IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OP FIRE-ARMS AND ARTILLERY
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM MASON, of Brecknock Terrace, Camden Town, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Sixth day of August, in the sixth
year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Mason, His especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Mason,
my exors, admiors, and assigns, or sucli others as I, the said William
Mason, my exors, adññiors, or 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, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OP
FIRE-ARMS AND ARTILLERY; " in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said William Mason, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the

page_text: same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Ilis said 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 and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said William Mason, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof (that is
to say):
My Invention of improvements in the manufacture of fire arms and
artillery consists in carbonating and hardening the internal surfaces or
bores of the barrels of fire arms, such as muskets, carbines, rifles, and
fowling pieces, and pistols having long barrels, such as duelling and
horse pistols, and the external surfaces of ramrods thereof when of iron,
and the sockets and necks of bayonets, which parts are made of iron,
and also cannon of various descriptions when they are made of iron,
whereby fire-arms and artillery so improved will last longer, and owing
to the smoothness and hardness of the internal surface or bore of the
barrels will shoot with more precision, and fowling pieces will not be
affected by what is called "leading" to that prejudicial extent as those
which are made according to the ordinary practices now in use, nor
will such fire-arms and artillery be subject to rust to an equal extent
to those which are manufactured according to the usual methods.
In order that my Invention may be most fully understood and carried
into effect, I will now describe the best means with which I am
acquainted for applying my improvements:-The barrels of muskets,
carbines, rifles, or fowling pieces, or of long barrelled pistols, are to be
made and bored as is usually the practice, and would, according to the
means now pursued, be considered complete and ready for use. These
barrels are each to have a cylindrical hoop or ring forced on and
protruding beyond each end, and the barrels are to be filled with ground
bones or other animal matter capable of forming animal charcoal or
animal carbon. The object of having the cylindrical rings on the
muzzles and breeches is, that the animal charcoal may completely fill

page_text: the barrels, and the rings be capable of receiving clay or other suitable
material within them, for preventing the atmospheric air coming in
contact with the animal charcoal, and to stop the emission of vapours
therefrom. The barrels thus prepared are to be next submitted to the
heat of a reverberatory or other suitable furnace capable of raising the
barrels to and retaining them at a red heat (cherry red). The workman
will observe that when the barrels become of a cherry red heat he will
continue that heat for about two to three hours, by which time the
carbonating process will be sufficiently performed. The barrels with
their contents are then to be removed from the furnace, and carefully,
though quickly, lowered into a trough or well containing water (slightly
salted) sufficient to cover the barrels completely; here they are to
remain till cold. By this means the inner and carbonated surfaces or
bore of the barrels will have become exceedingly hard, close grained,
and compact. Having thus applied the processes of carbonating and
hardening to the internal surfaces or bore of barrels of muskets,
carbines, rifles, or fowling pieces, or long barrelled pistols, the animal
charcoal is to be removed, and the internal surfaces ground by means
of
.emery and water on lead, in order to remove any slight irregularity
of surface which may exist. It should be stated, that the animal
charcoal or carbon produced in the first instance, as above described,
may be used over and over again. From the foregoing description it
will be evident that the external surfaces of the fire-arms may be
carbonated and hardened in like manner to the internal surfaces by
inclosing a number of barrels in a box containing animal charcoal
closely in contact with the external surfaces of the barrels, and treating
them as above directed. This will be highly desirable when the fire-
arms, such as muskets, are to have a bright and polished surface, and
not intended to be browned, and if it be desired to improve the quality
of the iron constituting the barrels at the external surfaces without
making them hard, thien the external surfaces should be covered with
vegetable charcoal, which will, when the other processes are being
carried on, materially improve the quality of the iron, without car-
bonating or hardening the external surfaces of the barrels. The iron
ramrods of fire-arnis, and the iron parts of bayonets, videlicet, the

page_text: sockets and necks, are to be shaped by forging or otherwise, and their
Surfaces cleaned by filing or grinding; they are then to be carbonated'
and hardened in like manner to the outsides of barrels by placing tliem
in a box with animal charcoal, and are afterwards to be polished.
Having thus described my Invention as applied to fire-arms, I will
describe it as applicable to artillery. The cannon or guns of whatever
description (made of iron) are to be cast or formed in the usual manner,
and they are to be bored, and being in the condition of what would,
under ordinary circumstances, be considered finished, the bore of the
barrels are to be filled with animal charcoal, as directed with respect
to fire-arms; and there is to be a hoop or ring of iron forced on to the
muzzle of each of the cannon or guns in such manner as to project an
inch or more; this will allow of the animal charcoal completely filling
the cannon or guns, and allow of clay or other suitable material as
luting, being put into the hoops or rings to prevent the atmospheric air
getting to or vapours passing from the animal charcoal in the cannon
or guns. The cannon or guns thus prepared are to be put into a
reverberatory or other suitable furnace capable of raising them to
and sustaining them at a red heat (cherry red), the workman taking
care to retain them at that heat for about four or five hours; they
are then to be withdrawn from the furnace and lowered into a pit
or well containing suflicient salt water to completely cover them, as
before described in respect of fire arms, where they are to remain
till cold. By these processes the internal surfaces will have become
exceedingly hard and compact, and when ground with emery and water
on lead to remove any slight inequality of surface, will be very smooth,
and will retain their truth for a great length of time, and will be but
little liable to rust. And I do also apply my improvements to the
elevating screws and screw boxes of cannon and guns. These screws
and screw boxes are to be submitted to the same processes of carbon-
ating and hardening as are herein described to other parts of artillery,
by which means such screws and boxes will become more durable and
Jess liable to rust, and will in every particular be improved.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I would remark that, although I have

page_text: here described particular periods for carrying on the process of car-
bonating the internal surfaces of the bore of barrels of fire-arms and
artillery, it should be understood that it is not essentially material that
those times should be accurately observed; the only difference will
be in case of the process being carried on for a greater time that the
carbonating effect will penetrate more deeply, and when subjected to
the process for a shorter time will be carbonated less deeply; but a
workman making a few experiments on the particular iron he is using
will quickly be able to judge of the time which will be required to
effect the object he desires. I would wish it to be understood that I
do not claim the processes of carbonating and hardening iron generally
when unapplied to the purposes herein set forth; nor do I claim the
application of these processes to carbonating and hardening patent
breeches of fire-arms, nor to short pocket pistols; but I do hereby
declare my Invention to consist in carbonating and hardening of the
bore or inner surfaces of the barrels of fire-arms and artillery, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mason, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six.
WILLIAM (L.S.) MASON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of February,
in the year of our Lord 1836, the aforesaid William Mason came
before our said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained
And also the Specification was
and specified, in form above written.
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-six.