CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN UNITING AND PLATING OR COATING IRON WITH COPPER OR WITH ANY OTHER COMPOSITION WHEREOF COPPER IS THE PRINCIPAL INGREDIENT
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
GORDON, of Basinghall Street, in the City of London, Esquire, and William
BOWSER, of Parsons Street, Wellclose Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Iron Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the sixth year of His
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said David Gordon and William Bowser, His especial licence, that we,
the said David Gordon and William Bowser, our exors, admors, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said David Gordon and William Bowser, our
exors, admiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in His said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN UNITING AND PLATING OR COATING IRON WITH COPPER OR WITH ANY OTHER
COMPOSITION WHEREOF COPPER IS THE PRINCIPAL INGREDIENT;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging us, the said David Gordon
and William Bowser, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us, particularly to describe and ascertain

page_text: the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
David Gordon and William Bowser, do hereby declare that the nature of our
said Invention of "Certain Improvements in Uniting and Plating or Coating
Iron with Copper or with any other Composition whereof Copper is the
principal Ingredient," is particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following description thereof (that is to say) :-
Our Invention consists in the discovery made by us that a clean surface of
iron brought to a white or welding heat, or near thereto, is disposed chemi-
cally to unite with and firmly to coat or plate itself with melted copper,
into which such iron may be plunged; or, on having melted copper poured
upon or over such surface of heated iron when the unburnt or oxigenous air
of the atmosphere is, to a certain extent, excluded (the more perfectly the
better) during the process of heating and exposing the hot metals to act
on each other; and in the further discovery made by us, that the union
and adhesion of copper and iron, occasioned in the manner aforesaid, is so
perfect that plates of our patent coppered iron, when malleable iron is used,
may be rolled out to a considerable degree of thinness, and may, by ham-
mering or other usual means, be manufactured, either in a cold or in a hot
state, into a vast variety of useful articles, either completely or partially covered
with copper. The method we have adopted and recommend for the heating of
the metals is to construct two air furnaces (such as are commonly called rever-
berating furnaces and are used in iron foundries, copper works, and other
melting or refining houses), closely adjacent to each other, either side by side,
with the two ends thereof in contact which are most distant from their
respective fireplaces, each of such furnaces being provided with very close-
fitting doors (lined with fire bricks) to their fireplaces, also with very close-
fitting ashpit doors, furnished with adjustable registers therein, and with very
close-fitting dampers in the flues of such furnaces, leading to a tall chimney
stack or stacks, in order that a powerful and manageable degree of heat can
be kept up in both of the said furnaces, and so that when desired the draught
or passage of atmospheric air through these furnaces may be prevented, or
almost entirely so, and the space or spaces within the said furnaces remain
filled with burnt or de-oxigenated air, or with azotic and carbonic gases not
disposed for or capable of oxidating the surfaces of the plate or plates of iron

page_text: to be heated in one of such furnaces, or the copper to be melted in the other
of such furnaces. The bed or bottom of the furnace whereon the heating of
the iron under the reverberatory part of its roof or crown is to take place may
be either composed of baked or consolidated sand made flat and smooth, or be
formed of loam or fire clay (allowed to get dry before using), or such bed may
be paved with fire bricks or Welch lumps, or may in any other suitable
manner be constructed. So, also, the bed or bottom of the furnace for melting
the copper may be formed of a level and flat floor of baked or consolidated
sand, or of loam edged round with fire bricks closely set in loam or fire clay,
or else a very shallow and square crucible in shape of a tray may be set in firo
clay and bricks under the reverberatory part of the furnace roof, or in any other
suitable manner may a shallow rectangular hollow be formed, wherein the
copper may be melted and brought to the required temperature. The beds or
bottoms of the two furnaces whereon the iron is to be heated, and the copper
to be melted, as is already mentioned, should be situated as near to each other
as can be consistently with constructing between them a suitable partition of
fire bricks, having therein a closely sliding door formed of iron or partly of
iron and partly of fire bricks, or wholly or in part of baked crucible clay,
or of any other suitable material, such sliding door being contrived either
to draw up or down, or to slide sideways, as convenience may require,
so as to open when desired a rectangular passage or hole of sufficient size
through which the plate or plates of heated iron can be removed, in order to
be plunged in the melted copper, the bed or bottom of the copper furnace
being for this purpose constructed on a somewhat lower level than the bed for
henting the iron, in order to facilitate the process of moving the heated iron
from one furnace to the other, as will be further mentioned herein. Near
and opposite to the bed or bottom whereon the iron is to be heated, and the
bed whereon the copper is to be melted, and somewhat higher than these
beds, charging holes are to be left or made in the outsides of the furnaces
(supposing such furnaces to be placed side by side), and opposite also to the
sliding door between the two furnaces, such charging holes being furnished
each with a close fitting door lined with fire bricks, through which charging
holes the beds of each of the furnaces may, if constructed of sand or loam, or
of any plastic or mouldable substance, be formed or prepared, or the paving
of 'fire bricks or the tray-like crucibles (already described herein) may be set
aud prepared for use, and through the said charging holes the clean iron
plates to be coated or plated, and the masses of coppear to be melted for
effecting such coating, are to be introduced and placed upon their respective
beds. In the doors of these charging holes (herein-before described) smaller

