IMPROVEMENTS IN BRANDING OR MARKING WOOD FOR CASKS, BARRELS, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Gillies, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Wood Turner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BRANDING OR MARKING WOOD FOR CASKS, BARRELS, AND OTHER PURPOSES."
ealed the 14th June 1859, and dated the 23rd April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Gillies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd
April 1859.
I, JAMES GILLIES, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Wood Turner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BRANDING OR MARKING WOOD FOR CASKS, BARRELS, AND OTHER
PURPOSES," to be as follows, that is to say:
This arrangement relates to an expeditious, economical, and effective mode
of branding or indelibly marking the end or head pieces of barrels, or the
barrels themselves, and other wooden surfaces with names or marks, such as:
are necessary. in commercial transactions with barrels, boxes, and other
receptacles of goods of various kinds. The apparatus used in the improved
process consists of an open cast-iron frame, on the platform or table of which
is placed an open topped, elliptical, or other shaped box, or case of cast iron,
perforated all-round for the admission of air and the escape of the products of
combustion. Within this bex there are one or more vertical gas burners of

page_text: the "Argand" kind. These burners, which are adjustable as to height, are
connected to the gas main by flexible tubing, to allow of the necessary
movement. Each burner consists of an inner cylindrical shell closed at the
top, and perforated all round the lower part for the escape of the gas. This
inner cylinder is surrounded by an outer and larger cylinder, also perforated
for the admission of air to the point of combustion, the flame rising up from
between the two cylinders. The flame or flames play directly against the
lower plain surface of the branding die plate of metal, the upper marking face
of which is cut, cast, or otherwise formed with the necessary names or devices
in relief. The platform framing also carries a bracket pillar piece, the over-
hanging eye of which has a large nut in it for the reception of a vertical screw
spindle, terminating at its lower end in a horizontal presser plate. The top of
the screw spindle has a horizontal wheel or weighted arm upon it, so that the
arrangement resembles that which is adopted in fly or punching presses. In
branding cask end or head pieces in this apparatus, each piece of wood is
laid flat down upon the operating face of the branding die plate on the open
top of the gas burner box, and the attendant then screws down the presser
plate by turning the wheel or actuating overhead arm. In this way the wood
is pressed hard down upon the heated branding plate, the pressure being kept
up for a longer or shorter time as may be found necessary. The effect of this
combined pressure and heat is, that the branding plate gives a shallow but
particularly clear, sharp, and indelible impression to the wood. Instead of gas
flames, charcoal or other fuel may be used as the heating agent for the
branding plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Gillies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
GILLIES, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Turner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Gillies, Her special license that I, the said James Gillies, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James

page_text: Gillies, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAND-
ING OR MARKING WOOD FOR CASKS, BARRELS, AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Gillies, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Gillies, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to an expeditious, economical, and effective mode
of branding or indelibly marking the end or head pieces of barrels, or the
barrels themselves, and the wooden surfaces with names or marks, such as
are necessary in commercial transactions with barrels, boxes, and other
receptacles of goods of various kinds. The apparatus used in the improved
process consists of an open cast-iron frame, on the platform or table of which
is placed an open-topped, elliptical, or other shaped box or case of cast iron,
perforated all round for the admission of air and the escape of the products of
combustion. Within this box there are one or more vertical gas burners of
the "Argand" kind. These burners, which are adjustable as to height, are
connected to the gas main by flexible tubing, to allow of the necessary
movement. Each burner consists of an inner cylindrical shell closed at the
top, and perforated all round the lower part for the escape of the gas. This
inner cylinder is surrounded by an outer and larger cylinder, also perforated
for the admission of air to the point of combustion, the flame rising up from
between the two cylinders. The flame or flames play directly against the
lower plain surface of the branding die plate of metal, the upper working face
of which is cut, cast, or otherwise formed with the necessary names or devices
in relief. The platform framing also carries a bracket pillar piece, the over-
hanging eye of which has a large nut in it for the reception of a vertical screw
spindle, terminating at its lower end in a horizontal presser plate. The top of
the screw spindle has a horizontal wheel or weighted arm upon it, so that the

page_text: arrangement resembles that which is adopted in fly or punching presses. In
branding cask end or head pieces in this apparatus, each piece of wood is laid
flat down upon the operating face of the branding die plate on the open top of
the gas burner box, and the attendant then screws down the presser plate by
.turning the wheel or actuating overhead arm. In this way the wood is pressed
hard down upon the heated branding plate, the pressure being kept up for a
longer or shorter time, as may be found necessary. The effect of this combined
pressure and heat is, that the branding plate gives a shallow but particularly
clear, sharp, and indelible impression to the wood. Instead of gas flames,
charcoal or other fuel may be used as the heating agent for the branding
-plate.
.
And in order that my said Invention of improvements in branding or
marking wood for casks, barrels, and other purposes, may be properly under-
stood, I shall now proceed to describe in detail the illustrative Figures on
the explanatory Sheet of Drawings, which I have hereunto appended for the
purpose of showing certain modifications under which my improvements may
be judiciously carried out in practice, that is to say :-
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is an elevation or side
-view of one arrangement of my improved machinery or apparatus for branding
or indelibly marking wood with letters, devices, or figures; Figure 2 is a
vertical section of the apparatus taken at right angles to Figure 1. According
to this modification of my improvements, the apparatus consists of an open
rectangular framing A of cast iron, the top of which forms a table or platform,
having bolted thereto the elliptical-shaped casing or guard B. This casing or
guard B is, by preference, made of sheet iron, it is open at the top, and it is
perforated at the upper and lower parts with a series of holes C, for the
admission of air. This casing or guard forms the combustion chamber of a
moderately powerful gas stove, the gas for which is conveyed through the two
gas pipes D, which are arranged parallel to each other, and are carried up
through the table or platform of the framing A. The flow of gas through
the pipes D is controlled by the stop cocks E, which are placed below the
table, but within convenient reach of the operator; the part of the tubing above
the stop cocks is either made of flexible materials or is arranged upon the
telescopic principle so as to admit of the burners being adjusted, as regards
height, or the tubing D may be lifted up to a certain extent from the ground,
and the burners fixed to the desired height, by means of the pinching screws F.
A mixture of carburetted hydrogen and atmospheric air is used as the heating
medium, for the combination and combustion of which the burners on the
extremities of the pipes D, are specially designed. These burners consist of

