AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SMOOTHING IRONS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
SMOOTHING IRONS."-A communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th April 1857.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
SMOOTHING IRONS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel construction of iron, which admits of being
quickly heated, and which will retain the heat imparted to it for a considerable
length of time. In applying the Invention to smoothing irons, the body of the
iron is cast hollow, and its under face is made perfectly smooth as usual. The
body is of the usual shape or form, and on the inner side of the bottom a series
of longitudinal ribs or projections is cast, which ribs may be at any suitable
distance apart, and may extend upward to nearly the top plate of the iron. At
the back end of the body a door is provided, and the front end of the top plate
is also similarly provided with a door.

page_text: The iron is heated by opening the two doors and placing the iron over the
flame of a gas jet or lamp, when, in consequence of a large area or surface
being presented to the flame, it soon becomes heated. When the iron is
heated, the doors are closed, and the iron is ready for use.
The above improvement may be applied to all forms of smoothing irons or
sad-irons, also to hatters' irons and tailors' geese.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 3rd October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord 1857,
in the twentieth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SMOOTHING IRONS,"
being a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of my improvement, the plane of section
being through the centre; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the

page_text: line a, a, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same. Y, Y,
Fig. 2, shows the plane of section. Similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the several Figures.
This Invention consists in the peculiar construction of the iron, as will be
herein-after fully shown and described, whereby it may be quickly heated, and
the heat retained for a considerable length of time.
To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and use my Invention,
I will proceed to describe it.
A represents the body of the iron, which is a
hollow chamber of cast metal, having its bottom or outer and under face side
a planed perfectly smooth, as usual. The handle B is attached to the upper
part or plate of the body A. The body is of the usual shape or form, and the
inner side of the bottom a has a series of longitudinal ribs or projections bon
it, said ribs or projections being a suitable distance apart, and extending
upward nearly to the top plate c. The back end of the body A is provided
with a door or flap d, and the front end of the top plate c is also provided
with a door or flap e, see Fig. 1. The iron is heated by opening the two
doors or flaps d, e, and placing the iron over the flame of a gas jet or lamp,
as shown in Fig. 1. The body A soon becomes heated in consequence of a
larger area or surface being presented to the flame. When the iron is heated,
the doors or flaps are both closed and the iron is used in the ordinary
manner,
By the above improvement it will be seen that a larger mass of metal may
be heated in a short time; because the ribs or projections 6 cause a larger
surface of the metal forming the body to be exposed to the flame, and when
the iron is heated, by closing the doors or flaps, and thereby preventing a cir-
culation of air through the body A, the body will retain the heat a considerable
length of time. As the ribs b do not extend quite up to the inside of the top
plate c, there will be a current of air through the iron when placed over the
flame in the position seen in Fig. 1, which will prevent the top plate from
becoming so much heated as the lower one, and the ribs will only communicate
the heat which they have absorbed to the lower plate a, and the handle B will
not be heated so as to become uncomfortable to the hand.
The above improvement may be applied to all forms of smoothing irons or
sad-irons, also to hatters' irons and tailors' geese. I do not confine myself to
the precise form of the ribs or projections 6, for they may be arranged in
various ways, and answer equally as well as the plan herein described.
Having now set forth the nature of this Invention, and explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the
above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-

page_text: The within-described sad-iron constructed in the manner substantially as
specified, with its doors or flaps d, e, arranged and operating as described.
2nd, I claim the longitudinal ribs b attached to the lower plate of the iron,
and operating in the manner substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFatt,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)