Improvements in Gas Stands for the Heating of Smoothing Irons for Laundry and other Purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Apr.. 1897-Accepted', 8th May, 189?
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Stands for the Heating of Smoothing Irons for
Laundry and other Purposes.
1, ERNEST EDWARD LEWIS, of 2 Greenhill Street, Stratford-on-Avon, in the
County of Warwick, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to gas stands for the heating by gas of smoothing irons, box
irons and sad irons for laundry, tailoring and like purposes, and has for its principal
object, the automatic cutting off of the gas supply when the iron is in use or
removed from its rest.
The apparatus consists primarily of a bracket carrying an inlet pipe surmounted
by a rest and burner with a gas by-pass leading to it, and with a valve rod end
standing above the rest upon which the box or other iron comes, whilst the lower end
of the inlet pipe has a mixing chamber open to the atmosphere and to a pipe
leading from the service which is cut off automatically by a valve operated through
the valve rod.
According to my invention, I employ a hollow and pierced burner preferably of
the inside shape of an open-ended box iron, with the base formed into a rest and
with an end of a valve rod extending above it. This burner surmounts a hollow
pillar or tube having a rest-shelf or table upon which the iron stands, and a gas by-
pass tube has its nozzle proceeding outwardly so as to light the said burner from the
outside and is provided with a tap for turning gas on and off whilst the hollow pillar
carries a plate bracket at its middle for supporting the apparatus upon a table or the
like, whilst its lower part has in connection with it, a double passaged mixing
chamber having an open end and into which coal gas enters.
The gas service pipe is fitted with a valve which is normally closed by a spring,
and outwards of the said valve is the by-pass pipe through which a small quantity of
gas is always passing and which is always,alight when the stand is in use, and which
also is not interfered with by the closing of the valve.
OPERATION.
Assuming that the box iron is off the stand, then the gas is cut off from the
burner other than that which passes through the by-pass. To re-heat the box iron,
slip the same over the burner when the same comes and rests upon the extending end
of the valve rod, which is pressed down by the weight of the iron, whereby the valve
is opened and the spring compressed. Gas now enters the mixing chamber and
travels horizontally forwards and backwards into the upright hollow pillar and from
thence flows into the burner and issues through the small holes in the front thereof
and is ignited outwardly by the constant jet at the end of the by-pass.
The holes in the burner are upon one side only and have outside lugs at its junction
with the base so that there is an inside clearance between the pierced side of the
burner and the inside of the smoothing iron, so that when the iron is in position the
gas jets play only upon the inside bottom of the same. When the iron (which has
piercings in its side) is sufficiently heated it is removed from the stand, when the
spring actuates the valve which cuts off the gas supply.

page_text: Any number of burners may be arranged upon the same stand, but each burner has
an independent gas supply and valve.
Dated this 3rd day of 1904
ERNEST EDWARD LEWIS,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
Improvements in Gas Stands for the Heating of Smoothing Irons for
Laundry and other Purposes.
I, ERNEST EDWARD LEWIS of 2. Greenhill Street, Stratford-on-Avon, Gas
Engineer, 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:-
This invention relates to gas stands for the heating by gas of smoothing irons, box
irons and sad irons for laundry, tailoring and like purposes, and has for its principal
object, the automatic cutting off of the gas supply when the iron is in use or removed
from its rest.
The apparatus consists primarily of a bracket carrying an inlet pipe surmounted by
an iron-rest and burner with a gas by-pass leading to it, and with a valve rod end
standing above the rest upon which the box or other iron comes, whilst the lower end
of the inlet pipe has a unixing chamber open to the atmosphere and to a pipe leading
from the service which is cut off automatically by a valve operated through the
valve rod.
According to my invention, I employ a hollow and pierced burner preferably of the
inside shape of an open-ended box iron, with the base formed into a rest and with an
end of a valve rod extending above.it. This burner surmounts a hollow pillar or tube
having a rest-shelf or table upon which the iron stands, and a gas by-pass tube has its
nozzle proceeding outwardly so as to light the said burner from the outside and is
provided with a tap for turning gas on and off whilst the hollow pillar carries an
attachment plate or bracket at its middle for supporting the apparatus upon a table or
the like, whilst its lower part has in connection with it a double passaged mixing
chamber having an open end and into which coal gas enters.
