A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING HORSE-SHOES OF STEEL OR MALLEABLE IRON BY CASTING
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carl Wittenström, Civil Engineer, of Stockholm, in the
Kingdom of Sweden, for an Invention of "A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING
HORSE-SHOES OF STEEL OR MALLEABLE IRON BY CASTING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carl Wittenström at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th July 1880.
CARL WITTENSTRÖM, Civil Engineer, of Stockholm, in the Kingdom of Sweden...
A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING HORSE-SHOES OF STEEL OR MALLEABLE IRON
BY CASTING."
This Invention consists in a new method of manufacturing horse-shoes of stee.
or malleable iron by casting in moulds of cast iron or some other suitable material,
which moulds are constructed in such a way that they can be quickly opened, and
that a horse-shoe which has been cast in such a mould can easily be taken from the
mould without being damaged or broken by shrinking. The holes for the nails are
cast in the horse-shoe at the same time.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Carl Wittenström in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
January 1881.
CARL WITTENSTRÖM, Civil Engineer, of Stockholm, in the Kingdom of Sweden.
"A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING HORSE-SHOES OF STEEL OR MALLEABLE IRON
BY CASTING."
-This-Invention consists in a new method-of-manufacturing horse-shoes of steel
or malleable iron by casting in moulds of cast iron or some other suitable material
(such as ingot steel or iron, &c.), which moulds are constructed in such a way that
they can be quickly opened, and that a horse shoe which has been cast in such a
mould can easily be taken from the mould without. being damaged or broken by
shrinking, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which
Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive represent one of my moulds for casting horse shoes with two
hind-hooks or calks; Figs. 2 and 4 being elevations; Fig. 1, a plan; Fig. 3, an
inverted plan; and Fig. 5, longitudinal section in the line A, B, Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
The mould, as shewn in the Drawings, is divided longitudinally in halves c and d,
of which the one d encloses the underside and the outer sides of the shoe, and the
other c its upper side and inner sides as far as the hooks or calks, for which deeper
incisions are provided; e, e, are plugs or cores of malleable iron or any other
suitable material, which are fastened in the half d of the mould in order to form
the holes for the horse-nails; f is a stud or plunger, which goes through the same
half mould and has its head fitted or recessed into the bottom of the mould. A
spring g holds it in its place. By a blow upon this plunger the shoe can easily be
detached from the mould after casting. Such a plunger may also be placed in the
other half mould if it should be found necessary. The inlet or runner h is in the
upper end of the mould, partly cut out in each of the halves, so that the shoe may
be cast in a vertical position. By this arrangement the mould can easily be opened
and the shoe removed after the casting is made.
If the shoe is to be cast with toe-hooks and toe-caps the mould remains
unchanged except that these are cut out in each half mould (see Figs. 9, 10, and 11).
For shoes without back-hooks, the general arrangement remains substantially the
same, but-is-considerably-simpler,-as-will-be-easily-understood. The inlet or
runner h can be placed either at the fore or back part of the shoe; but I prefer to
cast shoes without toe-hooks and toe-caps in the manner shewn in Figs. 1-5, that
is, with the runner at the toe, and shoes with such toe-hooks and caps, as shewn in
Figs. 9, 10, and 11, with the runners at the back-hooks. Several shoe moulds. may
be combined, but I prefer single moulds.
The half moulds can be held together during the casting by a clip a and a wedge
or cotter b, Figs. 2-5, or by a pair of tongs or hinged levers i, i, Figs. 6-8, in
which case the half moulds must have projecting lugs k, k, for connecting the mould
with the tongs, or they may be secured by hinges and a lock m, the bolt n of
which is eccentric for the purpose of closing and tightening the parts shewn by
Figs. 9, 10, and 11. As shewn in the last named Figures 9, 10, and 11, the moulds
may be fastened on the edge of a movable frame or disc o, so that they successively
can be moved under the tapping-hole of a ladle, or of a Martins- or Bessemer-
furnace. The mould in these Figures has three plungers f, f, f, situated in the half
mould d, for loosening the shoe, which plungers are united by a plate p in order to
be actuated at the same time.
After the casting is made and set it must be removed as soon as possible to
prevent the shoe from cracking by shrinking, as well as to avoid too great heating
of the mould.
The shoes are consequently taken out almost in a white heat, and no after

page_text: heating or annealing is required if they are directly placed into dry sand and allowed
to cool slowly.
'
The completion of the work consists only in the removing of the feeding head or
git and in dressing the seams that appear in the casting.
For the preservation of the moulds it is not only necessary, as above stated, not
to heat them too much during the process of casting, but also to cool them with
water and oil after every two or three operations. If they are used fixed to a
turntable, as in Figs. 9, 10, and 11, this cooling can be most casily effected by the
use of a strong current of air through which they may be made to pass after overy.
operation. In order that the mould may easily part from the casting and give to
it a smooth surface, it is also necessary at every third or fifth casting to rub over
the inside of the mould with thin oil, which, after burning, leaves a covering of
soot, or they may be smoked with a burning pitch-torch.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying it into effect, I would have it understood that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as secured to me under the Letters Patent herein
before in part recited is,―
1. The method, substantially as hereinbefore described, of manufacturing horse
shoes of steel or malleable iron by casting in moulds constructed in parts and
capable of being readily opened for the removal of a cast shoc.
2. In the process of casting horse shoes forming therein holes for the reception
of the horse-shoe nails by means of plugs or cores fitted in the mould substantially
as described.
3. Detaching the cast shoe from the mould by a stud or plunger, or studs or
plungers, fitted in the mould substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Carl Wittenström, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
CARL WITTENSTRÖM. (L.S.)