IMPROVEMENTS IN COATING WITH METALS LIGHT ARTICLES COMPOSED OF METAL, SUCH AS NAILS, SCREWS, TACKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR SMALL WARES, AS WELL AS THE LIGHT PARTS OF MACHINES, AS ALSO IN THE MACHINERY, APPARATUS, OR APPLIANCES FOR EFFECTING THE SAME
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Whittle, of Smethwick, in the County of
Stafford, Engineer, and James Newman, of Small Heath, nr. Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Jeweller, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COATING WITH METALS LIGHT ARTICLES COMPOSED OF METAL, SUCH AS NAILS,
SCREWS, TACKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR SMALL WARES, AS WELL AS THE LIGHT
PARTS OF MACHINES, AS ALSO IN THE MACHINERY, APPARATUS, OR APPLIANCES
FOR EFFECTING THE SAME."
aled the 1st August 1876, and dated the 2nd March 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Whittle and James
Newman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd March
1876.
WILLIAM WHITTLE, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, and
JAMES NEWMAN, of Small Heath, nr. Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Jeweller. "IMPROVEMENTS IN COATING WITH METALS LIGHT ARTICLES COMPOSED
OF METAL, SUCÎI AS NAILS, SCREWS, TACKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR SMALL WARES, AS
WELL AS THE LIGHT PARTS OF MACHINES, AS ALSO IN THE MACHINERY, APPARATUS,
OR APPLIANCES FOR EFFECTING THE SAME."
Our Invention relates to an improved mode of tinning small articles. We coat
them with zinc, and for many purposes, such as nails, ship thimbles, and such like
coarser articles, we finish with the zinc coating.
Our mode will be understood from the following description:-We melt the
metal in a pot over a fire or other convenient means, (useing by preference) borax
with the zinc, or as an equivalent flux sal ammoniac may be used combined with
muriatic acid, which we have found to answer well; and the articles we purpose
coating we place in a perforated ladle of suitable size, that when immersed in the
molten metal it will flow into the ladle and over the articles to be coated, during
which we keep.the ladle in motion by slightly shaking; after which we elevate
the ladle over the pot, so that the molten metal may run back into it through the
perforations. And if the articles are only intended to be coated with zinc we
finish them by a process herein-after described, but if intended to be finished with
tin we simply repeat the former operation by immersing the articles in molten tin
instead of molten zinc. In either case we take the articles in the ladle (while
Price dl

page_text: hot) and put them through a shaking apparatus constructed in the following
way An iron cylinder, open at the bottom, and standing on feet or other means
of elevation, across the cylinder two iron stays are placed, one at the bottom and
one at the top; these stays form the centres for the axis of a vertical revolving
shaft or spindle carrying radial arms and formed of open wirework, but instead
of such arms radiating direct from the centre they are curved inward from the
direction in which they revolve. Above this lower cylinder a top cylinder is
placed, having an annular opening around it formed by an outer case, closed at
the bottom and top; this annular space receives the heat from the flue-way from
any convenient fire, the said flue-way entering at the bottom and escaping at the
top on the reverse side, by which means considerable heat is maintained within
the cylinder.
This arrangement of radial arms (by preference made of wire) are the same in
both the upper and lower cylinders, which constitutes a combination of what we
term the hot machine and the cooling machine, the vertical spindle that gives
motion to the radial arms passing through both cylinders; a rapid revolving
motion is imparted to the spindle by any convenient mechanical arrangement.
On the top of the upper cylinder we fix an inverted conical hopper, and with the
apparatus sufficiently heated, and the curved radial open wirework arms being in
rapid motion, we take the articles from the molten metal while they are hot and
pour them into the apparatus through the hopper before mentioned, falling from
which they will be caught by the revolving arms; the centrifugal force of their
motion is caught and corrected by the curvature of the open wire arms before
mentioned. After being sufficiently shook, first in the top and then in the lower
cylinder, the articles so treated, such as pins, hooks and eyes, tacks, wood screws,
and such like articles that are under operation, will fall into a vessel containing
an alcaline solution placed at the bottom of the apparatus, which will also receive
any surplus metal that has been shook off the articles during the process of
shaking.
As we use muriatic acid in the solution in which the articles are first immersed
before plunging them into the molten tin we use an alcaline solution, into which
the articles fall from the machine for the purpose of neutralizing the effect of the
neid on the said articles, which will be found to be more evenly coated than by
the ordinary process, and effected with a considerable save of metal.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Whittle and James Newman in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 31st August 1876.
