IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC BEDSTEADS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF OTHER METALLIC ARTICLES
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Atkins at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th January
1865.
I, JAMES ATKINS, of the Firm of Robert Walter Winfield and Company,
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Merchants and Manufacturers,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC BEDSTEADS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO
APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF OTHER METALLIC ARTICLES," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after explained in con-
necting together certain of the parts of bedsteads and other metallic articles
by the process of casting, the said improvements being also applicable to the
joining of such parts of other metallic articles as may be conveniently joined
by the process of casting.
I will describe my Invention in connection with the manufacture of the
foot rail of a metallic bedstead. The said foot rail consists of a series of rods
or tubes, which are usually fixed together by means of cast iron, the casting
being effected by the process called chill casting. In the said process the
ends or parts of the rods or tubes to be joined are enclosed by two halves of
an ornamental metallic mould, into which melted cast iron is poured, the said
melted cast iron filling up the cavity in the mould, and thereby forming an
ornamental casting in which the ends or other parts of the rods or tubes
inserted in the mould are joined or securely fixed. In making the said rail

page_text: according to my Invention I form of brass or other metal the ornamental
centre or other piece into which the rods or tubes are to be inserted, and by
which they are to be joined. I make the said ornamental piece hollow, and
either in one or more parts; it may be made by stamping from sheet metal,
or by casting, or otherwise. I insert the parts of the rods or tubes to be
joined in the holes made for their reception in the said ornamental piece when
it is made in one piece; or I place the said parts of the rods or tubes between
the parts of the ornamental piece when it is made in two or more parts, in
the same way as if the parts of the ornamental piece constituted a mould. I
pour melted lead, zinc, or other easily fused and cheap metal or alloy into the
interior of the ornamental piece, so as to fill the ornamental piece therewith,
and secure the tubes or rods therein, and when the ornamental piece is in
more than one piece the parts become attached to and are held together by
the metal cast in the interior. The mould in which the metal joining the
rods or tubes is cast is thus made of the ornamental piece, which is to be a
Where the said orna-
permanent part of the foot rail to be manufactured.
mental piece is of brass or other metal or alloy, which would be tarnished or
otherwise injuriously affected by the heat of the metal cast in it, I protect it
by means of wet clay, by embedding the lower half of the ornamental piece
in the said wet clay, and placing a portion of the wet clay on the upper part
of the ornamental piece; or the ornamental piece may be kept wet in any
other way. The temperature of the ornamental piece is thus kept sufficiently
Now to prevent it tarnishing by the heat of the metal cast in it.
Although I have only described my Invention in connection with the
manufacture of a foot rail of a metallic bedstead, yet my Invention may
also be applied to other parts of metallic bedsteads. For example, hollow
dovetails may be secured to the ends of the rails, and hollow corner blocks
may be secured to pillars in a similar way.
My Invention is also applicable generally to such articles as have parts
which may be joined by that method of casting commonly called chill casting,
as well as to articles in which parts may be joined or connected by an
ornamental piece attached by casting.