The gas service pipe is fitted with a valve which is normally closed by a spring, and
outwards of the said valve is the by-pass pipe through which a small quantity of gas
is always passing and which is always alight when the stand is in use, and which also
is not interfered with by the closing of the valve.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents, in side elevation, a box-iron
heating stand constructed, arranged and operating according to my invention and
shown fixed in position upon an ironing table.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same and Figure 3 a topside plan thereof.
Figure 4 represents, upon an enlarged scale, and partly in vertical section and
partly in elevation, the upper part of the stand, with a box iron in position thereon,
showing more clearly the construction of the burner part of the apparatus, and how
the valve rod is depressed by the iron coming upon its upper end.
Figure 5 shows, upon the same scale as Figure 4, a longitudinal vertical
section of the mixing chamber, valve, regulator and adjacent parts of the lower
portion of the apparatus.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
a is the burner, consisting of a hollow casing a', preferably of a shape approximating

page_text: to the internal configuration of the iron to be heated and preferably made up of two
screwed together sections a³, a³, with the joint. between them packed with asbestos
or the like and with the front section a², which is shown formed integral with the
bracket part a', of the stand, pierced with holes a. wherefrom the flame jets issue and
play against the inside b', of the iron b, supported by the rest or table a, surmounting
the bracket or pillar at, which has a hollow gas way a', through it. up which the
mixture of gas and atmospheric air proceeds from the mixing chamber c, terminating
the lower end a³, of the said pillar, which has, at or about its middle, the attachment
foot or plate d, by which the apparatus is secured to an ironing table, preferably
with only the rest and burner portions of the stand, with their immediate accessories,..
coming above the table and with the mixing chamber, valve, regulator and the like
being below and out of the way.
The said mixing chamber c, consists of a casting having an U-shaped or double
passage c¹, terminating at one end e, in the lower part as, of the pillar, whilst the other
end, has the gas supply nozzle e. leading into it and is also in communication with
the air inlet pipe 7, which is fitted with a cock at f2, for opening and closing the
same.
g is the
gas supply pipe, leading through the hole g', into the valve chamber g²,
the parts
9, of which are secured by bolting or by screws to the extension c*,
of the mixing chamber casting. From the chamber 2, the gas proceeds through
the hole g, in the partition 6, into the regulator chamber g', and thence through
the passage e, of the nozzle e, to the mixing chamber c, as clearly shown by the
arrows in Figure 5. h is the valve by which the admission of gas to the burner
is controlled, comprising a cone-faced disc ', adapted to take into the corre-
spondingly coned seating 98, in the hole 9, and terminating the extreme lower
end 2, of the valve rod ³, which passes upwardly from the valve casing, through the
attachment plate d, and through a hole a', in the iron rest a", with its extreme upper
end, protruding (when the valve is closed) to a short extent above the surface of
the same.
In order to prevent the leakage or escape of gas, a diaphragm or washer i, made of
india rubber or other suitable material, is located within the joints between the adjacent
parts of the pillar a', and the mixing chamber casting and the valve casing
section 3 and the extension c, of the said casting. A gas-way piercing is made at
in this diaphragm and another hole is formed at 2, adapted to fit tightly around the
valve rod which passes therethrough, and the diaphragm and valve rod are made to
rise and fall together by the nut 4 and washer A, taking upon the wormed part h', of
the said rod and screwed home against the top of the surrounding parts of the said
diaphragm.
The valve is normally closed and the disc h, kept within its seating 98, by the
spring j. encircling the valve rod and bearing at the lower end against the valve
casing g³, and at its upper end against the collar h³, of the coupling, connecting the
lower end of the valve rod to the upper portion.