page_text: noies called Dar noies are to be provided, and may be edged externally with
iron to prevent their wear, and be provided with stoppers which can be
closely luted with fire clay or some other luting substance. Supposing now
a pair of adjoining and connecting furnaces to be completed, their beds or
bottoms to be formed, and such beds to be severally charged with iron and
with copper, and the charging and the bar holes, and the middle sliding door
also, to be each close shut and stopped and the flue dampers to be opened, the
fires being previously lighted, it will then be an object of great importance
during the heating of the metals to prevent as far as possible any unburnt or
exigenous air from passing into the furnace, so as to come into contact with
the metals and oxidate them, the iron in particular; and this we effect by
taking care that the coals or coke used to heat the furnaces are broken
moderately small and are very evenly spread over the whole spaces of the
grate bars, and that before opening the fire doors, either to rake or stir tho
fires or to supply them with fresh fuel, the respective flue dampers are to be
either entirely or very nearly shut, and be kept so during the whole time that
the fire doors are kept open. In this way the two furnaces are to be sepa-
rately attended to and managed, and the intensity of their fires so regulated
by means of their respective ashhole registers and of their flue dampers, that
as nearly as may be at the same point of time, the iron may be brought to a
white or welding heat, and the copper to the melted heat most proper for
producing the union of the two metals. The metals being in these states of
heating, and previously several different kinds of bars, peels, tongues, hooks, or
other suitable instruments of iron, being in readiness, of proper lengths and
thicknesses or weights, the flue dampers are to be close shut, and also the ash-
hole registers. The middle sliding door is to be opened, and then one of
the bar holes is to be opened; and if found necessary (but not otherwise) the
other of such holes also; and one or more of the said bars, peels, tongues, or
hooks are then to be introduced though the said hole or holes, and to be
dexterously used by the attendant or attendants on the furnaces, in lifting,
shoving, or dragging a plate of iron from its bed, in passing it through the
middle duor hole, and in plunging the same into the melted copper, beneath
the surface of which copper the heated plate of iron is to be held down by
means of one or more of the said bars during the space of one to fifteen
minutes, or for such shorter or longer period of time as the thickness of the
iron plate and the intended thickness of copper plating thereon may require,
or for such space of time as experience may teach the attendant to be most
effectual in giving a firm and perfect cohesion to the desired thickness of
copper upon the iron. This being effected, another plate of iron may, if

page_text: desired, be, by the means already mentioned, then passed through the middle
door hole, and remain immersed its proper time in the copper, and then a
hird plate may, if desired, be treated in like manner; or else, after each one
of the said plates shall by these means have been coppered, one of the
charging doors should be opened (the opposite bar hole being closed at the
times, if it be not absolutely necessary to use an assisting bar through it) in
order as effectually as possible to guard against the passing of a current of
atmospheric air across or into the furnace, and one or more of the tongs,
peels, or other suitable instrument, is or are then to be used for lifting the
coppered plates or plates of iron one by one out of the melted copper, and
carefully bringing the same out of the furnace, there to be allowed to cool;
after which the said coppered iron plates, whereof malluable iron will be ready
for rolling thinner, or for being any otherwise manufactured or applied as
mentioned herein. Before shutting again the charging door, after taking out
the coppered plates, and whilst every other of the openings into the furnaces
remain close shut, fresh plates of iron, and, if necessary; fresh masses of copper
are to be introduced on to their respective beds, and then the charging doors,
the bar holes, and the middle sliding door also being close shut, the flue
dampers and the ashhole registers are again to be opened, and the heating of
the furnaces will again commence, and the several operations be conducted as
has been already mentioned herein. In case that the furnaces, instead of
being placed side by side (as generally has been mentioned and intended in the
foregoing description) they should be placed with their ends in contact which
are furthest removed from or are opposite to their respective fireplaces (which
is the mode which we first tried), then the middle sliding door will be
constructed in such end common to both of the furnaces, and be made to draw
out on one side, because the flues and their dampers will interfere with or
occupy the space necessary for the drawing up of such door, and the charging
holes will be made in the side (either both on one side, or one on one side and
the other on the other side) of the furnaces, as already has been mentioned
herein, and the bar holes will be constructed, not in the doors of such charging
boles, but in the ends of the furnaces over the fireplaces in the springing or
rising parts of the roof or crown of the furnaces. In the foregoing description,
as well as in what follows, we have for greater clearness generally mentioned
only plates of iron, and omitted the mention of other shapes or masses
of that metal as being intended to be heated, or as being heated for the
purpose of being coppered on all their sides or surfaces, but our herein-
described processes embrace and apply also to sheets, bars, bolts, rods, or wires;
or to any other shapes or kinds of iron articles, either malleable or cast, which

