and Close Fire Grates and Stoves.
Year: 1885

page_text: and Close Fire Grates and Stoves.
We, WILLIAM HENRY BARKER and GEORGE BARKER of King Street, Fenton,
in the County of Stafford, Tool makers, do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF OPEN
AND CLOSE FIRE-GRATES AND STOVES, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
Our invention chiefly relates to the kind of metal employed and the method
of construction adopted in the manufacture of all kinds of cooking ranges and
register stoves, but is also applicable more or less to all grates, ranges and
cooking and heating stoves.
At present grates and stoves of the kinds referred to are almost entirely made of
cast-iron, which is brittle, cumbrous and heavy and consequently open to many
objections.
Our invention consists in substituting stamped rolled or wrought sheet metal for
cast metal in the construction of such grates and stoves, but we claim to retain the
use iron or forged iron, also of fire-bricks or fire-clay, asbestos, gannister or any
other fire-proof material, or combination of such materials, for the fire boxes or fire-
places of such grates and stoves.
In the construction of our improved grates and stoves we employ rolled sheets
or strips of iron, steel, copper, brass or other metal, or alloy or combination of
metals.
This rolled metal can when preferred be bronzed, electro-bronzed, enamelled,
oxydised, galvanized, coated with brass, copper or tin, nickel-plated or electro-
plated, or in some other way coated to prevent oxydation, or otherwise artistically
treated.
In order to give it the necessary stiffness or strength it can be fluted, curved or
corrugated where required, or strengthened and supported by forged or cast metal
inside or behind the rolled metal.
Instead therefore of casting the exterior or body of the grate or stove in the
ordinary way, we press it or force it to the pattern required, by means of rollers or
presses, dies or stamps, or by any of these as preferred.

page_text: We also employ spinning, chasing or embossing, or other modes of ornamentation
when preferred.
Where, a non-conducting surface is required or where a certain amount of thick-
ness is desirable, we use the sheet metal double that is to say we employ two
parallel sheets with an open space between, or we fill the said space with fire-clay
or some other heat resisting or non-conducting substance.
We construct our grates and stoves of a number of pieces and sections, so
contrived as to form a complete whole when fitted together.
We are thus able to insert panels or medallions or enrichments of polished stone
or marble or of glass, terra-cotta or other like materials, or of silvered or gilt metal,
and we can also introduce various metals into one grate or stove, or combine them
with glazed tiles, crystal or any other effective decorative substances, thus obtaining
great variety of design and richness of effect at moderate cost.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1.- The manufacture of grates and stoves of various sizes and patterns having
an external surface or body of pressed or stamped wrought sheet metal, in combi-
nation with cast or forged metal, or with other fire-resisting material.
2. The employment of such pressed or stamped wrought metal grates or stoves
in combination with heat resisting or non-conducting substances, or with panels or
ornaments of tiles, stone, glass or other suitable decorative material.
3. The construction of such pressed or stamped wrought metal grates or stoves
in sections or pieces, so as to be more conveniently handled and packed for transit
and also more easily fixed by inexperienced persons.