Improvements in and Connected with the Recovery of Tin, Spelter, Solder, and like Metals or Alloys from Scrap or Refuse Tin- plate and other like Coated Metal Wares.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 1st June, 1889-Accepted, 6th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with the Recovery of Tin, Spelter,
Solder, and like Metals or Alloys from Scrap or Refuse Tin-
plate and other like Coated Metal Wares.
| RICHARD COMINGS THOMPSON, of 95 Junction Lane, St. Helens Junction, in the
County of Lancaster, England, Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to and has for its object, mainly, the recovery from waste.or
scrap tin-plate waste or refuse boxes, cans, packing cases and the like, made of tin-
plate and other like coated plate, of the tin, solder or other metal, or alloy, or any of
them, with which such metal ware is coated, seamed, jointed or otherwise used in con-
nection with it.
According to my Invention, after the metal to be treated has been cleaned and
washed in any of the known, or hitherto proposed ways, and cut or broken up into
suitable sized pieces, it is then subjected to the following process:-The material is
placed in a suitable receptacle or apparatus and heated to a temperature equal to or
greater than that of, or above the melting point of the metal or metals to be recovered,
in the presence of, or by and in the presence of a gas, gases or vapour, which will
not oxidize the tin, and will prevent oxidation of it, that is, the material is so heated
in the presence of a gas, gases, or vapour that the metal or metals to be recovered
is or are metted upon the plate in the metallic state, and is brought into such
a condition that it can be removed therefrom by agitation or other suitable means or
force.
Although any suitable machine and means heretofore proposed may be used for
removing the metted metal from the plate, forming the base of the ware, I propose
to remove it centrifugally; that is, I propose to use a machine in which the material
is placed and treated as above described in a receptacle, which is perforated or provided
with apertures, and revolved at a high rate of speed. Inside this receptacle I may
use an arm or arms, fixed or moving, or any other equivalent device; capable of
causing the pieces of material to change their relative positions when being rotated.
The metal so removed is collected and run into moulds or suitable receptacles.
The kind of gas or gases or vapour which may be conveniently used for carrying
on the method or process above specified, are superheated steam, carbonic oxide,
carbonic acid, nitrogen, hydrogen, or their chemical equivalents, or any combination
of them. Any one or more of these gases or vapours may be produced in any of the
well known ways; for instance, a combination of nitrogen and carbonic oxide or
carbonic acid may be produced by passing air through incandescent carbonaceous
fuel, and hydrogen may be produced by passing steam over a sufficient quantity of
incandescent iron filings or cuttings.
The heat necessary to raise the material to the required temperature may be obtained
by using the gas, gases or vapour in a heated state, or by the agency of heat applied
externally or internally, or by both. The heat may be obtained by burning solid,
liquid or gaseous fuel.
Dated this 6th day of September: 1888.

page_text: •
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with the Recovery of Tin, Spelter,
Solder, and like Metals or Alloys from Scrap or Refuse Tin-
plate, and other like Coated Metal Wares.
I, RICHARD COMINGS THOMPSON, of 95 Junction Lane. St. Helens, in the County
of Lancaster, England, Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention relates to and has for its object, mainly, the recovery from waste or
scrap tin-plates, waste or refuse boxes, cans, packing cases and the like, made of tin
plate and other like coated plate, of the tin, solder or other metal or alloy, or any of
them, with which such metal ware is coated, seamed, jointed or otherwise used in con-
nection with it.
.
According to my invention, after the metal to be treated has been cleaned and
washed in any of the known, or hitherto proposed ways, and cut or broken up
into suitable sized pieces, it is then subjected to the following process:-The
material is placed in a suitable receptacle or apparatus and heated to a temperature
equal to or greater than that of, or above the melting point of a metal or metals to
be recovered in the presence of, or by and in the presence of gas, gases or vapour, or
fluid, which will not oxidize the tin, and will prevent oxidation of it, or out of contact
with any oxidizing fluid; that is, the material is so heated in the presence of gas,
· gases, or vapour, or fluid, that the metal or metals to be recovered is or are melled
upon the plate in the metallic state, and is brought into such a condition that it
can be removed therefrom in that state by agitation or other suitable means or
.force.
.
Although any suitable machine and means heretofore proposed may be used for
removing the melted metal from the plate, forming the base of the ware, I propose to
remove it centrifugally, that is, I propose to use a machine in which the material is
placed and treated as above described, in a receptacle, which is perforated or provided
with apertures, and revolved at a high rate of speed. Inside this receptacle I may
use an arm or arms, fixed or moving, or any other equivalent device, capable of
causing the pieces of material to change their relative positions when being
rotated. The metal so removed is collected and run into moulds or suitable.
receptacles.
$6
The kind of gas or gases or vapour or fluids from which such vapours are evaporated,
which may be conveniently used for carrying on the method or process above specified,
are water gas," carbonic oxide, carbonic acid, nitrogen, hydrogen, or their chemical
equivalents, or any combination of them, vapours of oils or the oils upon which such
vapours are evaporated if having a sufficiently high boiling point. Any one or more
of the above gases may be produced in any of the well known ways; for instance,
a combination of nitrogen and carbonic oxide or carbonic acid, may be produced
by passing air through incandescent carbonaceous fuel, and hydrogen may be
produced by passing steam over a sufficient quantity of incandescent iron filings or.
cuttings.
The heat necessary to raise the material to the required temperature may be obtained
by using the gas, gases or vapour, or fluid, in a heated state, or by the agency of heat
applied externally or internally or by both.
In treating the scrap or refuse materials according to this invention, with hot gas,
vapour, or fluid, it must be of sufficient temperature to melt the tin spelter solder,
or the like which it is desired to recover and bring into such a condition that by
the use of agitating, and stirring apparatus (such as that herein illustrated) or of
any known suitable like kind whereby the metal becomes agitated and moved
about, the melted metal will be removed from the material it covers. To aid in
its removal an abraisive substance. such as sand or emery may be mixed with the
material, and as it will float upon the surface of the molten metal recovered, it may be
easily separated from it.

