objectionable for the reason that the gases readily
penetrate the pores of such materials, and leave the beer or ale unfit for use in
consequence of its becoming flat or stale. The wood and cork will become saturated
with the liquid, and after being once used will become sour and injuriously affect
the beer.
In the use of the said improved elastic bung or stopper, I find that if made of
the ordinary form great difficulty exists in extracting it from the aperture in the
cask or vessel on account of the adhesive properties of the india rubber, and this
occurs especially when using it for lager beer or ale casks where the aperture is
wood or iron bound. If the bung or stopper is made very hard, or even hard
enough to dry easily in the aperture, there is no certainty that the aperture will be
perfectly sealed, as the harder the composition the less the elasticity, and the less
certainty of its filling any irregularities that may exist in the aperture. On the
contrary, if the composition be made softer to gain more elasticity, then the
difficulty of driving in the bung or stopper occurs, as the composition sticks and
adheres to the sides of the aperture, and after being once driven in is very difficult
to extract.
The special object of this part of my Invention is to overcome these several
difficulties by making a bung or stopper which can be readily driven in or extracted,
and which will also perfectly seal the aperture in the cask. I therefore form a bung
with the circumferential surface thereof ribbed or corrugated. These ribs or
corrugations are formed around the bung at a right angle with its axis. By this
construction the centre or body of the bung or stopper may be comparatively rigid
or inflexible, while the surface or bearing parts will be elastic. The corrugations
may be made of a depth to suit the purpose for which the bung or stopper is
intended. When intended for stopping faucet-holes in lager-beer or ale casks, it is
advisable to make the corrugations quite deep, that the elevations may be more
elastic and flexible so as to fit different holes, and thus allow for the wearing away
or enlarging of the holes by the frequent driving in of the faucet. In using the
bung or stopper for faucet-holes it is customary to drive the bung or stopper through
into the cask by placing the faucet against it, and striking the faucet with a mallet.
I therefore prefer for such purposes the corrugations shaped with sharp edges, as
this shape not only facilitates the driving of the stopper into the cask, but the sharp
edges of the corrugations have a tendency to prevent the stopper from being blown
out by the pressure of the liquids or gases.
As it is found desirable to vary the corrugations to suit the different purposes for
which the bung or stopper is adapted, I do not limit my Invention to any particular
form of ribs; the essential feature of this part of the said Invention being the
irregular circumferential surface of the bung or stopper as distinguished from the
plain surface heretofore used, and the bung or stopper may be made solid or with an
aperture running longitudinally through its centre with a plug fitted therein, o
with an aperture running partially through it, so as to reduce the materials used
and lessen the cost of construction without departing from the principle of the said
Invention.