AN IMPROVED TOOL FOR CLEANING THE INSIDE OF THE TUBES OR FLUES OF TUBULAR STEAM BOLLERS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Hardy, Engineer, of Windmill Street,
Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED TOOL FOR CLEANING THE INSIDE OF THE TUBES OR FLUES OF TUBULAR
STEAM BOLLERS."
Sealed the 17th April 1860, and dated the 3rd January 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Hardy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
January 1860.
I, THOMAS HARDY, Engineer, of Windmill Street, Wednesbury, in the
County of Stafford, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED TOOL FOR CLEANING THE INSIDE OF THE TUBES OR FLUES OF TUBULAR
STEAM BOILERS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of two or more elastic steel springs screwed at one
end so as to fix to a circular plate, to the other end is attached a scraper or
brush of a radius to correspond with the inside of the tube or cylinder requiring
to be cleaned, and the springs being bent outwards at the lower ends to the
requisite distances are controlled or worked by a sliding plate with slot holes
in one for each spring. To the plate wherein is fixed the springs is attached
a tube of the necessary length, serving the purposes of a handle or rod, in the
inside of which there is introduced another smaller rod or tube, which is fixed
into the slide plate so as to form a handle to control the action of the springs,

page_text: so that they can be controlled at will. The action of the above apparatus is
as follows-The side plate being pushed up by the inner rod brings the
scrapers or brushes into a smaller compass than the tube or cylinder requiring
to be cleaned, so that they can be put past a ferrule, or any thing of the kind,
fixed in any tube, and the slide plate being drawn to the bottom of the steel
springs allows them to expand, so that the brushes or scrapers come in contact
with the sides of the tubes or cylinders, and the apparatus being moved up
and down by the handle, causes it to scrape or brush (as the case may be) the
surface requiring cleaning.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Hardy in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HARDY, Engineer, of Windmill Street, Wednesbury, in the County of Stafford,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Hardy, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Hardy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Hardy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "AN IMPROVED TOOL
FOR CLEANING THE INSIDE OF THE TUBES OR FLUES OF TUBULAR STEAM BOILERS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Hardy, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, 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 Thomas Hardy, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My Invention consists of an improved tool for cleaning the inside of the
tubes or flues of tubular steam boilers. The Drawing shows the spring tube
cleaner for cleaning out boiler tubes.
Figure 1 shows a tube cleaner as expanded for work; Fig. 2, plan of same;
Fig. 3 shows same when closed; Fig. 4, plan of ditto. It consists of two or
more elastic steel springs H screwed at one end, so as to fix to a circular
plate E, to the other end is attached a scraper or brush G, of a radius to
correspond or nearly so with the inside of the tube or cylinder requiring to be
cleaned, and the springs being bent outwards at the lower ends to the requisite
distances, are controlled or worked by a sliding plate B with slot holes in one
for each spring. To the plate E, wherein are fixed the springs H, is attached
a tube C of the necessary length, serving the purposes of a handle or rod, in
the inside of which there is introduced another smaller rod or tube A, which
is fixed into the slide plate B, so as to form a handle to control the action of
the springs H, so that they can be controlled at will. The action of the above
apparatus is as follows:-The slide plate B being pushed up by the inner
rod A, brings the scrapers or brushes G into a smaller compass than the
tube or cylinder requiring to be cleaned, so that they can be put past a ferrule
or anything of the kind fixed in any tube, and the slide plate B being drawn
to the bottom of the steel springs H allows them to expand, so that the
brushes or scrapers come in contact with the sides of the tubes or cylinders,
and the apparatus being moved up and down, or backwards and forwards by
the handle, causes it to scrape or brush (as the case may be) the surface
requiring cleaning.
THOMAS HARDY. (L.S.)