IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR GALVANIZING SHEET IRON
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Henry Johns of Landsdowne Place Saint Lukes
in the County of Middlesex Mechanical Engineer for an invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Henry Johns at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th April 1882.
THOMAS HENRY JOHNS of Landsdowne Place Saint Lukes in the County of
Middlesex, Mechanical Engineer. " IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR GALVANIZING
SHEET IRON"
This invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of machinery
or apparatus for galvanizing Sheet Iron so as to produce a fine finished Sheet of
galvanized iron without the manipulation hitherto required and at the same time
a surface is put on the sheets which cannot be done by the process now in use, the
operation being also accomplished in a much more efficient, expeditious and
economical manner than by the ordinary existing appliances:
According to my said invention the sheets are put in at one end of a flat metal
bath which contains the coating metal and are then pushed forward until seized
by a pair of rollers which are mounted on standards and are hollow. These rollers
are heated by gas or otherwise the first pair of which feed the sheets rapidly
through two metal operators which rub them quickly on the surface
These surface operators are moved automatically and heated internally being
worked by levers and springs the sheets are then drawn through a pair of hollow
rollers which are cooled by air or water-thus the machine is worked by one
operation and the sheets finished by being once passed through the said machine.
Two or more pairs of rollers are used at the finishing end one of which is for
corrugating the sheets (when corrugation is required) as they come out of the
operators, thus enabling me to corrugate a sheet without having to put it through
a separate machine:
I also provide at the same end of the machine an automatic movement which
stamps figures of different designs or if desired letters, names or printing of any
description which are crystallized:

page_text: One sheet leaves the bath while the other enters into it and I can have in the
bath six or more sheets at a time so that they may be well coated with the metal:
By the adoption of the hereintofore described machinery and Bath I can finish
with only two inen more work than can be done by six mon by the present process
of galvanizing, and at the same time turn out much better sheets:
I can heat this machine by gas made of beuzoline by blowing on the liquid
with a fan worked by hand or machinery as may be preferred or by other means:
I may mention that in preparing the plates for coating they can be placed in a
bath of solution of the same metal to which a strong current of an electric battery
is connected: By this means. I can put a slight film from /lb (one half pound)
per cwt of iron to any quantity, after which I prefer passing them through an
apparatus which will cause the sheets to perspire so as to separate any impurities
1
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Henry Johns in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th October 1882.
THOMAS HENRY JOHNS of Lansdowne Place St. Lukes in the County of Middlesex
Mechanical Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR GALVANIZING SHEET
IRON
"
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
machinery or apparatus for galvanizing sheet iron and has for its object to produce
a fino polished and finished sheet of galvanized iron without the manipulation
hitherto required and at the same time to render it possible to obtain a surface
such as cannot be obtained by the process now employed. Moreover, according to
my Invention the galvanizing and finishing operations are accomplished in a much
more efficient expeditious and economical manner than by the ordinary existing
appliances.
According to my said Invention the sheets or plates of iron to be galvanized
are put in at one end of a flat metal bath which contains the coating metal and
fluxes (which may be of the ordinary kinds) and the said plates are pushed forward
before each other until seized by a pair of rollers which feed the sheets through a
pair of metal operators or surface dressers which planish the plates and produce a
good surface thereon by equallizing the metal. The sheets aro then drawn through
a pair of hollow rolls which are cooled and from these rolls the plates may be
passed to apparatus for treating the galvanised plates such as for example,
corrugating rolls or stamps for impressing them with any suitable pattern or
device.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the suno letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.

