IMPROVEMENTS IN THE Manufacture OF PRINTERS' LEADS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Francis Richard Wood, of 13, Newcastle
Street, Farringdon Street, in the City of London, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE Manufacture OF PRINTERS' LEADS."
Scaled the 14th September 1875, and dated the 3rd April 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Francis Richard
Wood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 3rd April 1875.
I, JAMES FRANCIS RICHARD WOOD, of 18, Newcastle Street,
Farringdon Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRINTERS'
LEADS," to be as follows:-

page_text: consequently it becomes rapidly chilled and the leads can only be cast
sound in short lengths.
According to my Invention I construct the mould for casting a
number of leads of double the usual length or more at one time. The
mould consists of two plane surface iron plates, the upper plate has i
trunnions at one end which are received between projections at the
end of the other plate; thus the plates are jointed together so as to be
able to open apart or close together bookwise. Stops are provided to
prevent them opening much beyond the right angle.
Each metal plate is covered with a non-conducting material. I employ 1
a sheet of paper pasted upon it, and over the paper strips of iron or other
metal-arc-attached by scrows. These strips are of the thickness of the
leads to be cast and serve to ensure the requisite separation of the plates
when they are closed together.
The plates are clamped together for casting by screw or other clamps, 1
and when they have been placed vertically the melted metal is poured
into the spaces left between the metal strips, and which are of the proper
breadth and of any convenient length (say twelve inches or more), a
length which allows of the leads being divided into two or more parts
after they have been cast.
Suitable mouths for pouring in the melted metal are formed by
screwing lip picces on to the plane surface plates at the end which is '
uppermost when casting, and is opposite to the joint.
The lower plate of the mould is provided with trunnions which arc
carried in a frame so that the mould is readily turned from one position
to another.
After casting the mould is placed horizontally and is then opened
and the leads aro taken out.
The lower plate of the mould has a gas burner attached to it to aid in-
keeping the mould at a suitable temperature.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Francis Richard Wood in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 2nd October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
FRANCIS RICHARD WOOD, of 13, Newcastle Street, Farringdon Street,
in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Пler heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Francis Richard Wood, Her
special license that I, tho said James Francis Richard Wood, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Francis Richard Wood, my executors, administrators, and 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, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRINTERS'
LEADS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Francis Richard Wood, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands, and scals,
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 Francis Richard Wood, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
printers' leads.
It is usual to cast printers' leads singly in hand moulds. The moulds
of metal and the molted tunn motal is cast into the bare mould.

page_text: a, a, is a frame adapted to carry the trunnions b', 6', of the lower
plate 6 of the mould; these trunnions are so arranged as to admit of
the mould being carried by the frame either in a horizontal or a vertical
position. In the Drawings the mould is represented in a horizontal
position, and it is then supported by a projection c¹ upon the spring
handle c
The mould is so hung that when the handle c is drawn back
its weight brings it into a vertical position; 62 are lugs fixed upon tho
lower part of the mould, they have slotted holes in them to receive the
trunnions d¹ of the upper plate d of the mould; e is an air gas burner
attached to the lower plate of the mould, it is supplied with gas by the
flexible gas pipef; in this way the mould is kept heated to the proper
temperature.
Figure 4 is a section of the mould taken on the line 1, 1, in Figure 3;
Figure 5 shows the face of the lower part of the mould; and Figure 6
shows the face of the part d. Both plates are originally flat on
the face, except where the notches 6³, d³, are cut, to facilitate the
pouring of the metal from a ladle into the several cavities of the mould.
Both plates also are covered on the face with a thin smooth sheet of
paper of uniform substance, which is attached by means of flour paste,
and afterwards to the face of one of the plates (the plate 6); the brass
strips b* are attached by screws, these strips are of the same thickness
as the leads it is desired to produce.
When made ready for casting the two plates 6 and d are closed
together and they are secured by the binding screws g, g, which work
through cross heads h, h, and press upon the upper plate d, the cross
heads being connected with the lower plate 6 by the standards 1, 2, which
at their lower ends screw into the lugs 6 on the sides of the plates b.
The cross head his in each case secured to one of the standards by a nut
which however allows it to turn freely around the standard, and at the
other end the cross head is received into a notch in the head of the
standard so that as soon as the screws are slackened the cross heads
can be turned out of the way to admit of the plates and & being opened
apart, and when the plates are closed together the cross heads can be
replaced with equal facility.
The lower plate as will be seen is formed with a flange around it
on the under side to confine the heat of the gas burner; ' are openings
through this flange for the escape of the products of combustion; d' is a

page_text: handle attached to the plate d. The mould remains horizontal whilst
heating and whilst the binding screws are being adjusted, it is placed
vertically before pouring, but is returned to the horizontal position
before it is opened to remove the leads
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I
claim,-
First. The means of and apparatus for the manufacture of printers'
leads, substantially as described.
Second. The combination with the metal mould of a non-conducting
lining of paper or other such like material, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Francis Richard Wood,
have hereunto set my hand and soal, this Second day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
JAMES F. R. WOOD. (L.S.)