An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Coating Metal Plates with Tin, Terne, or other Metals or Alloys.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 1st Jan., 1896-Accepted, 1st Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Coating Metal Plates
with Tin, Terne, or other Metals or Alloys.
I, HENRY JAMES RIDLEY of 19 Coldstream Street in the Town and Parish
of Llanelly in the County of Carmarthen, Assistant School Teacher, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a method of and apparatus for coating metal plates with
tin, terne or other metals or alloys, and provides automatic machinery whereby the
plates are very perfectly coated and the coating and finishing are accomplished in
one operation.
An important feature of my improved method is that it dispenses almost
entirely with the aid of manual labour hitherto largely required in the coating of
plates.
According to my invention the plates to be coated are placed singly in a rack or
carrier which is then caused by suitable machinery to move forward and to descend
into the bath of molten metal. After the plate has been thus carried a certain
distance into the bath it is received by another rack or carrier and moved further
through the bath. When the racks ascend again the plate carrier thereon is
caught by deflectors which guide it through a metallic brush for cleaning and
smoothing the surface of the coated plate. The said brush may conveniently be
constructed of two polished and corrugated metal plates placed at a short distance
apart from one another. The said plates may be flat or of any other convenient
shape.
The continued upward motion of the rack forces the plate through the brush to
a set of rolls which latter carry the plate up through the grease or other flux
contained in the grease pot or chamber: the plates are thus coated and finished in
one operation.
I do not confine myself to the use of two racks as in some instances 1 may have
one rack only, and in others more than two.
In my improved apparatus the grease and roll pot or chamber is contracted at
the bottom thereof in such a manner as to expose the least possible surface of the
grease to the surface of the coating inetal which reduces the evaporation of the
former to a minimum.
A flue is provided under the grease and roll pot or chamber so that the grease
or other flux in the said pot can be heated or cooled rapidly.
By the employment of my improved apparatus, which is actuated throughout by
machine power, manual labour is almost entirely dispensed with and the plates can
therefore be coated at less expense than heretofore.
Dated this 1st day of April 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Coating Metal Plates
with Tin, Terne, or other Metals or Alloys.
I, HENRY JAMES RIDLEY, of 19 Coldstream Street, in the Town and Parish
of Llanelly, in the County of Carmarthen, Assistant School Teacher, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to a method of and apparatus for coating metal plates with
tin, terne or other metals or alloys and provides automatic machinery whereby the
plates are very perfectly coated and the coating and finishing are accomplished in
one operation.
An important feature of my improved method is that it dispenses almost entirely
with skilled labour hitherto largely required in the coating of metallic plates.
In coating metallic plates with a metal or alloy the contact of the cold plate
with the hot molten coating metal in the bath causes the formation of an oxide of
the coating metal, which oxide being of less specific gravity than that of the molten
coating metal, rises to the surface of such metal. As the grease or other flux used
in the process of coating melts at a very much lower temperature than the coating
metal, a large proportion of the flux burns and forms "scruff" and stains on the
coated plate, thereby reducing the saleable value of the metal coated plates and
causing the production of a large number of damaged plates commercially known
AS wasters.
In apparatus as hitherto constructed for coating metal plates there is not, so far
as I am aware, any really efficient method of preventing the grease or flux from
burning, and so forming "scruff" and stains, neither is there any satisfactory
method of reducing the quantity of flux used. Moreover I am not aware of any
previously constructed apparatus in which there is a thoroughly successful method
of removing the oxidized portion of the coating metal from the bath without
necessitating the stoppage of the apparatus for a considerable time.
Now the objects of my invention are (a) to so provide that the workman or
overlooker can regulate the quantity of grease or flux coming in contact with the
molten coating metal, and thus prevent burning of the flux and waste thereof
due to evaporation and also prevent the production of damaged plates by reason of
burnt grease or other flux; (b) to provide means whereby the workman engaged in
coating the plates can remove the oxidized metal as fast as it is formed and without
having to stop his apparatus; (c) to enable plates of a superior quality to be
produced at one operation instead of at three, and at the same time to dispense
almost entirely with skilled labour; (d) to reduce to the least possible number the
working parts of the apparatus; and (e) to provide an apparatus that will not be
readily liable to get out of order, and one that can be easily managed by a boy or
other unskilled attendant.
In order that this invention may be more clearly understood I will now describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a vertical central section of a vertical coating apparatus constructed
according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a similar section of a horizontal form of coating apparatus.
A is the coating bath, B is the grease pot which is provided with a contracted
part formed between the inclined wall B₁ of the bottom and one side wall of the
pot as shown. B2 is an opening leading to the coating bath. By this construction
a very small surface of the grease is exposed to contact with the coating metal and
the evaporation of the grease is thereby reduced to a minimum. CC are roll
contained within the grease pot. D D are brushes or rubbers which may b

page_text: conveniently constructed of two metal plates having polished and corrugated
surfaces separated by a distance sufficient to allow the coated plates to pass
between them. The plates D, D¹ may have any convenient or suitable shape.
