CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY TO BE USED IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF GLASS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BLINKHORN, of Sutton, in the County of Lancaster, Glass Manufacturer, 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 Eleventh day of
February (One thousand eight hundred and fifty), in the thirteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Blinkhorn, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial.
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William
Blinkhorn, my exors, adñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said.
William Blinkhorn, 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, my
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY TO BE USED IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF GLASS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I,
the said William Blinkhorn, 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, to be inrolled 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Blinkhorn, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following instrument in writing, reference being had
to the letters and figures therein contained, and to the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
The part of the machinery used in the manufacture of plate glass, called
the casting table, is usually made of cast iron or other metal planed on its
upper surface. This table, as ordinarily constructed, is subject to various
defects, owing to the variations in the temperature in the metal; for instance,
the metal surface at the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere is too cool
to receive the glass from the melting pot, and in some cases the table has
been constructed in such manner as to admit of fires being applied to the
under surface of the plate of the table to bring the upper surface to the
requisite working temperature to receive the glass at the commencement of
the working, whereas after the contents of several pots have been received upon
the table and several plates rolled in succession, the table is liable to become
too hot, and from the unequal expansion the surface of the table becomes
warped, deviating from a true plane, and the plates of glass are of unequal
thickness, thereby occasioning additional expense in the subsequent stages of
manufacture.
Now my Invention has for its object the obviating these defects in a greater
degree than hitherto, and this I effect by constructing the table in such
manner as will enable me to bring its upper surface to the required tempera-
ture at the commencement of the working, and to maintain the surface at that
temperature during the working by the contact of water with the under
surface of the plate of the working table. For this purpose I make the table
hollow throughout, keeping its interior supplied with hot or cold water, as may
be required for raising the table to and maintain it at such a temperature as
will enable the glass. to be worked.
My Invention also has reference to the rolling and spreading the melted
glass to the required thickness, and passing it after being so rolled into the
annealing oven by certain machinery instead of manual labour. The arrange-
ments which I employ for this purpose are shown in the accompanying
Drawings, which I will now proceed to describe.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

page_text: these Figures, A represents a casting table, on which the glass is poured from
the crucible or pot in a melted state. This table A is constructed hollow
throughout, and then filled with water from any convenient reservoir; the
supply being situated higher than the table passed through a tap or cock a, see
Figure 1, the exit or overflow running off by the bent pipe at z, see Figures 1
& 3, which rising above the level of the table A, keeps it constantly filled with
water. Both the inlet and exit pipes for the water to supply the table are
flexible, and have joints to allow of the traverse of the table from one annealing
kiln to another. Under the table A are placed two stoves B, B, for the
purpose of heating the water and the table to a temperature of about one
hundred and twelve degrees Fahrenheit before commencing the operation of
casting. But as soon as the casting has commenced and the repeated appli-
cation of molten glass has raised the temperature of the table, the fires in the
stoves are allowed to die out, and a regulated supply of cold water by the
tap a is allowed to pass through the table, so as to keep down and regulate the
temperature, whereby the operations of casting may proceed continuously.
The manner in which I make the hollow table is to cast the top and sides all
in one piece, with a projecting flange surrounding it, as shewn in section in
Figure 4, and the bottom is secured to it by screws or rivets, as is also shown
in that Figure.
"
Another of my improvements in the hollow table is to introduce therein a
series of longitudinal pipes, having holes pierced through them on their upper
surfaces; these pipes pass in and are attached to a large transverse feed pipe
capable of supplying them all, so that water of any required temperature may,
from any convenient head, be made to flow against the under side of the table
top and regulate its temperature as required. The cylinder which compresses
the glass is seen at C, and the " tangs or guage pieces on which the cylinder
rolls for the purpose of regulating its thickness are best seen at b, b. c, c, in
Figures 1 and 2, represent the guns or guides in front of the cylinder C, for
determining the width of the sheet of glass to be made. D, D, D, Figure 2,
represent pullies, the middlo one being loose, and each of the two outside ones
fast on separate shafts, one being hollow, the other solid and working through the
hollow one D³, being connected with the pinion d and D₁ with the pinion e, the
pinion e conveying rotation to the spur wheel E in one direction, and the pinion d
also conveying motion through an intermediate carrier wheel and pinion, not
shewn, to the wheel E, in an opposite direction, so that by traversing the driving
strap over the loose pulley from one fast pulley to the other, the wheel E is
periodically driven in opposite directions, but it remains at rest when the strap
is on the loose pulley. This reversing geer, which is fixed at one end of the row