page_text: a copper or iron cylinder G, which is screwed or otherwise attached to the pipe D,
the cylinder is closed at the upper part, but a series of fine holes are måde at the
lower part of the cylinder through which the gas flows into the outer cylinder H.
This cylinder is open at the top and bottom, it is made of perforated sheet
metal, and fits into the supporting plate I, the atmospheric air which flows
in through the apertures of the cylinder, mixes with the ascending current of
gas, and the compound burns at the top of the outer cylinder with a blue flame
of intense heating power. The combustion of the gases serves to draw in a
continuous current of atmospheric air through the lower series of holes C, the
heated products of combustion passing off by the upper series of holes. The
combustion chamber B is made to receive the branding die plate J, which in
this instance is an iron plate, of an' elliptical figure, having the name or other
device in sharp relief on the surface of the plate. The branding die plate J,
when placed in position, rests upon the upper edge of the chamber, an external
fillet serving to confine it thereto. The flange formed on the under side of
the plate projects downwards into the chamber B, the flames of the
gas burners
being immediately beneath this enclosed part, the die plate is thereby sufficiently.
heated to cause an impression of the letters to be burnt in a stave or other
article of wood, when placed thereon. This branding operation is facilitated
by applying pressure to the back part of the stave, so as to cause the raised:
letters or device on the die plate to be forcibly indented therein. The base
plate to which the combustion chamber is bolted, has cast on it the overhang-
ing standard K, the outer extremity of which has an internal screw formed in
it. A vertical quick acting screw L is fitted to the arm of the standard K,
the axis of this screw is in a line with the centre of the branding die plate J,.
when placed on the combustion chamber B. The upper extremity of the
screw L is squared to receive the cross head M, the extremities of which.
are fitted with the weights N, in manner similar to the arrangement of an
embossing press. The operator actuates the screw L by means of the handle O,
which is secured by a nut to the cross head M, the lower end of the screw is.
turned to form a pin, which enters a corresponding recess in the guide block P.
To admit of the pin of the screw L turning freely in the guide block P, and
at the same time cause the block to move with it, a groove is made in the
periphery of the pin, and a screw is fitted to an internal screw made through.
the side of the guide block; the end of the transverse screw enters the
groove in the pin of the screw L, and thus connects the two parts together
without interfering with the rotatory movement of the screw.
The guide
block P slides up and down in the guide Q, which is bolted to the standard K,.
and projects outwards therefrom in a horizontal direction, extending below the.

page_text: arm of the standard and parallel thereto. A recess is made in the lower part
of the guide block P, to receive the upper end of the pin R, which is secured
to the guide block by a screw passing in a lateral direction through the block.
The lower part of the pin R is made of a globular figure, to fit a correspond-
ing concave recess in the upper part of the pressing block S, the two opposing
surfaces forming a modification of the ball-and-socket joint. The pressing
block has an external screw thread cut in the periphery of the upper part to
admit of its being connected by means of the nut T to the pin R. The stave
or other article to be branded is laid upon the die plate J; the operator then
swings round the cross head M, by means of the handle O, so as to cause the
pressing plate to come down sharply upon the back of the wood and forcibly
press it on to the raised letters or device on the die plate. The heat
imparted to the die plate by the burning gases causes the raised part
of the plate to burn the fibres of the wood, and so mark the stave or
other article with incised letters or devices, that are indelible otherwise
than by actually cutting away the surrounding wood. The object of fitting
the pressing block S, with a ball-and-socket connection to the pin R, is
to allow of the movement of the block, either at the ends or sides, so that it
may adjust itself to any inequalities of thickness in the stave or other article
to be branded. With this arrangement of machinery or apparatus for brand-
ing staves or other articles of wood, the operation of marking may be carried on
with great rapidity, combined with economy of labour and fuel.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is,
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus
for branding or indelibly marking staves or other articles of wood, as herein-
before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the system or mode of branding or marking staves or other articles
of wood by means of the mechanical arrangement or apparatus herein-before
described and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification
thereof.
Third, the system or mode of branding or marking staves or other articles
of wood, in which the branding die plate is heated by means of gas, combined
with atmospheric air, the heating operation being effected by the aid of
the apparatus herein-before described and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.

page_text: Fourth, the system or mode of arranging and constructing the pressing
block, and the parts connected therewith, which arrangement admits of the
pressing block adjusting itself to the inequalities or varying thickness of the
stave or other article placed below the block for the purpose of being branded,
as herein-before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Gillies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-nine.
JAMES GILLIES. (L.S.)