IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE Manufacture OF TIN AND TERNE PLATES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Jones Jenkins, of Swansea, in the County of
Glamorgan, Tin Plate Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE Manufacture OF TIN AND TERNE PLATES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Jones Jenkins
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th August 1871.
I, JOHN JONES JENKINS, of Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan,
Tin Plate Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TIN AND
TERNE PLATES," to be as follows :—
The object of this Invention is to economize labour and time in the
manufacture of tin or terne plates. In the ordinary process the work-

page_text: man takes the black plates singly and passes them through flux or palm
oil and then removes them therefrom and plunges them into the tin bath,
after which they are passed singly between or by the side of pressing
rollers into a grease bath, from which they are afterwards removed
between rollers and finished singly as tinned plates.
My improved apparatus consists, first, of a trough of suitable dimen-
sions to contain 10, 12, or more plates. This is divided equally by
vertical partitions or rails against which the plates are supported while
in the trough. When they are considered clean all the plates are raised
simultaneously out of the trough by means of a lifting apparatus con-
sisting of a horizontal frame provided with the requisite number of spring
clips,. which when brought down will lay hold of the edges of the plates
so that they may all be lifted up simultaneously. This clip frame is
suspended by means of a cord from a vibrating beam or from a small
carriage provided with pullies over which the suspending cord or cords
pass, the frame being counterbalanced by a weight at the other end of
the cord or beam. The carriage is mounted on wheels so that it can bo
moved to and fro on guide rails in order to bring it in succession over the
proper troughs. When the clip frame has laid hold of all the plates in
the first trough it is raised up and then moved along the rails until it is
brought over the tin bath. It is then lowered so as to lower all the
plates simultaneously through flux troughs into the tin bath. This tin
bath or trough is provided with a number of rollers arranged closely
together so as to nip the plates as they are lowered between them.
Rotary motion is communicated to these rollers in pairs so that when
the plates enter between the nip of the rollers they are drawn out of the
clips and passed down into the tin bath and rest on a moveable bottom.
They are supported in a vertical position on this bottom by horizontal
bars, and when the plates are free from the rollers the moveable bottom
may be shogged laterally so as to bring the upper edges of the plates
beneath the nip of the next set of rollers which rotate upwards instead
of downwards. Thon upon raising up the moveable bottom and bringing
the top edges of the plates between the rollers the latter by their rotation
will raise the plates out of the tin bath and thrust them into the slips
of the clip frame, whereby they may be lifted clear of the trough and
carried away to the next bath, which will contain tin at a lower
temperature than the former. The plates are passed through this bath
in the same manner and then conducted by the travelling or movcable

page_text: frame to a third tin bath, from whence they are conducted to a finishing
grease bath, which is provided with a moveable bottom for shifting the
position of the plates and lifting them to the nip of the rotating rollers
as in the tin baths. When the plates are finished tinning they can be
removed from the clip frame and cleaned and packed in the ordinary
manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Jones Jenkins in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th February 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
JONES JENKINS, of Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan, Tin Plato
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Jones Jenkins, Her special
licence that I, the said John Jones Jenkins, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Jones Jenkins,
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
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TIN AND TERNE
PLATES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Joncs Jenkins, my executors or administrators, by an instrument 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 John Jones Jenkins, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the

page_text: same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):-
The object of this Invention is to economize labour and time in the
manufacture of tin or terne plates. In the ordinary process the work-
man takes the black plates singly and passes them through a flux or
palm oil and then removes them singly therefrom and plunges them into
the tin bath, after which they are passed singly between or by the
side of pressing rollers into a grease bath, from which they are
afterwards removed between rollers and finished singly as tinned plates.
With my improved apparatus I am enabled to manipulato several
plates simultaneously, and thus to greatly economise the labor of
making tin or terne plates.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shown at Fig. 1 a general
sectional view of my improved apparatus, which consists of a pickle
trough, a washing bath, an improved construction of tin pot, and a
grease bath, but principally of a moveable or travelling plate holder
which is capable of laying hold of and lifting or depositing any con-
venient number of plates. The pickle trough is shown in section at A
and is of suitable dimensions to contain ten, twelve, or any other con-
venient number of plates. This trough A is divided by vertical
partitions or rails, against which the plates are supported while they
are being acted upon by the pickle in the trough. This pickle trough
is filled by the hand, to which end a pile of plates are placed on the
trolly a so that they can be conveniently moved about by the attendant
who will place them singly in the trough A, and when they are con-
sidered clean all the plates, or a sufficient number to fill all the clips of
the lifting apparatus, are raised simultaneously out of the trough. The
lifting apparatus B is suspended from a travelling carriage which runs
upon
rails above so that it may be moved to any position or over any of
the troughs. This lifting apparatus consists of a horizontal frame
(partial views of which apparatus are shown at Figures 2 and 3 drawn
upon an enlarged scale) formed of the longitudinal bars b, b, b', b¹, and
the end vertical bars 6. The bars b, b, carry the clips C, one arm c of
which is rivetted and the other arm c¹ is pivotted between the bars b, b.