WILLIAM WHITTLE, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, and
JAMES NEWMAN, of Small Heath, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Jeweller. " IMPROVEMENTS IN COATING WITH METALS LIGHT ARTICLES COMPOSED
OF METAL, SUCH AS NAILS, SCREWS, TACKS, AND OTHER SIMILAR SMALL WARES, AS
WELL AS THE LIGHT PARTS OF MACHINES, AS ALSO IN THE MACHINERY OR
APPLIANCES FOR EFFECTING THE SAME."
°
Our Invention relates to an improved mode of tining small articles. We coat
them with zinc, and for many purposes, such as nails, ship thimbles, and such like
coarser articles, we finish with the zinc coating.
Our mode will be understood from the following description:-We melt the
metal in a pot over a fire or other convenient means, using by preference borax
with the zinc, or as an equivalent flux sal ammoniac may be used combined with
muriatic acid, which we have found to answer well; and the articles we purpose
coating we place in a perforated ladle of suitable size, that when immersed in the
molton metal it will flow into the ladle and over the articles to be coated, during which

page_text: we keep the ladle in motion by slightly shaking; after which we elevate the
ladle over the pot, so that the molton metal may run back into it through the
perforations. And if the articles are only intended to be coated with zinc we
finish them by a process herein-after described, but if intended to be finished with
tin we simply repeat the former operation by immersing the articles in molten tin
instead of molten zinc. In either case we take the articles in the ladle (while hot)
and put them through a shaking apparatus constructed in the following way:-
An iron cylinder, open at the bottom and standing on feet or other means of
elevation, across the cylinder two iron stays are placed, one at the bottom and
one at the top; these stays forms the centre for the axis of a vertical revolving
shaft or spindle carrying radial arms, and formed of open wirework, such arms
radiating direct from the centre, they are curved inward from the direction in
which they revolve. Above this lower cylinder a top cylinder is placed, having
a annular opening around it formed by an outer case closed at the bottom and
top; this annular space receives the heat from the flue-way from any convenient
fire, the said flue-way entering at the bottom and escaping at the top on the
reverse side, by which means considerable heat is maintained within the cylinder.
The arrangement of radial arms are the same in both upper and lower cylinders,
which constitutes a combination of what we term the hot machine and the cooling
machine, the vertical spindle that gives motion to the radial arms passing through
both cylinders; a rapid revolving motion is imparted to the spindle by any
convenient mechanical arrangement. On the top of the upper cylinder we fix an
inverted conical hopper, and with this apparatus sufficiently heated, and the
curved radial open wirework arms being in rapid motion, we take the articles from
the molten metal while they are hot and pour them into the apparatus through
the hopper before mentioned, falling from which they will be caught by the
revolving arms, the centrifugal force of their motion being caught and corrected
by the curvature of the open wirework arms before mentioned. After being
sufficiently shook, first in the top and then in the lower cylinder, the articles so
treated, such as pins, hooks and eyes, tacks, wood screws, and such like articles
that are under operation, will fall into a vessel containing an alcaline solution
placed at the bottom of the apparatus, which will also receive any surplus metal
that has been shook off the articles during the process of shaking; and we purpose
increasing or diminishing the size of our apparatus according to the nature of work
required to be done.
As we use muriatic acid in the solution in which the articles are first immersed
before plunging them into the molton tin we use an alcaline solution, into which
the articles fall from the machine for the purpose of neutrilizing the effect of the acid
on the said articles, which will be found to be more evenly coated than by the
ordinary process, and effected with a considerable save of metal.
But with a view of being well understood as to the nature of our Invention, and
the manner of carrying the same into effect, will describe the Invention by aid of
the Drawings hereunto annexed, which we will now describe.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of our apparatus. A is the melting pot over the
furnace B; and C, C, the flue-way, having a throttle valve marked a, a, turned by
the handle b. The flue-way Centers the annular opening at D, and passes
around to the ascending flue-way or chimney E, E, in the direction of the arrows;
but in order to torture or retain the heat in the annular opening D a spiral
division may be placed around the same, so as to conduct the heat two or more
times around the space before escaping to the chimney E. This will concentrate
the heat around the upper portion of the cylinder marked c, c, and c, c, within
which the stay piece is secured, here represented in transverse section marked d, d,
and within the cylinder at the bottom of the annular flue-way a contracted funnel
is placed, marked F, the use of which we will hereafter refer to. The cylinder c, c,.

