CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS
Year: 1829

page_text: CAT
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
COWDEROY, of Britannia Street, City Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth
did, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Second day of November, in the tenth year of
His reign, give and grant unto me, the said John Cowderoy, His especial
licence that I, the said John Cowderoy, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said John Cowderoy, my executors, admi-
nistrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said John Cowderoy, shall cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chan-
cery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said.
John Cowderoy, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, is described and ascertained
as follows (that is to say) :-

page_text: I conduct moulds of cast iron, or other suitable material adapted to the purpose
of brickmaking, and these moulds are so connected together by joints at the
sides and ends that after forming the brick from the brick earth, they permit
the sides and ends to give way so as to loosen and detach the brick when
formed from the mould. The moulds constructed from this object are jointed
together, and form an endless chain of successive amoulds extending to the
length of six feet, more or less, as secu at Figure 1. This chain of moulds
is mounted on a cast-iron frame, as described in Figure 1 and 2, and is
suspended in the said cast-iron frame by cams or rollers placed on their axles,
as slicwn in the Drawing, and which will be hereafter described. The moulds,
when mounted in the cast-iron frame (Figure 1), are moved under the earth
box, and receive carth in succession from the box, and are put in motion by
the force of man, or by any mechanical force applied to the crank axis, and,
being put in motion, the chain of moulds is caused to move forward by the
action of the cams, and the brick earth is pressed into the moulds by the iron
pressers o, o, moved by the crank a and the levers, as seen in Figure 1. The
earth being pressed into the moulds, a solid brick is formed, which being
smooth on the surface by the sliding motion of a strike, the moulds and bricks
pass on and over the cams, and the bricks being gradually prepared and
detached from the mould, they are received on boards adapted to the object,.
and placed on the receiving frame, and are thence moved forward in succession
as the operation continues.
.
I now proceed more particularly to describe my improved machinery, and
the application of the same to the process of brickmaking.
Figure 1 is a side and sectional view of the machine. 4, 4, 4, 4, represents'
the cast-iron frames. a, represents the crank shaft or axis, and the pinion
which takes into and moves the wheel 6 on the shaft or axis c. The wheel and
pinion are in the ratio of 4 to 1, and may be of any other proportion that
circumstances or the arrangement of the machinery may require. N is a
carriage on which the axis of the pinion a and wheel 6 are supported; L is
a screw to draw back the carriage to adjust the chain of moulds; c, c, c, are
shafts or axles on which are placed cams or cast-iron pullies, so formed as to
take into, act upon, and move forward the chain of moulds d, d, d, 'd, d, 'd, in'
which the bricks are formed in succession. The peculiar construction of these
cams are seen in Figure 1, and at Figures 4, 5, and 6. e is an axis on which
is fixed iron bars in the shape of a cross, extending from side to side of the
machine under the moulds, which, being put in motion, acts upon the elastic
spring or lever f, which is fastened to the cross bar at f, and which, being

page_text: depressed by the cross into the water tub or cistern below, water is thrown
upwards on the moulds to wash and prepare them for operation when required.
These elastic springs I call splashers, and they may be formed of whalebone, or
any other suitable elastic substance, and are about fifteen inches in length, and
half an inch in breadth, and placed half an inch apart from each other; h is
an axis on which a roller is placed, and formed with indents on the surface so
as to act freely on and be moved by the chain of moulds, a sponge being
fastened on the surface for the purpose of wetting or damping the moulds.
This sponge roller is to work in the cistern of water f, before described. j is
an axis of a roller which I call the sand thrower, placed in a box of sand; in
the surface of this roller is fixed pieces of whalebone or other suitable sub-
stance, and which are six or seven inches long, and about half an inch by a
quarter in dimension; these elastic springs are tipt or pointed with sheet
copper, or other suitable metal, and the cylinder being put in motion by the
wheel b operating upon and moving a similar wheel on the axis j, the elastic
throwers striking against a bar in the sand box z, parallel to the axes, the
stroke will cause sand to be thrown into the moulds as they pass in succession
to the cain axis c. The diameter of the said roller may be six or seven inches,
and the elastic springs may be placed on the surface in eight rows about half
an inch apart, more or less, as may be required to effect the object. k, k, is
the box into which the brick earth is put by wheelbarrows or by hand, or by
a clay mill of the usual construction, or by any other mode adapted to com
pletely effect the purpose of placing the brick earth in the moulds for the
operation of the machine; 6, 6, 6, are stays to brace the machine together,
and to support the bar B and earth box k, k; L, l, are connecting rods moved
by the crank a, and operating by the lever n, n, moving on the axis m, and
which gives motion to the pressers 0, 0, which, having a circular form in the front
part, will press the earth by degrees into the mould, and the flat or straight
part will give solidity or consistance to the earth thus formed into a brick by
my improved moulds. The brick thus formed passes with the chain of
moulds on to the strikes, and which is moved alternately right and left by the
eccentric groove in the pulley P, as shewn in Figure 2. The strike s'is a bar
of iron three inches broad and one inch thick, or thereabouts, extended across
the machine, and fitted closely to the joint of the pressers 0, 0 ; 9, 9, 9,. repre
sent a cistern of water, connecting pipe, and tube for sprinkling water on the
newly-formed brick as it lays in the mould; represents a hopper placed over
the brick moulds, as shewn in Figure 1 and 3, in which dry sand is placed to
be sprinkled on the bricks by the operation of the slide at the lower angle of
the hopper; a small aperture is left between the side marked 18 and the side