page_text: The lower ends of the clips are so shaped that when dipped in any liquid
or molten metal (for the purpose of completely immersing the plates
under operation) the liquid should completely drain off the clips without
dropping on to the sides of the plates; b, &, are brackets attached at
both sides of the frame to the bars 6 and carry the wing bars 6ª, which
are provided with suitable notches into which the plates to be held enter
and are prevented thereby from swinging sideways. The pivotted arm
of the clip O is acted upon by the spiral springs c³ carried (as
shown) between the bars 6', 6', to close the clip. A sliding bar c³ pro-
vided with slots, through which the top of the hinged arms c¹ of tho
clips project, is mounted in the frame of the lifting apparatus B and
receives an endway motion by means of the screwed nut c' when it is
desired to open the whole of the series of clips simultaneously. The
lifting frame B, constructed as described and provided with the requisite
number of spring clips, as indicated in Fig. 1, is brought over the
trough A, and when it is lowered down the clips will lay hold of tho
upper edges of an equivalent number of plates, so that the latter may all
be lifted up simultaneously out of the trough. This clip frame may be
suspended by means of cords from a vibrating beam or from a small car-
riage D, as shown at Fig. 1, provided with pullics, over which the
suspended cord or cords d, d, pass, the frame being counterbalanced by
weights d', d³, at the other end of the cords d, d. The carriage D is
mounted on wheels so that it can be moved to and fro on the guide
rails E in order to bring it successively over the proper troughs. When
the clips of the frame have each laid hold of plates from those standing
upright in the first trough A the frame is raised up and then moved along
the rails until it is brought over the tin bath. It is then lowered so as to
lower all the plates simultaneously through the flux into the tin bath F.
This tin bath or trough F is provided with a number of rollers arranged
closely together. These rollers are mounted in a long slotted bearing and
the end rollers receive at both sides of the frame or bearing pressure
from the springs f¹ so as to cause the rollers to nip the plates as they
are lowered between them. Rotary motion is communicated to these
rollers from the first and last roller of the series (or it may be from the
centre one) by means of the pullies, and spur wheels f³, f, all
the rollers being geared together by the spur pinions f*, as seen best in
the plan view of the trough at Fig. 4. The plates are assisted in
entering into the nip of the rollers by means of the wedge-shaped

page_text: guide or hopper plate G, formed of thin metal mounted immediately
over the rollers, and by which the plates will be guided into the nip of
the rollers. They are then drawn out of the clips, which are opened by
the attendant slightly turning the screw c' for that purpose, and passed
down into the tin bath by the rotation of the rollers and rest on a {
moveable bottom or tray H. They are supported in a vertical position
on this bottom or tray H by vertical guides projecting from both sides
of the tray, and when the plates are free from the rollers the moveable
bottom may be shogged laterally by means of the lever into the dotted
position, and the tray II may then be raised, together with its charge of 1
plates by means of the lever h¹. The forked end of this lever embraces a
pin on a horizontal bar h³ connected at both ends to the levers of the rock
shafts ; these rock shafts have cams acting on the under side of tho
tray H so that when actuated by the lever ' they will raise the tray
and bring the upper edges of the plates into the nip of the next 1
rollers, the peripherics of which are so rotating as to bring the plates
upwards instead of downwards. The plates will then be raised out of
the tin bath and pass through the guide plate G, which will hold them
in a vertical position (or nearly so), their bottom edges resting on the
rollers, when they may be again readily thrust into the clips of the clip 2
frame and lifted clear of the trough, and by means of the travelling
carriage D moved on to the next bath, which will contain tin at a lower
temperature than the former. The plates are passed through this bath
in the same manner and then conducted by the travelling or movable
frame to a third tin bath, from whence they are conducted to a 2
finishing grease bath, which is provided with a moveable bottom for
shifting the position of the plates and lifting them to the nip of the
rotating rollers, as in the tin bath before described.
When the plates are finished tinning they can be removed from the
clip frame and cleaned and packed in the ordinary manner.
Having now described my Invention of "Improved Apparatus to be
used in the Manufacture of Tin and Terne Plates," and having explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim, as the Invention
secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the arrangement and
combination of apparatus herein shewn and described, or any mero 8
modification thereof, whereby any convenient number of plates may ho

page_text: simultaneously lowered into the pickle, tin, or other baths and--
withdrawn therefrom as herein set forth without being separately
handled.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Jones Jenkins, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
JO: J. JENKINS. (L.S.)