page_text: continues down to e, c, with a second funnel-shaped contraction marked G, above
which is a stay piece marked f, f, and below this contracted part is a shallow
vessel marked Ė for receiving the articles that have been tinned. The top plate
of the apparatus marked g, g, rests on a circular angle iron hoop fitted and secured
within the cylinder marked c, c; and to this plate g, g, the hopper J is secured,
and through its centre the concentric bush rises, marked, through which the
vertical shaft 1, 1, works, recting in a conical recess in the centre of the stay f, f,
and to the concentric bosscs m, m, the radial curved arms marked n, n, are secured
top and bottom, carrying a series of vertical wire rods. These vertical rods and
curved radial arms are repeated below, marked p, p, in connection with the
concentric bosses q, q. On the top of the central vertical shaft or spindle a small
pulley is secured, marked . The apparatus thus constructed rests on strong feet
or standards marked K, K, or may bo sustained by angle standards taking the
weight of the apparatus under the annular flue-way, as shown in dotted lines
marked L, L; and to counteract any vibration generated by the rapid revolution
of the central spindle carrying the radial arms stays may be fastened, as here
shown in dotted lines marked M, M, secured to the top part of the apparatus, and
to any convenient overhead support.
Fig. 2 is a top view of the apparatus with the flue-ways broken off for convenience
of space, with the circular cover marked g, g, Figure 1, removed, for the purpose
of showing the bush and stay k, l, as also the vertical shaft in section, and the
six curved radial arms connected together from the boss m. by the hoop n, n,
and n, n; the position of the hopper being shown in dotted lines. With the
apparatus thus described we will suppose that a band from any convenient and
suitable sized driving wheel or main power is passed over the small pulley 7, and
the operator being provided. with a suitable perforated ladle, either formed of wire-
work or an ordinary ladle perforated with holes, with his metal in the pot A of a
suitable heat, as well as the interior of the top part of the apparatus within the
cylinder surrounded by the annular flue-way, and that the articles to be tinned are
cleaned or prepared in the usual way and placed in progressive quantities to be
placed in the ladle before mentioned and immersed into the molten metal, the
operator shaking them in the said ladle during the time they are being sufficiently
heated to take up a coating of the molten metal, when the said articles are
emptied by way of the hopper into the apparatus, when their downward
gravitating motion will be arrested by the rapid motion of the revolving radial
arms. Thus by frequent interception the articles under operation of tinning
or coating will be thrown around and shook by the rapid concussive effect of
frequent contact with the vertical rods of the radial arms, and as the articles so
tinned or coated escape by gravitation from the heated apparatus they are
gathered together by falling through the contracted funnel F to be again operated
on by the radial arms in the lower part of the cylinder, from whence they fall
into the pan or received H, thoroughly and smoothly coated, with all excess of
metal with which they may have been cumbered when first emptied into the
apparatus from the ladle shook off them. By these means a brighter and smoother
surface on the articles so coated is effected, and the metal with which they are
coated, as well as the labour of coating, are both greatly economized.
Having thus fully described our improved process of tinning, and the mode of
carrying the same into effect by operatives accustomed to tinning, we will observe
that the apparatus may be modified to a certain extent, as, for instance, the annular
flue-way around the upper portion of the apparatus, as before stated, may be
fitted with a spiral division, so as to cause the heat from the furnace to make
several revolutions around the cylinder before escaping to the chimney; and
instead of the wires connected with the curved radial arms being in a vertical
position they may be twisted so as to put the vertical uprights into an inclined spiral
position from the top to the bottom, which being in advance of the top according
to the angle and direction of revolution will have a tendency of knocking the
articles (that are being tinned) upwards, thus keeping them longer in suspended

page_text: vibration before descending through the funnel F. And if desirable the samo
treatment may be applied to the lower radial arms and connecting rods before the
articles fall into the pan or receiver H, in which water impregnated with a
suitable alkali may be placed, to more suddenly cool the work to keep it bright
before drying off and packing up. And in some instances the lower portion of
the apparatus may be dispensed with, that is to say, useing only one set of
revolving arms; and as a substitute for the lower revolving arms a common
shaking barrel may be used, adapted with the apparatus to the size and nature of
the work, and the degree of brightness and smoothness required on the surface of
the articles so tinned or coated. With these general remarks and qualifications
we desire to claim under these our in part recited Letters Patent the apparatus
with the modifications herein described and set forth for the tinning of small
articles, as herein more fully particularized.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Whittle and James Newman, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-fourth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
GEO. F. A. Griffin,
Clerk to Mr. J. S. Cockings,
17, Ann St.,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM WHITTLE.
JAMES NEWMAN.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)