page_text: of the hopper marked 14, which extends over the brick moulds; and the
slide marked 15 is caused to move from end to end of the hopper, and through
small perforations the dry sand will fall equally on the surface of the bricks
below; this slide is moved by the lever R, as in Figure 3; 8, 8, 8, s, is a frame
of cast or wrought iron in which the receiving machinery is placed; t, t, are
pulleys which are connected by a strap and move together, carrying with them
the boards on which the bricks are received as they are detached from the
moulds; these pulleys and boards are moved or put in motion by the wheel I
on the cam pulley shaft C, acting upon and moving the wheel 2, on the
board shaft u. The wheel 2 on the board shaft u, acts upon and moves the
wheel 3 on the pulley shaft t; these wheels, being equal in diameter and in
their number of teeth, move forward the receiving boards (by the straps con-
necting the pullies t, t); and the wheels 1, 2, and 3, being of equal diameter, will
give the same rate of motion to the shaft u and the pulley shaft t, as they
receive from the cam shaft C, as the moulds d, d, deliver the bricks; v is a
box or frame made of wood, or other material, in which a number of the
receiving boards are placed, and which rest upon a ledge at each end; these
boards are replaced as the bricks are removed, and the frame or box should
be kept nearly full of boards to ensure a regular action of the quadrangle fixed
on the board shaft u. The quadrangle on the shaft u is so formed as to have
a spring placed on each square, which spring has a catch at the extremity, and
takes hold of the lower board, and pushes or moves it down the incline slide
fixed to the box v to the frame w, where it rests to receive the brick. The
frame w is balanced by a weight, and so placed that when the brick is finally
detached or separated from the moulds d, d, it will by its weight press down the
frame w, and the receiving board will then rest on the straps at each end;
when the board is moved forward, the balance weight will bring back the
frame w into the proper position to receive another board, as before described,
and this operation continues to be repeated when the machine is at work, as
will distinctly appear by an inspection of Figure 1; D, D, is a lever from which
is suspended the pulley; on the axis F is a weight acting on the lever D, to
adjust the strain on the straps. The bricks are formed in rapid succession,
and delivered on the receiving boards, and then are removed to make room for
others. When a sufficient quantity of bricks are brought forward by the
delivering boards and placed on the straps, a wheelbarrow constructed for the
purpose and adapted to the object is placed under the bricks, and takes off
froin the straps a certain number of bricks, which operation is repeated' as the
bricks are made and delivered by the machine. The wheelbarrow is of the
usual construction, excepting in the form of the upper boards, which should be

page_text: adapted to the width of the space between the straps; and the barrow should
be placed on a plank or board moving on a centre, or other arrangement
adapted so as to admit the upper surface to be always parallel to the line of
the straps; and when the barrow is raised by the handles, the bricks will also
be raised and taken off from the straps. Figure 2 represents an end view of
the frame on which the brick machinery is mounted, and which is marked
4, 4, 4. a, a, is the crank shaft; d, d, indicate a section and side view of the
moulds which the side and centre slides support; 7,7,7, represent the supports
with the grooves in which the chains of moulds slide as they are carried
forward by the cams c, c; l, l, are connecting rods moved by the crank; n is a
lever or beam to give motion to the pressers o, o. B is the end of the bar by
which the centre plate of the moulds is regulated; k, k, are the boxes in which
the brick earth is placed; P is a pulley fixed on the cam shaft, in the edge of
which an eccentric groove is cut, which moves the lever R by a pin at the
end passing to the bottom of the groove; the lever R moves on an axis, as
seen in Figure 3, and gives a sliding motion to the strike S, which is thus
moved alternately right and left to smooth the surface of the bricks; H is the
handle by which the machine is put in motion. Figure 3 represents a side
view of the cast-iron frame marked 4, 4, 4, 4. P is a pulley with an eccentric
groove; R is a lever moved by a pin or tooth taking into the groove of the
pulley P, which lever moves freely on a centre axis. The other end of the
lever R is attached to the end of the strike S by an axis or pin which, by a
chace mortice, it allows the strike S to alternate freely to smooth the upper
surface of the bricks; this alternate movement may be about 3/4 of an inch,
more or less, as may be found needful. The letters and figures in this side
view of the machinery and frame indicate the same things as in the side and
sectional view, Figure 1, of which a full explanation is given. The centre
part of the mould d, as seen in Figure 10, is a moving plate, and forms part
of the bottom of the mould. The purpose for which this plate is caused to
mové is to detach the brick from the bottom of the mould, and the movement
is effected as follows, viz, a bar B, B, B, is introduced under the moulds, and
is seen in Figure 1, and the end at the section Figure 2; this bar is con-
structed of iron, and in dimension about four inches broad, and one half inch
in thickness. The bar B is fixed to the stay 6, and extends on, to, and round"
the upper and lower cams c, c, to the end marked B; the centre plates of the
moulds presses on this bar in their progress from the earth box k to the upper
cam c; and the moulds being constructed with staples or books fixed in the
centre plate, these staples, being of the dimensions of the bar B, slide on the
bar and raise up the centre plate, which will form a slight indent in the

