IMPROVEMENTS IN REDUCING CHARCOAL AND OTHER SIMILAR MATTERS TO POWDER, AND IN TREATING. THE SAME WHEN IN A STATE OF POWDER, SO AS TO RENDER THEM SUITABLE TO BE USED IN PLACE OF VEGETABLE BLACK, DROP. BLACK,. LAMP BLACK, AND OTHER MATTERS
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
LEWIS JONES, of Chester, Railway Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen. Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date, at
Westminster, the Fifth day of March, in the ninth year of Her reign, did, for,
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert Lewis.
Jones, my exors, adñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privi-
lege and authority, that I, the said Robert Lewis Jones, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Lewis Jones, my exors, admors,
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 expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,. within England, Wales, and.
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REDUCING CHARCOAL AND OTHER SIMILAR MATTERS TO POWDER, AND IN TREATING.
THE SAME WHEN IN A STATE OF POWDER, SO AS TO RENDER THEM SUITABLE TO BE
USED IN PLACE OF VEGETABLE BLACK, DROP. BLACK,. LAMP BLACK, AND OTHER
MATTERS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said Robert Lewis Jones, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be.
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar.
months next. and immediately after the. date of the said. in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
Robert Lewis Jones, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in using currents of air to remove and separate the
finer particles of charcoal or of charcoal peat when grinding, so as to obtain
the same in an exceedingly fine state, and which will allow of the powder of
charcoal or of charred peat being used in place of vegetable black, drop black,
and lamp black, the coarser parts of the charcoal being employed by iron
founders and others, and the fiñer portions may also be used as a substitute for
or in combination with black lead, combined with grease or fatty matters, for
greasing or lubricating axletrees and other parts of machinery.
And the second part of my Invention consists of separating the finer particles
from the coarser ones of ground charcoal and of charred peat by currents of
air when the same have been ground in the ordinary manner, without using
currents of air to separate the finer particles from the coarser ones.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully 'understood and carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
It has been heretofore usual 'to grind charcoal into a powder for the purposes
of iron founders and others. In such cases the simple act of sifting has been the
only means, resorted to for separating the finer 'from the coarser particles, and in
some cases no such sifting has been resorted to, but the whole as ground has
been used. I have discovered that by using currents of air in separating the
finer from the coarser particles the fine powder of charcoal or charred peat
obtained may be applied in substitution of other matters of a more costly.
description. Charcoal and charred peat may be ground in any convenient close
mill, but I prefer to use such as are now commonly employed when' grinding
charcoal for the purposes of iron founders, and which are well known.
In carrying out the first part of my Invention I connect a pipe to the upper
part or cover of the mill, and I conduct such pipe to the centre of a rotatory
fan or blower, such as is commonly used in blowing air for smiths' forges and
other works; and from such blower or rotatory fan I conduct a pipe into a
long chamber so arranged that the fine particles may be deposited 'therein and
yet allow of the air passing away. The arrangement of chamber for this
purpose I will hereafter describe; and in order that 'a' constant supply of air
may flow into the mill, I form a hole or holes in the cover at a distance from
where the pipe to the blower or fan enters, and I apply a' valve or plug to
such hole so as to regulate the flow of air into the mill. It will readily be
understood that on putting the rotatory fan or blower into motion the air will

page_text: be constantly withdrawn from the interior of the mill, and as the act of
grinding' will cause the finer particles of the charcoal or of the charred peat
to rise; the same will be carried off from the mill by the currents of air, and
a constant 'incoming of fresh air will be entering the mill, consequently the
fine particles will not pass out of the mill, except through the pipe, to the fan
or blower, and from it to the chamber hereafter explained. I would here
remark, that although I prefer the apparatus and means above described for
grinding and producing the currents of air,: I do not confine myself. thereto,
as others may be used, nor do I make any claim thereto, as they separately
form no part of my Invention:. When the charcoal or charred peat has been
ground, without using currents of air in the act of grinding, in order to
separate the finer. from the coarser particles, I place the ground matter into a
covered cylinder or other convenient, vessel (having a stirrer), the same being
filled with similar means of obtaining currents of air thereto, as described in
respect to the mill, to conduct off the finer particles, as above explained, into
a proper chamber, where the powder is to deposit. The chamber which I
employ is thirty feet long, ten feet wide, and. ten feet high, but this may be
varied. The object of the chamber is, that the currents of air carrying the
finer powder of charcoal or of charred peat may allow the same to subside in.
the chamber, whilst the air may pass freely off without carrying, away any or
as little as may be of the fine powder,.for which purpose I have constructed
the top, one side, and one end (the other end and one side being a.wall) of
calico, simply stretched and supported on light, wood, framing. By this
arrangement, the air having entered into the chamber looses its force by
reason of the extent of the chamber, the air getting away in every direction,
the fine powder depositing on the floor, or it may be into pockets. descending
from the floor or other part, and I find the powder of different degrees of fine-
ness, according to the distance from the entrance into the chamber; and it
may for different purposes be removed from the chamber in different degree of
fineness, or the whole may be mixed, as all that comes into the chamber is
very fine, the coarser particles remaining in the mill or in the cylinder. The
finer products thus separated may, as above stated, be used as substitutes for
other materials, as above mentioned, and the coarser parts may be used for
the purposes of ironfounders. I would, however, here state, that I do not
make any claim to the so using the powder of charcoal or of charred peat.
And I further state, that the chamber above described may be varied, so long
as it is suitable for receiving currents of air, carrying with them the finer
powder of charcoal, and such as to allow the power to subside with as little
loss as may be.