IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS SHADES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Pearsall, of Smethwick, in the County of
Stafford, Glass Blower, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF GLASS SHADES."
Sealed the 8th July 1859, and dated the 7th May 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Pearsall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th May 1859.
I, RICHARD PEARSALL, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Glass
Blower, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS SHADES," to be as follows:-
Heretofore, glass shades of an "oval" or "square" shape have been formed
by being blown into moulds having fixed sides, so that the moulds have to be
taken to pieces and reconstructed when it is desired to form a differently
sized shade; the moulds for what are termed "oval" shades, generally formed
thus, consist of two planks placed parallel with one another, the ends and
top being left open, so that the ends and top of the shades naturally assume
a rounded form. The moulds for forming what are termed "square" shades,
consist of two parallel planks, as before, the two ends
being closed up by other planks, and the top left open, by which the four
thus, C

page_text: corners and the top of the shades assume a rounded form. Now, one part
of my Invention consists in connecting the side planks to suitable mechanism,
so that they can be moved to or from one another, and by this means the
distance between the planks may be adjusted to the different breadths of
shades required. When "square" shades are required, the ends of the mould
are changed for every change of breadth; but when oval shades are required to
be made, no ends are required.
The other part of my Invention relates to the manufacture of round or
cylindrical shades, which have hitherto been blown by reheating the glass
after it has been "gathered" from the glass pot, and consists in dispensing
with the necessity of any such reheating by blowing such shades in moulds,
instead of fashioning them by heating and motion independently of any mould.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Pearsall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
PEARSALL, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Glass Blower, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Richard Pearsall, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Pearsall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Richard Pearsall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Chaunel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS SHADES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that J, the said Richard Pearsall, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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

page_text: 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 Richard Pearsall, 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 fol-
lowing statement thereof, that is to say :-
"
Heretofore, glass shades of an "oval" or "square" shape have been formed
by being blown into moulds having fixed sides, so that the moulds have to be
taken to pieces and reconstructed when it is desired to form a differently
sized shade; the moulds for what are termed "oval" shades, generally formed
thus,
consist of two planks placed parallel with one another, the
ends and top being left open, so that the ends and top of the shades naturally
assume a rounded form. The moulds for forming what are termed "square"
shades, thus,
consist of two parallel planks, as before, the two
ends being closed up by other planks, and the top left open, by which the four
corners and the top of the shades assume a rounded form. Now, one part of my
Invention consists in connecting the side planks to suitable mechanism, so that
they can be moved to or from one another, and by this means the distance
between the planks may be adjusted to the different breadths of shades
required. When "square" shades are required, the ends of the mould are
changed for every change of breadth; but when oval shades are required to be
made, no ends are required.
The other part of my Invention relates to the manufacture of round or
cylindrical shades, which have hitherto been blown by reheating the glass after
it has been "gathered" from the glass pot, and consists in dispensing with the
necessity of any such reheating by blowing such shades in moulds instead of
fashioning them by heating and motion independently of any mould.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed
:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a side elevation; Figure 2 an end elevation; and Figure 8.
a plan of a mould for forming glass shades, the side planks of which are con
nected to mechanism by which they can be moved to or from each other. a, a,
are cast-iron frames in which the wood planks b, b, are held by screws c, c
screwing through the frames a, the points of the screws entering holes in the
wrought-iron plates d, d, fixed to the ends of the wooden planks b (see
1
A

page_text: Figure 9); f is a spindle, on which there is a bevil wheel g; the spindle f
works in a brass bearing k fixed to one of the frames a, as shewn in section at
Figure 6. The bevil wheel g works into four bevil wheels h, h, fixed on the
spindles i, i; one end of each of these spindles works in the brass bush k, as
shewn in section at Figure 7, and the other ends of the spindles work in the
plummer blocks 1, 1, bolted to the framing a. On each of the spindles i, i, is a
bevil wheel m; the bevil wheels m work in bevil wheels n, n, which are supported
by projections on the framing a, as shewn at Figures 4 and 5, the wheels n
being prevented from moving endways by means of the segments p, p, working
in grooves in the bosses of the wheels n, the segments p, p, being screwed to
the projections on the framing a. Through the centre of the bosses of the
wheels n there is a screw thread cut, which works on the screws o, o; the ends
of the screws o, o, are fixed to the other of the frames a in such manner that
the screws are prevented from rotating, so that when the bevil wheels n, n, are
rotated, the frames a are made to advance towards or recede from one another
according to the direction in which the handle e is turned, and by this means
the distance between the planks b, b, may be regulated accurately. When
what are termed oval shades are to be formed, the two side planks b, b, only
are employed. When what are termed square shades are to be formed, the
two ends are closed up by other planks, which must be changed for every
breadth of shade. By thus connecting the side planks to mechanism, so that
they can be moved to or from each other, the shades, after that they have been
blown, can readily be removed from the mould, and the shades may be made
with parallel sides in place of making them tapered, as has heretofore been the
practice, in order to facilitate their removal from the mould when the moulds
were made with fixed sides, as heretofore.
Figure 10 shews a side elevation, Figure 11 an end elevation, and
Figure 12 a plan, of another arrangement of mechanism for moving the side
✓ planks of the mould. In this arrangement, in place of bevilled wheels n, n,
of the axis of the screws o, there are toothed wheels r, r, into which a large
toothed wheel q takes; on this wheel there is a crank handle q', by which
the wheel 9 can be turned, so as to move the side planks to or from each
other. I would remark, that although I have shewn these two arrangements
of mechanism for moving the side planks of the mould to or from each other,
I do not confine myself thereto, as other arrangements of mechanism may be
employed for the same purpose.
The other part of my Invention relates to the manufacture of round or
cylindrical shades which have hitherto been blown by reheating the glass after

page_text: it has been "gathered" from the glass pot, and consists in dispensing with
the necessity of any such reheating by blowing such shades in moulds, instead
of fashioning them by heating and motion independently of any mould..
The moulds I prefer to form of a cylindrical shape, open top and bottom.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Pearsall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
RICHARD PEARSALL. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Richard Pearsall in
the presence of
JAMES T. CHANCE,
J. P. for the Cty of Stafford.