The regulator by which the quantity of gas to be admitted into the mixing chamber
is determined, consists of a screw threaded spindle k, with the wormed part k working
through a boss in the casing g', and having a conical nose end ¹, adapted to be taken
more or less into or out of the conoidally formed or flared entrance of the nozzle
passage el, by the tangent wheel k², on its outer end engaging with and being rotated
by a worm, cut in the lower part of the spindle k, whose bottom end is carried by
the bracket, whilst the upper end takes through the hole d', in the attachment
plate d, and is terminated by a small hand wheel or other turn ke, by which the
regulator is operated. Instead of employing a worm and tangent wheel for propelling
and repelling the regulator spindle, I may employ a spur wheel and rack or any other
equivalent mechanical means.
m is the by-pass pipe, proceeding from a part of the valve casing above the valve,
direct, to the burner and having an independent cock m', by which the by-pass service
is cut off when the stand is not in use. A master tap is also provided for turning off
the main gas supply.

page_text: OPERATION.
Assuming that the box iron is off the stand, then the gas is cut off from the burner,
other than that which passes through the by-pass, by the expansive force of the
spring j, drawing the valve disc into its seating. To reheat the box iron, slip the
same over the burner when its bottom end comes and rests upon the extending end of
the valve rod, which is pressed down by the weight of the iron, whereby the spring
is compressed and the valve opened. Gas now passes through the valve and enters
the mixing chamber and travels horizontally forwards and backwards through the
double passages of the same, into the upright hollow pillar and from thence flows
into the burner from which it issues through the small holes in the front thereof and is
ignited outwardly by the constantly lighted jet at the end of the by-pass.
The holes in the burner are upon one side only outside lugs ao are cast at its
junction with the base so that there is an inside clearance between the pierced side of
the burner and the inside of the smoothing iron, so that when the iron is in position
the gas jets play only upon the inside bottom of the same. When the iron (which has
piercings in its side) is sufficiently heated it is removed from the stand, when the
spring again draws up the valve disc and automatically cuts off the gas supply.
Any number of burners may be arranged upon the same stand, but each burner has an
independent gas supply and valve, and instead of the valve being opened by the iron
impinging directly upon the upper end of the valve rod, it may act upon the end of a
lever or a bell crank lever or equivalent communicating with the said valve rod and
through which motion is communicated to the valve for turning on and off the gas.
I wish it to be understood that I may employ any equivalent means for the opening
and closing of the valve and that the details of construction of the apparatus may be
varied without departing from the nature of my invention.
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 :-
First. In heating stands for box and other irons, operating the valve for cutting off
the main gas supply from the burner or burners by the act of lifting the iron from off
a spring or equivalently controlled valve-operating expedient upon which the said
iron impinges whilst being heated, and turning on the said gas supply by the
transmission of the force exercised by the weight of an iron to the said valve-operating
expedient.
Secondly. In heating stands for box and other irons, the combination with the
burner and iron rest, above the surface of which an end or a part of a valve-operating
or valve-opening rod or equivalent extends, of a spring controlled-valve adapted to
automatically shut off the supply of gas from the burner or burners of the stand on
an iron being removed from impingement with the valve-opening rod, substantially as
described and set forth.
Thirdly. In heating stands for box and other irons, the combination with the burner,
iron-rest and supporting pillar having a gas way or passage formed therein, and a
spring controlled valve-operating rod passing through, and extending above the
surface of, the said rest, of a valve chamber or casing, fitted with an automatically
closed valve and leading to a gas and atmospheric air mixing chamber, substantially
as described and. set forth.
Fourthly. In heating stands for box and other irons, the combination with the
burner, of a gas by-pass pipe, leading from a part of the valve casing above or in front
of the valve, or from a part of the main gas supply, to the said burner, substantially
as and for the purpose described and set forth.
Fifthly. In heating stands for box irons, the combination with a burner, iron-rest,
valve operating rod and valve, of a gas regulator, consisting of an advancing and

page_text: retiring spindle with an end taking into a corresponding seating in the gas way or
inlet, and rotated by a worm and tangent wheel, rack and pinion or equivalent means,
the whole of the parts being constructed and arranged substantially as described and
set forth.
Sixthly. The improvements in iron-heating stands, and in the means for automatically
cutting off and turning on the gas supply of the burner on an iron being removed
from or placed thereon, the whole of the parts being combined, arranged and operating
substantially as described and set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of Anil 1807
ERNEST EDWARD LEWIS,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.