One plate D of the metallic brush is secured to the side B' of the contracted
opening of the grease pot, and the other plate D' is carried by an arm E which is
hooked on the side of the grease pot and is secured thereto by the screw For
other suitable means. GG are adjusting studs or screws which pass through the
wall of the grease pot and bear against the back of the movable plate D¹ of the
metallic brush or rubber. By turning the screws G G the position of the plate D'
can be adjusted and the distance between the two plates D D' can be regulated as
desired. The distance between the two plates of the rubber or brush is adjusted
according to the thickness of the plates to be coated so as always to expose as
little as possible of the grease to the molten metal in the bath. The top edges of
the two plates forming the metallic brush project slightly above the bottom B³ of
the grease pot and thus form a shallow well on each side of them into which any
burat grease or foreign matter, that may be present in the grease pot can settle.
The bath is supported above a furnace or fire place and is surrounded by flues
suitably arranged for keeping the coating metal hot.
Referring to Figure 1, the plates to be coated are placed singly in a rack or
carrier P which is capable of an up and down movement in guides in the bath.
The rack or carrier is furnished with fingers P1 that support the plate laterally.
The rack or carrier is controlled by suitable machinery which causes it to descend
into the bath A of molten metal and to rise again periodically. When the rack
ascends the plate carried thereby is moved forward by deflectors Q and thereby
guided between the rubbing plates D D¹ which operate to clean and smooth the
surface of the coated plate. The continued upward motion of the rack forces the
plate between the rubbing plates D, D' to the rolls CC which latter carry the plate
up through the grease or other flux contained in the grease pot B; the plates are
thus coated and finished in one operation. Qare stationary guides to prevent the
plate from falling off the rack while in the bath. I sometimes provide a lower
series of guides to move the plate forward as the rack descends so as to ensure the
plate being in front of the deflectors when the rack ascends.
I do not confine myself to the use of one rack us in some instances I may have
two racks, and in others more than two.
The metallic brush or rubber is preferably arranged at a slight angle to the
course of the plates so that as the plates enter the lower end of the said rubber,
which end is immersed in the ccating metal, they are subjected to a rubbing action
in the molten metal that effectually removes any oxidized metal that they may have
carried on their surface from the bath.
The vertical apparatus herein before described is especially useful for coating
metal plates with aluminium but in this case no grease or other flux is required in
the pot B, and the lower pair of rolls C C can be dispensed with.
The mechanism of this apparatus is very simple and unlikely to get out of order.
Referring now to Figure 2 which shows a horizontal coating apparatus, L is a
Hux box arranged at the mouth of the bath. M M are guides to direct the plate
in its passage through the bath. The said guides may or may not be connected to
one another. N N are rolls located in the coating bath for the purpose hereinafter
described. The construction and arrangement of the grease pot and of the rubber
or metallic brush and of the rolls C C are substantially the same as that described
with reference to Figure 1.
In this construction however no racks or carriers are used to hold the plates to
be coated, the said plates being introduced one at a time through the flux box L
and then forced through the bath between the guides M M to the rolls N which
latter, revolving in the direction shown by the arrows, seize the plates and force
them through the metallic cleaning brush D D' into the grease pot B where they
are caught by the rolls C C which deliver them finally at the mouth of the
grease pot.

page_text: To catch the oxidised coating metal the bulk of which is formed when the plate
to be coated first enters the bath I provide a depression A' in the middle part of
the cover of the coating bath which depression extends below the surface of the
molten metal. The parts A2 A3 of the coating bath cover are made removable.
The oxidized metal rises to the surface under the removable part A2 of the cover
and can be readily removed after lifting the part A2 by skimming the oxidised
metal off the surface of the coating metal. The oxidized metal and "scruff
which are removed from the plates by passing them through the rubber or metallic
brush can similarly be removed after raising the part A3 of the cover.
"
The rolls C C and N N are driven in the direction indicated by the arrows by
suitable gearing placed outside the coating bath and grease pot. In some instances
the rolls N are dispensed with, the plates being then forced by hand through the
metallic rubber.
A flue is provided under the grease pot so that the grease or other flux in the
said pot can he rapidly heated or cooled.
By the employment of my improved apparatus, which is actuated throughout
mechanically, skilled manual labour is almost entirely dispensed with and the
plates can therefore be coated at less expense than heretofore.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
"claim is :-
1. The improved method of coating plates with tin, terne or other metals or
alloys and finishing the plates in one operation, substantially as described.
2. The grease pot constructed with the contracted part substantially as shown
and described and for the purpose specified.
3. The adjustable rubber or metallic brush constructed substantially as shown
and described and for the purpose specified.
4. The apparatus constructed substantially as described with reference to
Figure 1 or to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawing, and operating as, and for
the purpose, specified.
Dated this 1st day of January 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.