IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF FINELY DIVIDED IRON ORES, IRON SANDS, OR MINE DUST,
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Martin Rae, of Uphall, in the County of Lin-
lithgow, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE TREATMENT OF FINELY DIVIDED IRON ORES, IRON SANDS, OR MINE DUST,
D"
Sealed the 12th December 1873, and dated the 2nd July 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Martin Rae at the.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition; on the
2nd July 1873.
I, MARTIN RAE, of Uphall, in the County of Linlithgow, North
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF FINELY DIVIDED IRON ORES, IRON
SANDS, OR MINE DUST, WITH A VIEW TO SMELTING THE
FURNACES," to be as follows:-
SAME
IN BLAST
The difficulty hitherto preventing the smelting of finely divided iron
manda and mine dust
630
as followe
-
If these ores are used

page_text: out at the throat if the blast is increased to overcome the obstruction.
To obviate this difficulty various plans have been tried by mixing these
ores with clay, mud, and other plastic materials, but hitherto without
success, on account of the agents employed being of a non-combustible
character. The furnaces requiring a larger per-centage of fuel and
producing a greater amount of slag than usual.
Now my Invention consists in the preparation of a mastic from the
residues of the distillation of mineral oils, as is well understood, which
mastic I use as a cement for binding the iron ore or mine dust together,
and by pressure I convert the same into solid blocks, which blocks
can then be smelted in a blast furnace.
In districts where the aforesaid ores are located near to blast furnaces
it may be found economical to mix the ore or mine dust with a due
proportion of coal dust, coke breese, or powdered charcoal, to act as
fuel; also a due per-centage of powered lime to act as a flux; this
composition to be mixed with the aforesaid mastic and pressed into
blocks, as above set forth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Martin Rac in the Great Scal Patent Office on
the 1st January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARTIN
RAE, of Uphall, in the County of Linlithgow, North Britain, send
greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the 37th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Martin Rae, Her special license that I,
the said Martin Rae, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Martin Rae, 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 Ircland, the Channel Islands,

page_text: water is evaporated and the caustic lime combines with the tarry matter
and forms a bituminous cement. The heat must be continued until the
composition becomes viscous, and sets hard when applied to a cold
surface. The cement is then ready for use.
Third. I take finely divided iron ores, iron sands, or mine dust; these
on being dried and heated in the ordinary furnace used for roasting
iron ores are then passed into a mixing mill, where they are mixed
with about ten per cent of the above mentioned bituminous cement.
The composition is then pressed into blocks of any desired size by
suitable machinery, and is then ready to be smelted in a blast furnace.
In districts where the aforesaid ores are located near to blast furnaces
it may be found economical to mix the ore or mine dust with a due
proportion of coal dust, coke, breese, or powdered charcoal, to act as
fuel, also a due per-centage of powdered lime to act as a flux. This
composition to be mixed with the aforesaid mastic and pressed into
blocks, as above set forth.
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 I do not confine
myself to the exact proportions or to the precise details herein set forth,
as they may require to be varied to suit the character of the materials
employed, but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is, the application and use of bituminous mastic or
cement prepared from the products herein-before mentioned, to and in
the converting of finely divided iron ores, iron sands, and mine dust
into solid blocks, with a view to rendering the same available to be
smelted in blast furnaces, so as to obtain metallic or "pig" iron there,
from, substantially as heein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Martin Rae, have to this my
Specification, set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of
One thousand sight hundred and samanty throo