page_text: Figure 1. represents in plan-Figure 2 in side elevation and Figure 3 in end
elevation machinery or apparatus constructed or arranged according to my
Invention. The bath is omitted from Figure 1. A is the bath in which is con-
tained the metal and flux. The sheets of iron to be coated are passed one after
the other into the said bath from between the feeding rolls b the said sheets
passing beneath the flap a¹ which is provided for retaining the flux at the rear
end of the bath. The bath may be heated in any convenient way. As shown in
the drawing furnaces care provided for burning ordinary fuel but the said bath
may be heated by gas or in any other convenient way. The bath is preferably
provided with a cover a². The bath is preferably shallow as shewn and the plates
pass longitudinally through the same whereby a more beneficial effect is obtained
than with the ordinary dipping process in which the plates have to pass through
strata of metal of different temperatures. At the exit end of the bath are the
standards d which carry the sliding bushes of the rolls and planishers. The
rollers ee are hollow and heated by gas or otherwise. The plates as they are
issued from the bath A pass up the incline f and beneath the flap a³ to these
rollers e e by which they are seized and fed to the pair of metal operators or
planishers g g which are of the angular shape seen clearly in Figure 2. These
planishers are not set in the same vertical line but so that the plates do not
pass straightly through them but are somewhat bent there-between to give the
requisite planishing or finishing action on the surface of the plates. The plates as
they issue from the planishers g are passed between the pair of rolls h which are
hollow and are cooled by air or water or otherwise as may be convenient
The
bearings of the rollers e and h are in sliding bushes and by means of the levers i
and screws the pressure between the rollers may be regulated. The said levers
are provided with handles by which the pressure requisite for causing the rollers
to take the necessary grip upon the plates to feed them through may be readily
obtained by hand. The planishers are also furnished with spring levers k and
screws and nuts by which the passage between the planishers may be regulated
to suit different thicknesses of plates. If necessary a sideways reciprocating
movement may be given to one or both of the planishers which motion may be
obtained from any convenient moving part of the machine.
After the plates issue from the rolls h they may be led to corrugating rolls or
to rolls or stamps which stamp or impress figures or designs or other device on
the said plates or to apparatus for otherwise treating the plates. The rolls for
these purposes may be mounted on the continuations of the standards d so that the
sheets are passed there through before they leave the machine thus rendering a
separate process for these purposes unnecessary. These rolls and stamps may be
operated from the same mechanism which gives motion to the rollers ef and this
latter may be effected by any ordinary or convenient means. In the arrangement
shewn in the drawing the axle of the lower roll h has a driving pulley thereon and
through the pinion and intermediate wheel p drives the lower roller e through
the pinion g on its axis.
represents a shaft and pulley provided for giving motion to an endless
carrier for forwarding the plates from the machine to any required place for
packing or after treatment.
In place of the hollow rollers e as described discs or small rollers may be
employed mounted upon axes on which they are adjustable and fixable so that
they will be in position to grip the plates by their edges as they leave the bath.
The heating agent employed for the rollers may be ordinary gas or gas may be
used, made by blowing on benzoline by a fan.
By the employment of the machine or apparatus herein before described I can
have as many as six or more sheets in the bath at one time so that they may be
well coated with the metal. I can finish the plates with only two men who can
with this machine do more work than can be done by six men by the process of
galvanizing hitherto in use and at the same time I can produce better work.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said

page_text: Invention and the manner in which the same is or inay be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that 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:
First The machinery or apparatus for galvanizing sheet iron the said
machinery or apparatus being constructed or arranged substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Secondly-In apparatus for galvanizing sheet iron the employment in com-
bination with a bath through which the sheets are passed longitudinally of
finishing apparatus for receiving and finishing the plates as they issue from the
machine substantially as hereinbefore described.
Thirdly-In apparatus for galvanizing sheet iron the employment at the exit
end of the bath of receiving rollers e (or their equivalents as hereinbefore
described) in combination with planishers or surface finishers set forward thereof
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Fourthly-In combination with the machinery or apparatus substantially as
claimed in the preceding claiming clauses the employment of corrugating or
stamping or impressing rolls or apparatus for corrugating or otherwise impressing
or treating the said plates as they issue from the machine substantially as
herein before described.
In witness whereof I the said Thomas Henry Johns have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal the sixth day of October One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.
THOMAS, HENRY. JOHNS. (L.S.)