IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
TIMMINS CHANCE, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, Glass Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of June,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the tenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Timmins Chance, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James
Timmins Chance, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Timmins Chance, my exors, admors, 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, in
the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Her
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso, that I, the, said James Timmins Chance, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,

page_text: to be enrolled in Her 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, I, the said
James Timmins Chance, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures
and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention consists, first, of improvements in annealing sheets or plates
f glass by causing such glass to be received on a series of shelves one above
the other.
Secondly, my Invention consists of improvements in glass-melting furnaces
where a plurality of pots are employed, as hereafter explained.
And, thirdly, my Invention consists of arranging machinery to mix the
materials for glass making, in place of mixing such materials by hand with
a shovel as heretofore.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
In annealing plate glass I so construct and arrange the annealing furnace
that several sheets of glass may lie on shelves one above the other.
samė.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 show a transverse section and a longitudinal section of an
annealing kiln, suitably, arranged for carrying out the first part of my
Invention; Figure 3 shows a front view and Figure 4 a plan in section of the
In each of these Figures the same letters are used to indicate similar
parts. The kiln is so constructed, and the various shelves are so arranged,
that the shelves on which the sheets of glass are placed may rise and fall, and
I prefer that the system of shelves should be carried by wheels, so that when
required the whole may be run out of the kiln. a is the kiln; b, b, are the
two fire-places for heating the same, the heat and flame of the fire rise into the
arched kiln, and then being reverberated pass out in front at the opening c, as
is well understood in constructing similar kilns. The front of the kiln is made
with a large opening suitable for the passage of the carriage and system of
shelves, but when at work this large opening is closed by doors d, d, excepting so
'much as is shown unclosed at c, c, such part c being only closed when the kiln is
.cooling down, at which time the opening is to be filled with bricks and luted

page_text: close, or doors might be used for such purpose; e, e, is a rectangular frame with
wheels f, f. This frame is carried by two screws. 9, 9, and the frame is pro-
gressively raised as required by the turning of the axle or shaft h, on which is
fixed a screw i, which takes into and drives the screw wheel j, on the axis of
which is fixed the pinion k, which takes into and drives the cog wheels: 1, 1,
through the centre of each of which there is a female screw, and the wheels /
are supported by the bearings m, m, by which arrangement (the screws being
properly formed, as is well understood), the frame will be progressively raised or
lowered as desired; n, n, are a series of shelves made with thin stone or other
suitable material supported by iron beams or rafters, which should be sup-
ported at their ends in guides, but not fixed, in order that they may have room
to expand in their length. The several shelves n are to be of such a distance
apart as conveniently to allow of the glass being placed thereon. The
opening c should be arranged with reference to the height of the table or bed
on which the plate glass is cast, so that the sheets may be readily transferred
from the table or bed to the shelves, and owing to the shelves rising progres-
sively into the kiln the shelf next to be covered with glass may at all times be
brought to a proper position in respect to the bed or table on which the glass
has been cast. This arrangement may be varied, but I believe it better that
the shelves should rise to the table rather than that the surface from which
the glass is to be transmitted to the shelves should rise to the shelves. When
the kiln is being heated the upper shelf would be brought down to its lowest
position, and it would be first covered with a sheet or sheets of glass, then the
next below, and so on, and when all the shelves have glass thereon the
opening c would be closed up, and the kiln, after being luted, is to be allowed
to cool down, all which is well understood when working with ordinary kilns
for annealing plate glass.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention. Figure 5 shows a
longitudinal section, Figure 6 plan in section, Figure 7 a plan of the
furnaces in section, and Figure 8 a transverse section of a glass melting
furnace constructed according to this part of my Invention. a, a, are two
fire-places or furnaces, one at each end of the general building, being a
bridge which divides the fires. I would, however, remark that the arrange-
ment of the fires may be varied, so long as the peculiarity of heating several
pots by fire below be retained. c, c, are arches, on each of which is placed
two pots, there being working holes d, d; on either side of the furnace are
openings e, e, to get at the pots, as is usual, but which, when working, are
closed; ff, are openings at the ends to introduce the pots, and which also
are closed when working. It will be seen that between the arches c, c, are

page_text: spaces, and it is up through these spaces between the arches that the heat
and flame of the fires play, and then pass off at the working holes d;'d; and
thence up a cone above the furnace, as is usual with other glass melting
furnaces. By this arrangement the pots will be well heated on either side,
and, in fact, for the most part all round. The red lines in the Drawing in-
dicate the positions of the several pots. I would remark that I am aware it
has been, usual in making one pot glass melting furnaces to place the fire
below the bottom of the pot; I do not, therefore, claim the same, this part of
my Invention consisting of arranging the parts of a glass "melting furnace
when using à plurality of pots in such manner that the fire'may be below, as
herein explained.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention. Heretofore in mixing
materials for making glass, it has been usual for workmen with shovels to
combine the materials by hand; such mode of mixing being very liable to be
unequal, and the same is costly compared with mechanical mixing, such
.as herein described. Figure 9 is a vertical longitudinal section of an appa-
ratus or machine for such purpose; and Figure 10 is a transverse section of
the same. The chamber a, into which the materials are thrown through the
opening 6 at one end thereof is formed as shown, having a semicircular
bottom, and an opening at c opposite to the feeding opening, so that when the
materials have become well mixed, the mixture falls out at the opening c
the door which closes that opening being unclosed for that purpose; d is a
cylinder, having numerous beaters or mixers, which are fixed obliquely on the
cylinder d, and this cylinder receives a rotatory motion from any suitable
power. I would remark, that the details of this apparatus may be varied,
but the arrangement shewn I believe to be the best for carrying out this
part of my Invention, whereby the materials for glass making may be more
cheaply and uniformily mixed by machinery than by hand labour. And I
would prefer that the whole of the surfaces of this machinery which come in
contact with the materials to be mixed should be of wood.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would wish it to be understood that I
do not confine myself to the details, so long as the peculiar character of either
part of my Invention be retained. But what I claim is,―
First, the so conducting the process of annealing sheets or plates of glass
that such glass may lie on shelves one above the other.
Secondly, I claim the mode of arranging glass melting furnaces where a
plurality of pots are employed, whereby the fire is placed below the pots and
the heat and flame rise up on either side of each
pot.

page_text: And thirdly, I claim the arranging of machinery for mixing the materials
for glass making, whereby the use of hand labour and shovels may be dis-
pensed with.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Timmins Chance, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifteenth day of December, in
the year of our Lord 1847, the aforesaid James Timmins Chance came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication 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.
Enrolled the Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.