page_text: it may be desirable to plate or coat on all or some of their surfaces with
copper, or with any composition or alloy wherein copper is the principal
ingredient; although for the like reason, viz, of avoiding a confused tautology,
we generally mention herein copper only, and omit the mention herein of its
compositions or alloys, as being intended for the plating or coating of iron
therewith by our said processes. We sometimes, in order to guard more
effectually against the rusting or oxidation of the clean surfaces of the plates,
sheets, bars, bolts, rods, or wires, or other articles of iron, either malleable
or cast, previously to putting any such articles into the furnace, and also
during the first portions of time in which the said articles are being heated for
the purpose of being coppered, dip or immerse such iron articles in melted
rosin, or in like or any other manner coat them with any other fit substance
which will be volatilized and entirely driven off from such surfaces of iron
considerably before the said iron acquires a white or welding heat.
In the herein-before described processes we have mentioned two similarly
constructed reverberating furnaces as being used and recommended by us for
separately heating the iron and the copper; we, however, intend occasionally
to use only one of such reverberating furnaces, viz', for the heating of the iron,
and to connect therewith by a sliding middle door a crucible furnace of the
ordinary or any suitable construction, wherein the copper should be heated
by means of coke or charcoal applied and burnt around the outside of the
crucible, the latter being of sufficient size and depth, and placed with
its open top so much below the level of the bed whereon the iron is
to be heated, that facility may thus be given to the operations of dragging
or pushing, (by means of bars, tongs, or other fit instruments admitted
through a bar hole as herein-before described), the heated plates of iron
through the middle door hole, and of pitching them down in an erect position
into the melted copper in the crucible. We intend also on other occasions
to use only one reverberating furnace, having one half compartment of its bed
sunk or formed lower than the other half, and to place and melt the copper
in the lower of such compartments of the bed, and to place and heat the iron
on the higher one of such compartments, and then by the means herein-before
described, or by any other fit means, to drag or push the heated iron down into
the melted copper, either in an horizontal, an inclined, or in a vertical position,
as may be desired. On other occasions, particularly for the
purpose of cop-
pering plates or flat or extended masses of iron only on one of their surfaces,
and for various other purposes, we intend to use two air or reverberating
furnaces placed close side by side, as already has been described herein,
but with these differences, viz', that instead of using two charging holes,

page_text: formed in the outsides of the furnaces, having the middle sliding door situated
opposite and in the line between these said charging holes, we intend to employ
only one of such charging holes so contrived and situated in the ends of the
furnaces most distant from or opposite to their fireplaces, so that, when the
door of this end charging hole is opened, and the middle sliding door, situated
between the beds of the furnaces, is at the same time drawn up or opened, a
passage.may thus be opened into both of the furnaces at such times as all their
other doors and apertures are closed as perfectly as can be, such passage or
opening being sufficiently capacious (but not more so than is quite necessary)
to admit of ladeling or of any other fit means being used for removing a regu-
lated quantity of the melted copper (whilst at its proper temperature), and for
pouring such melted copper on or over the surfaces of the duly heated plates
or masses, or partly manufactured articles of iron, lying on the bed appropriated
for heating the iron articles.
And, lastly, with respect to the nature, form, and construction of the several
furnaces which we have already used, or which we intend on fit occasions to
use or employ in carrying our said Invention into effect, as herein is
described,-although for the convenience and clearness of description we have
spoken only of air furnaces wherein the draught occasioned by a tall chimney
stack or stacks is the means employed for urging the fires of the furnace or
furnaces to the requisite degrees of intensity for duly heating the metals, in
order that they may unite when brought into contact, yet in all cases where
the urging of the fire or fires used in our said processes by means of bellows,
or by any other means of producing a blast, will be equally or more beneficial
than the said air furnaces,-we intend to avail ourselves of blast furnaces
wholly or in part in the conducting our said processes. When plates of malle-.
able iron are intended to be coppered only on one side we sometimes tempo-
rally join two of such plates together by a slight welding together of their
extreme edges, effected by rolling or by any other fit mode of perfectly uniting
such edges so that the melted copper cannot insinuate itself between these pairs
of plates, and then we heat and plunge these edge-welded pairs of plates in the
melted copper in any of the modes already described herein, or by any other
fit mode of causing their immersion in the melted copper.
In other modes which we use for the plating or coating of plates or
sheets of iron only on one of their sides with copper, or of the applying of
different thicknesses of copper on the two different sides of the same plate or
sheet of iron, we previously prepare such plates or sheets of iron by casting
or tinning up certain breadths of the edges thereof all round in the manner of
a tray, taking care to form the corners of such trays, when of malleable iron,

