IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING PLUMBERS' TRAPS OF LEAD
Year: 1885

page_text: To all to whom these presents shall come, I, FREDERICK NELSON DUBOIS, of
the City and State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer of
Plumbers' Traps send greeting:
.
Whereas I am in possession of an invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR MAKING PLUMBERS' TRAPS OF LEAD, and have petitioned Her Majesty to
grant unto me, my Executors, Administrators, and Assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the same and have made solemn declaration that I am the true and first
inventor thereof:
Now know ye, that I, the said Frederick Nelson Dubois do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for improvements in machinery for making Plumbers' Traps
of lead, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
desoribed and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In Her Majesty's Letters Patent Number 4026 A.D 1875 and Number 3646
A.D. 1875 granted to William Robert Lake upon a communication by me there is
described and shown the parts of a machine adapted for making Plumbers' Traps
of lead by means of two or more plungers, operated by hydraulic power, and
connected with lead receivers arranged to discharge the heated lead into a suitable
die, and provided with means for so controlling the motion of the plungers that the
lead could be forced through the die, on opposite sides, at different speed, thereby
causing the emergent lead to have the form of a bent tube, the curvature of which
could be regulated at the will of the operator. In making such traps it is desirable
that the bends shall be made short, and to do this it is necessary that the plungers
shall instantly respond to changes in the mechanism which controls the admission
of water to actuate the rams or plungers. This is rendered difficult by reason of
the expansion and contraction of parts of the press incident to the changes made in
pressures of such intensity as are required for the practical working of such
machines. Thus where the frame has been distended by the maximuin of pressure
forcing out the lead to form a bend in one direction, when the pressure is decreased
on that side to form a reversed curve by increasing pressure on the other side of the
die, the emergent stream does not instantly respond to the change in the valves.
supplying the water, but the shrinkage of the parts of the press will continue to
force out the lead through the die, so that the curve of the trap is lengthened.
unduly.
:

page_text: The first device adopted by me to change the action of the machine in this
respect was to put on the water pipes, valves, with a small opening, the valves
being operated by hand wheels placed within reach of the operator, who when he
had shifted the valves regulating the inflow, immediately opened the valve on the
side of diminished pressure and permitted the escape of a small quantity of water
sufficient to compensate for the shrinkage in the frame of the machine.
This in some degree relieved the action of the machine and enabled me to make
traps with shorter bends, but still the operation was imperfect and unsatisfactory
for it not only added considerably to the demands upon the vigilance of the operator,
but, owing to the loss of time required to pass the hands from one set of valve gear
to the other, the shrinkage was not instantaneous and the bends were longer than
they ought to be.
I then adopted treadles for operating the valve for relieving pressure, this was
better but still required such attention as to add very seriously to the care and
labor of the operator.
The invention which is the subject of this patent consists in the use of a valve
which adjustably controls a minute orifice opening out of the water supply pipes,
left constantly open, the waste of water being provided for by an increase in the
supply of water from the forcing pumps. When this valve has been properly
regulated in reference to the curvature of a particular size or kind of trap, it will
require no further attention from the operator so long as the same size or kind of
trap is being produced, but with each such change it will require readjustment to
adapt it to the new conditions. It is in this use of an overflow which while it is
permanent is also adjustable that my invention is distinguished from that
organization in which a relief valve is employed which requires to be opened and
closed with every change of speed of the rams.
In the annexed drawing making part of this specification I have set forth the
invention as applied to the trap making machine set forth in said Letters Patent
Nos. 3646 and 4026 A.D. 1875.
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the parts to which the valves are attached.
Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section showing the adjustable valve as attached
to the feed water pipes of the press.
The same letters are employed in both the figures in the indication of parts which
are identical.
A. A¹ are the lead chambers from which the lead is expelled into the die, which
is not shown in this drawing for a full description of which I refer to the said
Patents 3646 and 4026 of A.D. 1875.
B. B¹ are the plungers of the bydraulic rams which act upon the lead to expel it
through the die with a velocity dependent upon that given to the rams which are
respectively and independently moved by water driven in by force pumps through
the pipes C. C. The inflow of water is regulated by a valve system shown at D,
and fully explained in said Patent No. 4026, the principle of operation therein being
to regulate the amount of water flowing through the pipe C. and the pipe Ci
respectively so as to either maintain an equal motion on the rams to make straight
pipe, or to make one move faster and the other slower to make curves in the pipe.
As already explained in order that these curves may be short and the machine
act promply in response to changes in the water supply to the respective rams,
I place upon the water pipes C. and C₁ constant overflow openings, adjustable at
the will of the operator.
The mode of applying these is shown on plan in Fig. 1 and in section in Fig. 2.
"C" is a section of the water supply pipe on which is cast a branch “E”, the
interior of which is connected with the interior of the water pipe by a minute
orifice terminating in a valve seat at "K". In the upper part of the branch "E" is
a chamber with a thread to receive a screw plug "F" which turns down upon a
shoulder which may be packed to make a water tight joint. This plug is bored
and threaded to receive the stem "G" which has a fine thread to admit of the
accurate adjustment of its tapered end in relation to the valve seat "K". Between

page_text: the plug "G" and valve seat "K" the diameter of the hole through the branch "E"
is large enough to form a chamber about the stem "G" through which water can
flow to the escape pipe "I". By the adjustment of the stem "G" the permanent
overflow may be regulated and when once regulated the future action of the
overflow will be automatic and instantaneous.
In operating the machine the water is liable to cut the walls of the passage
through which it flows. This increase of size may be compensated from time to
time by the readjustment of the stem "G", which may be taken out and re-ground
when required.
I do not seek to cover in this patent overflow valves requiring to be manipulated
at each shift in the water supply valve gear as hereinbefore set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare. that what
I claim is
In a machine for making lead traps in combination with independent hydraulic
presses, and valve gear for independently, oppositely, and variably regulating their
motion, the water pipe C. C¹, furnished with constant overflow openings, which
while capable of regulation from time to time by means of the stem "G",
automatically for the escape of water and without manipulation in the ordinary
working of the machines substantially as set forth.
Deted this Second day of Tunn 1005
act