IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING STEEL WIRE AND TUBES, ALSO RIBS AND STRETCHERS OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS, FOR HARDENING, AND IN APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING WIRE AND TUBES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Fox, of Deepcar, Sheffield, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING STEEL WIRE AND TUBES, ALSO RIBS AND
STRETCHERS OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS, FOR HARDENING, AND IN APPARATUS
FOR STRAIGHTENING WIRE AND TUBES."
Sealed the 19th May 1857, and dated the 19th November 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Fox at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th
November 1856.
I, SAMUEL Fox, of Deepcar, Sheffield, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEATING STEEL WIRE AND TUBES, ALSO RIBS
AND STRETCHERS OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS, FOR HARDENING, AND IN APPARATUS
FOR STRAIGHTENING WIRE AND TUBES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in heating steel wire and
tubes, also ribs and stretchers of umbrellas and parasols, for hardening, and in
apparatus for straightening wire and tubes. For these purposes the steel wire
and tubes, or the ribs or stretchers of parasols and umbrellas to be heated, are
placed into cylinders or tubes of iron or suitable material, such tubes or
cylinders having formed thereon rings or projections. The furnace is formed
with a door at each end, and is heated by a fire at one end, and the chimney
The heat and flame are reverberated by the
or flue being at the other end.

page_text: roof down on to the bed, which is made with channels from end to end, on the
upper surfaces of which the cylinders or tubes are placed, and are progressively
rolled or moved from the front to the back end, where they are taken out in
succession, recharged, and introduced at the front end of the furnace. In order
to straighten bented wires or tubes, a large number is placed in several rings,
theso rings rest on two rollers, and are caused to revolve thereby, the two
rollers being kept in motion by any suitablo power and gearing. Opposite the
ends of the wires or tubes (which are in the rings), fixed shields or guards are
used to prevent the wires or tubes moving longitudinally. The tubes or wires
in the rings are pressed on by rollers carried by a lever frame, tho axis of
which receives motion from the driving axis or shaft of the machine, and from
it, by suitable cog wheels, motion is communicated to the rollers carried by the
lever frame, which is capable of movement along its axis.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of tho conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Fox in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
May 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
Fox, of Deepcar, Sheffield, send greeting.
WHEREAS Iler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Ifer Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Fox, Her special licence that I, the said Samuel Fox, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, tho said Samuel Fox, 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 HEATING STEEL
WIRE AND TUBES, ALSO RIBS AND STRETCHERS OF UMBRELLAS AND PARABOLS, TOR
HARDENING, AND IN APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING WIRE AND TUBES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Fox, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describo 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

page_text: calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Fox, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in heating steel wire and
tubes, also ribs and stretchers of umbrellas and parasols, for hardening, and in
apparatus for straightening wire and tubes. For these purposes the steel
wire and tubes, or the ribs or stretchers of parasols and umbrellas to be heated,
are placed into cylinders or tubes of iron or suitable material, such tubes or
cylinders having formed thereon rings or projections. The furnace is formed
with a door at each end, and is heated by a fire at one end, the chimney or
flue being at the other end. The heat and flame are reverberated by the
roof down on to the bed, which is made with channels from end to end, on'
the upper surfaces of which the cylinders or tubes are placed, and are pro-
gressively rolled or moved from the front to the back end, where they are
taken out in succession, recharged, and introduced at the front end of the
furnace. In order to straighten heated wires or tubes, a large number is
placed in several rings, these rings rest on two rollers, and are caused to
revolve thereby, the two rollers being kept in motion by any suitable power
and gearing. Opposite the ends of the wires or tubes (which are in the rings),
fixed shields or guards are used to prevent the wires or tubes moving longi-
tudinally. The tubes or wires in the rings are pressed on by rollers carried by
a lever frame, the axis of which receives motion from the driving axis or shaft
of the machine, and from it, by suitable cog wheels, motion is communicated
to the rollers carried by the lever frame, which is capable of movement along
its axis.
And in order that my said 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 is a side elevation, Figure 2 an end view, Figure 3 is a lougi-
tudinal section, Figure 4 is a transverse section, and Figure 5 is a
plan in
section, of a furnace arranged for heating steel wire and tubes, and ribs and
stretchers of umbrellas and parasols, for hardening them. Figure 6 is a longi-
tudinal section of one of the cylinders or tubes, into which the articles to be
hardened are introduced. The cylinders are put into the furnace at the door a,

page_text: at the end nearest the fire, and they rest on the upper edges of the longitudinal
channels b, and as the cylinders get hot they are rolled along until at last they are
taken out at the door c, at the other end of the furnace, and as they are moved
along in this way fresh cylinders are continually introduced into the furnace
behind those first put in. When the articles come out of the furnace the
hardening process is completed in the usual way.
Figuro 7 is a side elevation, and Figure 8 is a plan, of a machine for
straightening wire or tubes arranged according to my Invention. a, a, a, are
rings, into which the wire to be straightened is put, and the bundle so made is
heated to a red heat in a furnace. When hot it is laid on the rollers b, b, in
the position shewn in the Drawing; these rollers are driven from the main
shaft c, which takes into the two spur wheels b', 6'; d is an axis, which also
receives motion from the main axis, being driven by the spur wheels and d¹.
The axis d has a longitudinal groove cut in it, and into this groove a feather
on the interior of the boss of the pinion e enters, so that this pinion is capable
of sliding from end to end of the axis d, it always turns with it; f is a forked
lever which embraces the pinion e, and this lever also carries the pinions g
and h, by which the rollers i are driven. To straighten the wire, the rollers i
are pressed down on it by the lover f. and by sliding the lever along the axis
d, the rollers are applied successively to every part of the bundle of wire.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Fox, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
GEO. HASELDEN.
SAMUEL FOX. (L.B.)