page_text: bottom of the brick; and the motion of the machine will carry forward
the brick so raised to the space between the upper and lower cam pulley a, and
the bar B being formed with small projecting parts or tongues, and being maile
narrow, as seen at Figure 6, it will take hold of and enter the staples at a,
and will draw back the centre plate to the level of the bottom by the hooks
or staples before described. The manner in which the bar B is placed and is
supported will be distinctly seen in Figure 1. The centre plate is drawn back
by the hooks and held in their proper position during the operation of splashing,
wetting, and sanding. Figures 4 and 5 represent a longitudinal and end
view of the cam in one form. Figure 6. represents a longitudinal view of the
cam in another form, the difference mainly consisting in the introduction of
the bar B, as seen at Figure 6, with the projecting tongues to take hold of
and press the bar B into the staples of the centre plate of the mould d, as
before described. In the former cam, represented in Figures 4 and 5, the
angles of the cam rise the centre plate of the mould d; either of these forms
of cam will work effectually, but I prefer and recommend the form represented
in Figures 5 and 6. Figures 8 represent views of the ends of the improved
mould. Figures 9; side views. Figures 10, views of the bottoms of the upper
and lower-parts, and of the centre plate, shewing their construction and form of
joints. The minute and particular description given in these several Figures,
.sections, and views, together with the description of their application heretofore,
will enable any competent machinist to construct the same. Figure 11 repre-
.sents a front view of two chains of moulds d, d, as fixed in the machine
passing over the cam pullies, the ends of the moulds being kept at a proper
distance from the brick by the guide plates G, G, G, which are fixed to the
cast-iron framing and adjusted to regulate the moulds in their operation.
Having given a particular description of the several parts of my improve-
ment in machinery for making bricks, and the particular application of such
improved machinery in the process of brickmaking, shewing the connection
of the several parts of the machine, and the way in which such parts mutually
co-operate so as to combine the power to produce a brick of much improved
quality with a dispatch hitherto unknown, I will state generally the operation
of brickmaking by my improved machinery :-
Brick earth properly prepared is put into the earth box k, k, by. machinery
or by hand, as found most convenient; it is there pressed into the moulds by
-the pressers o, o, smoothed by the strike, and sprinkled with water and with
sand. As the moulds pass from the strike S to the cam pulley C, and the
moulds form an incline of about 1/4 inch more or less, to the angle of the cam
which causes the bar B to act upon the staples, and the centre plate of the

page_text: mould is raised in proportion, and the ends open as permitted by the guide
plates G, G, G, and as the mould with the brick pass over the upper cam c
and to the lower cam c, the bar B enters the staples of the center plate of the
mould D at a, which draws back the center plate, and the brick is placed on
its edge and then descends to the board on the frame W, and is delivered on
and moved by the straps connecting the pullies t, t. Thus the operation of
brickmaking is performed with facility and effect.
In the machine I have constructed I use two chains of moulds, as shewn in
thie Drawings, working in parallel lines at the same time and in the same
machine; but I do not confine myself to this particular description, or to any
particular number of chains, including any given quantity of moulds, for any
number may be employed, a greater number of moulds requiring greater
power to put the machine in motion. The dimensions of the brick moulds I
have described are such as are determined by the Statute of the forty-third of
George the Third, Chap. 69, viz, 10 inches in length and five inches in
breadth, and three inches in thickness; but I do not confine myself to any
particular size, my machine being adapted to work with moulds of any dimen-
sion. To facilitate the working of the machinery I have introduced the
receiving frame and apparatus, as shewn in Figure 1; but I do not confine
myself to this method of receiving bricks from the machine, for the bricks
may be made to fall on boards extending under and in front of the chain of
moulds, and so placed as to receive the bricks without injury, and from thence
they may be removed by children in the usual way, or by any other sufficient
arrangement.
Firstly, I claim as my Invention the improved method of constructing
moulds for brickmaking, such moulds being formed with joints so as to
permit the sides and ends to open and shut, and with a moveable center plate
to indent and detach the brick from the mould, as herein particularly
described.
Secondly, I claim as my Invention generally the application of moulds
formed with joints, whatever may be their form or construction, such moulds
being connected together to form an endless chain or chains of moulds
working over cams or pullies applicable to the purpose of brickmaking.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Cowderoy, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of May, in the year of our Lord Oue
thousand eight hundred and thirty.
JOHN (L.S.) COWDEROY.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same First day of May, in
the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John Cowderoy came before our
Lord the King in. His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore--
said, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
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