page_text: by carefully buckling or folding the iron, and not by cutting and riviting
by soldering, but securely weld the joints at the corners. When such last
mentioned mode of making these corners quite tight and firm may seen
requisite, and after such edges of the plates or sheets are turned up and th
corners have been secured, as before is mentioned, we adjust or bring th
bottom of the said tray to a perfect flatness by hammering or otherwise; and
when one of such flat-bottomed trays of iron is brought to a white or welding
heat in some one of the furnaces above described, the attendant, by a dex
terous and careful use of the bars, peels, tongs, or other instruments already
mentioned herein, removes the said iron tray through the middle sliding door
and places the said tray to float upon the melted copper, which thus adhere
only to its under side, except partially to the turned up edges of the tray
which are intended to be clipped or ground off (as must also the welded edges
of each of the pairs of coppered iron plates which have been mentioned
herein) in order to finish a one side coppered iron plate or sheet. But when
a greater thickness of copper than usual is wanted to be attached to one side
of a plate or sheet of iron, we cither place such iron in a furnace, having first
formed it into a flat-bottomed tray, as already has been mentioned, and put
into this tray such a weight of copper in small lumps as will just suffice when
melted therein for coating the inside of its bottom to the required thickness;
or the copper and such iron tray, having been duly heated in separate furnaces,
we lade out or otherwise convey into the heated tray just so much copper as
will coat its bottom to the required thickness. And lastly, having by fileing,
grinding, or any other suitable means, reduced the height of the edges of such
a flat-bottomed tray of iron, as has been mentioned herein, to the exact proper
height above its bottom in every part, then if such tray be heated in one
furnace and the copper in another, and then the said tray be (by the means
already mentioned) removed through the middle sliding door and plunged in
the melted copper, and if it be held down therein with its bottom downwards
for the requisite period of time, and if then the said tray be allowed to rise to
the surface of the copper it will do so filled with copper; and by very dexterous
and careful movements effected by the attendant, as already has been men-
tioned herein, such tray full of copper may be removed out of the furnace and
be allowed to cool, and by which last-described process different thicknesses of
copper will be affixed to the different sides of the iron plate or sheet forming
the bottom of such tray. When the iron in the shape of a tray is to be
used to obtain a greater coating of copper than can otherwise bo conve-
niently obtained, we intend the copper and iron to be heated in separate
furnaces, so that the iron at or near to a white or welding heat, as

page_text: herein-before is mentioned) may be brought into contact with the copper when
the copper is at or near to that degree or pitch of heat known to copper
melters as giving the greatest subsequent degree of toughness to the copper;
and we intend this particular heat of the copper to be as much as possible
used in onr said processes, by which means the iron, when malleable
iron is used, whether thickly or thinly coppered, may be more perfectly
manufactured.
In the description herein-before given we have mentioned and described
several forms of furnaces, and mentioned or described several instruments, but
none of which said furnaces or instruments taken singly or apart, or for any
other purposes than the carrying into effect of our said Invention, do we claim
the invention or exclusive use under our herein-before in part recited Patent;
but such mention has been made, and such descriptions have herein been
given of things well known and in common use, most of them in order to
shew the manner in which we combine and use these said furnaces and
instruments, and the manuer in which we intend to combine and use any other
known and suitable means of carrying into effect our said Invention and
improvements, as the same have been herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said David Gordon and William Bowser,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-sixth day of
August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
twenty fro
DAVID (L.s.) GORDON.
WILLIAM (L.B.) BOWSER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-sixth day of August,
in the year of our Lord 1825, the aforesaid David Gordon and William
Bowser came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid
was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.