page_text: of kilns, is so well known as applied to planing machines that I have not shewn
it in all its parts. The wheel E is fast on the shaft F, which shaft runs the whole
length of the kilns. The stud wheels f, f, are provided with collars, into which
brackets take, which are fixed to the framing of the table and move with it on
the railway G, G, from one annealing kiln to another; the wheels f, f, slide on
and turn with the shaft. Over the stud wheels f, f, are past the endless
chains h, h, which are connected to brasses on the axis of the cylinder C at H,
where it passes over the carrier pulley I, as seen in the Drawing, so that the
alternate reverse rotation of the shaft F traverses the cylinder C back and
forward on the table A, the distance or amount of traverse being governed by
the length of time the driving strap is respectively on the pullies D¹ and D³.
k represents a weight at the end of the perpendicular lever, fast on the
shaft m, on which is also placed another parallel lever, taking into a slot in
the strap guider M, which in the position represented holds the strap on the
loose pulley, but when the weight K is vibrated, it necessarily carries the
driving strap on to one or other of the fast pullies, and this periodical vibration
is effected by a series of tappits or wipers placed on the small shaft N, which
receive a continuous rotation from the shaft F, through the bevil wheels n, n.
Supposing therefore the machinery to be in motion, and the cylinder C to
have arrived at the end of the table nearest to the shaft F, it will remain at
rest while the driving strap is passing over the loose pulley D. At this period
the hot glass is poured on the table in front of the cylinder between the
guns c, c, and the cylinder moving forward as the strap is moved on to the fast
pulley by the intermediate machinery already described, forms the glass into a
sheet ready for annealing. The cylinder C having passed off the sheet of
glass at the opposite end of the table, the plate of glass is carried or forced
forward into the annealing kiln by machinery, which I shall now proceed to
describe. At Fig. 1, L represents a small lever provided with a friction
pulley at one extremity, and notch or latch at the other, and supported at its
fulerum p by a rod proceeding from the axis of the cylinder C, along with
which it is traversed from one end of the table to the other. 0, 0, is a
stationary rod connected with the table, on which is placed the sliding piece
or pedestal R, formed with a stud to take into the notch in the lever L. An
exactly similar arrangement of parts is placed on the opposite side of the
table, as seen in the plan, and a small shaft passes across the table from one
pedestal R to the other. Attached to this small shaft is the piece S, and
finger piece t, all of which partake of the outward motion of the cylinder C,
that is, the direction in which the glass is rolled, as indicated by the arrow.
To each of the pedestals R is attached a chains, which is held in a state of

page_text: tension by the weight T, as seen at Figures 1 and 3. Supposing, therefore,
the rolling process to be in progress, and the roller moving in the direction
indicated by the arrow, the small friction roller on the end of the lever L
will come into contact with the small incline U, which is placed or adjusted
by means of a set screw in a proper position on the rod O. The inclined
surface of the part U elevates the one end of the lever L, and by depressing
the opposite end, frees the pedestals R from the notches, and allows them to
run in towards the annealing kiln by the fall of the weights T, T, carrying
along with them the sheet of glass on the table, which is pressed forward by
the part S, which falls on to the table the moment the pedestals R are relieved.
The sheet of glass being thus forced into the kiln, the finger piece t comes in
contact with the incline W (see Figure 1), which again elevates it and the
parts S to the position seen in the Drawing, and the cylinder C returning, the
notched ends of the levers L again take hold of the pedestals R, and carry
them out in the direction of the arrow, preparatory to being again relieved by
the inclines U, for forcing forward the succeeding sheet of glass. The space
between the table and the kiln mouth is necessarily made good during the
operation of casting, and is left open in the Drawings to shew the construction
of the machinery; and I have also shewn a handle X, by which the cylinder C
may occasionally be moved by hand if required.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as an
improvement in machinery to be used in the manufacture of glass, tho
constructing the casting table in such manner as that the working surface
may be raised to and maintained at a suitable temperature by water, as above
described.
Secondly, I claim the constructing and arranging machinery to be used in
the manufacture of glass in such manner as that the plates may be rolled
thereby upon the casting table, as above described.
Thirdly, I claim the constructing and arranging machinery to be used in
the manufacture of glass, in such manner as that the plates may be passed
thereby from the casting table into the kiln, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Blinkhorn, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
WILLIAM (L.E.) BLINKHORN.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of August, in the
year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid William Blinkhorn 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 5
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Tenth day of Aroust in the roor of our Lord One thousand