IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL, IRON, AND METAL SUITABLE FOR BEARINGS, AND IN APPARATUS. FOR THE SAME
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Colborne Cambridge at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th August 1865.
I, WILLIAM COLBORNE CAMBRIDGE, of Bristol, in the County of Gloucester,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL, IRON, AND METAL SUITABLE FOR BEARINGS, AND IN
APPARATUS. FOR THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My said improvements in the first place have regard to an improved
method of mixing and melting a combination of wrought and cast iron and
tin cuttings, or pieces of tin, for the manufacture of iron, (with the addition
of spiegel eisen and manganese for steel) using heat for the purpose, and thus
obtaining blocks or ingots (for making iron and steel) of great strength and
toughness, and from this iron gun metal can be made by mixing therewith
pure copper in its liquid state. In carrying out this part of my Invention
I take wrought-iron turnings or borings (say, for example, 120 lbs.), or other
small wrought-iron, also burrs or punchings of boiler or other plate (say
40 lbs.), or any good small iron, likewise tin cuttings or scraps (say 40 lbs.);
but should a supply of tin cuttings not be obtainable, hoop or sheet-iron may
be used of the same weight, also pure block tin (say 2 to 4 lbs.), which is to
be placed in boxes or moulds having the following or other suitable fluxes
mixed therewith (that is to say) common salt (say 8 lbs.), fine white sand
(say 6 lbs.), charcoal dust (say 4 lbs.); the above is then placed in the
moulds or boxes so that the melted metal may mix with and wholly surround

page_text: the same. Pig iron, manufactured as follows, will make good strong castings,
and boiler plate of great strength and toughness :-Hematite (say 4 cwt.,
No 2.), Scotch pig (say 2 cwt., No 1.), Westbury, Wilts (say 2 cwt., No. 4),
this is to be melted, and about 30 lbs. of cast-iron turnings or borings added
to it in its melted state, which is to be run into and amongst the above
mixture. If preferred, for making steel, spiegel eisen and manganese should be
added, according to the requirements of the case.
The second part of my Invention relates to the construction and arrange-
ment of an air furnace and apparatus for the manufacture of iron, steel, and
gun metal, or to assist in or to be used for puddling iron and so forth; into
this heat is to be introduced, comprising atmospheric air and oxygen gas, car-
bonaceous fuel or matter, such as bituminous or other coal, reduced to dust, and
as free as possible from sulphur, coke dust, charcoal, and peat, charred and
reduced to dust, or the whole or any part of the above with any other vegetable,
earthy, mineral, or metallic matter or matters, separate or combined, or in
any desired form, state, or condition, for the purpose of oxidizing, deoxidizing,
carbonizing, decarbonizing, purifying, or alloying with the iron or any matter
contained in the iron or strengthening or changing the nature of the metal
more or less, for whatever the form, character, nature or name of the metal may
be it is improved wholly or in part, in consequence of such treatment. In the
furnace the atmospheric air with this or any other forcing power carries with
it the oxygen gas, carbonaceous fuel, or other substances herein-before men-
tioned, which are to be brought to act upon the metal so as to displace and
agitate the same in a similar manner to puddling, by which process my pro-
posed iron will be formed into a strong cast-iron, and by continuing the
process steel may be made which can be tapped out and run into blocks or
ingots for that purpose, or remain in the furnace till it may become wrought
iron, which can be run into blocks or moulds for hammering or rolling, or
about double the weight of pure copper may be added to it, more or less,
allowing the fired air to act upon it a short time, so as to mix it well, by which
means first-rate gun metal will be obtained, which may be run into ingots for
that purpose.
".
The following is the construction and arrangement of the air furnace and
apparatus connected thereto for melting wrought-iron turnings or borings,
tin cuttings, or shavings, or other small iron, by the use of atmospheric air
forced by a cylinder blast through a number of small holes, placed in a
slanting position, conveying with it carbonaceous fuel and suitable fluxes
through and amongst the, melted iron, so as to displace and agitate it similar
to puddling; or the same may be used for melting and mixing iron with

page_text: copper for bearings. As the apparatus will be more complete and can be
used with the greatest advantage when connected to an air furnace, the
plan I prefer to adopt is to have a fire-place with ash-hole under, and a bridge
to throw the fire direct on a bed on which the cast iron is to be placed for melting,
said bed directly communicating with a receptacle for the wrought iron, tin
cuttings, and other matters before mentioned, which are to be placed for
melting so as to be well heated before the melted metal mixes therewith, a
portion of the apparatus being of fire-brick with suitable holes made through
it for the atmospheric air coming through a pipe or tube from a cylinder
supplied with the desired sorts or quantities of carbonaceous fuel and fluxes
admitted into the pipe or tube by a hopper or funnel with a feeding screw
therein, or by other suitable means. The bed for melting the cast-iron I
prefer to make sloped, so that the metal may easily be forced over the same
and again return to the bottom of the receptacle before mentioned, mixing
with the tin plate cuttings and so forth. As soon as the whole of the cast
iron is melted the fireplace is to be closed, and the forced air turned on and
used as long as required. To facilitate the melting of the wrought-iron and
its amalgamation with the cast-iron melted, as herein-before stated I prefer
to cover it with a thin layer of small charcoal, coal, or coke, and furnace slag.