page_text: When using oils, as the fluid in the presence of which the materials are to be
treated such oil must be such as will not only not cause oxidation of the melted tin and
other metal but will also have a boiling point above the melting point of tin, solder,
or other like material. Two oils of which I am aware, they possess the above
two qualifications are palm oil and the petroleum or mineral oil known as "cylinder
oils which boil at about 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course if the process is
conducted under a pressure greater, say considerably greater, than the atmospheric
pressure then other animal vegetable or mineral oils might be used, the pressure
used depending upon the kind of oil used and that is great enough to prevent the
oil boiling. In this case also these oils having a high boiling point would obviously
be preferred.
In the drawings hereto annexed which serve to illustrate an apparatus which may
be used in carrying out this invention Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, Figure 2 a
end view and Figure 3 a plan.
In the drawings A is a chamber or vessel mounted in a base a, and having an
outlet à for the hot fluid used to heat and melt the tin or other matter, and an
outlet a for the escape of molten tin or other metal or alloy; B is a vessel located
within the vessel A, and mounted on a hollow shaft C supported in bearings c¹ disposed
'outside the chamber A and secured to the base a; and D is a weighted body suspended
from the metal of the vessel B surrounding the shaft C and used to constitute the
means by which the pieces of material under treatment are agitated or caused to
change their relative positions when being operated upon.
The vessel B and shaft C are provided with apertures or perforations 6² and c³
respectively the former being provided to allow the escape of the molten tin or other
metal or alloy, and the heating fluid to pass from the vessel to A B and the latter to
allow the heating fluid to enter the vessel B from the hollow shaft C by which said
heating fluid is introduced.
At
One end of the vessel B is closed and the other is provided with doors b¹ through
which the material to be treated or operated upon is introduced and removed.
this end of the apparatus the vessel B passes through the end of the vessel A a
joint being made by the use of rings a³ in the respective vessels, said rings of
one vessel working in grooves formed by and between the rings of the other, as
shown.
In operation the vessel B is charged with the material to be operated upon for the
recovery of the coating metal or alloy through one of the doors 6', which is then
closed, and a gas, vapour, or liquid of any known suitable kind is caused to pass by
way of the hollow shaft C into the apparatus. The shaft C'and the vessel B mounted
thereon is then rotated at a suitable speed in any known and convenient
way, and the hot fluid acting on the material together with the agitation due to the
body D and the rotation of the vessel B causes the tin or other metal to be removed
from the metal it covers or coated by it and to pass out of the vessel B into
the vessel A by the apertures b³. The metal thus removed collects in the bottom
of the vessel A, from whence it is run off and cast into moulds, or otherwise
treated.
If more than one metal is being removed at the same operation, say, if tin or solder
is removed at once they may be separated subsequently to their leaving the apparatus
in any known way, or separately by employing different heats or temperatures at
which the different metals or alloys melt, so removing them in successive stages.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and the manner of performing the same I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improvement herein described in the recovery of tin, spelter, solder
and like metals or alloys from scrap or refuse tin-plate and other like coated
metal wares, consisting in effecting the removal and recovery of said metals or
alloys from the said scrap or refuse material by subjecting it (said material) to

page_text: i
heat, in the presence of a fluid in or by which the said metals or alloys will not
become oxidized.
2. The improvement herein described in the recovery of tin, spelter, solder
and like metals or alloys from scrap or refuse tin-plate and other like coated
metal wares, consisting in effecting the removal and recovery of said metals or
salloys from the said scrap or refuse material by heating it (said material) by and
in the presence of a hot fluid in or by which the said metals or alloys will not
become oxidized.
3. The removal and recovery of tin, spelter, solder and other like metals or alloys
from scrap or refuse tin-plate and other like coated metal wares, in a metallic state by
heating the material (scrap or refuse tin-plate and other like coated metal wares) whilst
out of contact with an oxidizing fluid.
4: In the removing and recovery. of tin, spelter, solder, and other like metals or
alloys from material of the kind described, by heated fluids, agitating or moving said
material, whilst under treatment by said fluid; for the purposes set forth.
5. Apparatus for the purposes herein set forth, comprising an outer and inner
chamber or vessel said inner vessel being adapted to be rotated and operating substan-
tially in the manner herein set forth.
6. In apparatus for the purposes set forth the combination of an outer vessel (such
as A), an inner vessel (such as B), and an agitating device (such as D), operating
substantially as and in the manner set forth and also as set forth with reference to the
drawings.
7. The use in combination with a vessel in which materials of the kind described are
operated upon by heat for the purposes specified, of an agitating device (such as D or
its equivalent), for the purpose described.
Dated this 29th day of May 1889.
RICHARD COMINGS THOMPSON.
Cheesbrough & Royston,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents.